n times larger than是n倍大还是n+1倍大？

写这段文字是因为上周知新共学3月翻译群的一次讨论，遇到了这个倍数的表达问题，引发了大家的一些讨论。我们聊到很晚，各种查资料。

如果你手边有这本书，可以看看目录，翻开倍数表达那一页，里面是这样写的：

但是很有意思的是，这本书的配套教学用书里，又是不一样的说法：

这本书提到：

原文“A is 3 times as great(long，much，…)as B”，“A is 3 times greater (longer， more，…)than B”，“A is 3 times the size (length， amount，…)of B”，均应译为;“A的大小(长度，数量，……)是B的3倍”，或者“A比B大(长，多，……)2倍”，而不应译为“A比B大(长，多，……)3倍”。

这个问题好像困扰了很多英语学习者，去百度上搜索相关问题，什么回答都有。不过我们要从权威的英语词典里面找答案。

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage 认为n times larger 等于n times as large as：

The fact is 'five times more' and 'five times as much' are idiomatic phrases which have --and are understood to have --exactly the same meaning. The 'ambiguity' of 'times more' is imaginary: in the world of actual speech and writing the meaning of 'times more' is clear and unequivocal. It is an idiom that has existed in our language for more than four centuries and there is no real reason to avoid its use.

然后我还在网上找到了美国一所小学的考试题目，也可以从侧面例证这个问题：

如此，我们便可以放心地得出结论：

n times larger than = n times as large as

n times larger than = n times as large as

n times larger than = n times as large as

好啦，就酱，晚安。