“Hit Pay Dirt”是什么意思？
📖 逐句对照翻译
And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
现在是VOA学英语的《词汇掌故》节目。
On this program we explore words and expressions in the English language.
在这个节目中，我们探索英语中的词汇和表达。
We give examples and notes on usage.
我们给出示例和用法说明。
Many valuable materials are buried deep inside the ground, such as gold, oil and diamonds.
许多珍贵的材料深埋地下，如黄金、石油和钻石。
But finding these riches and bringing them to the surface takes much time and effort.
但找到这些财富并将它们带到地面需要大量的时间和精力。
In the past, the term pay dirt was used to describe something found in the dirt that could bring you money.
过去，“pay dirt”一词被用来描述在泥土中发现能为你带来钱财的东西。
Gold is a common example of pay dirt.
黄金是含金矿石的一个常见例子。
In fact, word experts say the term dates back to when North America’s famous gold rush was happening.
事实上，词汇专家表示，这个术语可以追溯到北美著名的淘金热时期。
By the mid-1800s, thousands of people had come to parts of the United States and Canada to search for gold.
到19世纪中叶，成千上万的人来到美国和加拿大的部分地区寻找黄金。
The work was hard and dangerous.
这项工作既辛苦又危险。
The weather and terrain presented many difficulties.
天气和地形带来了许多困难。
Here is an example of how to use pay dirt from Cambridge’s online dictionary:
以下是剑桥在线词典中如何使用“pay dirt”的一个示例：
Gold rushes continued into the 19th century as lucky prospectors struck pay dirt.
淘金热一直延续到19世纪，幸运的勘探者不断发现致富的矿藏。
However, pay dirt does not have to be a valuable material found in the ground.
然而，“pay dirt”并不一定指在地下发现的有价值物质。
These days, it can also describe something that produces money or profit.
如今，它也可以用来形容能产生金钱或利润的事物。
Or it can even be the money or profit itself.
或者它甚至可以是金钱或利润本身。
Here are some additional examples:
以下是一些额外的例子：
Email addresses are the new pay dirt in social media marketing.
电子邮件地址是社交媒体营销中的新财源。
You can reach a possible buyer in their inbox.
你可以在潜在买家的收件箱里联系到他们。
The musical group hit pay dirt with their song after it went viral on TikTok.
这个音乐组合的歌曲在TikTok上走红后，他们一举获得了巨大成功。
And that gives us the expression to hit pay dirt.
这就给了我们“hit pay dirt”这个表达。
To hit pay dirt means to do or find something that results in money or success.
“Hit pay dirt”的意思是做成或找到能带来金钱或成功的事情。
And like digging gold, it usually doesn’t come easily.
就像挖金子一样，它通常来之不易。
It requires work.
这需要付出努力。
When you hit pay dirt, you work hard to make money or profit from an idea or activity.
当你发现宝贵的资源或机会时，你会努力工作，从某个想法或活动中赚钱或获利。
We often use the verb “hit” when using the term pay dirt.
我们在使用“pay dirt”这个说法时，经常会用到动词“hit”。
But sometimes we also say “strike” pay dirt.
但有时我们也会说“strike” pay dirt。
This is similar to the expression to strike it rich.
这与“to strike it rich”这个表达相似。
Many people have dreams of striking it rich one day.
许多人都梦想着有朝一日能一夜暴富。
In her book Gold Rush, author and illustrator Flora Delargy describes the process of hitting pay dirt.
在《淘金热》一书中，作家兼插画家弗洛拉·德拉吉描述了淘到金矿的过程。
She writes that in order to get large amounts of pay dirt out of the ground, “miners would have to break through layers of permafrost to reach the gravel bedrock beneath.”
她写道，为了从地下获取大量可开采的矿石，“矿工们必须穿透层层永久冻土，才能到达下方的砾石基岩。”
This description demonstrates the difficulties faced by miners seeking to strike pay dirt.
这段描述展示了矿工们在寻找富矿时所面临的困难。
And that’s the end of this Words and Their Stories.
这就是本期《词汇与故事》的全部内容。
Until next time, I’m Anna Matteo.
下次见，我是安娜·马特奥。
Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.
安娜·马特奥为VOA英语学习频道编写了这节课程。
