又中又英——“cabal of wackadoodles”

　　Now that relations between the US and China have deteriorated, the mainland’s media often uses colourful language to criticize President Donald Trump’s administration. Last week, the mainland’s government-controlled English language China Daily used very colourful language to criticize senior US officials without naming them. The US recently expelled some mainland journalists and China did the same by expelling American journalists. An editorial in the China Daily accused the US of starting a total confrontation with China, first with trade and now with a journalists’ visa war. The editorial had a paragraph with very colourful language that English speakers don’t normally use. The expression “colourful language” means rude, offensive, or vulgar language.
　　The editorial said the US was ‘‘lost in the fog of flawed recollections of the country’s past glory”. The word “fog” means a thick cloud of water droplets hanging in the air, making it difficult for people to see. The word “flawed” means not perfect or incorrect. The word “recollection” means a memory of something. The expression “past glory” means past greatness. The whole sentence therefore means the US is lost in a fog, making its memories of past greatness incorrect, meaning the US was never great. It described US officials as a “cabal of wackadoodles”. The word “cabal” means a small group of people who secretly plan to take action, especially political action, against others.
　　The word “wackadoodle” means a crazy, fanatical, or irrational person. In 2014, the Oxford Dictionary added it as a new word. By describing US officials as a “cabal of wackadoodles”, the editorial meant US officials are a group of fanatics secretly plotting to destabilize China. The editorial said the “cabal of wackadoodles” was following the “decomposing” guidebook of “Reaganite” strategy. The word “decomposing” means decaying or rotting. The word “Reaganite” refers to former US President Ronald Reagan, who won the Cold War against the former Soviet Union. By referring to Reagan’s guidebook as decaying, the editorial meant it could no longer be used as a strategy in a Cold War with China.
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　　现在中美关系已然恶化，内地媒体常用上「有色语言」（colourful language）去批评美国总统特朗普的行政架构。上星期，内地英语官媒《中国日报》就用了粗鄙话（colourful language），不开名地批评美国高官。美国最近驱逐了一些来自中国的记者，而中国亦以牙还牙，驱逐了美国驻华的记者。《中国日报》的一篇社论，指控美国开启了跟中国的全面冲突，先是贸易，现在则是新闻工作者的签证之战。那篇社论其中有一段，用了粗鄙话（colourful language），是说英语的人平常不会用到的。习语“colourful language”是指无礼、粗俗又或下流的话。
　　该社论说，美国是“lost in the fog of flawed recollections of the country’s past glory”。句中的“fog”解作令人视野模糊不清的迷雾；“flawed”则指有缺陷或错误的；“recollection”就是对某事的记忆；“past glory”就是昔日的光辉。因此，全句的意思是，美国在迷雾（fog）中迷失了，以至其往昔光辉的记忆有所偏差，是不真实的，意味着美国从来没有强大过。它形容美国官员为“cabal of wackadoodles”，“cabal”是指一个小集团有阴谋，特别是政治阴谋，去对付他人。
　　“Wackadoodle”则是指疯狂、狂热、非理性、怪里怪气的人。于二○一四年，牛津字典收纳了这个新字。形容美国官员是“cabal of wackadoodles”，该篇社论的意思是美国官员是一群狂热的极端份子，暗中图谋去使中国动荡。社论说，这个「有政治阴谋的狂热份子集团」（“cabal of wackadoodles”）是在跟随「正在腐烂」（decomposing）的「列根式」（Reaganite）策略手册办事。“Decomposing”是指正在腐烂、分解中的；“Reaganite”则是指朗奴‧列根，那位在与前苏联对阵的冷战中取胜的前美国总统。当提到列根的手册是正在腐烂的，那篇社论的意思是，它再也不能用来作为与中国冷战的有效战略。
[email protected] 中译：七刻

Michael Chugani 褚简宁