Sherlock Holmes's talking technique

We all have the impression that the only consultant detective in the world, Sherlock Holmes, is always an unbiased, cold, and precise calculating machine. His clear logic and astounding abilities to observe and deduce allow him to examine clues and put all pieces of information together to form a virtual reality picture before him, thats how the movies and TV shows depict the scenes where he restores the crime details in his mind as if he were watching a movie. No doubt tons of books can be made out of his astute cognitive capacity and highly quotable lines originated from his unique perception of the world. But here, Im just listing some of his (in)famous and extremely interesting views about love, logic, and the world. Though I have never seen anyone talking like him in real life, his parlance is worth dissecting and adapting.

Lets begin with his self-introduction. 他在網站上是這麼說的

Im Sherlock Holmes, the worlds only consulting detective.Im not going to go into details about how I do my job because chances are you wouldnt understand. If youve got a problem you want me to solve then contact me. Interesting cases only please.

我叫夏洛克福爾馬林，世上唯一的諮詢偵探。我不會給你講太多我是如何辦案的，因為你不會懂。如果你有問題解決不了可以來找我，非誠勿擾。

Go into detail(s), 詳細講述，以福爾摩斯的高辭彙逼格，這算是很親民的說辭。替代品有elaborate on, specify, expound etc.

This is what I do: 1) I observe everything; 2) From my observation, I deduce everything; 3)When Ive eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how crazy it might seem, must be the truth.

我早已看穿一切，當你排除掉所有的不可能，那麼剩下的看上去不管多扯淡，一定是真相。

但是他在網站發了這條廣告後數日沒有收到新的案子，於是開始抱怨了：

『』My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave mental exaltation.

我快無聊瘋了，給我來點精神食量吧，不然我就要得靠人造毒品了。我厭惡枯燥的日常工作，我要精神上的高潮！

Rebels at: 排斥，反感。 Dispense with 豁免，免除。我討厭這個想要那個： I abhor....I crave....

1. 來了案子，『』yes，the game is afoot! afoot: 進行中。英語中有很多在一個常用詞前加上a的合成詞，a 可以表示相反的，如如下幾對反義詞： septic,aseptic; biotic, abiotic。也可以表示沒有規律的詞：例如 foot--afoot；far-afar; wait-await; gain-again等等。

2. 在案子中： 『』I have devised seven separate explanations, each of which would cover the facts as far as we know them. But which of these is correct can only be determined by the fresh information which we shall no doubt find waiting for us. Remember Watson, it is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. 老子已經想了100種可能的情況了，但是哪一種是真相還有待考究，我們要等新鮮出爐的排行榜來定奪。記住了花生，沒數據下結論那是學術造假！！！
3. 案子破了： In solving a problem of this sort, the grand thing is to be able to reason backwards. That is a very useful accomplishment, and a very easy one, but people dont practice it much. In everyday affairs of life it is more useful to reason forward, and so the other comes to be neglected. There are 50 who can reason synthetically for one who can reason analytically. Watson, its all elementary. 反證法多麼重要， 50個人里只有一個人會從結論推過程，多數人你給他一串事件，他們能整理好思緒告訴你可能的結果，但是你給他們結果他們不知道那些步驟需要發生來導致這個結果。花生啊，這都是elementary的啊！我們知道小學叫 elementary school，意思就是這都是基本的。

插播一部叫Elementary的由劉玉玲（飾演花生）和Jonny Lee Miller主演夏洛克的ABC美劇，類似於BBC的卷福現代版sherlock，不過這個故事發生在紐約。安利完畢。

我們再看看福爾摩斯的個人知識水平到了什麼地步才能達到目空一切的狀態。

花生列了一個單子：

• Knowledge of Literature---Nil 沒有文學素養（但是沒有幾個文學大家有他一樣的辭彙量）
• Knowledge of Philosophy---Nil （他的話就是哲學，所以不需要去學了）
• Knowledge of Astronomy---Nil（不懂天文學）
• Knowledge of Politics---Feeble （略懂政治）
• Knowledge of Botany---Variable. Well up in belladonna, opium, and poisons generally. Knows nothing about practical gardening.（植物學在鴉片毒藥方面頗有建樹，但是不是個好園丁）
• Knowledge of Geology---Practical, but limited.Tells at a glance different soils from each other. After walks has shown me splashes upon his pants, and told me by their color and consistence in what part of London he had received them. (地理學的偏實用，但是不全。看一眼土就知道不同，可以從褲子上濺到的泥巴推斷出是倫敦的那個地方）
• Knowledge of Chemistry---Profound (如火純青的過柱子高手）
• Knowledge of Anatomy---accurate but not systematic (解刨學，很準確，但是不系統）
• Knowledge of Sensational literature---immense. (對整個世紀的犯罪都如數家珍）
• Plays the violin well
• Is an expert singlestick player, boxer, and swordsman.
• Has a good practical knowledge of British Law.
• Photographic memory

可見他的專長主要集中在醫學和化學以及地理學上，對於破案來說，正是非常有針對性的。當然得益於他那過目不忘的記憶力。

在他的工作之外，他的龐大的思維讓他對全世界都充滿了思考。他也愛過人，有過朋友，見識過社會，有家人，也會追求感官的享受。來撇一撇他對這些世俗之事的看法吧。

愛情觀：Love is a human construct, a futile hedge against the terror of mortality.

人類因恐懼死亡而給傳宗接代編出一個愛情的概念，殊不知，愚蠢的人類，這是不管用的。

Some people wish to immortalize their love via the tattoo needle. Never a good idea, in my opinion. Life is far too fluid for such mementos.

有些情侶想通過紋一樣的身來鑒定他們的愛情，在我看來並不是個好主意，生命太多變了，說不定下一秒就分手了。

Love is an emotional thing, and whatever is emotional is opposed to that true cold reason which I place above all things. I should never marry myself, lest bias mu judgement.

愛情都伴有情緒的波動，這個波動與我放置於其他所有事情之上的即淡定又真實的理性是背道而馳的。我怕結婚會偏斜我的判斷，所以我準備一輩子單身。

價值觀：attic theory: The human brain is like an attic. A storage space for facts. But because that space is finite, it must be filled only with the things one needs to be the best version of oneself. It』s important, therefore, not to have useless facts, the natterings that comprise a typical support group meeting, for example, crowding out useful ones.

閣樓理論。這段英語很好理解，讀起來很爽。

Detection should be an exact science, cold, unclouded by emotion. Otherwise, one begin to twist facts to suit theory instead of the opposite.

偵查是完全客觀的科學，不被情緒左右。否則你會扭曲事實來迎合理論而不是用理論來對照事實。

Youre not supposed to be an asset, you are a scientist, you are supposed to an impartial seeker of truth, but you are not, you are charlatan. And you have sent at least one innocent man to prison.

這段話來自於Sherlock在得知做DNA配比實驗的監管人濫用自己的權力偽造DNA吻合報告來迎合當權者後，當場痛罵對方，稱對方為江湖術士。正義感爆棚。

You are standing on a precipice, I cannot watch you tumble over it, I refuse to.

Sherlock 的朋友在一次意外中失去了深愛的人從而變的消極和精力不集中。於是他對他的朋友說了這麼一段話。你站在懸崖上，我沒法看你就這麼摔下去，我拒絕。看出他還是很有人情味的。

I confuse everyone.

哈哈

Experience has taught me that a man who keeps his mothers picture on his desk is capable of anything.

經驗告訴我，一個男人能把他媽的照片放在辦公桌上，這人什麼都能幹得出來。。。

Justice is like orgasm, it never can come too late.

正義就像高潮，一定會來的。

這句是我的目前最愛：The rise of social media has created a generation of narcissists eager to offer up their private images for public consumption. But like peacocks spreading their tails, such displays, whilst feeding self-esteem, also risk attracting the attention of predators.

社交軟體的崛起衍生了一大批自戀狂，迫不及待的發自拍來博取眼球。。。好似孔雀開屏，但是這樣的高調，雖然滿足自我認同感，但是同樣有吸引狩獵者的風險。

Youre beginning to see the wisdom in keeping an ocean in between ones self and ones relatives. Were it not for the evolutionary quirk that a mature human brain cannot pass through a dilated cervix, we might be rid of the pair bond between parent and child entirely. Family is the tie that binds, but while one end undergirds human civilization, the other is a noose, choking away our individuation.

這個家庭觀念很有意思，雖然不太贊同，但是這幾句話太贊了。花生啊，你現在終於知道跟親戚隔個太平洋是多麼明智的選擇了么，如果不是進化的怪癖，如果人類不需要從一個擴張了的子宮生出來，我們說不定已經脫離了父母與孩子的配對關係。家庭一端鞏固著人類文明，但同時束縛著我們的個性。

最後一句： there is a vast gulf between impossible and impossible to imagine. 這句我已經放到我的郵箱簽名了。

』

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