中式英语之鉴:生于威尼斯一个商人的家里
263. 马可波罗以一二五四年生于威尼斯一个商人的家里。
[误] Marco Polo was born in 1254 at a Venetian merchant family.
[正] Marco Polo was born in 1254 into a Venetian merchant family.
注：说生于什么人家，即俗称投生于某家，故英语要用 into，不用 at。他例如 No man is born into this world whose work is not born with him.(James Russel Lowell)。如果是指由什么人即父母而生，则要用 of，例如 He was born of Chinese parents(of humble parentage, of poor fisherfolk in Holland 等）。但家庭在这种意义之下即可用 of，例如 He was born of a wealthy (noble, good) family. 又 But in every child born of man lurks some of greatness ---waiting for the food.(H. G. Wells) 生于什么人家，有时又可译成 to 字，例如 She was born to the purple; diamonds suited her. 这个 to 是指的对象，如 Two children were born to them.（他们生有两个孩子。）Mark Twain was born to Samuel Langhorne Clemens, in Florida, Mo. November 30, 1835.（马克吐温以1835年11 月30日，于米苏里洲佛罗利达市，作为桑米朗洪克来门斯的儿子而出生的。）
