Chinese Practice
逝者如斯夫，不舍晝夜
All that passes is like a river,
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
照片：維基共享資源
flowing continuously
(shi4 zhe3 ru2 si1 fu2 bu4 she3 zhou4 ye4)
《論語》〈子罕〉篇有一句寫道：「子在川上曰：逝者如斯夫！不舍晝夜。」意思是說，孔子站在河邊嘆道：「那些流逝的就像這河水，是日日夜夜不斷地在流逝。」後世對這比喻或有不同的詮釋，但「逝者如斯夫，不舍晝夜」這句話現用來指光陰的流逝，以及時間的寶貴。
英文有句類似的說法，也將流水比喻作時間：「time and tide wait for no man」（時間與潮汐是不等人的），意思是說，我們該把握機會，因它可能稍縱即逝。而這句話的演變有些曲折。
此句一般認為出自英國文豪喬叟（西元一三四三～一四○○年）所著，於一三六八年出版的《學者的故事》其中一句：「For thogh we slepe, or wake, or rome, or ryde, Ay fleeth the tyme; it nyl no man abyde 」（因即便我們無論是睡或醒，或漫步，或騎馬，時間永遠在消逝；時間不等任何人）。
但是喬叟所寫下的只有「時間」，他並沒有提到「潮汐」。
紀錄中最早使用「time and tide」（時間與潮汐）的是一二二五年——也就是年代較喬叟早一百多年的聖馬荷的著作中。聖馬荷的生平似乎鮮為人知，他寫道：「你出生的潮汐與時間應受祝福。」此句雖非描述時間之流逝，但其中tide（潮汐）一字便是時間的同義詞。
現今英語中的「tide」一字指海面升降、一天兩次漲退的潮水。但在聖馬荷的年代，「tide」是由古英語字「tid」演變而來，其意為「時間中的一點或一段時間、到期日、時期或季節」。這個字在十四世紀中才有現今的「潮汐」的意義。因此聖荷馬原文中的「time」及「tide」兩個字的意義相同。
因此，後來「time and tide」這說法便結合了喬叟原句的含意，而成了現今的「Time and tide wait for no man」這句話。
（台北時報編譯林俐凱譯）
逝者如斯夫，不舍晝夜。我們該把握時間，趁早努力，以免老大徒傷悲。
(Time and tide wait for no man. We should seize opportunities as they arise, lest we regret lost opportunities in our dotage.)
英文練習
Time and tide wait for no man
In the Zi Han chapter of the Analects of Confucius, it says, 子在川上曰：逝者如斯夫！不舍晝夜. Translated, this means “Confucius, standing on the river bank, lamented: ’that which passes is like this river, flowing unceasingly, day and night’.” While different interpretations of this metaphor have been ventured throughout history, the phrase 逝者如斯夫，不舍晝夜 has come to refer to the passage of time, and of time as something to be valued.
The link between time and water appears in an English equivalent, “time and tide wait for no man,” meaning that one should make use of an opportunity, as you might not have the chance later. The evolution of the phrase, however, is a little complicated.
It is generally attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) who, in the Prologue to the Clerk’s Tale (1368), wrote “For thogh we slepe, or wake, or rome, or ryde, Ay fleeth the tyme; it nyl no man abyde (For though we sleep or wake, or roam, or ride, time forever flees; it will tarry [wait] for no person.)
But Chaucer only uses the word “time”; he makes no mention of “tide.”
The earliest recorded usage of “time and tide” appears in the writings of a St. Marher — of whom little seems to be known — in 1225, over a century before. Translated into modern English, he wrote, “And the tide and the time that you were born shall be blessed.” Although St. Marher was not talking about the passage of time, he was using a phrase in which tide was equated with time.
The modern usage of “tide” refers to the alternate rising and falling of the surface of the ocean, usually twice a day. In St. Marher’s time, however, it meant “a point or portion of time, due time, period or season,” deriving from the Old English word “tid.” The modern meaning was given to the word in the mid-14th century. Time and tide, in the phrase, are essentially one and the same thing.
This combination was subsequently combined with Chaucer’s allusion to form the modern version of the phrase.
(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)
You’d better start preparing for the new job. You know what they say about time and tide...
（你最好為新工作及早做好準備。你知道時間是不等人的。）
Many consumers are guilty of filling drawers or closets with old laptops, cellphones, fitness trackers and other electronic devices once they are no longer needed. It’s hard to know where to recycle such items, or it seems costly and inconvenient to do so. The world generates millions of tons of electronic waste — also called e-waste — each year. According to the UN’s most recent estimate, people worldwide produced 62 million metric tons of e-waste in 2022, and only about 22 percent of it was properly recycled. The US’ Environmental Protection Agency estimates that less than a quarter of e-waste is
You’re sitting in class when a classmate asks to borrow a pencil. It seems like a small favor, so you agree without hesitation. The following week, the same classmate asks to share your notes. Later, they request help with a group project. You agree each time — after all, you helped out the first time — but before you know it, it has become automatic. This scenario demonstrates the “foot-in-the-door technique,” a psychological concept that shows how agreeing to small, acceptable demands makes it easier to accept larger ones later on. The name for this strategy comes from door-to-door
A: The four-day Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend begins Friday and will run until Monday. Are you going to sweep your ancestors’ tombs? B: I did in advance last weekend, so I can go to Kaohsiung to see the musical “The Phantom of the Opera.” A: Wow, is “Phantom” touring Taiwan again? It debuted in 1986, so this year marks the 40th anniversary of the show. B: And it’s not just touring Kaohsiung starting March 31, but also Taipei starting April 21 and Taichung starting May 26. A: “Phantom” is one of the world’s Four Major Musicals. I’ve seen all of them, except “Les
對話 Dialogue 清清：這禮拜又有連假了，這次一共放四天。 Qīngqing: Zhè lǐbài yòu yǒu liánjià le, zhè cì yígòng fàng sì tiān. 華華：你是要過兒童節還是清明節？ Huáhua: Nǐ shì yào guò Értóng jié háishì Qīngmíng jié? 清清：都要過啊！不管幾歲，都要有童心，才能永遠都年輕，知道嗎？ Qīngqing: Dōu yào guò a! Bùguǎn jǐ suì, dōu yào yǒu tóngxīn, cái néng yǒngyuǎn dōu niánqīng, zhīdào ma? 華華：好啦！能當個長不大的孩子也好，就不會有那麼多煩惱了。 Huáhua: Hǎo la! Néng dāng ge zhǎngbúdà de háizi yě hǎo, jiù bú huì yǒu nàme duō fánnǎo le. 清清：還好春天有這兩個節假日，常常可以變成連假休息一下。 Qīngqing: Háihǎo chūntiān yǒu zhè liǎng ge jiéjiàrì, chángcháng kěyǐ biànchéng liánjià xiūxi yíxià. 華華：對啊！上禮拜我已經先跟家人去掃墓了，就怕清明節當天人太多。 Huáhua: Duì a! Shàng lǐbài wǒ yǐjīng xiān gēn jiārén qù sǎomù le, jiù pà Qīngmíng jié dāngtiān rén tài duō. 清清：親人雖然過世了，但有清明節掃墓的習俗，讓我們在不同的世界還是能「聚」一下、說說話，真的很有意義。 Qīngqing: Qīnrén suīrán guòshì le, dàn yǒu Qīngmíng jié
RSS