T he word cosmetic can be used in other ways too. For example, the Hong Kong and central governments are now considering cutting back on the number of mainland visitors to Hong Kong. Over 40 million mainland visitors came here last year and this number is expected to grow to 70 million by 2017. Locals feel it is impossible for Hong Kong to handle so many visitors. The central government is now considering allowing mainlanders with multiple entry permits to come here only once a week instead of as many times as they want. That means they can come here 52 times a year.
I think this is just a cosmetic change. The word "cosmetic" used this way means insignificant or inadequate. A cosmetic change is a meaningless change, or a change that is so minor that it makes no difference. It is meaningless to allow mainlanders with multiple entry permits to come here only once a week because such a change will not significantly reduce the number of mainland visitors to Hong Kong. That is why it is only a cosmetic change. Most Hong Kong people want a real change, not just a cosmetic change. They want the number of mainland visitors to be cut significantly.
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許多內地訪客來香港買日常用品（daily necessities）。他們來買奶粉或是高檔（high-end）貨如LV手袋或珠寶。但許多人也喜歡在香港買化妝品（cosmetics），因此今天的化妝（cosmetic）店店主賺得盤滿鉢滿。Daily necessities就是日常用品，例如牙膏、茶、咖啡和洗頭水。High-end就是貴價貨品，例如金鏈和手錶。至於面霜、化妝品和香水這些你買來扮靚的，就叫cosmetics。大部份的化妝品（cosmetics）都是女士用的，但今天已有許多不同種類的化妝品（cosmetics），專為男士而設。
Cosmetic這個字也可以有其他用法。譬如，香港和中央政府考慮縮減內地來港的訪客。上年就有超過四千萬內地訪客來港，而這個數字預計二○一七年升至七千萬。本地人感到，香港要接待這麼多的旅客是不可能的。中央政府現在正考慮限制一簽多行的內地人，不再隨心所欲無限次來港，而是一星期來一次。即是說，他們可以一年來五十二次。
我認為這只是表面（cosmetic）的改變。Cosmetic在這裏的意思是無關痛癢或不足夠。A cosmetic change就是沒意義的改變，或是小修小補，絲毫起不了作用。限制一簽多行的旅客只可一星期來港一次是沒意思的，因為這樣的轉變不能顯著地降低來港旅客的人數。因此這只是很皮毛的改變（cosmetic change）。大部份的香港人要的是真正的改變，而非擺擺樣子的改變（cosmetic change）。他們要的是顯著縮減內地旅客的數目。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
Source: http://news.stheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=291918§ion_name=wtt&kw=126