頭條日報 頭條網 - "if you talk the talk, you must walk the walk" by Michael Chugani

When people talk the talk, they must also be willing to walk the walk. They must put their money where their mouths are. The pan-democrats have talked the talk for a long time. Now they say they will walk the walk. They say they will put their money where their mouths are. They are very angry with China's National People's Congress for setting strict rules on political reforms, which will make it very difficult for pan-democrats to become candidates in the 2017 chief executive election. The pan-democrats have criticized the NPC's political reforms as fake democracy even though Hong Kong people will be allowed one person, one vote.

        W hen you say "if you talk the talk, you must walk the walk", it means if you always say something, you must not do things that are different from what you say. You must do things to show that you mean what you say. For example, Leung Chun-ying talked the talk about unifying Hong Kong people after he won the chief executive election but he did not walk the walk. This means even though he talked about unifying his supporters with those who supported Henry Tang Ying-yen and Albert Ho Chun-yan in the election, he did not do it. The expression "put your money where your mouth is" has a similar meaning. It means to do something instead of just talking about it. If you always say you want to help poor people, you should donate money to charity instead of just talking about it.

        The pan-democrats had talked the talk about Occupy Central. They had threatened to go ahead with Occupy Central if the central government refused true democracy. They had also talked the talk about voting against the NPC's political reforms in the Legislative Council. They have now said they will walk the walk by going ahead with Occupy Central and voting down the reforms. Anson Chan Fang On-sang talked the talk by saying she supported Occupy Central. But she has now said she will not join it. She is not putting her money where her mouth is.

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        當人誇誇其談（talked the talk），他們也得說到做到（walk the walk），兌現承諾（put their money where their mouths are）。泛民已經誇下海口（talked the talk）許久了，他們現在說要履行承諾（walk the walk）。他們說會一諾千金，言出必行（put their money where their mouths are）。全國人大為政改定下嚴格規定，令泛民難以在二O一七年行政長官選舉中成為候選人，令他們極之憤怒。泛民批評，即使香港人可以一人一票選特首，人大的政改方案仍是偽民主。

        當你說 if you talk the talk, you must walk the walk，是指你說得出就要做得到，不能言行不一，定必以行動證明你並非開空頭支票。例如，梁振英當選特首的時候，就曾誇下海口（talked the talk），說自己會團結香港人，但他卻沒有履行所言（walk the walk）。即是說，即使他曾誇口說自己會團結那些在選舉中曾支持唐英年和何俊仁的人，他卻沒有做到。習語put your money where your mouth is也有類似意思，就是付諸實行，而非光說不做。若你常常說你想幫助窮人，你就該捐款予慈善團體，而非只是掛在口邊。

        泛民也曾就佔中誇下海口（talked the talk）。他們曾威脅，若中央政府拒絕給予真民主，就會佔領中環。他們也曾誇口（talked the talk），說會在立法會投反對票，否決人大的政改方案。他們現在說自己說到做到（walk the walk），實行佔中和否決政改方案。陳方安生亦曾大談（talked the talk）自己如何支持佔中，但她現在說她不會參與了。她就是說一套、做一套，沒有兌現承諾（putting her money where her mouth is）。

        mickchug@gmail.com

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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Source: http://news.stheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=300854§ion_name=wtt&kw=126