又中又英｜To pull out all the stops

Birth rates are falling in developed countries, including Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the US, and Britain. They are pulling out all the stops to encourage couples to have babies. To pull out all the stops means to do everything possible to make something successful. South Korea has described its low birth rate as a national emergency and will create a special government department to encourage births. The Singapore government gives couples the equivalent of about HK$64,000 for their first and second child and even more for additional children.

The main reasons for declining birth rates are high cost of living, cost of raising a child, and women choosing to work instead of raising a family. According to the World Bank, Hong Kong has replaced South Korea with the lowest birth rate globally. Hong Kong couples, like couples elsewhere, don’t want children for similar reasons. Aside from high living costs, Hong Kong couples also worry about the education system and politics. The government gives a one-off allowance of HK$20,000 to couples whose babies are born between last October and October 2026.

That is just peanuts compared with what Singapore pays. If something is just peanuts, it means it is a very small amount of money. Legislator Bill Tang Ka-piu has proposed the loopy idea of covering the walls of government offices with baby photos to encourage births. The word “loopy” has several meanings but a loopy idea means a silly or unusual idea. Seeing baby photos will not make couples jump in bed to make babies. Maybe Ocean Park should consider covering the panda area with baby panda photos to encourage births for a real panda economy!

在已发展国家，包括日本、南韩、新加坡、美国和英国，出生率一直在下降。他们都在pulling out all the stops 去鼓励夫妇生育。To pull out all the stops是指使出浑身解数，用尽一切可能的办法去令某事成功。南韩形容其低出生率为国家紧急事务，计划创建特别政府部门去鼓励生育。新加坡政府则给予生育第一名和第二名子女的夫妇相当于六万四千港元的金额，再有子女的则另外发放更多。

出生率下降的主要原因，是生活成本高昂、养育小孩的成本，以及女性情愿工作而非抚养一个家庭。根据世界银行的资料，香港已取代南韩成为全球出生率最低的地方。就如其他地方的夫妇一样，香港夫妇亦因为类似的原因不想要小孩。除了高昂的生活成本，香港夫妇亦会担心教育制度以及政治。子女于上年十月至二零二六年十月期间出生的父母，政府会发放一次性二万港元的补贴。

但相较新加坡发放的金额，香港的是 just peanuts——若某事是 just peanuts，意即非常细额的钱。立法会议员邓家彪提出一个愚蠢的想法（loopy idea），就是在政府办公室的墙上贴满婴儿相，去鼓励生育。Loopy一字有好些意思，但a loopy idea则指愚蠢、奇特的想法。看着婴儿照并不会令夫妇跳上床去生小孩。或许海洋公园应该考虑在熊猫区铺满幼熊猫的照片鼓励它们生育，以创造真正的熊猫经济吧！ 

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻