單字講座 57：concise (adj) / brief (adj) / precise (adj)

每當神仙 CP 組合猝不及防地發佈簡潔聲明，官宣離婚時，有些人不禁哀嚎 “I don’t believe in love anymore.” “Love only lasts in fairy tales.”。又有些人戲謔地說 “The staged relationship is finally over.”。真可謂 “There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people’s eyes.” （一千個人眼裡，就有一千個哈姆雷特）。一紙聲明，各自解讀。話說「簡潔的」是 concise、brief 還是 precise 呢？下方說分明。

▍concise (adj) (文字) 簡潔的 = brief / succinct
▶ 例 1：移除贅字。讓你的寫作保持清晰、簡潔和切中要點。
Remove excess words. Keep your writing clear, concise and to the point.

▍brief (adj) 短暫的 = short / 簡潔的 = concise
▶ 例 1：我住院的時候，她短暫拜訪我。她沒有久留。
She paid me a brief visit while I stayed in the hospital. She didn’t stay long.

▶ 例 2：當名人離婚時，他們通常必須擬一份簡潔的聲明，昭告全世界他們的婚姻觸礁了。
When divorcing, celebrities usually have to draft a brief statement declaring their marital failure to the whole world.

▍precise (adj) 精準正確的 = exact + correct
▶ 例 1：她的畫作栩栩如生且精確，甚至在細節上很科學。
Her paintings were lifelike and precise—even scientific in their detail.