又中又英｜To border on rudeness

Media reports have homed in recently on politeness in Hong Kong. The reports focused on Hong Kong people becoming more impolite, even bordering on rudeness. Those reports reminded me of the time before the 2019 protests and the pandemic when I was still living in Hong Kong. Tens of thousands of free-spending mainland tourists came to Hong Kong daily. Shop assistants cared only about serving them. They paid no mind to locals like me. I once asked a shop assistant about a product. She ignored me and served a mainlander instead. I gave her a piece of my mind.

To home in on something means to focus on it. To pay no mind to someone means to ignore that person. To border on rudeness means to come very close to being rude. To give someone a piece of your mind means to speak angrily to someone. Now that I have left Hong Kong and only return for visits, I can judge whenever I return if people are becoming increasingly impolite. When I last visited, I told friends people appear less happy and more impolite. They told me there are many reasons for this, including bad memories of the pandemic and Hong Kong’s bad economy.

But I also met many polite people, including a shop assistant on sneaker street whom I spoke to in Cantonese. I had to try on three different sizes before I found the right sneakers. I apologized but she smiled and said it was her job. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu supported some Legco members who want to promote politeness. I wish them luck but feel they need to solve the underlying causes first.

最近有传媒针对（homed in）香港的礼貌作出报道。报道聚焦于香港人变得愈来愈不礼貌，甚至近乎粗鲁无礼（bordering on rudeness）。那些报道令我想起了二零一九年示威以及世纪大疫情之前，我还在香港居住的时候。每天有数以万计出手阔绰的内地旅客访港，零售店店员都只顾着招呼他们，对于像我这般的本地人却毫不搭理（paid no mind）。我曾经向一名店员询问一件货品，她无视我，转而招呼一位内地人。我当即斥责她（gave her a piece of my mind）。

To home in on something意指集中注意力、聚焦在某事物上。To pay no mind to someone 意指漠视那人。To border on rudeness 意思是很接近无礼。To give someone a piece of your mind 意即你严厉责备某人。现在我已离港，回港亦只作短游，每当我访港我便可以判断人们是否愈发礼貌。上一次回港时，我跟朋友们说，人们看上去愈来愈不快乐，也愈来愈不礼貌。他们告诉我，有许多原因导致这个情况，包括疫情的不快记忆，以及香港经济不景。

然而，我也遇见过许多彬彬有礼的人，包括在波鞋街一间店内，我用广东话交谈的一名店员。我需要试穿三个不同的尺码，才找到适合的波鞋。我为此抱歉，她倒微笑说这是她的份内事。一些立法会议员想推广礼貌运动，特首李家超表示支持。我祝他们好运，但他们似乎要先解决那些内在的成因。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻