團結就是永恒

三月，乍暖還寒，但春天還是一步一步近了。其實更希望的，是籠罩全球的經濟寒冬快快過去。Hang together， and we’ll be fine.

Hang is a simple word， but there are many meanings for hang， especially when it is used with other words.

Two often heard expressions are to hang tight and to hang loose. When a friend says to hang tight， he is advising you to wait a little longer， not to give up. He might say， for example， “Hang tight. Keep studying. You can still pass the course.” But if that same friend tells you to hang loose， he is telling you to take it easy， not to get excited. He could say， “Hang loose. You probably passed the English test.”

Hang around is an expression with several meanings. Usually it means to spend your time doing nothing. You may need time to just hang around if you have been working too hard. Hang around also can mean spending time with friends. You hang around with your friends， for example， because you share a common interest in sports.

Hanging out is similar to hanging around. You may hang out with the same group of friends and always do things together.

A similar sounding expression， however， has a very different meaning. The expression is let it all hang out. Well， when you let it all hang out， you are being completely open and honest. You do not keep your opinions hidden， even if they may cause you trouble.

Sometimes a person may suffer from a hang-up. Well， a hang-up is an emotional difficulty that causes a problem for a person. You may know someone， for example， whose hang-up is shyness. They have a problem talking with people they do not know well.

A hangover can be a very painful condition. A hangover is the headache， upset stomach and other disorders that result from drinking too much alcohol.

Another common expression is to get the hang of something. It means to understand how a device works or how to do a job. An office worker might say that she cannot get the hang of using a computer. But after a few days， she may tell you that she finally got the hang of it.

One of the early heroes of the America Republic， Benjamin Franklin， gave a warning to the other signers of the Declaration of Independence. The warning contained two different meanings of the word hang. “We must all hang together，” Franklin said， “or surely we shall all hang separately.” The other signers took Franklin’s advice. They hung together， remained united. As a result， the American colonies won their independence and none of the signers of the declaration was hanged as a revolutionary by the King of England.

● tight和loose本是一對反義詞，但是當它們前面加了hang，意思就有了比較大的變化。hang tight表示再堅持一會兒、別放棄的意思；而hang loose則表示放松、別緊張。

● hang around這個詞組在口語中相當常見。它最常用的意思是“到處閑逛、游蕩”。當然，你也可以用它來表示和其他人在一起，比如：I hate hanging around with her. It’s so boring! （我討厭跟她在一起，無聊透了！）除了這兩個動態意味十足的意思外，hang around也有“停留，揮之不去”之意。例如：The flu can hang around for a month or so. （這次流感估計得持續一個月左右的時間。）

● 固定搭配hang out with someone與hang around意思相近，都表示與朋友一起活動。但是在短語hang out for a second/minute中，hang out則是“稍等一會兒”的意思。而下文出現的俗語“Let it all hang out.”意思又有變化，它表示“開誠布公，敞開胸懷；即使知道說出來的話會引起一些不必要的麻煩，也要說出你想說的話。”如果跟朋友或家人有了矛盾，不妨let it all hang out吧！

● hang up大家都很熟悉了。作為動詞詞組的它常用的意思有“把……懸掛起來；掛斷（電話）；請稍等”等意思，但是當hang up變成hang-up，動詞詞組變成名詞，意思也大相徑庭。hang-up表示心理問題或心理障礙。你可以說：His insecurity is one of his hang-ups. （他的心理障礙之一就是沒有安全感。）

● hangover在之前的《口語版》中也多次出現了哦。它表示宿醉后身體出現的不適感，諸如頭痛、精神萎靡等癥狀。

● 如果你想表達你已經掌握了某事的竅門或規律，你可以用“to get the hang of something”這個詞組來表示。它有經過多番嘗試和努力后獲得成功的意味。比如說：Keep practising. You’ll get the hang of it.（多練習，你最終會掌握它的。）

● 實際上，本杰明·富蘭克林的原話是“We must， indeed， all hang together， or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”這是富蘭克林于1776年簽署《獨立宣言》時講的一句名言。意思是“我們要不團結在一起，要不一起上絞架”。在這句話中，前后兩個hang的意思也大不相同。Hang together是團結在一起的意思，而后面的hang則是“上絞架，被吊死”的意思。而together和separately意思正好相對，英語的巧妙之處在此體現無遺。喜歡名人名言的讀者朋友們可要記牢咯！