小词详解 | pretext

pretext 英 [ˈpriːtekst] 美 [ˈpriːtekst]

考研 SAT TEM8 GRE

外刊例句

• He accuses outsiders of hypocrisy—did rich countries not fell their own forests?—and, sometimes, of using environmental dogma as a pretext to keep Brazil poor.
  他指斥外人虚伪——富国就不砍伐森林了吗？有时他也指责他们用环境教条作借口让巴西陷于穷困。
  ——《经济学人》
• The West warns that Russia may be seeking a pretext to escalate the war.
  西方警告称，俄罗斯可能正在寻找借口升级战争。
  ——《纽约时报》

基本释义

[noun] a reason given in justification of a course of action that is not the real reason
[名词] 为辩护某个行为方式而给出的理由，但并非真正的理由

深入解读

Pretext 一词由前缀 pre- （……前的）+词根 text （编织）构成，源自拉丁语 praetexere （掩饰、掩盖，字面意思指“在前面编织”）的中性过去分词 praetextum （用作名词指“借口，表面样子”）。

16世纪10年代经法语 prétexte 进入英语后， pretext 也是用来表示“借口、托词”，主要指为辩护某个行为方式而给出的虚假理由或动机，以掩盖真实意图或真实情况，比如：

• 用这种或那种借口
  on one pretext or another
• 他借口自己胃不舒服离开了。
  He excused himself on the pretext of a stomach upset.
• 他们现在会找个蹩脚的借口重新发动战争。
  They would now find some dubious pretext to restart the war.

权威用例

要高度警惕外部势力在本地区煽动“新冷战”、制造阵营对抗，坚决反对任何国家以任何理由干涉内政、策动“颜色革命”，把本国发展进步的前途命运牢牢掌握在自己手中。
We must be highly vigilant against external attempts to foment a new Cold War or camp-based confrontation in our region. We must resolutely reject any interference in our internal affairs and the instigation of "color revolutions" by any country under whatever pretext. The future of our development must be held firmly in our own hands.

出自习主席在上海合作组织成员国元首理事会第二十三次会议上的讲话。

同近义词

• excuse: a reason or explanation put forward to defend or justify a fault or offense
• plea: a claim that a circumstance means that one should not be blamed for or should not be forced to do something
• pretence: an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true

往期回顾