又中又英 | Cat’s - paw | 褚简宁

　　There is an old saying that a cat has nine lives. It is even mentioned in Romeo and Juliet by English writer William Shakespeare. The saying originated in ancient times, but no one knows for sure where it originated. A cat, as we know, only has one life. There is a reason why people say a cat has nine lives even though they don't mean it literally. Cats can often survive falling from very high places. They are quick-witted and agile. If you are quick-witted, it means you can react to situations quickly and intelligently. If you are agile, it means you can move your body quickly and easily.

　　That’s why people say a cat has nine lives. I was reminded of this old saying after I heard someone use the expression "cat's-paw" on social media. Several French and English idioms use the term "cat's-paw", but the original term comes from a 1679 fictional story by French poet Jean de La Fontaine. The English translation of the story title is The Monkey and the Cat. In the story, a monkey persuades a cat to use its paw to get chestnuts that are roasting in a fire, promising to share the chestnuts.

　　The cat agrees but the monkey quickly eats all the chestnuts as soon as the cat gets them. The cat burns its paw while getting the chestnuts. The idiom is used to describe a person who uses another person to do dangerous, distasteful, or illegal work. Some American political commentators claim US President Donald Trump is using Elon Musk, the world's richest person, as a cat's-paw to fire thousands of government workers.

　　古语有云：猫有九条命（a cat has nine lives）。这句话甚至在英国作家威廉．莎士比亚的《罗密欧与茱丽叶》中也有提及。这句话来自远古时代，但没有人肯定它真正的出处。以我们所认知的，猫其实只得一条命。人们说猫有九条命（a cat has nine lives）是有原因的，即使他们并不是真的表示这个意思。猫常常能从很高的地方跌下来却又跌不死，而且牠们都是quick-witted和agile。若你是quick-witted，意即你机敏、有急智，能迅速应对处境；若你是agile，意即你很敏捷，能快速及灵活地移动。

　　因此人们会说猫有九条命（a cat has nine lives）。当我听到有人在社交媒体上用到"cat's-paw"这个习语后，便回想起这句古语来。几个法语和英文的成语都会用到"cat's-paw"一词，但原初这个习语是来自法国诗人尚．德．拉封丹1679年的一个寓言故事，这个故事的英文繙译是The Monkey and the Cat（猴子与猫）。在这则故事中，一只猴子游说一只猫用牠的爪去从火中取出烤熟的栗子，承诺取出后会共享那些栗子。

　　猫答应了，可是猫一取出栗子来，猴子就迅速吃掉所有栗子了，而猫从火中取栗时，却烧到了自己的爪子。这个成语是用来形容人利用其他人去做危险、厌恶性又或非法的事。一些美国政治评论员声称，美国总统唐纳德．特朗普正在利用世界首富伊隆．马斯克，去做那个「猫爪」、傀儡（cat's-paw），炒掉数以千计的政府人员。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁  
中译：七刻