A slothful person does not want to move, work, or try. It is a bookish, slightly old word for lazy — you will meet it in stories, sermons, and careful writing more than on the street, where people just say lazy. It is stronger than “a bit tired”: it paints someone who stays still on purpose, who will not start.

A slothful personSlothful的人 does not want to move, work, or try不想動、不想做事、也不想努力。It is a bookish, slightly old word for lazy它是個帶點書卷氣、有點舊式的「懶」 — you will meet it in stories, sermons, and careful writing你會在故事、講道、和講究的文章裡遇到它 more than on the street比較少在街頭巷尾, where people just say lazy那裡人們就直接說lazy。It is stronger than “a bit tired”它比「有點累」更強烈: it paints someone who stays still on purpose它描繪的是故意不動的人, who will not start不肯開始做事的人。

It comes from sloth, which is both this kind of laziness (in old Christian teaching, one of the seven deadly sins) and the name of the slow tree animal. The animal was named for the same idea: it hardly seems to move.

It comes from sloth它來自sloth這個字, which is both this kind of lazinesssloth既是這種懶惰 (in old Christian teaching, one of the seven deadly sins在古老的基督教教義裡是七大罪之一) and the name of the slow tree animal也是那種行動緩慢的樹棲動物「樹懶」的名字。The animal was named for the same idea這種動物就是因為同樣的概念得名的: it hardly seems to move牠看起來幾乎不會動。

People sometimes stretch slothful to a slow office, a lazy government, or a heavy body, not only a person. Though actually, it is not the same as slovenly: slothful is about not doing; slovenly is about doing things in a messy, careless way.

People sometimes stretch slothful有些人會把slothful延伸使用 to a slow office用在動作慢的辦公室, a lazy government懶散的政府, or a heavy body或是笨重的身體上, not only a person不只是用在人身上。Though actually不過其實, it is not the same as slovenly它跟slovenly不一樣: slothful is about not doingslothful講的是不去做; slovenly is about doing things in a messy, careless wayslovenly講的是做事做得邋遢、隨便。