17、Word Knowledge词汇知识：塞壬的歌声

Siren Song（塞壬的歌声）

In Greek mythology, the Sirens were dangerous creatures, who seduce（引诱） nearby sailors with their enchanting（迷人的） music and singing voices to shipwreck（遇难） on the rocky coast of their island.

在希腊神话中，塞壬是危险的生物，她们用魅惑的音乐和歌声诱惑附近船只上的水手，导致船只触礁沉没。

In modern English, siren song or siren call has become a common expression to refer to something that is very appealing and has the power to tempt（诱惑） people, though yielding（屈服） to the temptation may have unfortunate effects.

在现代英语中，“塞壬的歌声”或“塞壬的呼唤”已经成了一种常见词汇，用来指某种强烈的诱惑，一旦陷入其中，便可能造成不幸的后果。

Here is an example：The opportunity for fame and fortune is the siren song that has long lured（诱惑） the ambitious to the big city.

例如：名利的诱惑如同塞壬的歌声，将胸怀抱负的人们召唤进这座大城市。

The Sirens were said to have lived on Leukai, the islands on the northwest coast of Crete. Leukai is the Greek word for “white ones” as the prefix（前缀） leuko- or leuco- literally means “white”.

传说塞壬姐妹住在克里特岛西北方向的卢铠岛上。在希腊语中“卢铠”一词的意思是“白色物”，leuko-或leuco-这个前缀表示的就是“白色”。

Hence there are such medical words in English as leukemia, leucocyte, leucoma, leucocytosis, leucorrhea, which are all derived from Greek.

因此，英语中有许多医疗方面的词汇，如leukemia（白血病）、leucocyte（白细胞）、leucoma（角膜白斑）、leucocytosis（白细胞增多）、leucorrhea（白带）等，都源自希腊语。

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