Reading journal –The Gay Genius

20171214 Chapter 8 The Bull-headed Premier

1 Outstanding Question

This chapter mainly talked about how the reform of Wang Anshi 

Interesting Sentence

1. It was somewhat lax and not too well defined method for bringing about changes in the goverment personnel and policies, acting in somewhat the same way as the modern press.

虽然没有宪法保障的其权力与安全的谏官们能仗义直言让人动容，但林先生把他们的存在比作当今的媒体，又让我想到《明朝那些事》里提过的一句话，当他们不喜欢某个人时，也会群起而攻之，毫不惧怕死亡，并以此为荣。某种程度上也有点像现在的媒体，以点击量为荣，经常出现各大自媒体同时黑一个明星的情况。

2. The eunuchs, however, knew on which side their bread was buttered, and came back with the report that the loans were "popular" with the people and that "there was no compulsion".

喜欢”knew on which side their bread was buttered”这个表达，同时想到一个词，叫做”政治正确“。

3.He used to work at it steadily, filling ten feet of paper copying notes every day, and his manuscripts were said to fill two whole rooms. The gigantic work occupied the author for twenty-five years.

再次证明作家并不是像我们想象的那样靠灵感写作，一样是一字一句，像每天的日常工作一样，按部就班，长年累月才写出来的。

Words and expressions

1. cashier （熟词生义）

原文：...since all those in opposition were cashiered, dismissed, and punished.

释义：v. to force an officer to leave the army, navy etc because they have done something wrong

造句：An officer is quite likely to be cashiered is he doesn't know what is the ”right" attitude.

2. double-cross

原文：LU HUICHING, a notorious character who double-crossed WANG.

释义：v. to cheat someone, especially after you have agreed to do something dishonest with them

例句：Never try to double-cross all people all the time.

3.brook （熟词生义）(formal)

原文：The "Bull-headed Permier" brooked no opposition from any quarter.

释义：v. not brook sth/ brook no sth  : to  not allow or accept somethig

同义词：bear/stand/endure/put up with

例句：He would brook no critisim, even  from his beloved daughter.