又中又英 | Pecking order | 褚简宁

　　France has long topped the list as the country most popular with tourists, but Japan is high on the pecking order. It is consistently ranked within the top ten countries most popular with foreign tourists. The expression “pecking order” is used to describe the status of birds. Birds of a higher status peck weaker birds without fear of retaliation. The word “peck” means a bird using its beak to strike or bite something. The expression “pecking order” can also be used to describe an informal system in which some groups or people are more important or less important than others.

　　Groups or people high in the pecking order are treated as more important than those lower in the pecking order. One reason why Japan is high on the pecking order of tourist destinations is because it is very popular with Hong Kong and mainland tourists. They can reach Japan within a few hours by plane. The weak Japanese yen gives tourists more spending power. It has been decades since I last visited Japan. So many foreign tourists visit Japan that it piqued my interest. If something piques your interest, it means it gets your attention or arouses your curiosity.

　　A family member and I decided to visit Japan for two weeks last month. My family member, who lives in the US, had never been to Japan and I haven’t been there for several decades. We went to Tokyo, Kyoto, and several other cities. Our experience on our first night in Tokyo was a mixture of excitement and shocked disbelief. I will use the next few columns to describe the highs and lows of our trip.

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　　法国长久以来位居最受游客欢迎的国家榜首，但日本在这个等级排序（pecking order）中也有很高的排名。它始终如一地位列头十个最受外国游客欢迎的国家。习语pecking order是用来形容雀鸟的啄食次序。较高等级的雀鸟会啄食（peck）较弱小的雀鸟，而不用担心被报复。Peck是指雀鸟用喙去啄食。习语pecking order也可以用来形容一些群体或人比他人较重要或不重要的非正式排序。

　　在等级排序（pecking order）中有较高排名的群体或人，会比那些在等级排序（pecking order）中排得较低的，有更尊贵或重要的待遇。日本在游客理想目的地的等级排序（pecking order）中排名较高的原因之一，是它深受香港和内地游客的欢迎。他们搭飞机几小时内便能抵达日本。日圆走弱亦令游客们有较高的消费力。自我上次游日本以来，已有数十寒暑。有那么多外国游客到日本旅游，piqued my interest—若某事物piqued your interest，意即它引起你的注意，或激起了你的好奇心。

　　上月，我和我一位家人决定往日本旅游两周。我那位住在美国的家人从未到访过日本，我亦已有几十年未去过日本了。我们去了东京、京都和另外几个城市。我们第一晚在日本的经历，混合了兴奋和震惊的难以置信。我会用之后几篇文章描绘一下这趟旅程的高低起跌。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻