Mon, Dec 11, 2017 page9

• USING IDIOMS 活 用 成 語

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  Chinese practice

  有備無患

  (you3 bei4 wu2 huan4)

  

  George Goodwin Kilburne, Forewarned is Forearmed, Oil on canvas. 《有備無患》，喬治‧古德溫‧基爾本作，畫布油畫。

  Photo: Wikimedia Commons
  照片：維基共享資源

  preparedness averts peril

  《左傳》是對春秋時代（西元前七二二～四八一年）中國政治與軍事的一系列評論。其中記載了晉國丞相魏絳對晉侯的建言「居安思危，思則有備，有備則無患」──在平安的環境中，也要想到危險出現的可能；有此考慮，就會有所準備；有了準備，就可避免禍患。

  魏絳這句建言是兩句成語的出處：「居安思危」和「有備無患」。「有備無患」也出現在年代更早的《尚書》的〈說命中〉一章。

  《尚書》記載，殷高宗武丁繼位後，即便其父王的守喪期已過，他還是對自己的統治能力缺乏信心，因此遲遲未向大臣們下達指令。後來武丁做了一個夢，夢見上帝賜給他輔佐的賢臣。他醒來後，仍記得那人長相的種種細節，因此派人去尋找他夢中所見的那個人。在一個叫傅巖的偏遠地方，找到了一個名叫「說」（發音同「月」）的人，正符合武丁的描述。武丁於是立傅說為丞相。〈說命中〉記載了傅說在就職時說的話，其中包括用人唯才的重要，他說：

  「官不及私昵，惟其能；爵罔及惡德，惟其賢。」（授人官職，不能因為他是親信，而是要看他的能力；不可讓德性不佳的人任高位要職，只有賢能的人才可。）

  他也說要做好準備，以避免災禍：

  「惟事事，乃其有備，有備無患。」（任何事都要做好準備，有了準備，就沒有禍患。）

  英文諺語「forewarned is forearmed」的概念並非新創，早在拉丁文中，就有意義類似的諺語「praemonitus, praemunitus」（有備無患）──這句話在當時是軍事方面的用語，現今則常當做是座右銘（例如澳洲陸軍情報部隊的隊訓）。字首prae同pre，意為「之前」、「事先」，例如英文presume、predict、prefix等字。「monitus」是拉丁文，意為「警告」，相關的字有admonishment、monitor、premonition等。而「munitu」意為加強的，munitions和ammunition皆為相關的字。

  在「forewarned is forearmed」這句話中，forearmed這個字跟作名詞用的forearm（前臂）並無關聯。forearmed一字是介詞fore（如before）和arm（如作動詞的「武裝」之意）的結合。forewarned is forearmed這句英文最早見於劇作家羅伯特‧格林一五九二年出版的小冊子《詐騙的藝術》，整句是這樣寫的：「forewarned, forearmed: Burnt children dread the fire」（有備無患：被燒傷的孩子會怕火）。

  這小冊子標題中的coney是當時的俚語，意指養來吃的兔子，所以這種兔子是馴養的，要捉很容易。coney-catching便是指在街頭詐騙那些容易上當的路人。

  (台北時報林俐凱譯)

  我們應該要養成存錢的習慣，如果哪天失業了或生病了，才能有備無患。

  (We should start saving for a rainy day, just in case we lose our jobs or get sick. It’s best to be prepared.)

  這本火災自救手冊的資訊很有用，讓你有備無患、臨危不亂。

  (This fire safety pamphlet is really useful, it shows you how to prepare in advance so that you know what to do when there’s a fire.)

  英文練習

  forewarned is forearmed

  The ancient Chinese classic zuo zhuan (Commentary of Zuo) is a series of commentaries on political and military affairs covering the Spring and Autumn period (722 to 481 BC). It includes an account of Wei Jiang, the prime minister of the powerful state of Jin, advising Duke Dao of Jin to 居安思危，思則有備，有備則無患: “In times of peace, think to danger; in your thought, you will be prepared; if you are prepared, then there will be no calamity.”

  Wei Jiang’s advice has given us two idioms: 居安思危 and 有備則無患, the second of which also appears in the Order to Yue II chapter of an earlier classic, the shang shu (Book of Documents).

  The Book of Documents records that, even after the official period of mourning for his father was over, King Wuding of the Shang Dynasty had little confidence in his own ability to rule, and would not give directives to his ministers. He had a dream in which the Supreme Deity Shang Di introduced him to a sage. On waking, the king remembered the man’s likeness in meticulous detail, and sent officials to search for him. A worker named Yue, found in a remote town called Fu-yan, was found to fit the description. The king made him prime minister, and the Order to Yue II chapter relates how Yue responds during his inauguration. Among other things, he talks of the importance of meritocracy (“Offices should not be given to men because they are favorites, but only to men of ability. Dignities should not be conferred on men of evil practices, but only on men of worth”) and of preparation in order to avoid calamity (“For all affairs let there be adequate preparation; if you are prepared, then there will be no calamity”).

  In English, “forewarned is forearmed” is neither a new proverb nor a new sentiment. A similar phrase exists as the Latin proverb praemonitus, praemunitus, then used in a military context, now often used as a motto (for example, by the Australian Army Intelligence Corps). The prefix “prae” — an alternative form of “pre” — means “before” or “in advance,” as in presume, predict or prefix; “monitus” is Latin for “warning,” giving us admonishment, monitor and premonition”; while “munitus,” meaning fortified, gives us munitions and ammunition.

  In “forewarned is forearmed,” the “forearmed” is unrelated to the noun “forearm,” referring to the part of the arm between wrist and elbow: It is a combination of the preposition “fore” (as in before) and “arm” (as in “in possession of weapons”). The earliest mention of the English proverb in print appears in a 1592 pamphlet called The Art of Coney-catching by Robert Greene: “Forewarned, forearmed: Burnt children dread the fire.”

  To explain the pamphlet title: “Coney” was then slang for a rabbit raised to be eaten, and therefore tame and easily caught. Coney-catching meant street theft of gullible passersby through trickery.

  (Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)

  We should research what models are on the market before we buy. Forewarned is forearmed.

  (在購買之前，我們應該先搜尋一下市面上有哪些型號，先作功課以免吃虧。)

  Before you go in there, I should tell you the boss is in a mood. Forewarned is forearmed. Good luck.

  (在你進去之前，我應該先跟你說老闆今天心情不好，讓你有心理準備。祝你好運。)
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