又中又英 | Badass | 褚简宁
Many English words have several meanings, but some can easily confuse people whose first language is not English. Imagine how confusing it is if a word means something but also the opposite of it. An American political social media commentator recently used the word "badass" to describe a Russian couple who climbed to the top of New York's Empire State Building spire where the man got on his knees to propose marriage to his girlfriend. The couple then unfolded a large flag that said: "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace."
Police arrested the couple, but the political commentator said the couple's daring climb to the top of the 1,454ft building was a badass moment. The slang word "badass" can be used to describe someone who is tough, confident, or courageous who you admire. But it can also be used to describe someone who is bad, mean-tempered, or even violent. That is the opposite of a courageous person you would admire! The BBC described the couple as daredevil climbers. A daredevil is a person who does dangerous things and takes risks.
The couple's daredevil climb reminded me of Alain Robert, a French daredevil climber nicknamed the French Spider-Man. He climbed several Hong Kong buildings including the Cheung Kong Center and the Four Seasons Hotel. He came to my TV show after one of his climbs during my days as a TV talk-show host. He gave me an autographed book about his many climbs to the top of buildings all over the world. He still climbs buildings even though he is 62 years old.
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
许多英文字词都有好几个意思，但有些字词很容易令母语非英语的人混淆。试想像，若一个字同时有着相反的意思，是有多令人困惑。一个美国社交平台的政治评论员最近就用到「badass」一字，去形容那对爬上纽约帝国大厦顶尖的俄罗斯情侣，那男的还在那里向女友单膝跪地求婚。那对情侣继而扬开一面大大的旗帜写着：「当爱的力量战胜对权力的爱，世界便会迎来和平。」
警方拘捕了那对情侣，但政治评论员说，情侣大胆攀爬到那1,454呎高的大厦顶端，是个badass时刻。俚语badass可以用来形容强悍、自信又或勇敢，令你心生敬佩的人。但它同时也可以用来形容糟透、脾气暴躁甚或暴力的人。那就会是你所欣赏，勇敢的人的相反！英国广播公司形容那对情侣为daredevil climbers。A daredevil就是铤而走险、做危险事情的人。
那对情侣玩命大胆的攀爬（daredevil climb），令我想起了一个法国玩命攀爬手（daredevil climber）亚伦．罗伯特，他有「法国蜘蛛侠」之称。他爬过香港好几栋大厦，包括长江集团中心以及四季酒店。当我还是电视节目主持的时候，他在其中一次攀爬过后上来我的电视节目受访。他给了我他亲笔签名的书，内容是他多次攀上世界各地大楼的经历。虽然他已62岁，他也还有攀爬高楼大厦。
[email protected]
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻
