From morning to evening man toiled in the field,and evening(夕) after evening(夕) he noted the fruitage of his labour.“many evenings”(多) soon came to mean “many”.His hard word bore much fruit,producing a new word:夥(fruitful) and demonstrating the principle:“Sow much,reap much;sow little,reap little.”
“多”是由两个“夕”组成,用很多个夜晚来表示多。“多”有一个异体字写作“夥”,由“果”和“多”组成,意思是收获甚多。这也应了那句俗语:“多劳多得,不劳无获。”
也有说“多”字中的两个“夕”,在甲骨文中表示肉块,古时候肉很难得,两块肉,就已经很多啦!
The More The Better
Soon after Liu Bang(刘邦) became emperor of Han,he discussed the abilities of his generals with Han Xin(韩信).He asked,“How many soldiers could a person like myself command?”Han Xin answered,“Your Majesty could command only 100,000.” Liu Bang asked again,“Then how about you?” Han Xin answered,“In my case,the more the better.” Liu Bang laughed,and said,“If that is so,then why are you my subject?” Han Xin answered,“Your Majesty’s talent does not lie in commanding troops but in commanding generals.That is why I am your Majesty’s subject.” Liu Bang laughed heartily at this.
Later,the expression “the more troops Han Xin commands,the better”, came to mean “the more the better.”
多多益善
汉高祖刘邦登基后,曾经在闲暇时与韩信评论各位将领的才能。刘邦问道:“像我这样的人,能够统领多少士兵?”韩信说:“陛下您只不过能指挥十万人。”刘邦说:“那你能指挥多少呢?”韩信回答道:“对我来说,越多越好。”刘邦笑道:“越多越好吗?那你为什么是我的属下,为我效命?”韩信说:“陛下您不善于指挥士兵,但善于指挥将官,这就是韩信我之所以被陛下您所控,为您效命的原因了。而且您指挥将官的能力是天生的,不是人们努力所能达到的。”
后来,“韩信点兵,多多益善”,就用来比喻某些人或某些东西越多越好。
“Analysis of Chinese Characters by bilingual”,is opened for the convenience of Chinese and foreign friends who are interested in Chinese characters. We’ll push a Chinese character every Monday,analyze its originand related culture. If there is any impropriety,welcome to correct us.
为方便对汉字感兴趣的中国朋友和外国朋友,我们开设了《双语解字》栏目。每周一推送一个汉字的来历和相关文化,如果其中有不恰当的地方,欢迎中外朋友指正。