节目简介

英语表达 “in the same breath” 的字面意思是 “在同一次呼吸之中”，实际用来表示 “紧接着又说起另一件截然不同，甚至相反的事情”。它可以用来指出前后两种说法之间存在反差，有点类似中文里的 “不过话又说回来”。听节目，跟主持人菲菲和 Becca 学习这个地道表达的含义和用法。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Feifei
Hello and welcome to Authentic Real English, where we explain phrases and expressions used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too. I'm Feifei.

Becca
And I'm Becca.

Feifei
Becca, last time we caught up, we were talking about your plans for the end of the month. Something about a hike?

Becca
Ah, I remember that conversation. I'm thinking about going away soon, and I was considering a hiking holiday because I haven't done that before, but in the same breath, I feel like I need to just relax.

Feifei
That I understand. You just used 'in the same breath'. What does it mean?

Becca
Well, 'in the same breath' is used to compare different ideas. It introduces a contradiction. Though different, both ideas could be true, but the latter idea, which comes after 'in the same breath', usually carries more weight.

Feifei
I see. So, as much as you'd like to try something new and go on a hiking holiday, you mostly just want to relax. And you used the coordinating conjunction 'but' before the expression.

Becca
Yes. Conjunctions that show contrast, such as 'but', 'however' and 'though', can be used before 'in the same breath' to introduce the differences between the ideas.

Feifei
Right. Let's hear some more examples.

Examples
My friend says she hates her job, but then in the same breath, she's just volunteered for more overtime.

You said you wanted to help me, but then in the same breath, you say you've got no time, you can't do it. I mean, which is it?

My friend says she's run out of money, but in the same breath, she just told me that she's booked a really expensive holiday. What's going on?

Feifei
你正在收听的是 BBC 英语教学制作的 “地道英语” 节目。在本期节目中，我们正在学习表达 “in the same breath” 的用法。“In the same breath” 的字面意思是 “在同一次呼吸之中”，而它实际上的作用则是引出与前文形成对比甚至略显矛盾的另一种看法或观点，意思相当于 “话又说回来”。所以，在使用这个表达的时候，我们常会搭配 “but”、“however”、“though” 等表示转折的连词，以突出两种想法之间的对比。比如，我们可能会说 “though in the same breath” 或者 “but in the same breath”。

Becca, are there any other phrases or expressions that mean the same thing or could be used like 'in the same breath'?

Becca
Well, you might have heard of 'on the other hand', 'at the same time' or 'in the same instance'. These phrases are fairly common and express a difference.

Feifei
和 “in the same breath” 类似的表达还有 “on the other hand”、“at the same time” 和 “in the same instance”。这些表达都比较常见，可以用来引出与前文不同或形成对比的观点。

Becca
That's it for this programme, but join us next time to learn more English phrases and expressions. Bye for now!

Feifei
Bye-bye!