But metaphors aren't just for poets.

但隱喻並不只是詩人的事。

They shape our beliefs, attitudes and actions

它們塑造了我們的信念、態度和行動。

in ways we don't even realise.

在我們沒有意識到的情況下。

At its simplest, a metaphor is X equals Y.

最簡單的比喻就是X等於Y。

But more often metaphors are harder to unpick.

但更多的時候，隱喻是很難解開的。

Take the end of The Great Gatsby...

就拿《了不起的蓋茨比》的結尾來說... ...

On first glance, we're talking about rowers

乍一看，我們說的是賽艇運動員

fighting the pull of the current.

與水流的拉力抗衡。

But the image is mixed up with time, the past, the power of nostalgia.

但畫面中混雜著時間、過去、懷舊的力量。

Many think...

很多人認為...

Author James Geary says that...

作者James Geary說...

But not everyone is a fan.

但不是每個人都是粉絲。

Philosopher Thomas Hobbes compared the use of metaphors to...

哲學家托馬斯-霍布斯將隱喻的使用比作...。

Which is of course a metaphor.

這當然是一個比喻。

If we're trying to express anything abstract

如果我們想表達任何抽象的東西。

metaphors are hard to avoid.

隱喻是很難避免的。

Take heartbreak. Imagine your friend is going through a break up,

就拿心碎來說吧。想象一下，你的朋友正在經歷分手。

they're probably...

他們可能...

Some metaphors have become so familiar, they almost feel literal.

有些隱喻已經非常熟悉，幾乎感覺到字面意思。

Think about time again. There's the tired old metaphor...

再想想時間。有一個老掉牙的比喻... ...

What does it say about our society

這對我們的社會有什麼影響？

that we equate time and money like this?

我們竟然把時間和金錢等同起來？

But dig a little deeper and you'll see...

但深入一點，你會發現... ...

The American linguist, George Lakoff, called these orientational metaphors.

美國語言學家喬治-拉科夫稱這些定向隱喻。

Take the idea of up and down.

採取上下聯動的思路。

Lakoff also helped develop the idea of political framing.

拉科夫還幫助發展了政治框架的概念。

The words we choose affect how we perceive and deal with social issues

我們選擇的詞語會影響我們對社會問題的看法和處理方式。

and help decide what becomes publicly accepted common sense.

並幫助決定什麼成為公眾接受的常識。

And metaphors play a huge role in that.

而隱喻在其中起到了巨大的作用。

But a 2019 study suggests

但2019年的一項研究表明

military metaphors like this could actually undermine cancer treatment,

這樣的軍事隱喻其實會破壞癌症治療。

make people feel fatalistic about their chances

望梅止渴

and even put implicit blame on those who don't survive.

甚至把隱性的責任推給那些活不下去的人。

Crime is another area full of metaphor.

犯罪是另一個充滿隱喻的領域。

But what effect might metaphors really have?

但隱喻到底可能有什麼效果呢？

In 2011, a Stanford study gave one group

2011年，斯坦福大學的一項研究給了一個小組

a pamphlet describing crime as a wild beast preying upon a city.

一本小冊子，將犯罪描述為城市中的野獸。

A second group were given a different pamphlet

第二組得到了不同的小冊子。

describing crime as a virus plaguing the population.

將犯罪描述為一種困擾人們的病毒，

When asked how to tackle the issue,

當被問及如何解決這個問題時。

the first group were 20% more likely

第一組人比第二組人多20%的可能性

to endorse stricter policing than the second.

來認可比第二種更嚴格的治安。

So the metaphors we choose matter.

所以我們選擇的比喻很重要。

Lakoff and his co-author Mark Johnson put it like this...

拉科夫和他的合著者馬克-約翰遜這樣說... ...

Or to adapt a well-known example...

或者改編一個眾所周知的例子...