中秋節

好久沒有貼文了。開學十天，興奮而緊湊，生活上裡裡外外都忙，忙到沒時間也沒心情更新部落格。

今天適逢中秋節，我們哪裡也不去，在家吃著月餅 (moon-cake) 和柚子 (pomelo)，在空閒中我翻開了英文詞典，查看這個我們都熟知的 Mid-Autumn Festival / Moon Festival 在詞典理的現況。

令我略感意外的是，由「中秋節」逐字轉譯 (loan translation) 而成的 Mid-Autumn Festival 並未見諸主流的英文詞典，反而是饒富文學想像的「月亮節」Moon Festival 為兩本牛津詞典所收。今年春剛出版的《牛津高階學習詞典》第 8 版有一個簡單的詞條，1997 年的《牛津英語詞典》第 2 版增補本則展現了 "詞典聖經" 的氣魄，百科式的定義輔以 4 條書證。

《牛津高階學習詞典》第 8 版 (Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 8th edition), 2010 是這樣處理的：

Moon Festival
a Chinese festival that takes place in the autumn/fall

《牛津英語詞典》第 2 版 1997 年增補本 (Additions Series, The Oxford English Dictionary, Second edition) 是這樣處理的：

Moon Festival, in China and Hong Kong and in Chinese communities elsewhere, a festival celebrated in mid-Autumn, on the fifteenth night of the eighth moon of the Chinese year, orig. a family gathering after completion of the harvest.

[1892 J. D. Ball Things Chinese 13 The Full Moon Festival, when..moon cakes are seen at every confectioner's stall and shop, is kept gaily.] Ibid. 114 The *Moon Festival on the 15th day of the 8th moon, in September or October. 1962 F. D. Ommanney Fragrant Harbour iv. 83 Chinese shops become illuminated caves of colour on the Moon Festival. 1987 Atlantic Apr. t32/1 When candles are placed inside three pagodas on the main lake, as they are for the Moon Festival, the light shining from the small round windows gives an effect as if there were 15 reflections of the moon on the water.