原意:在演出过程中,一个角色从舞台的一边出场,然后很快就又从另一边退场。中间不作任何停留。(go from one end of the stage to the other without stopping)现在用来比喻:只是表面上做做样子,不采取实际行动(pretend to do something by acting as if one was really doing it),或“不求实效,敷衍了事(do something without thinking it is very important or having much interest in it)。
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do something as a mere formalityMere做形容词的意思是:仅仅的;只不过;用英文可以表达为:used when you want to emphasize how small, unimportant, etc. sb/sth is(当你想强调某人/某事有多小、不重要时使用)例句:You've got the job. The interview will be a mere formality.你已经得到了这份工作。面试不过是个形式。Formality可以表示为例行公事,英文表达为:a thing that you must do as part of an official process, but which has little meaning and will not affect what happens(作为官方程序的一部分,你必须做的事情,但没有什么意义,也不会影响发生的事情)例句:Let's skip the formalities and get down to business.咱们省去繁文缛节,开始讨论实质问题吧!因此,do something as a mere formality就可以表达为:做某事只是一种形式,就是例行公事。
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go through the motionsMotion这个词有:运动;移动;动的意思,go through有走(流程或固定程序);例行做的意思。两者放在一起就是假装做;装装样子,或是走过场的意思。例句:I don't want to do this, but I think I'd better go through the motions.我不想做这件事,但我认为还是装出做的样子较好。I'm convinced the new method won't work but I'll still have to go through the motions.我相信这个新方法不会起什么作用,但我仍还得去这么干。
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to do something perfunctorily or superficiallyPerfunctorily就是敷衍地;潦草地;马虎的意思,superficially是指表面上的,所以这个短语的意思就是敷衍地或肤浅地做某事。例句:The motion was carried perfunctorily, without any adequate discussion.这个提案没经过认真讨论,就稀里糊涂地通过了。It is superficially a concept problem, but actually a problem of profit.表面上是一个观念问题,实质上是一个利益问题。