昔日文章

Which is the weakest spot on our human body? Our eyes, throat, or feet? To Achilles, it was his heel which was the most vulnerable.  In Greek mythology, Achilles was the greatest warrior. When he was an infant, his mother Thetis, a goddess of the sea, took him to the river Styx, which had miraculous powers. To make Achilles immortal, Thetis held him by his heel and dipped him into the river. Achilles grew up to be physically invulnerable to attacks except for his heel, which was not touched by the magic waters.  The heroic Achilles won many battles. No one could defeat him until the Trojan War. He was killed by his enemy, the Trojan prince, who shot an arrow into his heel.  The idiom " Achilles heel " is used to describe a weakness in a person or system which can bring about failure, despite overall strength. For example,  He was good at Maths, but carelessness had always been his Achilles heel.  If we can find our enemy's Achilles heel, we might be able to defeat them.  我們人體最脆弱的部位在哪裡？我們的眼睛、喉嚨還是腳呢？對阿基里斯來說，他的腳踝就是最脆弱的部位。 在希臘神話中，阿基里斯是最偉大的戰士。當他是嬰兒的時候，他的母親、海洋女神特蒂斯，帶他到充滿非凡力量的冥河「斯堤克斯」去。為了使阿基里斯擁有不朽之身，特蒂斯抓住他的腳踝， 然後把他放入冥河裡浸泡。阿基里斯長大後，全身近乎刀槍不入，除了腳踝，因為腳踝不曾沾到神奇的河水。 英勇的阿基里斯戰勝了許多戰役。他直到特洛伊戰爭才被打敗。在這場戰爭中，他被敵人特洛伊王子用箭射中他的腳踝而死去。 「Achilles heel」這個習語用來形容一個人或制度雖然整體強大，其弱點卻足以導致一敗塗地。例如：  他擅長數學，但是粗心大意總是他唯一的致命弱點（Achilles heel）。 如果我們能夠找到我們敵人的死穴（Achilles heel），我們或能打敗他們。    捐款支持公教報  http://kkp.org.hk/donation  

Nowadays, we see some people wearing woolly hats during a bitterly cold winter or sun hats on a scorching summer day. Hats were once important everyday outfits, particularly in the Western countries. Thus, the fashion of the hat gave rise to the idiom " at the drop of a hat " .  Why is the hat dropped? Is the hat blown off by a strong wind or is it knocked off by someone else? The idiom may have come from the Wild West in the USA during the 19th century. The Wild West was a dangerous place of lawlessness. Conflicts over the control of lands often occurred among cowboys, native Indians, outlaws and pioneers. People used guns to settle their disputes. To signal the beginning of a fight, a man grabbed his hat and thrust it downward.  To do something " at the drop of a hat " means to do it immediately and without stopping to think about what you are going to do.  Hollywood has produced a lot of famous Western films. Common plots include ranchers protecting their families from large landowners, and conflicts over water resources.  今時今日，我們看見有些人在嚴寒的冬天戴羊毛帽，或在炎熱的夏日戴太陽帽。帽子曾經是重要的日常服裝，尤其是在西方國家。因此，帽子的潮流產生了「at the drop of a hat」這個習語。 為甚麼帽子跌下來？帽子被強風吹走，還是帽子被人碰倒？這個習語可能來自19世紀期間美國的蠻荒西部。那裡是危險的地方、無法無天。為了控制土地而產生的衝突，經常在牛仔、原住民印第安人、不法之徒和拓荒者當中發生。人們用槍解決爭端。為了示意搏鬥開始，一個男子抓住自己的帽子，然後猛地向地上一扔。 To do something「at the drop of a hat」的意思是馬上做，而且不會停下來思索你將會做甚麼。 美國荷里活製作了許多著名的西部電影。常見的情節包括牧場主人守護家庭免受大地主的欺凌，以及因水源而發生衝突。    捐款支持公教報  http://kkp.org.hk/donation   

The season of Lent began on 2nd March this year. Catholics all over the world are preparing themselves for Easter. Apart from praying fervently, every one of them is making efforts to be a " good Samaritan " .  The expression " good Samaritan " comes from a well-known parable told by Jesus in the Bible. In biblical times, Samaritans and Jews hated each other because of religious and cultural differences. In the parable, a Jew was robbed and attacked by robbers. He was left on the side of the road to die. A priest and a Levite (an assistant to priests) subsequently passed by but ignored him. Then a Samaritan traveller came by. He took pity on the injured Jew, cleaning and bandaging his wounds. The " good Samaritan " then took him to an inn and paid the innkeeper to look after him.  Today, when we call someone a " good Samaritan " , it means that he or she rescues or helps someone in need. A lot of charitable organisations use the word " Samaritan " to form parts of their names. Can you think of one in Hong Kong?  今年的四旬期在三月二日開始。世界各地的天主教徒都做好準備，迎接復活節。除了熱切祈禱之外，他們每個人都努力成為「good Samaritan」。　  「Good Samaritan」一語來自《聖經》中耶穌所說的一個著名比喻。在《聖經》的時代，撒瑪黎雅人和猶太人因宗教和文化的分歧而彼此憎恨。在這個比喻中，一個猶太人被強盜搶劫及擊傷。他被丟在路旁等死。一個司祭和一個肋未人（司祭們的助手）先後路過，卻對他視而不見。其後，再有一個撒瑪黎雅旅客路過，他對這個受傷的猶太人動了憐憫之心，替他清洗並包紮傷口。這位「慈善的撒瑪黎雅人」接著把他帶到客店去，並且付錢給店主照顧他。  今天，如果我們稱某人是「good Samaritan」，意指他或她援救或幫助有需要的人。許多慈善機構都用「Samaritan」一字來作為機構名稱的一部分。你會想到香港具有此名的其中一個機構嗎？      捐款支持公教報  http://kkp.org.hk/donation  

Some shops in the English-speaking countries use the phrase " a sight for sore eyes " on their advertisements or even make that the name of their business. What kind of shops are they? An immediate answer given by most of you would be eyecare shops. However, this expression is widely used by a variety of businesses, including gift stores and fashion companies.  The phrase " a sight for sore eyes " dates back to " A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation” by Jonathan Swift in 1738. Its original form is:  " The sight of you is good for sore eyes. "  Literally, it means that the appearance of you is healing ailing eyes. However, its implied meaning is that the unexpected appearance of you is very good to see. The simplified modern version, " a sight for sore eyes " , was first used in a British monthly magazine in 1826.  Apart from describing a welcome visitor, this idiom can be used to describe a thing which someone is pleased or relieved to see.  At the end of the long meeting, the buffet was a sight for sore eyes.  在英語國家，有些商店在廣告中使用這個語句，甚或用此來命名自己的商店。它們是甚麼種類的商店？大部份人的即時答案會是眼睛護理店。不過，這個用語在各行各業中獲廣泛使用，包括禮品店和時裝公司。 A sight for sore eyes這個短語追溯到1738年喬納森．斯威夫特所著的《溫雅與機智談話全集》。其原句是：  The sight of you is good for sore eyes.  從字面意義來說，它的意思是你的出現，治癒了患病的眼睛。然而，它的隱含意義是樂於見到你突然到訪。其簡化的現代版本a sight for sore eyes最初在1826年一本英國月刊中出現。 除了形容受歡迎的訪客之外，這個習語還可以用來形容賞心悅目或令人感到欣慰的事物。 在冗長的會議結束時，看到自助餐真使人高興（a sight for sore eyes）。      捐款支持公教報  http://kkp.org.hk/donation