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1 Issue No.39 March 2010 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES DIVISION, CIVIL SERVICE BUREAU * ** * wū ** cuàn 1

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3 Silver, a shiny precious metal, has an age-old link with fortune. In wealthy and sophisticated families, for example, a lot of household utensils, including tableware, are made of silver. The tradition is for children of such families to be presented with a gift of silver spoons by their godparents at their christening ceremony. So children born with a silver spoon in their mouths are those born of rich parents. They are likely to inherit a great fortune, and hence be able to lead a privileged life without much effort. What about people with a silver tongue? Are they equally well off? The answer is no. People who are silvertongued are those good at talking, especially those with a flair for persuading or impressing others. So they are usually good orators. However, sometimes circumstances require one to remain silent, and the saying goes Speech is silver, but silence is golden. On certain occasions, too much talking might produce undesirable effects. For example, making a humorous remark in a sensitive situation may not be a wise move, for that remark might be taken in a negative way. This echoes the Confucian teaching, which means the more one says, the more trouble one may invite. Like gold, silver shines in light. If we see a silver lining around a cloud, that means the sun is about to shine again and a cloudy day is merely temporary. Metaphorically, this may be taken to mean that a gloomy situation is likely to be followed by something sunny. So those who are in distress might find it comforting and encouraging to be reminded of the proverb Every cloud has a silver lining, which is similar to the Chinese idiom sunshine will always come after showers. Whether used in making jewellery or other ornaments, silver remains a kind of material that people are very much fond of. However, not all things associated with silver are welcome by us. For example, though silver fox is used rather euphemistically to refer to a grey-haired gentleman of a certain age, the appearance of silvery hair on our head is after all considered an alarming sign. While it is a nice thing to see goldfish swimming leisurely in an aquarium, we might get goose bumps if we see silverfish moving among our books. Silverfish is no fish, but a greyish insect that causes damage to paper products and clothing! The Midas touch is probably something that most businessmen long for. Why? It is because the Midas touch enables them to succeed easily at everything they do, and hence brings a thriving business. The term has its origin in the Greek legend about King Midas. One day, Silenus, the chief of satyrs *, was found drunk in Midas rose garden and brought to the King. Midas recognised Silenus and treated him with hospitality before arranging for Silenus to rejoin his pupil Dionysus, the God of wine and fertility. As a token of thanks for such kindness, Dionysus decided to reward Midas and granted him a wish. Midas hastily asked that everything he touched be turned to gold. Midas was overjoyed at his new gift. But very soon, he came to regret this indiscretion as all the food and wine he was about to consume turned to gold in his mouth. Worse still, his daughter became a golden statue when she was touched by his hand. Desperate from hunger, thirst and remorse, he prayed to Dionysus, begging to be freed from this magical spell. Dionysus took pity on him and ordered him to bathe in the River Pactolus. Midas obeyed and was released from the curse. The name of Midas is thus associated with riches, while the Midas touch has become an idiom denoting the ability to make money effortlessly. For example, Warren Buffett has the Midas touch in investment, which compels admiration. The Midas touch may also be expressed as the golden touch, which is more comprehensible to those having no idea who Midas was. * Satyrs are mythological creatures, usually depicted as half-man and half-goat. (Midas) 73

So children born with a silver spoon in their mouths are those born of rich parents. They are likely to inherit a great fortune, and hence be able to lead a privileged life without much effort.

4 Only in the Right Place Only is a little word that we often use in everyday writing. It can perform various functions in a sentence as an adverb, an adjective or a conjunction. When used as an adverb, it denotes nothing, nobody or nowhere except the one being referred to, and may appear in different positions in a sentence. However, different positions stress different things, and give different meanings. Here are some examples: Only Marcus won a silver medal in the track events. Marcus won only a silver medal in the track events. Marcus won a silver medal only in the track events. In the first example, only is placed before the subject Marcus. This means other than Marcus, no one in the team won a medal in the track events. In the second example, only is placed before the object a silver medal. This means all that Marcus got in the track events was a silver medal. That is to say, he did not win a gold medal in these events. In the third example, only is placed before the adverb of place in the track events. This means Marcus won a silver medal in the track events, but not in any other events. Putting these three examples into context, we might come up with the following: Only Marcus won a silver medal in the track events. His teammates all returned empty-handed. Marcus won only a silver medal in the track events. He failed to claim any gold. Marcus won a silver medal only in the track events. His performance in other events was awful. The general rule is: only, when used as an adverb, should be placed closest to the element it modifies. In oral English, this rule is often disregarded, because intonation and stress are capable of preventing ambiguity, but for written English, we should take care to put only in the right place, because misplacement will result in a shift in emphasis or even misunderstanding and give rise to incorrect interpretations. As an alternative, the pattern It is only...that... can be used to give the same emphasis. Rewriting the three examples above, we would have: It was only Marcus that won a silver medal in the track events. It was only a silver medal that Marcus won in the track events. It was only in the track events that Marcus won a silver medal. So, when unsure of the right position of only in a sentence, we may simply start with It is only... plus the words to be stressed. In this way, we can convey the meaning precisely. Man is harder than iron, stronger than stone and more fragile than a rose. Turkish Proverb Props and stays are similar in the functions they perform: they both serve to lend support to other things. Their primary meanings are then extended to refer to a source of strength or support. So when someone is said to be the prop and stay of a certain entity, that implies he or she provides the chief support. In a family, the prop and stay is essentially the breadwinner. Here is an example: As the prop and stay of his elderly parents, Johnson is indiscriminate in taking up freelance jobs. Prop and stay is often used as a set phrase. Alternatively, either prop or stay alone may suffice to convey the same meaning. For instance, we may simply say Mutual forbearance is the prop of traditional marriages or Miriam became the stay of her family business upon her father s retirement. For emphasis, we may use the term mainstay (a strong rope used to steady and support the mainmast of a ship), as in this example: The electronics and garment industries used to be the mainstays of Hong Kong s economy. Other than prop and stay, there are several other options in our vocabulary to stress the pivotal role someone or something plays in a community, system or institution. Here are just a few: The police force are the linchpin of our law and order ; Traditional virtues remain the cornerstone of every Chinese community, and We have high hopes for the younger generation, the pillars of our society. 4

However, different positions stress different things, and give different meanings. Here are some examples: Only Marcus won a silver medal in the track events.

5 * ** * jì ** sù Too many people miss the silver lining because they re expecting gold. Maurice Setter 75

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8 Name Chim Sui-pang Sin Shun-ling Lee Siu-wan Shum Kwai-kam Tang Siu-yin Solution of Issue No. 38 The following winners will be notified individually by post: Department Buildings Department Hong Kong Police Force Lands Department Rating and Valuation Department Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority F N R R O I O T G W U H H W E N V T I R T I E D M E R N E W E N O P A I N N O G A I N M E B S T E U P T S E R O S U I T H L S U R T O E T E H U T S D E T T R E Dr Gillian M. Humphreys Hon Chinese Adviser Dr Hong Po-man Hon English Adviser Dr Gillian M. Humphreys Editorial Board Chairman Mrs Stella Mui Member Miss Holly Lo Member Ms Iris Tai Member Miss Hilda Yan Member Miss Candice Lo Executive Editor Mr Kenneth Luk Member Mr James Ho Member Mrs Loletta Yeung Assistant Editor Ms Shirley Lui Member Mr K W Cheng Member Ms Dawn Chan Assistant Editor Miss Cynthia Seto ( (csbolrs@csb.gov.hk) Word Power is also uploaded to the homepage of the Civil Service Bureau ( If you have any comments or suggestions about this publication, please write to the Editorial Board of Word Power (Official Languages Division, Civil Service Bureau, Room 2310, High Block, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong or csbolrs@csb.gov.hk). 8

Licensing Authority F N R R O I O T G W U H H W E N V T I R T I E D M E R N E W E N O P A I N N O G A I N M E B S T E U P T S E R O S U I T H L S U R T O E T E H U T S D E T T R E Dr Gillian M.

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