分手信英文為什麼叫「Dear John」

A "Dear John letter" is a letter written to a husband or boyfriend to inform him their relationship is over, usually because the author has found another lover. Dear John Letters are often written out of an inability or unwillingness to inform the man in person. The reverse situation, in which someone writes to his wife or girlfriend to break off the relationship, is referred to as a "Dear Jane letter".

　　所謂「Dear John letter」是指一個女子寫給丈夫或男友表示分手的信件，通常是在寫信人另有所愛的情況下所寫，且往往寫信人不能夠或不想要當面告知男方這一情況。反之，如果是寫給妻子或女友告知分手的信，則被稱作「Dear Jane letter」。

　　While the exact origins of the phrase are unknown, it is commonly believed to have been coined by Americans during World War II. Large numbers of American troops were stationed overseas for many months or years, and as time passed many of their wives or girlfriends decided to begin a relationship with a new man rather than wait for their old one to return.

　　確切的起源還真不可考證，但人們普遍認為這個詞由美國人締造於二戰時期。當時大量的美軍部隊被派往海外，短則數月，長則多年。光陰流轉，軍嫂們或者在家的女朋友不願再獨守空閨，盼著良人歸來，決定開始一段全新的感情。

　　As letters to servicemen from wives or girlfriends back home would typically contain affectionate language (such as "Dear Johnny", "My dearest John", or simply "Darling"), a serviceman receiving a note beginning with a curt "Dear John" would instantly be aware of the letters purpose. 　　

　　而這些服役軍人們的妻子女友通常都是以充滿愛意的稱謂，比方「親愛的強尼」、「我最親愛的約翰」或者「達令」，開始她們殘酷的分手信，軍人們收到這樣子生硬開頭的信件，往往都有所警覺：是不是要分手了？

　 There are a number of theories on why the name John is used rather than any other. John was a common name in America at the time the term was coined. John is also the name used in many other terms that refer to an anonymous man or men, such as "John Doe" or "John Smith".

　　為什麼偏偏是約翰而不是邁克或者理查德呢？因為約翰在美國實在是一個超級大眾的名字，尤其在這個片語誕生的時候格外普遍。另外呢，約翰這個名字也往往被用來指示無名人士，比方很常見的John Doe或者John Smith。