Chinese practice
腳踏兩條船
(Jiao3 ta4 liang3 tiao2 chuan2)
Photo: Huang Liang-chieh
照片:自由時報記者黃良傑
To straddle two boats
成語「腳踏兩條船」出自晚明哲學家暨歷史學家李贄〈西元一五二七到一六○二年〉的《藏書》。李贄又名李卓吾,他在《藏書》中寫道:「世間道學,好騎兩頭馬,喜踹兩腳船。」這段話的意思若譯成英文,就是to sit on the fence,意為心意不決或逃避做決定。
這段話到了清朝演變為今日常見的「腳踏兩條船」,意同英文的to have a foot in both camps。
英文的to have a foot in both camps意指某人同時和兩個不同的陣營或個人建立關係。這樣的做法,依據敘述的角度,可以是正面而務實的,也可以是負面、投機取巧的。
在現代中文裡,「腳踏兩條船」還衍伸出同時與兩個不同的人戀愛交往的意思,其英文為two-timing。在中文裡,同時有兩位情人也可稱為「劈腿」,字面上的意思就是將兩腿劈開,平貼在地面。
(台北時報編譯涂宇安譯)
例句:
政治人物常常腳踏兩條船,想要同時討好左派和右派的選民。
(Politicians often attempt to have a foot in both camps by simultaneously wooing voters on both the left and the right.)
他是個花花公子,常常腳踏兩條船,千萬別被他的甜言蜜語給騙了。
( He is a playboy and a habitual cheater, Don’t be fooled by his sweet words.)
英 文 練 習
To have a foot in both camps.
The idiom 腳踏兩條船 first appeared in a written work entitled Cangshu by the late Ming philosopher, historian and writer Li Zhi (1527–1602 AD, also known as Li Zhuo-wu):
“In this society, there are scholars who love to ride two horses and straddle two boats at the same time.” In English, this original meaning of the idiom could be translated as “to sit on the fence,” which means to hold no fixed opinion or to avoid making a decision.
By the Qing dynasty the idiom had evolved into its present form, which in modern Chinese has come to mean “to have a foot in both camps.”
In English, the phrase “to have a foot in both camps” means to maintain an interest in two parties or sides at the same time. Such behavior could be described as either pragmatic (positive) or opportunistic (negative) depending on one’s point of view.
In modern Chinese 腳踏兩條船 has also taken on another meaning: to have two lovers at the same time. In English this is also called “two-timing.” In Chinese, there is also an alternative way to describe two-timing, 劈腿, which literally means “to do the splits.”
(Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
Example sentence:
I have got a foot in both camps with investments in both equities and real-estate.
(我同時投資了股票和房地產。)
He is a very pragmatic man and always tries to keep a foot in both camps.
(他是個很務實的人,總愛和各個陣營保持關係。)
Last year, China’s push for the network certificate and internet ID system sparked widespread debate. The internet ID assigns users a unique code linked to their personal information without revealing their full identity, while the network certificate serves as a digital credential, enabling users to verify their identity across various platforms. This bold policy requires Chinese citizens to connect their online activities to their real identities. An internet “real-name system” demands that every user provide their actual identity information before accessing online services. The goal is to prevent online crime, cyberbullying, and harmful content. China has implemented a comprehensive real-name verification
A: Early this month, Taiwanese pitcher Teng Kai-wei of the San Francisco Giants was called up from Triple-A. B: It’s just awesome. Teng became the 17th Taiwanese to be called up to the majors last year. This marks his second call-up. A: And this time, his jersey number has changed from 70 to 66. B: Who else is likely to be moved up next? A: According to the Major League Baseball (MLB) Web site, Lin Yu-min, Zhuang Chen Zhong-ao, Lee Hao-yu and Cheng Tsung-che are all rising new stars. A: 美職舊金山巨人隊本月初決定,將小聯盟3A投手鄧愷威升上大聯盟! B: 太棒了,他去年曾打進大聯盟,是台灣第17位打進大聯盟球員。 A: 上次他大聯盟背號為70號,這次背號則改為66號。 B: 還有哪些台灣選手有機會挑戰大聯盟? A:
Long before numerals and arithmetic systems developed, humans relied on tally marks to count. These simple, repeated marks — often just straight lines — are one of the earliest and most widespread methods of recording numbers. Archaeological findings suggest that humans began tallying in prehistoric times. During the Late Stone Age in Africa, humans began to carve notches onto bones to create tangible records of quantities. One of the earliest known examples is the Wolf bone, an artifact unearthed in Central Europe in 1937. This bone bears notches believed to be an early form of counting. Even more intriguing
A: In addition to Teng Kai-wei, Taiwanese infielder Cheng Tsung-che was called up temporarily to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates in early April. B: Yeah, Cheng is the 18th player in Taiwan’s baseball history to be moved up to the majors. A: Back in 2002, Chen Chin-feng became the first Taiwanese to play in the Major League Baseball (MLB), followed by Tsao Chin-hui, Wang Chien-ming, Kuo Hung-chih, Hu Chin-lung and Lin Che-hsuan. B: Those pioneers were later joined by Lo Chia-jen, C.C. Lee, Ni Fu-te, Chen Wei-yin, Wang Wei-chung, Hu Chih-wei, Tseng Jen-ho, Lin Tzu-wei, Huang Wei-chieh, Yu Chang,