more than ¹

原译2刚说完“无法估计”，接着却说“据估计”这不是自相矛盾吗？要想真正弄清这句译文毛病之所在，必须掌握more than的几个主要用法。

A. more than + 数词, 表示“……以上”“多于……”“……有余”。例如:

More than 100 chemical elements are known to man; of these, about 80 are metals. 人类已知的化学元素有一百种以上，其中约有八十种是金属。

在这种用法里, more than 的反义词是 less than。后者一般可译作“少于……”“不到……”“在……以下”。例如：

In a fission bomb, all the fissionable atoms are used up in less than one millionth of a second. 在原子弹中，所有裂变原子在不到百万分之一秒的时间内就会全部消耗完。

B. more than + 名词(名词从句或起名词作用的动词不定式),一般可以译作“不只”“不仅仅”“超过”“远不止”“不同于”等。例如：

1. We must consider more than the beginning of the motion, however. 然而, 我们必须考虑的不只是运动的初始阶段。

2. Peace is much more than the absence of war. 和平不仅仅是意味着没有战争。

3. Science is more than a mere accumulation of carefully collected facts. It is also a method of solving problems. 科学不仅仅是细心搜集的事实的积累,它也是解决问题的方法。

4. Mathematics, much more than technology, has a life of its own independent of science. 数学与技术不同，它本身有一段不依赖科学的历史。

5. He had forgotten that the seemingly innocuous request of all European hotels to see a passport at check-in was more than a quaint formality—it was the law. (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) 他忘了，所有欧洲酒店都要求看客人的护照。这无关痛痒的请求其实不仅仅是一个古怪的登记手续，那是法律。（《达·芬奇密码》）

6. ‘Any chance you’d open the gate for an old friend?’ ‘Those who seek the truth are more than friends. They are brothers.’ (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) “能为老朋友开开门吗?” “寻求真理的人不仅仅是朋友，而且是兄弟。”(《达·芬奇密码》)

7. When Hillary moved to Fayetteville, Diane and Hillary became more than friends; they were soul mates... (B. Clinton, My Life) 希拉里搬到费耶特维尔之后，黛安娜和希拉里之间的友谊超出了一般朋友的关系；她们成了心灵上的伙伴……(《我的生活》)

8. Dr. King's death provoked more than prayer; some feared, and others hoped, it marked the death of nonviolence, too. (B. Clinton, My Life) 金博士的死引起的不仅仅是祈祷；一些人担心，另一些人则希望他的死也标志着非暴力运动的死亡。（《我的生活》）

C. more than + 动词,一般可译作“十分”“大大地”“远远地”“深为”“极大地”“岂止是”“不仅仅”。例如：

1. I am sure conditions over there will more than satisfy your requirements. 我相信,那边的条件会大大满足你的要求。

2. He more than smiled, he laughed outright. 他岂止是微笑，他简直是大笑了。

more than... can/could 往往可以译作“不能”。其中的 more than 表示否定，相当于 not。例如：

1. This was more than we could bear, so we decided to spend our last day exploring the countryside. 这是我们无法忍受的，所以便决定利用最后一天的时间到农村去逛逛。

2. The average man looks upon the facts of chemistry, such as the combustion of gasoline with oxygen in an engine to produce mechanical power, as things more wonderful than he can understand. 一般人把像汽油和氧气在发动机里燃烧产生机械能这样一些化学事实，看成是他们不能理解的奇妙事情。

3. Seasonal extremes of heat and cold are more than most people can endure, even in the temperate zone in which the United States is located. 四季冷热的剧烈程度大多数人都忍受不了，即使在美国所处的温带地区也是如此。

D. more than + 形容词或副词, 在语义上表示很高的程度, 常常可译作“非常”“十分”“更加”“深为”“岂止”“不仅仅”等。例如:

1. He is more than selfish( = very selfish). 他非常自私。

2. She was more than old-fashioned, she was antediluvian. 她不单是守旧，她简直是个老古董。

3. Man is more than adaptive—he is creative. Man goes out of his way to make conditions requiring new adaptations. 人类不仅具有适应性，还具有创造性。人类竭尽全力创造条件，以适应更新的情况。

4. This line does not necessarily define the centroidal axis of the member: it more than likely will define some working axis. 这一条线并不一定能表示出构件的重心轴，它极有可能表示某一转动轴。

5. He is more than happy about it. 他对此事极为高兴(他对此事岂止高兴而已)。

6. In doing experiments you must be more than careful with the precision instruments. 在做实验时，对精密仪器必须特别小心。

7. London has a new magazine. Different publications appear all the time, but this one more than different—it is revolutionary. 伦敦出版了一份新杂志。各种出版物层出不穷。但这份杂志却大不相同，它富于革命性。

8. I am more than happy to hear that. 听到这一点,我非常高兴。

9. A tour is unnecessary. You have been more than kind. I can show myself around. (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) 不用参观了。您不必这么客气。我可以自己逛逛。(《达·芬奇密码》)

现在我们回过头来研究一下你所提问的例句的原文及其译法。the wildest guess 是指“乱猜”“不切实际的猜想”“漫无边际的猜想”，more than the wildest guess，根据前面的讨论可以看出，是指“超过胡乱猜想的事情”，可以引申为“估计”“比较准确的估计”。

[试译] 蜘蛛到底能吃掉多少昆虫？要想对此作出比较准确的估计，是不可能的，但是蜘蛛是饥饿的动物，决不满足于一日三餐。据估计……