又中又英 | Cat’s - paw | 褚簡寧

　　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.

　　古語有云：貓有九條命（a cat has nine lives）。這句話甚至在英國作家威廉．莎士比亞的《羅密歐與茱麗葉》中也有提及。這句話來自遠古時代，但沒有人肯定它真正的出處。以我們所認知的，貓其實只得一條命。人們說貓有九條命（a cat has nine lives）是有原因的，即使他們並不是真的表示這個意思。貓常常能從很高的地方跌下來卻又跌不死，而且牠們都是quick-witted和agile。若你是quick-witted，意即你機敏、有急智，能迅速應對處境；若你是agile，意即你很敏捷，能快速及靈活地移動。

　　因此人們會說貓有九條命（a cat has nine lives）。當我聽到有人在社交媒體上用到"cat's-paw"這個習語後，便回想起這句古語來。幾個法語和英文的成語都會用到"cat's-paw"一詞，但原初這個習語是來自法國詩人尚．德．拉封丹1679年的一個寓言故事，這個故事的英文繙譯是The Monkey and the Cat（猴子與貓）。在這則故事中，一隻猴子遊說一隻貓用牠的爪去從火中取出烤熟的栗子，承諾取出後會共享那些栗子。

　　貓答應了，可是貓一取出栗子來，猴子就迅速吃掉所有栗子了，而貓從火中取栗時，卻燒到了自己的爪子。這個成語是用來形容人利用其他人去做危險、厭惡性又或非法的事。一些美國政治評論員聲稱，美國總統唐納德．特朗普正在利用世界首富伊隆．馬斯克，去做那個「貓爪」、傀儡（cat's-paw），炒掉數以千計的政府人員。

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧  
中譯：七刻