[常春藤網路書城]2011常春藤解析英語雜誌02月號-02-05兔年兔腳行大運

The Year of the Rabbit　　兔年兔腳行大運
by Timothy Laird 
 
Rabbits have meant many things to many people in many countries over the years.
長久以來，在許多國家中，兔子的象徵意義對許多人來說各不相同。 


Rabbits do not just bring colored eggs to children. A common superstition surrounding the rabbit is that its foot can bring good luck and ward off evil. Wearing a rabbit's foot was common practice in the early days of English-speaking countries, especially for hunters or gamblers because they always relied on a bit of luck. Not any rabbit's foot would do, though. It had to be the left hind foot, and to activate the magic, they had to rub the foot several times.
兔子不只會帶彩繪的蛋給小孩。一個和兔子有關的普遍迷信是兔腳可以帶來好運並驅逐邪靈。早期在英語系國家裡，人們身上戴著兔腳是很常見的作法，尤其是對獵人或賭徒而言，因為他們總是需要一點好運。不過，不是任何一隻兔腳都可以。必須是左後腳才行，而且這個魔法要靈光，還得先摩擦兔腳幾下才行。

      The correlation between a rabbit's foot and good fortune could possibly be derived from traditional folk magic practiced by African and Native Americans. The rabbit's foot was commonly used during their magic rituals, so by association, the totem was believed to have magical powers. Another theory was that the rabbit's foot acted as a lucky charm because the bone actually came from a witch instead of a rabbit. Witches were widely known to be powerful and could change into various animal forms, such as black cats and rabbits. 
兔腳和好運的關聯可能來自於非裔美人和美國原住民的傳統民間魔法。他們的魔法儀式裡經常用到兔腳，由於這個關聯，這項圖騰因而被認為具有神奇的力量。另一個理論認為兔腳被用來當作幸運符，是因為兔腳的骨頭其實是女巫的，而不是兔子的。女巫是眾所皆知具有神奇力量的人，而且她們能化身為黑貓和兔子等各種動物的樣貌。 

In the Chinese zodiac, 2011 is the year of the rabbit. Like its Western counterpart, the rabbit in China and the surrounding Asian nations has quite a positive image. People born under the sign of the rabbit are usually thought to be good-natured and extremely easy to get along with. They are also considered team players and reliable in getting their tasks done on time. Despite the trouble they may cause farmers, rabbits have become symbolic of fortune while also warming people's hearts as cute pets.
在中國的 12 生肖裡，2011 年是兔年。和西方的兔子一樣，兔子在中國和鄰近亞洲國家中也有著相當正面的形象。在兔年出生的人通常被認為脾氣很好，而且非常容易相處。他們也被視為是具有團隊精神、可以準時將分內工作完成的可靠人物。儘管兔子可能會給農夫帶來麻煩，但牠們已經成為好運的象徵，同時也是可以溫暖人心的可愛寵物。