多偶婚 (Polygamy)

 多偶婚 (Polygamy)

● 字源

polygamy：源自希臘文 polys（多）+ gamos（婚姻），經晚期拉丁文、法文 polygamie 進入英文。指同一時間與一位以上配偶締結婚姻的制度，對立詞為 monogamy（單偶婚）。

相關詞：polygamous（形容詞）、polygamist（名詞，實行者）、polygyny（一夫多妻）、polyandry（一妻多夫）。polygamy 是統稱，不限性別。

● 例句

Although critics throughout the centuries have condemned, and sometimes even bitterly ridiculed, the custom of marrying several partners at once, those cultures that gradually came to accept polygamy, the practice of being married to more than one spouse at a time, did so not merely because their rulers formally permitted it, but because they believed that a household which is carefully organized, once openly agreed upon, offers every member a lasting shelter that no solitary marriage could ever provide them.

（80 字）

● 排列為比較容易閱讀的方式

Although critics

throughout the centuries

have condemned,

and sometimes even bitterly ridiculed,

the custom of marrying

several partners at once,

those cultures that gradually came to accept polygamy,

the practice of being married

to more than one spouse at a time,

did so

not merely because their rulers formally permitted it,

but because they believed

that a household which is carefully organized,

once openly agreed upon,

offers every member

a lasting shelter

that no solitary marriage could ever provide them.

● 分解為原初的短小句

Critics have condemned the custom of marrying several partners at once.

（have condemned 為現在完成式；the custom of marrying... 為「名詞 + of + 動名詞」的片語，修飾 custom。）

They sometimes even bitterly ridiculed it.

（原句以 and 並列兩個過去分詞，共用 have；even bitterly 為副詞疊加，語氣遞進。）

This happened throughout the centuries.

（throughout 表「貫穿整段時間」；原句中 throughout the centuries 修飾 critics 的行為。）

Some cultures gradually came to accept polygamy.

（those that... 即 those cultures that...；came to accept 表「逐漸變得接受」，gradually 強調過程。）

Polygamy is the practice of being married to more than one spouse at a time.

（同位語結構：the practice of... 補充說明 polygamy；being married 為被動動名詞；more than one 後接單數 spouse。）

Those cultures did so.

（did so 代替 came to accept polygamy，避免重複。）

Their rulers did not merely formally permit it.

（not merely... but... 為「不僅……而且……」的對比結構；it 指 polygamy。）

They believed something.

（but because they believed... 的主句骨架；believed 後接 that 名詞子句。）

A household is carefully organized.

（which is carefully organized 為關係子句，修飾 household。）

The household is openly agreed upon.

（once openly agreed upon 為省略的時間子句，完整為 once it is openly agreed upon；agree upon 為動詞片語的被動。）

The household offers every member a lasting shelter.

（offers 為雙賓動詞：間接受詞 every member，直接受詞 a lasting shelter。）

No solitary marriage could ever provide that shelter to them.

（that 為關係代名詞，在原句中作 provide 的受詞；no... could ever 為強烈否定；provide them 即 provide to them。）

● 文法解析

Although 讓步子句 + 長主詞 those cultures that... did so：

Although 子句交代「歷來批評者曾譴責多偶制」，主句主詞 those cultures that gradually came to accept polygamy 拉得很長，中間又插入同位語 the practice of being married...，讀者要一路追到 did so 才找到謂語。did so 是代動詞，指前面的 came to accept polygamy。

not merely... but...（對比結構）：

兩個 because 子句平行：because their rulers formally permitted it 是表面原因，but because they believed... 才是真正原因。not merely 把重點從「統治者的許可」轉向「信念」。

that 名詞子句 + 關係子句 + 插入語：

they believed 後接 that 引導的名詞子句，其主詞是 a household。which is carefully organized 修飾 household，once openly agreed upon 是插入的省略子句，三者把主詞 a household 與動詞 offers 隔得很遠，需確認 offers 的主詞是 household，不是 member。

雙賓結構與否定關係子句：

offers every member a lasting shelter 為「給（誰）（什麼）」。最後 that no solitary marriage could ever provide them 中，that 是 provide 的受詞（省略位置在 provide 之後），因此句尾還有 them。no... could ever 為全面否定，比 could not 更強。

時態安排：

have condemned（現在完成）談歷來累積的批評，came / did / permitted（過去式）敘述那些文化的轉變，believed 之後的 offers（現在式）則表示該信念所主張的通則。

● 參考譯文

雖然歷代的批評者曾加以譴責，有時甚至刻薄地嘲笑，一個人同時迎娶多位伴侶的習俗；但那些逐漸接受多偶婚（也就是同一時間與一位以上配偶結婚的做法）的文化，這麼做並不只是因為統治者正式許可，而是因為他們相信：一個經過周密安排、又經公開同意的家庭，能給予每位成員一種持久的庇護，而這是任何單獨的婚姻都無法給予的。

● 補充說明

貼合主題：

句子先承認批評者對多偶制的長年譴責，再說明接受者並非只靠統治者許可，而是出於對「周密安排的家庭帶來庇護」的信念，同時把 polygamy 的定義以同位語嵌入句中。

句型亮點：

not merely... but... 的對比，凸顯真正動機

did so 代動詞，避免重複

once openly agreed upon 的省略插入

no... could ever 的強烈否定收尾

核心字彙：

condemn（譴責）、ridicule（嘲笑）、custom（習俗）、permit（許可）、household（家庭、家戶）、organized（有組織的）、lasting（持久的）、shelter（庇護）、solitary（單獨的）。