第276期：silver lining

今天我们要讲的这个词silver lining源于佛老今天在北海道阿寒湖偶然拍的一张照片。

背景是，今天中午阿寒湖终于重见阳光，一团厚云还未完全散去。胖鹿说这不就是every cloud has a silver lining吗？我们今天就来讲一下这个说法。

A silver lining is a metaphor for optimism in the common English-language which means a negative occurrence may have a positive aspect to it.

silver lining的字面意思是“银边”，指不好的事情背后好的一方面，或负面事物积极的方面。跟另一个英语词bright side意思近似。

柯林斯字典解释说：

If you talk about a silver lining, you are talking about something positive that comes out of a sad or unpleasant situation.

这个解释很好，silver lining就是unpleasant situation后面的positive things. 翻译得文气一点的话，就是汉语中的“否极泰来”。

“Every cloud has a silver lining” means that every difficulty or setback that causes harm, also contains a potential for a beneficent outcome. (Urban Dictionary)

佛老整理了几个经典例句帮大家学会用silver lining这个短语。

例句1

But if we look on the bright side, there is a silver lining to the dark clouds. 如果我们往好的方面看的话，乌云过后总会有彩虹的。（《时代周刊》2008年某一期上的句子，佛老没有按照字面直译。）

例句2

If these are troubled times in China, they come with many silver linings. 如果现在是中国的困难时期，一定会否极泰来的。（佛老作了意译）

英语中常说的那句成语every cloud has a silver lining也可以看作是silver lining的一个经典例句，字面意思是“每块乌云都有一圈银圈”（指乌云背后的太阳产生的那道光圈，就像今天佛老拍的那张照片一样）。英语中可以用这句成语来安慰别人。

Every bad situation has some good aspect to it. This proverb is usually
said as an encouragement to a person who is overcome by some difficulty
and is unable to see any positive way forward.

例如，你的朋友最近生意很差，情绪低落，你可以安慰他说：

I’m sorry your business is going badly, but don’t despair. Every cloud has a silver lining.

大家学会了吗？

如果你今天心情不好，佛老希望你记住：every cloud has a silver lining. Cheer up.