The only man who did not drink was the groom. Traditionally, a new Chinese couple visits each and every table to propose a toast, whereas in the West, a person or persons close to the bride and groom propose a toast.
報道說,舉行婚宴時,新郎一般不飲酒。酒席上,新婚夫婦通常為客人敬酒。由報道可知,“敬酒”可表達(dá)為“to propose a toast”,有時也可單獨用“toast”來表示。
“Toast”(烤面包片)表示“敬酒”最早可追溯到12世紀(jì)。據(jù)說,當(dāng)時英國人喜歡將香噴噴的“toast”(烤面包片)浸到酒碗中,這樣可以使酒的味道更加香醇可口。酒席上,人們通常會向貴賓頻頻舉杯,盛贊其就像酒杯里的烤面包片一樣,能讓整個宴會熠熠星輝。于是,到了18世紀(jì),toast逐漸就有了“敬酒”之意。此外,“toast”還可表示“祝酒辭”。
來看幾個例句:As you said in your toast, the Chinese people are a great people.(正如您在祝酒詞里講的那樣,中國人是一個偉大的民族。)
The groom stood up and proposed a toast.(新郎起身敬酒。)
Let's drink a toast to our friendship.(為我們的友誼干杯。)