“there’s a catch”

2021/02/18 04:13:11 網誌分類: 生活

18 Feb

        　　If you believe in feng shui and invest in the stock market, you should pay heed to what feng shui expert Michael Chiang Hong-man said on my TVB show. I wrote about some of what he said in my previous column. He said if the door at your home opens on the west, you will have a very good Year of the Ox but you should not move anything in the northeast part of your home. For example, if you have a table in that position, don’t move it during the Ox Year. Chiang Hong-man predicted a good period for the stock market and the economy between February and June.

        　　But he said there is a catch because there will be a lot of turbulence in the stock market between July and September. The expression “pay heed to” something means to listen carefully or pay close attention to it. The expression “take heed of” has the same meaning. Chiang Hong-man believes the stock market and the economy will take a beating during those three months. The expression "take a beating” can be used in several ways. If a football team loses badly in a match, you can say the team took a beating. But if the stock market and the economy suffer a great loss, you can also say the stock market and economy took a beating.

        　　If someone tells you “there’s a catch” it means there is a complication or a condition. You can say you don’t mind buying a cheap mobile phone but your friends will tell you there’s a catch because the phone won’t work very well. Or you can say you want to keep very fit by exercising but your friends will tell you there’s a catch because you must exercise regularly and avoid unhealthy foods. When Chiang Hong-man used the expression, he meant even though the economy and stock market will perform well between February and June, there’s a catch, or a complication, because the stock market and economy will take a beating from July to September.

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        　　若你相信風水，又有投資股票市場，你就應該留心（pay heed to）風水師蔣匡文在我無線的節目上所說的話。在上一篇專欄中，我寫過一些他說的話，他說若你家中的門開向西方，你會有一個很不錯的牛年；但你不應該移動家中東北方位的任何物件。譬如，若你在那個方位有張枱，你在牛年就不應移動它。蔣匡文預測，由二月到六月，對股市和經濟來說將是一個好的時期。

        　　但他也說，七月至九月會有一個陷阱（there’s a catch），因為股市將會很動盪。習語“pay heed to” something是指留心細聽或特別注意某事；習語“take heed of”亦有相同的意思。蔣匡文相信，在那三個月內，股市和經濟將會take a beating。習語“take a beating”可以有幾種用法。若一隊足球隊在一場比賽中輸得很慘烈，你便可以說那隊球隊took a beating，落在「捱打」的狀態、大受打擊。但若股市和經濟遭受很大的損失，你也可以說股市和經濟took a beating。

        　　若某人告訴你“there’s a catch”，意即當中有陷阱、隱情，又或暗藏不利的因素。你可以說你不介意買個平價的手機，但你的朋友會告訴你內裏必有詭詐（there’s a catch），因為那個電話不能好好運作。又或者你可以說，你想透過運動好好地鍛煉身體，但你的朋友會告訴你，世事哪有這麼簡單？凡事皆有代價（there’s a catch），因為你必須恒常做運動，戒吃不健康的食物。蔣匡文用這個習語時，他的意思是，雖然經濟和股市在二月和六月之間表現良好，但there’s a catch，或說仍然暗藏陷阱，因為股市和經濟自七月至九月將會損失慘重（take a beating）。

        mickchug@gmail.com 中譯：七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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