黄金法则

金是纯洁、美丽和力量的象征。在各行各业，黄金法则（Golden Rules）和黄金比例（Golden Ratio）被广泛运用，另外，从文学作品中也衍生出不少关于gold的词组。在本期的《小词大义》中，就让我们一起来学习吧！

Throughout history， gold has been a sign of purity， beauty and power. Calling something golden means it has great quality and value.

For example， the golden rule is possibly the worlds most widespread moral rule. It says people should treat others the way they themselves would like to be treated. Every major religion has its own version of this idea.

The golden ratio is found in art， architecture and nature. It describes a rectangle with a length about one and one-half times its width. Objects using this ratio in their design seem to please the eye more than others.

Philosophers have their own golden idea. The golden mean says moderation in all things is the best way to live ones life. It is an idea linked to the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Similar thoughts exist in Buddhism and Confucianism.

Ancient Greek myths told of a time long ago when people lived in peace and happiness. Poets called it the Golden Age. A golden age now describes a historical period of great artistic， scientific or economic progress. It can even recall a time of success and popularity for an industry. For example， the 1930s and 40s were called the Golden Age of Radio.

You may have heard the proverb silence is golden. This means silence is of great value. It is sometimes better to say nothing than to speak.

You might say your child was good as gold when he behaved well at school. British writer Charles Dickens used this expression in 1843. He was describing the child Tiny Tim in the book “A Christmas Carol.”

In 1937， American playwright Clifford Odets wrote a play called “The Golden Boy.” This expression describes a young man who has many good qualities and a bright future.

You might tell someone you are golden when that person does something very well.

Gold digger is another description. But this does not say something nice about a person. A gold digger is someone who seeks to marry a rich person because he or she is only interested in that persons money.

Maybe you like old songs from the 1950s or 60s that are still well known and popular today. These are called golden oldies.

In the 1980s and 90s， an American television comedy series told about four older women living in Miami， Florida. The golden girls often dealt with social issues in a funny way.

Today， most older people look forward to reaching their golden years. This is when hard-working people can retire to a life of ease and fulfillment.

golden rule可翻译成“黄金法则、金科玉律”，这可能是世界上最广泛使用的道德法则之一。在基督教义里，黄金法则指的是待人如己。别的宗教也有类似的法则。

golden ratio是“黄金比例”的意思，也就是我们通常所说的“黄金分割”。这是指事物各部分之间一定的数字比例关系，即将整体一分为二，较大部分与较小部分之比等于整体与较大部分之比，其比值为：1：0.618或1.618：1。0.618被公认为最具审美意义的比例数字，是最能引起人的美感的比例。我们所熟知的画作如《蒙娜丽莎》、《最后的晚餐》运用了黄金比例，这个数值不仅被运用于绘画、雕塑、音乐、建筑等艺术领域，而且在管理、工程设计方面也有不可忽视的作用。

golden idea是“金点子”的意思。

golden mean的意思是“中庸之道”。在古希腊哲学家亚里士多德的理论中，“中庸之道”不仅是其哲学的方法论，也是其全部思想的基石，被理解为“适度、合适、恰当”等概念。在佛教和儒家思想中，也存在类似的理论。

古希腊神话讲述了一段很久以前，人们和平、幸福生活的美好时代。诗人把它称为Golden Age，译为“黄金时代”。如今，我们用黄金时代来描述一段艺术、科技或经济取得巨大成就的历史时期，甚至是一个行业取得成功和流行的时期。例如，二十世纪三四十年代，被称为“广播行业的黄金时代”。

“silence is golden”是我们常见的一句谚语，这是“沉默是金”的意思，表达的是一种行为处事的方式，少说话，默默思考，沉稳才能获得成功。

我们可以用“good as gold”来形容一个孩子很乖。英国作家查尔斯·狄更斯1843年在《圣诞颂歌》（A Christmas Carol）一书中使用这个词语形容书中的一个名为蒂尼·齐姆的孩子。

1937年，美国剧作家克利福德·奥德茨写下戏剧《金童》（The Golden Boy）。金童一词用来形容具有良好素质和光明未来的青年。

you are golden用来形容一个人很出色地完成了一件事，可以翻译成“你很牛”的意思。

gold digger是指钓金龟婿一族或拜金族，他们谋求嫁娶个有钱人，唯一兴趣只是那个人的钱。

golden oldies指的是令人怀念的经典歌曲或电影，其单数形式为golden oldie。

《黄金女郎》（The Golden Girls）是一部1988年制作的美国喜剧电视剧，讲述了住在福罗里达州迈阿密的四个老年妇女用一些有趣的方法面对社会问题的故事。

golden years指的是退休后的生活，通常指的是65岁之后。