Reader's question: Could you explain “with a grain of salt”? My comments: To take a statement with "a grain of salt" or "a pinch of salt" means to accept it but to maintain a degree of skepticism about its truth. Thus, "a grain of salt" means a bit of common sense and skepticism. Example: I would take anything I read in the paper with a grain of salt. The idea comes from the fact that food is more easily swallowed if taken with a small amount of salt. The figurative meaning is that truth may require moderation by the notional application of "a grain of salt."
Related stories: Truth lies somewhere in the middle 本文僅代表作者本人觀(guān)點(diǎn),與本網(wǎng)立場(chǎng)無(wú)關(guān)。歡迎大家討論學(xué)術(shù)問(wèn)題,尊重他人,禁止人身攻擊和發(fā)布一切違反國(guó)家現(xiàn)行法律法規(guī)的內(nèi)容。 About the author: Nelly Min?is a journalist at the China Daily website. | |
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