又中又英——“Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.”

　　When the new coronavirus first started in Wuhan in the Chinese province of Hubei, people thought it would not spread to the rest of China. But it did. It spread to other provinces, including Guangdong, and to Hong Kong and Macau. People thought the rest of the world would be a safe haven. But the virus then spread to Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and elsewhere in Asia. Now it has reached the Middle East, Europe, and the US. Every continent except Antarctica now has coronavirus cases. The rest of the world is no longer a safe haven. There is no place to run, no place to hide. So everyone should just stay put.
　　A safe haven is a place where people are protected from danger or harm. To stay put means to remain where you are. The expression "Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide" is the name of a song. But used this way it means there is nowhere for you to go to find a safe haven. You can no longer run or hide from the coronavirus because it is spreading across the world. If you are a very rich person, you can, of course, buy an island and stay put there with enough food and water until scientists find a vaccine for the coronavirus. People who live in big houses, not apartments, can also buy enough food and water and stay put until the coronavirus crisis is over.
　　But not everyone can afford to buy an island or a big house and stay put indefinitely. Besides, staying put for a long time can make people stir-crazy. There is a 1980 American comedy movie called Stir Crazy. But the expression "stir-crazy" also means becoming angry, upset, or psychologically disturbed if you have to stay put in a place for a long time, such as in prison. A reader asked me to explain the meaning of "stir-crazy". I want to thank this reader because it is an interesting expression. Now that the coronavirus is everywhere, stay put as much as possible but avoid being stir-crazy!
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　　当新型冠状病毒首先于中国湖北省的武汉开始爆发时，人们都认为它不会扩散至中国其他地区，但它确实有蔓延了，传播到其他省份，包括广东，又到了香港和澳门。人们以为世界其他地方会是安全的避难所（safe haven）。但病毒继而扩散至台湾、南韩、日本及亚洲其他地区；现在它已到达中东、欧洲及美国。除了南极洲以外的每一个大洲，现在都有确诊的新冠病毒个案。世界其余的地方也不再是安全的避风港（safe haven）。现在是无处可逃，无处可藏（no place to run, no place to hide），因此人人都应该就这样留在原地（stay put）。
　　A safe haven就是人们不受危难所害的避风港。To stay put就是留在原地。习语“Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide”是一首歌的歌名，但在这里则是指你已无处可逃，无法寻得安全的避难所（safe haven）。你再也不能逃离或躲过新冠病毒，因为它已扩散至全球。若你是个很有钱的人，那当然，你可以买个岛，储备足够的食物和食水然后在那里呆在原地（stay put），直至科学家研发出新冠病毒的疫苗。住在大屋而非单位内的人，也可以买足够的食物和食水，留在原处（stay put），直至新冠病毒的危机过去。
　　然而，不是所有人都能买得起一个岛或一间大屋，并无限期地留在原处（stay put）。而且，长时间呆在一处地方（staying put）可以令人精神失常（stir-crazy）。有一出一九八○年的美国喜剧电影就叫《 Stir Crazy》（港译《阿叔有难》）。但习语“stir-crazy”也解作当你待在（stay put）一个地方，例如监牢，太长时间，就会变得愤怒、郁闷、有精神困扰，或快疯了。一位读者请我解释“stir-crazy”的意思，我想多谢这位读者，因为这是个有趣的习语。现在新冠病毒已经传到世界各处，大家尽可能留在原地（stay put），却别疯掉（stir-crazy）了啊！
中译：七刻
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Michael Chugani 褚简宁