Chinese Practice
水漲船高
(shui2 zhang3 chuan2 gao1)
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
when the water level goes up, all boats rise
英文片語a rising tide lifts all boats一般多認為出自美國前總統甘迺迪於一九六三年發表的演講,意指經濟好時,經濟體中所有人皆可受惠。甘迺迪的演講撰稿人泰德索倫森在其後曾表示這個片語並非甘迺迪或他所創,而是他幾年前在一個地方商會的信紙上看到的。甘迺迪在演講上使用了這個片語,但不是這個片語的創始人。
A rising tide lifts all boats這個說法至今已有至少一世紀的歷史,在美國一九一○年代出版的宗教書報中額為常見。這個片語看似源自於某個臨海的漁村,同樣的濱海意境,與在其一千年前出現的中文成語「水漲船高」有異曲同工之妙。
在西元一千○四年,中國宋朝的釋道原撰寫《景德傳燈錄》,記錄了多名禪師與僧人的禪法。書中提及「水長船高,泥多佛大」。「水漲船高」用於形容某人或事物提升後,連帶讓仰賴其的人或事物也跟著提升。而「泥多佛大」亦可單獨使用,意指深穩的根基或支持能造就成功。
(台北時報編譯涂宇安譯)
這名歌手爆紅後,他的樂團身價也水漲船高,現在有多家唱片公司都想要挖角他們。
(After this singer became very popular, his whole band became really famous, too, and now lots of record companies are looking to poach them.)
英文練習
a rising tide lifts all boats
Former US president John F. Kennedy is often credited with the phrase “a rising tide lifts all boats,” from a speech he made in 1963. The phrase is understood to mean that favorable economic conditions will improve the lot of all participants in that economy. His own speechwriter, Ted Sorensen, later debunked the idea that Kennedy — or he himself for that matter — had come up with the phrase, noting that he had seen it on a regional chamber of commerce letterhead some years earlier. Kennedy did use it, but it didn’t originate with him.
There are numerous references to the phrase in print in religious publications dating to the 1910s in the US, making the phrase at least a century old. You would expect it to have originated, perhaps, in a coastal fishing community. A similar mental image certainly occurred to another writer in a different place and at a different time: in China, 1,000 years ago.
During the Song dynasty, in the year 1004AD, the monk Shi Daoyuan published a book called Complete Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, a record of Ch’an (Zen) masters and other prominent Buddhist monks. In it appear the words 「水長船高,泥多佛大」, meaning “when the water rises, the boats are lifted high; the more clay there is, the larger the Buddha [statue]. The idiom 水漲船高 is now used to express the idea that when a person or object advances, so do the people or things that rely on them. Interestingly, the second part of the phrase, 泥多佛大, can be used as an idiom in its own right, a reference to the importance of support for the success of a venture.
(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)
The growing poverty gap in many countries suggests that a rising tide does not, in fact, lift all boats.
(許多國家的貧富差距都在增大,這顯示整體經濟提升並不會改善所有人的生活。)
A: Recently, I’ve been seeing mosquitoes flying around in front of my eyes. The doctor said it’s the “flying-mosquito disease.” B: Flying mosquitoes? What a strange name. A: They’re actually called “floaters” in English, meaning floating debris. When fibrous substances in the vitreous body inside the eyeballs increase, floaters can appear in the visual field. B: Oh my goodness. Can you get rid of them? A: According to ophthalmologist Horng Chi-ting’s research, taking the enzymes of certain fruits is likely to help reduce floaters. A: 我最近一直覺得眼前有蚊子飛來飛去,結果醫生說是「飛蚊症」。 B: 飛蚊症?好奇怪的病名。 A: 英文名稱叫「floaters」, 也就是漂浮物的意思。 因為眼球的玻璃體中纖維化物質增多,導致視野出現漂浮物。 B: 天啊!要怎麼把蚊子趕走? A:
Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 I stand by the Miluo River as dusk falls. The court betrayal is too much. I served Chu with loyalty. I forged alliances and fought corruption. But the whispers of jealous courtiers, the murmurs of treason, spoke louder. The king cast me out. The water looks calm. It promises peace. I step in. The river is cold against my legs. I hear shouts behind me — fishermen calling my name. I keep walking. The calls grow louder, but I do not turn around. The water rises to my chest. It pulls at me. I
In Taiwan, people can use a platform to rent a power washer for a weekend or share unused garage space for someone’s storage needs. These are examples of the sharing economy, a consumption model that has gained widespread adoption worldwide. This approach allows people to rent or share assets like cars, homes or even services, typically through online platforms. This innovative model poses a simple yet powerful question: why purchase infrequently used items when sharing is more practical? By making useful but idle resources accessible, the sharing economy turns them into sustainable opportunities. Internationally, platforms like Airbnb and Uber have popularized
A: What types of fruit enzymes should we take to help reduce eye floaters? B: According to a study published in the “Applied Sciences” journal by Taiwanese ophthalmologist Horng Chi-ting, pineapple, papaya and fig supplements can improve symptoms. A: Pineapples are in season now, so you should munch on more of those to get rid of floaters. B: Not quite. Enzymes can be damaged by our stomach acid if we eat the fruit directly. The doctor says taking fruit enzyme capsules is better for absorption. A: Most importantly, we should reduce our use of personal electronics to prevent floaters from