作為一個英文數字，2 (TWO ) stands for sharing分享e.g. two heads are better than one；co-operation合作e.g. it takes two to dance; harmony和諧e.g. I am two with nature天人合一。另一方面，TWO also stands for friction，“二”同時也可以代表衝突e.g. in two minds拿不定主意，以及opposition對立e.g. Yin and Yang as the universal opposites of the two-part symbol of Asian religion東方哲學中太極兩儀的陰與陽。
      2 的典型詞語是TWO和DOUBLE 。

      日常經常聽到和用到TWO的慣用語 ：
      two's company, three's a crowd二人世界 it is better to leave two people alone to spend time with each other,       especially for two lovers who are happier alone than within a group of three。
      two-timer 懷有二心，不忠的情人或愛人；two-time=secretly go out with another man or woman other than one's       husband or wife。
      two of a kind兩人很相像；氣味相投。
      two sides of the same coin同一事物的兩方面；事情非常不同的另一面。
      put two and two together根據所見所聞而作出推斷 。
      that makes two of us我也有同感；我的情況也一樣。
      to kill two birds with one stone一石二鳥。
      fall between two stools兩頭落空 。
      it takes two to tango一種事態或爭論，由兩個人而產生，表示雙方都有責任。
      DUAL and DOUBLE都有TWO的意思，但用法要小心：
      We say dual purpose/function/role/approach/citizenship。
      But we have to say double bed/doors/figures/standards/thickness。
      政治人物近年來最喜歡說的buzzword時髦術語(fashionable and popular phrase)是double whammy雙倍倒霉two bad things happen together or one after the other，例如加價又加稅：the double whammy of higher prices and more taxes。
      另一個新聞界流行潮語是double-edged/two-edged (雙鋒)。A double-edged sword雙刃劍，指兩邊都磨得一樣鋒利的刀或劍，引申的意思是有利也有害something that has both advantages and disadvantages。兩個例句：Fame can be a two-edged sword名聲是把雙刃劍；This medicine is double-edged, it may cure you fast but has some unpleasant side effects藥物効力高，但可能有副作用。Double –edged words have two possible meanings可以有兩種解釋的語言，意義雙關的文字，模棱兩可的評論。
      Double jeopardy這個名詞，很難繙譯，“雙重危險”“雙重威脅”都容易引起誤解，正確的意思是：法律上不容許以同一罪名檢控一個人超過一次以上：the situation when someone is taken to court a second time for the same crime。對同一個人同一罪行的重複起訴，或者因同一原因的兩次懲罰，都是common law普通法不容許的做法，若要複審他的話，一定要用另一罪名。
      Double indemnity“雙倍賠償” 這個保險界的jargon行業術語，與DOUBLE “加倍”或“雙重”這個英文字有關係 。在人壽保險中，有一條慣例：指定投保人若遭意外橫死的話，受益者可以獲得雙倍的金錢補償，double indemnity is a feature of a life insurance policy that allows double the value of the contract to be paid in the case of death by accident.
Double act是雙人戲/double agent是雙重間諜/double time是付給加班者的雙倍工資/double think 是雙重思想，同時保持兩種互相矛盾的看法或信仰/double-decker指雙層公共汽車，或兩層肉饀的三明治/double trouble指雙重困惱，等於漢語中的福無重至，禍不單行。
      Double-speak又稱double-talk，指欺人之談；模棱兩可的用詞；合糊其辭的說法。Double Dutch是莫名其妙的話；晦澀的言語或文字。試欣賞以下兩個分別出現於醫生和地產經紀有趣的代表作：a doctor on the chart of a dead patient 病人一病不起的婉轉描述："patient failed to fulfill his wellness potential." 以及an estate agent's double-speak on a studio起居室租售的吹水文字："You can wash the dishes, watch the telly and answer the front door without getting up from the toilet."

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