小词详解 | impose

impose 英 [ɪmˈpəʊz] 美 [ɪmˈpoʊz]

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外刊例句

• President Donald Trump has circumvented the WTO to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, including those from America’s allies.
  美国总统特朗普已经绕过WTO对进口钢铁和铝材征收关税，包括来自美国盟国的进口。
  ——《经济学人》
• “This conference must not be viewed by the teeming masses of the world as a universal social charter seeking to impose adultery, abortion, sex education and other such matters on individuals, societies and religions, which have their own social ethos,” she said.
  “一定不能让全世界的广大民众以为，这次会议提出的是一份举世通行的社会宪章，旨在将通奸、堕胎、性教育等等事务强加于个人、社会和宗教，毕竟大家的社会风气都各有不同。”她说。
  ——《纽约时报》

基本释义

[verb] force (something unwelcome or unfamiliar) to be accepted or put in place
[动词] 强迫（不受欢迎或不熟悉的事物）被接受或落实

深入解读

Impose 一词结构比较简单，就是由前缀 im- （使……、加以……、饰以……）+ 词根 pos （放、放置）+ e 构成，14世纪末经古法语 imposer （放置；归咎、指控、控告）进入英语，原指“将罪行、责任、义务等归咎于……”。

等到了16世纪80年代， impose 才开始发展出现在的主要含义指“强制实行、强加、推行”，多用于形容为了秩序、好处或效率等而由最高权力机构施加的法律、法规、征税、惩罚、限制等，强调必须服从、承受或忍受，常用搭配 impose sth on/upon sb/sth ，比如：

• 医生们支持对香烟征收高额税收的计划。
  Doctors have backed plans to impose very high taxes on cigarettes.

如果是为了整体利益而由权力机构施加的规章制度，个人即使有怨言但大多也还可以接受。相较而言，更让人难以接受的则是某个人将自己的看法、信仰、价值观、生活方式等强加于他人身上，这可以用常用搭配 impose sth on/upon sb 表示“把……强加于”，比如：

• 我没有把信读完，但我想这封信的大意是说他不希望他们把自己的宗教信仰强加给他的孩子们。
  I didn't read it all but I think the purport of the letter was that he doesn't want them to impose their religious beliefs on his children.

除了把看法、信仰等强加于人外，更有甚者还会“勉强”某人做某事，这可以用常用搭配 impose on/upon sb/sth 表达，多指无理地期望别人为自己做一些别人不想做的事情，并从中占取便宜，比如：

• 你瞧她眼神里的那副得意样子。她总是强人所难——要人帮忙做这做那。
  Watch the gloat in her eye. She's always imposing on people - asking favours and getting everyone to do things for her.

总的来说，上述这些做法的最终结果都是使他人被迫承受或遭受某种不想要的事物，所以常用搭配 impose sth on/upon sb/sth 也可以泛指“强行使承受、使遭受”或者说“把……硬加给、强塞给”，多指将痛苦、压力、负担等困难的或不快的事物强加于人，比如：

• 拍摄工作使她承受了额外的压力。但这也是她发展事业的绝好机会。
  The filming imposed an additional strain on her. But it was also an unparalleled opportunity to develop her career.

值得注意的是，字面意思是把自己强加给某人或某事物的常用搭配 impose oneself on/upon sb/sth 实则是指“使打扰、使硬缠”或者说“使强迫接受”，也就是在不受欢迎的情况下，想法设法使对方接受自己的陪伴或出现，比如：

• 这只是因为他不想打扰自己已婚的朋友。但这并不意味着他会在最需要的时刻抛弃他们。
  This was simply because he didn't want to impose himself on his married friends. But it doesn't mean that he will forsake them in their hour of need.

权威用例

新民主主义革命的胜利，彻底结束了旧中国半殖民地半封建社会的历史，彻底结束了旧中国一盘散沙的局面，彻底废除了列强强加给中国的不平等条约和帝国主义在中国的一切特权，为实现中华民族伟大复兴创造了根本社会条件。
The victory of the new-democratic revolution put an end to China's history as a semi-colonial, semi-feudal society, to the state of total disunity that existed in old China, and to all the unequal treaties imposed on our country by foreign powers and all the privileges that imperialist powers enjoyed in China. It created the fundamental social conditions for realizing national rejuvenation.

出自习总书记在庆祝中国共产党成立100周年大会上的讲话。

同近义词

• foist: impose an unwelcome or unnecessary person or thing on
• inflict: impose something unwelcome on
• thrust: force (someone) to accept or deal with something

往期回顾