眼見為實，百聞不如一見。Seeing is believing means if you see something, you can be sure that it is true or that it really exists. Sometimes it is used to say that somebody will have to believe that something is true when they see it, although they think that they do not think it is true now.
Belief
提出建議，想要人家相信你，可以用以下的表達語句（an invitation to believe you）：believe me … ；take it from me … ；take my word for it（請相信我的話）。
常見 believe 的口頭語，比比皆是：
make believe（假裝）：to pretend that something is true；believe one’s eyes/ears（相信自己看到或聽到的情況）：accept as true what one sees or hears；believe it or not（信不信由你）：it is true, even though it does not sound likely；believe me（我敢保證）：to emphasize that you strongly believe what you are saying；Don’t you believe it!（絕對不可相信）：to tell that something is definitely not true；I don’t believe it（我簡直無法相信，表示吃驚或不耐煩）：to say that you are surprised or annoyed about something；If you believe that, you’ll believe anything（你要是連這都相信，還有甚麼不信的）；Would you believe it?（你能相信嗎？表示驚訝或氣憤）：to show that you are surprised and annoyed about something；You’d better believe it（千真萬確）：to tell somebody that something is definitely true.
憑空想像的事物，虛構的事情，有以下的選擇（figments of the imagination are described in these terms）：a tall story（one story difficult to believe）；a cock-and-bull story（an unbelievably exaggerated account）；it’s far-fetched（it strains one’s credulity）。跟着两句帶有輕蔑味道，對難以置信嗤之以鼻的說法：tell that to the Marines（我才不相信你）（以前的水兵似乎甚麽都相信：The Marines will, presumably, believe anything!）；Tell me another one!（I don’t believe this story, so tell me another that I shall be more likely to believe）。表示不相信對方的話，本地人輕鬆幽默的口頭語，隨口而出，外來人至少要明白：Don’t come that one on me（Don’t expect me to believe that）；Get away with you!（I don’t believe with what you are saying）；… my foot（Certainly not!）；A likely tale!（It means, in fact, a most unlikely tale）。英語學習者可以放心地說 It’s too good to be true. 假如你對說話人的故事有保留，又想有禮貌地回應，可以用：I’ll buy it（this implies a willingness to listen to the story, but you have an open mind as to its truth）。
有些人很容易輕信別人，真假不分。Some people are more credulous than others: they are more easily taken in and they accept fiction for fact.
沒有考慮周詳便信以為真，可以選用三個同樣來自釣魚的習用語（fishing metaphors）：to swallow it；to swallow it, hook, line and sinker（to swallow it completely）；以及 to take it all in。此外可以用：to fall for it（fall into a trap and be a victim of deception）；to take it for granted（accept it as true without consideration 想當然）。比較有點猶疑的回應是 I’ll take your word for it（for lack of better evidence or proof）。
用上 belief 的口頭語，還有：beyond belief（令人難以置信）：unbelievable in a way that is too great, difficult, etc. to be believed；beggar belief（難以相信）：to be too extreme, shocking, etc. to believe；to the best of one’s belief（據我所知）：in one’s honest view or as far as you know.
Belief 亦可以指 religious faith（宗教信仰）：the gods appears only to those who believe（信神如神在）。
Disbelief/Unbelief
Disbelief 表示懷疑、不信（the feeling of not being able to believe something），例如：She stared at me in disbelief（她滿腹疑感地盯着我）；To enjoy this fantasy movie you have to suspend your disbelief（要欣賞這部科幻電影，你要暫時相信那些甚至不可能發生的事）。
表示 disbelief 最常見的英式說法有：to have someone on（You’re having me on = You’re not serious）；to pull my leg 開玩笑（Are you pulling my leg? = You don’t mean what you say）。流行的美式反問口語有：Are you serious? You’re making this up, are you? No kidding? 比較正式的有：I find it hard to believe; I find it hard to swallow; I take it with a grain of salt; You can’t fool me; I wasn’t born yesterday.
Unbelief 多指無宗教信仰（the state of not believing, especially in religion）。
本專欄逢周二、五刊登
