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英汉大词典给的译文确实是有问题的，原因大概是它在虚词这一块做得很弱，结果把自己绕进去了。
【not that】作固定短语的时候，意思是【由前面的句子推不出后面的结论】，或者说，按常理，发生了A，就意味着B，说话人想要否定这种推导，说话人想说A是真的，B是假的。
新牛津：
It is not to be inferred that:
韦氏：
used to say that something said before is not important 韦氏的这个解释其实是：削弱A的重要性，让A的论述不至于强到推出B的结论。这个解释说实话不如新牛津好，但其实是一回事。
I saw him with some other woman, not that I care. 我看到他跟一些别的女人在一块儿了，不过我并不关心这档子事。（【我看到】暗示【我是在报告一个我关心的事情给你听】，说话人否定【我关心此事】，或者说，按照韦氏的思路，说话人削弱了事情的重要性）
再看一些别的例句：
She wouldn't tell me how much it cost - not that I was really interested. 她不肯跟我讲这玩意多少钱 —— 话说回来我对这价钱也不感兴趣。
Not that I mind, but why didn't you call yesterday? 我倒也不是真的在乎这个，不过你昨天为啥不打电话呢？
We forgot to leave our number – not that it matters; they can always ask Julie. 我们忘了给人家留下电话号码了 —— 不过也不打紧，反正人家可以问Julie要。
有的ESL词典知道虚词这东西会坑人，所以特别加以改写：
Not that it matters much [=it does not matter much], but is the artist a man or a woman?
Some people lie to get out of jury duty. Not that I ever would, of course. [=I would never lie to get out of jury duty]
所以说，在这个句型里面，A not that B，对应的一定是A真、非B真（B假）。楼主的句子：
We were allowed at last to rest, not that much of the night remained.
A = We were allowed at last to rest 【最后终于让我们睡了】为真
B = much of the night remained 【这一夜还剩下不少时间】为假、【这一夜马上就要结束了 = 天要亮了】为真
回到新牛津给我们的思路，【让人睡觉】应该能推导出【正常的睡眠时间】，说话人想要否定这个推导关系，说话人想说的是【没有得到正常的睡眠时间】。
英汉大词典为什么翻译错了呢？因为英汉大词典在虚词这一块很弱，大部分虚词条目都没有像我们这样仔细辨析背后的逻辑，而是用汉语里的对应词，比如这里的【并不是说,并非】打发了。这么打发的后果就是一不小心自己也给绕晕了，被直觉带跑了。
还有一点补充说一下，英汉大词典的这个例句是从文学作品里来的，出自Saul Bellow 1959年的小说Henderson the Rain King
"Oh, is that so?"I said."In that case let's have a little sleep."
So we were allowed at last to rest, not that much of the night remained. All too soon the roosters were screaming and I awoke and grew aware first of foaming red clouds and the huge channel of the approaching sunrise.I then sat up, remembering that the king wished to see us early. Just inside the doorway, against the wall, sitting in very much my own posture, was the dead man. Someone had fetched him back from the ravine.
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发表于 2019-7-15 10:06:24
楼主
