请帮忙分析一下这个句子:PossessionforitsownsakeorincompetitionwiththerestoftheneighborhoodwouldhavebeenThoreau'sideaofthelowlevels.它的译文是:梭罗心目中的低层次是为自己而去拥有,或与邻居明争

Question

请帮忙分析一下这个句子:Possession for its own sake or in competition withthe rest of the neighborhood would have been Thoreau's idea of the low levels.它的译文是:梭罗心目中的低层次是为自己而去拥有,或与邻居明争暗斗而致的拥有.
为什么句中的谓语要用would have been?可以用is吗?

Answer 1

Would have been 与 is 的意思大不相同.您引用的中文翻译不准确.would have been 明明是说“.很有可能就是梭罗心目中的低层次”,或者“梭罗心目中的低层次很有可能就是.".作者显然不是与梭罗同一时代,而是根据对他的理解来判断的.所以不能用is,只能用would have been,是虚拟语气.