keep your wits about you保持清醒

把無形的世界寫成能捕捉、定義、計算的物件，學問立刻變成權力。

Here is all X, caught and calculated.

想說自己掌握全部資訊時用，語氣要穩；日常對朋友說會顯得誇張。

I have the whole picture mapped out. ／ Everything is catalogued and accounted for.

literary

invisible world 連讀，三個分詞依次加重。

Here is all the budget, checked, capped, and tracked. 整份預算都在這裡，核對過、封頂過、也追蹤到。

兩句排比都把條件放在後半，先立誓再亮狠話，氣勢一層壓一層。

we shall find him out if ..., and I mean to crush him.

表決心或放狠話時用，對同事說不妥，容易顯得攻擊性太強。

We will track him down and finish this. ／ If he shows up, I will end him.

literary

find him out 連讀，utterly 重讀拉長收尾。

We shall find the leak if it is inside, and I mean to close it utterly. 只要漏洞在公司內部，我們就把它找出來，而且徹底堵上。

把警告包裝成預告，再用 keep your wits about you 收尾，既安撫又施壓。

you will witness X, so keep your wits about you.

提醒別人場面會很亂、別慌神時用；輕鬆場合說會顯得太戲劇化。

Stay sharp, this will get strange. ／ Keep your head when it gets ugly.

正式

witness some 連讀，wits about you 三詞一氣呵成。

You will see some wild numbers tonight, so keep your wits about you. 今晚的資料會很離譜，你可得保持清醒。

先捧對方是 learned man，再用 what signifies 把私人懷疑說成請教。

I have always wanted to ask a learned man what signifies X.

想禮貌地套話或請教敏感問題時用；對平輩用會顯得太客氣。

I have long wanted to ask an expert what this means. ／ What does it signify, in your view?

正式

wanted to ask 連讀，what signifies 升調。

I have always wanted to ask a doctor what signifies that kind of pain. 我一直想問醫生，那種疼到底意味著什麼。