W hen something strikes a chord it means people agree with it or approve of it. For example, the government's measures to cool the property market have struck a chord with many people except property developers. The word stoke can be used in different ways. To stoke anger means to stir up or feed anger. C.Y. Leung's unclear explanations of his illegal structures stoked the anger of many people. To stoke a fire means to add coal or other fuel to a fire. When something is gibberish it means it makes no sense or is nonsensical.
One reader noted that drivers honk for no reason. I have noticed that too. What is the point of honking if you are stuck in traffic? It is useless to honk at the vehicles in front if there is a traffic jam. They can't move even if you honk a million times. Drivers are supposed to honk only when there is a danger to pedestrians or other vehicles. But Hong Kong's drivers honk for no reason, just like on the mainland. Drivers in developed societies don't do that. It just proves that Hong Kong is not really the "world city" that the government insists we are.
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我近日一些專欄，寫到政府對行人很差，引起讀者的共鳴（struck a chord），挑起了許多讀者的怒火（stoked the anger）。他們陸續傳來電郵，對我的說法深表認同。我在上兩個專欄中提及，政府關心汽車多於行人。我說，駕車人士表現得好像他們比行人有更多權利。在沒有交通燈的斑馬線前，司機也不會停車禮讓行人，甚至會響號警示要過馬路的行人。在其他的已發展社會，司機必須停車禮讓行人，尤其在沒有交通燈的斑馬線。我曾經問過警察，在沒有交通燈的斑馬線前，汽車是否必須停車，抑或是行人讓路予汽車？警方的發言人回應時卻在亂說一通（gibberish）。
當某事strikes a chord即是人們很同意或者很贊同，例如，政府壓抑地產市場的措施，令許多人產生共鳴（struck a chord），除了地產商。Stoke這個字可以有不同的用法，To stoke anger即是去挑起怒火。梁振英對其非法僭建的含糊解釋，就惹起了不少人的憤怒（stoked the anger）。To stoke a fire是加入炭或其他燃料去燒火。說某事是gibberish即是指它不成理或毫無意義。
有一位讀者指出，司機們總是沒緣由地響號，我也留意得到。當你在車龍中，你響號又有何用？塞車時，響號警示前面的車輛是毫無作用的。你響號一百萬次，它們還是寸步難移。駕車人士應該只在行人或其他汽車有危險時才響號。但香港司機像內地的一樣，總是無緣無故地響號。在已發展的社會，司機並不會這樣做。這只能證明，香港並不是政府所強調的甚麼「國際都會」。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯：七刻
Michael Chugani褚簡寧