又中又英——“there’s a catch”

　　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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　　若你相信风水，又有投资股票市场，你就应该留心（pay heed to）风水师蒋匡文在我无线的节目上所说的话。在上一篇专栏中，我写过一些他说的话，他说若你家中的门开向西方，你会有一个很不错的牛年；但你不应该移动家中东北方位的任何物件。譬如，若你在那个方位有张枱，你在牛年就不应移动它。蒋匡文预测，由二月到六月，对股市和经济来说将是一个好的时期。
　　但他也说，七月至九月会有一个陷阱（there’s a catch），因为股市将会很动荡。习语“pay heed to” something是指留心细听或特别注意某事；习语“take heed of”亦有相同的意思。蒋匡文相信，在那三个月内，股市和经济将会take a beating。习语“take a beating”可以有几种用法。若一队足球队在一场比赛中输得很惨烈，你便可以说那队球队took a beating，落在「挨打」的状态、大受打击。但若股市和经济遭受很大的损失，你也可以说股市和经济took a beating。
　　若某人告诉你“there’s a catch”，意即当中有陷阱、隐情，又或暗藏不利的因素。你可以说你不介意买个平价的手机，但你的朋友会告诉你内里必有诡诈（there’s a catch），因为那个电话不能好好运作。又或者你可以说，你想透过运动好好地锻炼身体，但你的朋友会告诉你，世事哪有这么简单？凡事皆有代价（there’s a catch），因为你必须恒常做运动，戒吃不健康的食物。蒋匡文用这个习语时，他的意思是，虽然经济和股市在二月和六月之间表现良好，但there’s a catch，或说仍然暗藏陷阱，因为股市和经济自七月至九月将会损失惨重（take a beating）。
[email protected] 中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁