俗语“打太极”的英文表达
AN expression used by Americans for about 100 years is "to pass the buck." It means refusing to take responsibility, letting others decide and act for you.
President Gerald Ford dramatized the phrase after taking Richard Nixon's place in the White House. Ford announced in a special television broadcast that he had decided to pardon Nixon for any crimes he may have committed as president. Ford said such a decision had to be made by him alone, that he could not let others do it for him. "The buck stops here," said Ford.
He remembered another president-Harry S. Truman, who made that expression famous more than 30 years ago. Truman had a sign on his desk which said: "The buck stops here." The message was clear: If the president of the United States could not act and make the final decision on important national matters, who else could? A president who refused to take the responsibility and "passed the buck" to someone else would soon find himself in serious trouble.
Where did the expression come from? It seems to have come from the card game of poker where the players, one after the other, mix and pass out the cards. The phrase seems to have come to life in the gambling houses of the West. There, a silver dollar was put in front of a player to show that he would be the next dealer to pass out the cards. A dollar, silver or paper, was called a "buck." It still is. Why, Nobody seems to know.
Forceful leaders, of course, make decisions, take risks and assume responsibility. The risks can be great. Every choice at times may lead to disaster. In a military leader it may be defeat and ruin; in business, financial failure, loss of a job.
Therefore, it is easier to pass the responsibility and let others take the risks. Nobody, however, likes a man who passes the buck. He is soon found out and given an unpleasant name-"buck-passer."
Nevertheless, buck-passers are found among us everywhere. Perhaps, the most famous buck-passer in history has been the devil.
That is the picture we get of him from the ancient myths. The only time he seems to have acted for himself was when he rebelled and tried to seize God's throne. But God threw him out. Since then, he has spent most of his energy in passing the buck, letting others do his work for him.
注解：
to pass the buck 推诿责任(类似中国俗话「打太极拳」)
dramatize 戏剧话的表现出
pardon 宽恕、赦免
commit 犯(过、错)
poker 扑克
come to life 复苏、醒过来
gambling house 赌场
buck (俗话)美金一元
forceful leader 强有力的领袖
disaster 灾祸
ruin 毁灭、崩溃
buck-passer 推诿责任的人
nevertheless 虽然如此
myth 神话
rebel 反叛
throne 宝座
（编辑:youke）
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