H ong Kong society was already divided on political reforms. The civil disobedience protest has made society even more divided. The government and the police are no longer in full control. Protesters are in control in the occupied areas. No one knows when the Occupy Hong Kong protest will end. The longer it lasts the more it will hurt Hong Kong's economy. That is why I say Hong Kong is imploding. When something, such as a bomb, explodes, the force of the explosion goes outwards. When something implodes, the force goes inwards. It is the opposite of explode. The word "morph" means to gradually change, or transform, from one thing to another. Occupy Central changed, or transformed, into Occupy Hong Kong.
To suspend something means to temporarily stop it. Bus and ferry services are usually suspended during strong typhoons. There are many ways to use the word "collapse" but when negotiations collapse it means the talks have broken down or ended because both sides cannot agree. A similar word for implode is self-destruct. Some Hong Kong people feel that in our fight for democracy we are destroying ourselves by occupying important and busy areas, interrupting traffic, causing shops to lose business, and making our society even more divided. Do you agree? Is Hong Kong imploding or destroying itself?
* * *
香港正在內爆中(imploding)。佔中運動已演變(morphed)成佔領香港運動。示威者佔領金鐘、銅鑼灣和旺角等重要地區,嚴重阻礙交通,學生和在職人士得用更長時間上學和上班。許多巴士路線要暫停(suspended),令港鐵更為擠擁。繁忙地帶被示威者佔領的餐廳和商鋪失去不少生意。政府與學生就着政改的對話告吹(collapsed)。學生要脅,要是全國人大不改變其定下的香港政改框架,就會佔領更多重要地區。民主陣營的立法會議員亦說,他們會令立法會無法正常運作。
香港社會已在政改議題上分化,公民抗命示威令社會更加分化。政府和警方已無力控制局面,是示威者在掌控着佔領地區。沒有人知道佔領香港示威何時終結。它維持得愈久,香港經濟愈遭受損。因此我說香港正在內爆(imploding)。若某物爆炸(explodes),例如炸彈,那個爆炸(explosion)的威力是向外的;當某物implodes,是指它的威力向內爆發,是explode的相反。Morph這個字解作逐漸改變,或演變至另一形態。佔領中環就演變成佔領香港了。
To suspend something就是暫時中止。巴士及渡輪會在強烈颱風期間暫停(suspended)服務。Collapse這個字有幾個意思,但說某談判collapse,就是說雙方因為意見不合而令對話拉倒或中止。與implode相近的字是self-destruct(自毀)。有些香港人認為,我們在爭取民主的過程中,佔領重要及繁忙的地區、阻礙交通、導致商舖生意減少,是自毀長城,也令我們的社會更加分化。你同意嗎﹖香港是否在內爆(imploding)或自毀中?mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚簡寧 中譯:七刻
Source: http://news.stheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=304861§ion_name=wtt&kw=126