Hi, Shellin, simply ADD OIL! I finished mine early in mid Dec while Jill is still struggling for her finals (she's in Mainland China). There are more holidays in Hong Kong, leaving me abundant time for other meaningful things. Isn't it very nice:-)
Thursday, January 09, 2003
第一卷 第一章
(班纳特先生) "这人叫什么名字?"
(班纳特夫人) "彬格莱."
"已婚还是未婚?"
"噢!未婚,亲爱的,的的确确! 钻石王老五一个;每年有四五千磅的收入.真是女儿们的福气啊!"
"这从何谈起? 关她们什么事?"
"我的好老爷," 太太回答道, "你怎么这样叫人讨厌! 你该知道我在盘算什么, 他要是挑中我们的一个女儿做老婆,那多好!"
"他住到这儿来, 就是为了这个打算吗?"
"打算! 胡扯, 这是哪的话! 不过, 他就未必不会看中我们中的某一个女儿呢. 所以嘛, 等他一搬过来你就立刻去拜访他."
"我看没这个必要. 你带女儿们去就得啦. 要不你干脆打发她们自己去, 那也许更好些都说不准, 因为你的美貌并不比你的女儿们差, 你去了, 彬格莱先生倒说不准挑中你呢!"
(班纳特先生) "这人叫什么名字?"
(班纳特夫人) "彬格莱."
"已婚还是未婚?"
"噢!未婚,亲爱的,的的确确! 钻石王老五一个;每年有四五千磅的收入.真是女儿们的福气啊!"
"这从何谈起? 关她们什么事?"
"我的好老爷," 太太回答道, "你怎么这样叫人讨厌! 你该知道我在盘算什么, 他要是挑中我们的一个女儿做老婆,那多好!"
"他住到这儿来, 就是为了这个打算吗?"
"打算! 胡扯, 这是哪的话! 不过, 他就未必不会看中我们中的某一个女儿呢. 所以嘛, 等他一搬过来你就立刻去拜访他."
"我看没这个必要. 你带女儿们去就得啦. 要不你干脆打发她们自己去, 那也许更好些都说不准, 因为你的美貌并不比你的女儿们差, 你去了, 彬格莱先生倒说不准挑中你呢!"
Wednesday, January 08, 2003
Selections from Pride and Prejudice
As I have been reading this novel recently I would like to share some of the wonderful pieces of selections with you. Here we go.
Volume I Chapter I
(Mr. Bennet)"What is his name?"
(Mrs. Bennet)"Bingley."
"Is he married or single?"
"Oh! single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!"
"How so? how can it affect them?"
"My dear Mr. Bennet," replied his wife, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them."
"Is that his design in settling here?"
"Design! nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes."
"I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better, for as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party."
As I have been reading this novel recently I would like to share some of the wonderful pieces of selections with you. Here we go.
Volume I Chapter I
(Mr. Bennet)"What is his name?"
(Mrs. Bennet)"Bingley."
"Is he married or single?"
"Oh! single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!"
"How so? how can it affect them?"
"My dear Mr. Bennet," replied his wife, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them."
"Is that his design in settling here?"
"Design! nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes."
"I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better, for as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party."
Read between the lines
Tongue-in-cheek
There is a very interesting Chinese book titledThick and Black Philosophy>, by a scholar named Li Zhong-wu. The author proclaimed that the secret of success is to be thick-skinned and black-hearted. He recounted many incidents in the history of China: During the "Three Kingdom era (commencing 220 AD), for instance, a warlord Cao Cao was said to have been a merciless killer. His motto in life was <Better to deny justice to others than to be denied justice by others>. Li put him up to be a member of the "black" bridage. Another warlord who rivalled Cao Cao was Liu Bei. He was reputed to be able to win sympathy and gain advantage on several occasions, utilising his tears-no doubt a hero of the "thick" contigent. Both achieved limited success. At the end, the "Three Kingdoms" were united under Si Ma-yi. Li explained how this gentleman embodied the two enviable qualities. Hence history presented a grandmaster.
The author also raised many other examples in his book. He further submitted that there are three levels of accomplishment: (1) Thick as the Great Wall and black as charcoal (this is only the very basic level); (2) Thick, but tough, Black but shinny (you may know of a good specimen); (3) Thick, but formless, Black, but invisible (he described this as the highest level: "Examples can only be found among the great sages and moralists in history.")
I am sure not all readers would feel the same way about this book. Some might revere Master Li as the true teacher and arm themselves with the above principles to tackle the world. On the other hand, some might have considered his teachings despicable and so, burned the book. However, I feel the book is not really teaching people to be "thick" and "black", but is only meant to be a piece of satire.
It is a technique in writing to express an idea in a camouflaged or indirect manner if the readers understand the hidden message, we would say that they are "reading between the lines." We may describe the indirect style as being "tongue-in-cheek."
Of course there are also times when the auther does not deliberately try to be tongue-in-cheek, but reveals a message inadvertantly. As long as the readers could decipher the message, we can still say that they "read between the lines."
Tongue-in-cheek
There is a very interesting Chinese book titled
The author also raised many other examples in his book. He further submitted that there are three levels of accomplishment: (1) Thick as the Great Wall and black as charcoal (this is only the very basic level); (2) Thick, but tough, Black but shinny (you may know of a good specimen); (3) Thick, but formless, Black, but invisible (he described this as the highest level: "Examples can only be found among the great sages and moralists in history.")
I am sure not all readers would feel the same way about this book. Some might revere Master Li as the true teacher and arm themselves with the above principles to tackle the world. On the other hand, some might have considered his teachings despicable and so, burned the book. However, I feel the book is not really teaching people to be "thick" and "black", but is only meant to be a piece of satire.
It is a technique in writing to express an idea in a camouflaged or indirect manner if the readers understand the hidden message, we would say that they are "reading between the lines." We may describe the indirect style as being "tongue-in-cheek."
Of course there are also times when the auther does not deliberately try to be tongue-in-cheek, but reveals a message inadvertantly. As long as the readers could decipher the message, we can still say that they "read between the lines."
Tuesday, January 07, 2003
"雨落猫狗"(实在不会翻这一句呢)
一句最普遍而又最古怪的英语口头禅就是用来形容大雨的"Raining cats and dogs"了.这句口头禅的出处受到很多人的争议.
英文有一个代表洪水的字是"Cataclysm", 有人认为这个字的字首是"cat", 被人误解以为和"猫"有关,后来便演变出"Raining cats and dogs"的字句.
又有人指出:在挪威人的传说中有一位雷神名为"奥丁",他有一对招风唤雨的助手,是猫神和狗神,这个传说后来进入了英文的语言里,便造成了以上的口头禅.
不过,最可相信的解释就是有人认为从前在一些排水通道简陋的地方,落大雨之后往往带来洪水泛滥,以致很多猫狗被溺死,便给人一个天上落下猫和狗的感觉.
就像很多其他的口头禅一样,这一句的出处已经没有人去稽考,下倾盆大雨的时候一些中国人会说出一句"赶狗不出门",西方人就会说"Raining cats and dogs",各有其趣.
一句最普遍而又最古怪的英语口头禅就是用来形容大雨的"Raining cats and dogs"了.这句口头禅的出处受到很多人的争议.
英文有一个代表洪水的字是"Cataclysm", 有人认为这个字的字首是"cat", 被人误解以为和"猫"有关,后来便演变出"Raining cats and dogs"的字句.
又有人指出:在挪威人的传说中有一位雷神名为"奥丁",他有一对招风唤雨的助手,是猫神和狗神,这个传说后来进入了英文的语言里,便造成了以上的口头禅.
不过,最可相信的解释就是有人认为从前在一些排水通道简陋的地方,落大雨之后往往带来洪水泛滥,以致很多猫狗被溺死,便给人一个天上落下猫和狗的感觉.
就像很多其他的口头禅一样,这一句的出处已经没有人去稽考,下倾盆大雨的时候一些中国人会说出一句"赶狗不出门",西方人就会说"Raining cats and dogs",各有其趣.
Sunday, January 05, 2003
Raining cats and dogs
A very common yet strange English idiom is that used in describing a heavy downpour of rain: "Raining cats and dogs." Its origin is somewhat inconclusive.
An English word denoting a big deluge is "Cataclysm." Some people think that the "Cat" part of the word had misled people into thinking that the water related to cats, hence the idiom.
Other people say that in Norwegian folklore there was a thunder god named Oldi. He had a pair of assistants who assumed the appearance of a cat and a dog. The "cat" and the "dog" were later introduced into English idiom usage.
Perhaps the most credible explanation comes from the observation that, in certain underdeveloped places where drainage was inadequate, heavy deluges often resulted in the drowning of some cats and dogs. The dead bodies gave the impression that these animals fell from the sky.
Like many other idioms, the exact origin of this idiom is no longer an important issue. It may be interesting to note, however, that the Chinese have this to say about a heavy downpour: it is a day that "a dog cannot be chased out the door!"
A very common yet strange English idiom is that used in describing a heavy downpour of rain: "Raining cats and dogs." Its origin is somewhat inconclusive.
An English word denoting a big deluge is "Cataclysm." Some people think that the "Cat" part of the word had misled people into thinking that the water related to cats, hence the idiom.
Other people say that in Norwegian folklore there was a thunder god named Oldi. He had a pair of assistants who assumed the appearance of a cat and a dog. The "cat" and the "dog" were later introduced into English idiom usage.
Perhaps the most credible explanation comes from the observation that, in certain underdeveloped places where drainage was inadequate, heavy deluges often resulted in the drowning of some cats and dogs. The dead bodies gave the impression that these animals fell from the sky.
Like many other idioms, the exact origin of this idiom is no longer an important issue. It may be interesting to note, however, that the Chinese have this to say about a heavy downpour: it is a day that "a dog cannot be chased out the door!"
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