英语词汇biting remark的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

biting remark. A remark capable of wounding, causing pain. The old story says that the tyrant Nearchos ordered Zeno (ca. 335–ca. 263 b.c.), founder of the Stoic school of philosophy, to be pounded to death by sticks in a large bowl-shaped container. After suffering this punishment a short time, Zeno told Near- chos he had something important to say to him and when Nearchos leaned over to hear better, Zeno bit off his ear. Some- how Zeno survived and from this tale, true or false, came the proverb, “A remark more biting than Zeno’s,” which yielded the expression, a biting remark. The O.E.D., however, only traces the word biting in this sense back to Chaucer’s time. Zeno is also credited by some with the old saw “The reason we have two ears and one mouth is that we may listen more and talk less.” See more temperate than zeno.

词汇	biting remark
词源	biting remark. A remark capable of wounding, causing pain. The old story says that the tyrant Nearchos ordered Zeno (ca. 335–ca. 263 b.c.), founder of the Stoic school of philosophy, to be pounded to death by sticks in a large bowl-shaped container. After suffering this punishment a short time, Zeno told Near- chos he had something important to say to him and when Nearchos leaned over to hear better, Zeno bit off his ear. Some- how Zeno survived and from this tale, true or false, came the proverb, “A remark more biting than Zeno’s,” which yielded the expression, a biting remark. The O.E.D., however, only traces the word biting in this sense back to Chaucer’s time. Zeno is also credited by some with the old saw “The reason we have two ears and one mouth is that we may listen more and talk less.” See more temperate than zeno.
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