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If you look around, what types of electric lights can you see? In modern society, the most common electric lights are incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps and LED lamps. Of these three, incandescent light bulbs have the longest history. This technology completely changed people's daily lives in the late 19th century and dominated the lighting industry in the 20th century.

 

In terms of symbolism, a light bulb often represents a clever idea because its invention was revolutionary. Thus, the expression " lightbulb moment " means a moment when you suddenly realise something or have new inspiration. For example: In a lightbulb moment, the mathematician came up with a ground-breaking equation.

 

However, the origin of the phrase is said to be related to an illuminated light bulb above a cat's head in a comic strip. Some scholars suggested that this figurative meaning was first expressed in " Felix the Cat " , a children's comedy cartoon created during the silent film era.

 

In recent decades, incandescent light bulbs have been replaced by LED lights, which are cheaper, more durable, and more environmentally friendly.

 

如果你四下張望,你看到哪些種類的電燈?在現代城市裡,最常見的電燈是鎢絲燈螢光燈和LED燈。三者之中,鎢絲燈的歷史最悠久。這種科技在19世紀末完全改變了人們的日常生活,並且在20世紀支配了照明業。

 

就象徵意義而言,燈泡通常表示聰明的想法,因為燈泡的發明具有變革意義。因此, 「light bulb moment」這個語句的意思是,你突然有所領悟或得到新啟發。例如: 在靈光一現light bulb moment)中,數學家想出了一個石破天驚的方程式。

 

然而,這個語句據說是源於連環漫畫中一隻貓頭上的一盞明亮燈泡。有些學者提出,這個比喻意義最初見於默片時代創作的兒童卡通喜劇──「菲力貓」。

 

近幾十年來,鎢絲燈泡已經被LED燈取代,因為後者更便宜、更耐用,而且更環保。