又中又英 | The world’s richest person | 褚簡寧
High-tech company Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is in a close race to overtake Elon Musk as the world's richest person. Musk, who co-founded several high-tech companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, has been the world’s richest person for nearly five years. Forbes had estimated Musk's wealth to be about US$384 billion and Ellison's wealth at about US$378 billion. Ellison briefly overtook Musk as the world's richest person on September 10 last month when Oracle's shares surged, increasing Ellison's wealth to US$398 billion. Ellison owns 41 percent of Oracle. But Oracle's stock closed lower that same day.
It still increased Ellison's wealth, but not enough to overtake Musk as the world's richest person. Latest estimates show Musk’s wealth has climbed to US$500 billion, the first person to achieve this. Ordinary people like me acquiring such wealth can happen only when chickens have teeth. This idiom means something that is impossible because chickens don't have teeth. They use their beaks to pick up food. Ordinary people acquiring Musk's wealth can only happen when chickens have teeth, but even earning a fraction of Musk's wealth can happen only when pigs fly. The expression "when pigs fly" is similar to "when chickens have teeth", which is impossible.
There are only about 190 people in the world with US$10 billion. For most ordinary people, even acquiring US$1billion is like nailing jelly to a wall. Have you ever tried nailing jelly to a wall? I would advise against doing that. You will end up with a lot of jelly on the floor to clean up. Nailing jelly to a wall is, of course, impossible.
＊＊＊＊＊＊
高科技公司甲骨文的共同創辦人拉里．艾利森，正在趕上伊隆．馬斯克，成為世上最富有的人，競爭相當激烈。馬斯克與他人共同創辦了幾間高科技公司，包括特斯拉和太空探索技術公司，他成為世界首富已經將近5年。《福布斯》估算馬斯克的身家有約3840億美元，而艾利森的身家則有約3780億美元。上個月的9月10日，當甲骨文的股票暴漲，艾利森的身家增至3980億美元，令他短暫超越了馬斯克，成為世上最富有的人。艾利森擁有甲骨文41%的股份。然而，甲骨文的股價於當天跌至較低價收市。
這仍然增加了艾利森的身家，但不足以超越馬斯克成為世界首富。最新的估算顯示，馬斯克的身家已攀升至5000億美元，成為達至這一水平的第一人。平凡人如我，要獲得這樣的身家，只會在雞也有牙齒的時候（when chickens have teeth）發生。這個成語的意思是那是不可能的，因為雞沒有牙齒，牠們是用喙去啄食物。一般人要達到馬斯克的身家是不可能的（when chickens have teeth），但即使只賺到馬斯克身家的一分，也是只有當豬會飛的時候（when pigs fly）才會發生吧！習語when pigs fly跟when chickens have teeth相近，都是解作某事情絕不可能發生。
世界上只有大概190人擁有100億美元的身家。在大多數普通人而言，單單獲取10億美元已是像把啫喱釘在牆上（like nailing jelly to a wall）了。你有否試過把啫喱釘到牆上（like nailing jelly to a wall）？我就建議你不要這樣做了。你最終會有大量的啫喱在地上要清理。Nailing jelly to a wall當然也是不可能的。
[email protected]
Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻
