20150331-Michael Chugani 褚簡寧：又中又英——catch you in a cul-de-sac
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧：又中又英——catch you in a cul-de-sac
2015-03-31
中譯:七刻
Singapore strongman Lee Kuan Yew, who passed away at the age of 91 last week, was a tough talker. He believed the only way to make Singapore prosperous was to rule with an iron fist. He was not afraid of his political enemies but he wanted to make sure his political enemies were afraid of him. This is what he said in 1994: "Nobody doubts that if you take me on, I will put on knuckle-dusters and catch you in a cul-de-sac." The expression "take me on" used this way means to challenge, compete, or fight with me. A knuckle-duster is a metal weapon worn over the knuckles of a hand to increase the effect of a punch.
A cul-de-sac is a street that ends, or leads to nowhere, at one end. A cul-de-sac usually ends in a semi-circle and you have to turn around. A similar word is dead-end. What Lee Kuan Yew meant was if anyone challenged him, he would put a metal weapon on his hand and catch that person in a street where that person cannot escape so he can punch that person and seriously hurt him. Of course, Lee Kuan Yew did not mean he would actually fight anyone who challenged him. What he meant was he would use political and other tactics to fight back. The slang word "strongman" means a political leader who uses strong leadership, threats, or violence to rule. To rule with an iron fist means to rule in a very strict and stern way without tolerating any opposition. To pass away means to die.
Lee Kuan Yew also said: "If you are concerned with whether your rating will go up or down, then you are not a leader." The word "rating" used this way means the popularity of politicians measured through public opinion polls. Lee Kuan Yew believed that politicians should not worry too much about their ratings. He believed that politicians who paid too much attention to ratings were weak leaders. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's ratings are not very high. Maybe he should learn from Lee Kuan Yew and not pay too much attention to his ratings.
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新加坡強人（strongman）李光耀，上星期以九十一歲之齡與世長辭（passed away），他一生嘴巴不饒人。他相信，令新加坡繁榮的唯一方法，是以鐵腕（iron fist）統治。他無懼政敵，卻要確保他的政敵會畏懼他。這是他於一九九四年說的話：「若你挑戰我（take me on），我將會戴上鐵蓮花（knuckle-dusters），在死胡同（cul-de-sac）裏截獲你。」習語take me on在這裏的意思是挑戰、對賽或跟我對打。Knuckle-duster就是戴在指節上的銅套，俗稱鐵蓮花，用來增強拳擊的殺傷力。
Cul-de-sac就是死胡同，通常都是半圓的盡頭，你得回頭走。類近的字是dead-end。李光耀的意思是，若有人要挑戰他，他會在手上戴上金屬武器，在對方不能逃逸的街頭上抓着那個人，好能狠狠的痛打他一頓。當然，李光耀不是說他會真的會痛打任何挑戰他的人。他的意思是，他會用政治與其他手段應戰。俚語strongman是指用強勢領導、威權或武力去統治的政治領袖。To rule with an iron fist就是不容異己的鐵腕統治。To pass away就是逝世。
李光耀也曾說：「若你關心你的民望（rating）會上升或下跌，你就不是領袖。」Rating在這裡的意思就是透過民意調查所得的民望。李光耀相信，政客不應太憂心自己的民望（ratings）。他認為，太着意民望（ratings）的都是弱勢領袖。特首梁振英的民望（ratings）也不高。或許他應學效李光耀，不太理會自己的民望（ratings）。mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
2015-03-31
中譯:七刻
Singapore strongman Lee Kuan Yew, who passed away at the age of 91 last week, was a tough talker. He believed the only way to make Singapore prosperous was to rule with an iron fist. He was not afraid of his political enemies but he wanted to make sure his political enemies were afraid of him. This is what he said in 1994: "Nobody doubts that if you take me on, I will put on knuckle-dusters and catch you in a cul-de-sac." The expression "take me on" used this way means to challenge, compete, or fight with me. A knuckle-duster is a metal weapon worn over the knuckles of a hand to increase the effect of a punch.
A cul-de-sac is a street that ends, or leads to nowhere, at one end. A cul-de-sac usually ends in a semi-circle and you have to turn around. A similar word is dead-end. What Lee Kuan Yew meant was if anyone challenged him, he would put a metal weapon on his hand and catch that person in a street where that person cannot escape so he can punch that person and seriously hurt him. Of course, Lee Kuan Yew did not mean he would actually fight anyone who challenged him. What he meant was he would use political and other tactics to fight back. The slang word "strongman" means a political leader who uses strong leadership, threats, or violence to rule. To rule with an iron fist means to rule in a very strict and stern way without tolerating any opposition. To pass away means to die.
Lee Kuan Yew also said: "If you are concerned with whether your rating will go up or down, then you are not a leader." The word "rating" used this way means the popularity of politicians measured through public opinion polls. Lee Kuan Yew believed that politicians should not worry too much about their ratings. He believed that politicians who paid too much attention to ratings were weak leaders. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's ratings are not very high. Maybe he should learn from Lee Kuan Yew and not pay too much attention to his ratings.
＊ ＊ ＊
新加坡強人（strongman）李光耀，上星期以九十一歲之齡與世長辭（passed away），他一生嘴巴不饒人。他相信，令新加坡繁榮的唯一方法，是以鐵腕（iron fist）統治。他無懼政敵，卻要確保他的政敵會畏懼他。這是他於一九九四年說的話：「若你挑戰我（take me on），我將會戴上鐵蓮花（knuckle-dusters），在死胡同（cul-de-sac）裏截獲你。」習語take me on在這裏的意思是挑戰、對賽或跟我對打。Knuckle-duster就是戴在指節上的銅套，俗稱鐵蓮花，用來增強拳擊的殺傷力。
Cul-de-sac就是死胡同，通常都是半圓的盡頭，你得回頭走。類近的字是dead-end。李光耀的意思是，若有人要挑戰他，他會在手上戴上金屬武器，在對方不能逃逸的街頭上抓着那個人，好能狠狠的痛打他一頓。當然，李光耀不是說他會真的會痛打任何挑戰他的人。他的意思是，他會用政治與其他手段應戰。俚語strongman是指用強勢領導、威權或武力去統治的政治領袖。To rule with an iron fist就是不容異己的鐵腕統治。To pass away就是逝世。
李光耀也曾說：「若你關心你的民望（rating）會上升或下跌，你就不是領袖。」Rating在這裡的意思就是透過民意調查所得的民望。李光耀相信，政客不應太憂心自己的民望（ratings）。他認為，太着意民望（ratings）的都是弱勢領袖。特首梁振英的民望（ratings）也不高。或許他應學效李光耀，不太理會自己的民望（ratings）。mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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