又中又英——The king is dead | long live the king
Thekingisdead,longlivetheking.Doyouknowwhatthisexpressionmeans?Itisanexpressionthatpuzzles(confuses)manypeoplebecauseitcontradictsitself.Ifthekingisalreadydead,howcanhelivelong?Actually,theexpression“thekingisdead,longlivetheking”doesnotcontradictitself.To“contradict”meanstosaytheoppositeofwhathasbeensaid.Theexpressionisnotacontradictionbecauseitdoesn’tmeanthatthedeadkingcanlivelong.Itsimplymeansthecurrentkingisdead,longlivethenewkingwhowillreplacethedeadking.Thephraseisaproclamationused...
The king is dead, long live the king. Do you know what this expression means? It is an expression that puzzles (confuses) many people because it contradicts itself. If the king is already dead, how can he live long? Actually, the expression“the king is dead, long live the king”does not contradict itself. To“contradict”means to say the opposite of what has been said. The expression is not a contradiction because it doesn’t mean that the dead king can live long. It simply means the current king is dead, long live the new king who will replace the dead king. The phrase is a proclamation used in Britain but it originated in France. A proclamation is an important official announcement.When a king dies, a proclamation is made that the king is dead, and expresses the hope the new king will live long. Britain allows a woman to be the monarch (king or queen). Therefore, when Queen Elizabeth II dies, the proclamation will say“the queen is dead, long live the king”because her son Prince C...