Also See: Continued from yesterday
Yuansiao was a wonderful influence upon the spoiled daughter of the Emperor. But that first New Year away from her parents was especially difficult for her. She saw families being together, walking around on the streets, going shopping and eating happily together. Although she was treated well and had all the material things a gal could possibly ask for, she longed for the simple farm house and the warmth of being with her parents. Thus, on New Year's Day, she told the Emperor that she had had a dream. In her dream, the Fire God appeared and threatened to burn down the city unless the Emperor was able to appease his anger. What must be done was that firecrackers were to be set off on the 15th day of the month and lanterns, big and small, were to be made. These lanterns were to be bright and elaborately decorated and must be hung throughout the streets of the city. As the Emperor got busy, setting people to work making lanterns and firecrackers, Yuansiao took the opportunity to go home unnoticed.
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How surprised her parents were to have her home as they too missed her tremendously. She stayed home until the 15th day of the Lunar New Year and arrived back at the palace just in time to see the city alive with excitement and celebration as people set off firecrackers and carried bright, beautiful and decorated lanterns.
You might be quite puzzled reading this story. Did I make it up? Well, sort of. There are several stories attached to the celebration of Lantern Festival and I decided to embellish one that might be quite unknown to most of you.
(To be continued tomorrow...)
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Also See: 接續昨日
ILLUSTRATIONS: COURTESY OF EXPLORER PUBLICATIONS
元宵對被寵壞的公主產生極好的影響，但離開父母的第一個新年特別難熬，她看到家家戶戶團圓，一起快樂地逛街、購物和用餐，雖然她備受善待並擁有一個女孩所能要求的一切物質生活，但她仍渴望回到純樸的農家享受和父母同在的溫暖。所以，在新年那天，她告訴皇帝她做了個夢，在她的夢裡，火神出現並威脅燒掉這座城市，除非皇帝能平息祂的怒氣。他們必須在這個月的第十五天施放鞭炮，並製作大小不同的燈籠，這些燈籠要明亮且精心裝飾，並掛在城裡各大街小巷。由於皇帝忙著下令人們製造燈籠和煙火，元宵趁沒人注意時回家。
當她回家時，十分想念她的父母非常驚訝。而她一直在家待到農曆新年的第十五天才及時趕回皇宮，看到人們施放煙火和提著明亮、漂亮的燈籠，全城因為籠罩在興奮和慶祝的氣氛中而生氣蓬勃。
讀這個故事時你可能很困惑，它是虛構的嗎？嗯，有那麼點兒。好些故事都和元宵節的慶祝有關，所以我決定美化一個多數人都比較不熟悉的故事。
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(明日待續...)
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Have you ever dreamed of using an entire city as your training ground, effortlessly moving across walls, buildings, stairs, and obstacles? This is not just a fantasy from the movies. In cities around the world, a group of enthusiasts practice this seemingly impossible sport — “parkour.” The origins of parkour can be traced back to 20th-century France. A military officer named Georges-Hebert witnessed the incredible physical abilities of local residents in Africa, which inspired him to create the Methode Naturelle, or natural method. This training method cleverly combined climbing, running, and swimming with artificial barriers to mimic nature. Later, David Belle
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疫情期間，許多國家的課程改成網路授課，或用直播、或用預錄的方式，考驗老師對科技的熟悉程度。台灣教育部則推動「安心就學」方案，讓無法返校就學的學生，可以利用實時授課或線上課程修課。有讀者詢問，「安心就學」的英語應該怎麼說、怎麼翻譯比較適合。是Study at Ease Project好，還是Project of Reassured Study比較合適？ 我認為「安心就學」方案，可譯為：Stay Home Stay Safe Study Program。「就學」一詞就是study，言簡意賅；而「安心」，則不必試著直翻，而是將此專案的內涵翻譯出來較為恰當，也就是──待在家、安全地學習。此外，六個字中有四個字是S開頭，押頭韻(alliteration)，唸起來比較鏗鏘有力。相關用語也可以在國外見到，比如加拿大有針對偏遠地區原住民有類似的「在家就學」方案(Stay at Home Learning Program)。 Ms. Massie: We have a very active stay-at-home learning program. Some of them are doing long-distance education right in the home. (Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoplessencanada.ca) 至於program和project，中文一般都譯為「計畫」，但有何不同？我們可以在網路上找到以下解釋：project一般是指為達成一項目標的單一的行動／努力過程，而program則是由一系列projects所組成。 A project represents a single, focused endeavor. A program is a collection of projects – together all the projects form a connected package of work. The different projects complement each other to assist the program in achieving its overall objectives. (“What is a Program in Project Management?,” Wrike) 所以，可以視program為project的上位詞，是更複雜的計畫和方案。安心就學包含很多種措施，每個學校也有各自施行的指導細則，可以將每個學校所實施的方案視為單一的project，而教育部統籌的計畫，是這些projects的集合，是以稱之為program。 防疫必備詞彙：疫情因應 暫停或延後大型集會 postpone or suspend mass gatherings 延遲開學 to postpone back to school 確診病例 confirmed case /
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