每日英语 · 2026-11-06

Everyone knows that debugging is twice as hard as writing a program in the first place. So if you're as clever as you can be when you write it, how will you ever debug it?

Brian W. Kernighan · The Elements of Programming Style · 1978 · 与 P. J. Plauger 合著，第 2 版第 2 章；常称 Kernighan's Law。Wikiquote 收录此原句

译文

谁都知道，调试要比当初把程序写出来难上一倍。所以，如果你写代码时已经把聪明劲儿用到了极限，那你以后还怎么调试得了它？

语法

1. 第一句主干：Everyone（主语）knows（谓语）+ that 引导的宾语从句。从句里 debugging（动名词作主语）is（系动词）twice as hard as writing…（表语，比较结构）。in the first place 是固定短语，意思是「起初、当初」。
2. 第二句是 So 引出的推论，核心是 if 条件句 + 特殊疑问句：if you're as clever as you can be…（条件）how will you ever debug it?（结果）。as + 形容词 + as one can be 表示「尽可能地……」；ever 加强语气，带点「究竟/到底」的意味。
3. writing a program / when you write it：前半用动名词短语作比较对象，后半用时间状语从句，同一件事换两种结构，读起来更自然。

词汇

• debugging /ˌdiːˈbʌɡɪŋ/ n. (动名词)

  调试、排错；句中指找出并修正程序缺陷的过程

  搭配：debugging tools / remote debugging / spend hours debugging

  Remote debugging saved us a trip to the lab.

• twice as hard as /twaɪs əz hɑːrd əz/ phrase

  比……难一倍；倍数比较的常见说法

  搭配：twice as + adj. + as / twice as many/much + n. + as

  This MCU is twice as fast as the old one.

• in the first place /ɪn ðə ˈfɜːrst pleɪs/ phrase

  起初、当初；也常用来补充理由「首先」

  搭配：Why … in the first place? / shouldn't have … in the first place

  We shouldn't have skipped the unit tests in the first place.

• clever /ˈklevər/ adj.

  聪明的；句中偏「耍小聪明、写得过于机巧」

  搭配：a clever trick / too clever by half / as clever as you can be

  That bit-twiddling trick is clever, but hard to maintain.

笔记

写嵌入式代码时也一样：能读懂、能单步跟完的写法，往往比「一行炫技」更值钱。今天试着把你最近一段「自己都觉得巧」的代码，改成同事一眼能看懂的版本。

全部每日英语