世界小史 第29章:俄賽里斯

Would you like to know how to write using hieroglyphs?

你想知道如何用象形文字書寫嗎?

In fact, learning this sort of writing must have been incredibly hard, as it's more like constructing a picture puzzle.

事實(shí)上，這種書寫確實(shí)不容易學(xué)會(huì)，因?yàn)檫@情形跟猜畫像十分相似。

If they wanted to write the name of their god, Osiris, they would draw a throne,

如果他們想寫他們的神俄賽里斯的名字，他們會(huì)畫一個(gè)王座，

which was pronounced 'Oos', and an eye,

發(fā)音為"Oos"，再畫一只眼睛，

which was pronounced 'iri', so that the two together made 'Os-iri'.

發(fā)音為"iri"，所以這兩者合在一起就是"Os-iri"。

And to make sure that no one thought they meant 'Throne-eye', they often drew a little flag beside it.

為了不使人以為這是王座和眼睛的意思，人們往往還在旁邊加上一面小旗。

Which meant that person was a god.

表明那個(gè)人是一個(gè)神。

In the same way that Christians used to draw a cross after a name, if they wanted to show that that person was dead.

就像基督徒在一個(gè)人的名字后面畫一個(gè)叉，如果他們想表示那個(gè)人已經(jīng)死了。