精选希腊神话故事英语词源
18.The writing/Finger on the Wall 不详之兆；大祸临头
这个成语的字面意思是“墙上的文字（或手指）”，而实际含义是 a sign or warning ofimpending disaste（迫在眉睫的凶兆）；a sign that sth bad will happen; a feeling that ones numberis up；等等。其语言外壳与内涵是怎样联系起来的呢？还是出自《圣经》。
据《旧约。但以理书》(Daniel)第 5 章记述：有一次古巴比伦(Babylonian)的国王伯沙撒 (Belshazar)正在宫殿里设宴纵饮时，突然，不知从哪里出现了一个神秘的手指，当者国王的 面，在王宫与灯台相对的粉墙上写西了四个奇怪的单词：MENE（弥尼）、MENE（弥尼）、 ＴＥＫＥＬ（提客勒）、ＵＰＨＡＲＳＩＮＧ （乌法珥新）。国王张皇失措，惊恐万分，谁 也不懂墙上所写的字是什么意思。后来叫来了被虏的犹太预言家但以理，才明白了这几个字 的意思就是大难临头。他说：“弥尼就是上帝已经数算你国的`年日到此为完毕；提客勒就是你被称在天平里显出你的亏欠；乌法珥新就是你的国分裂，归与玛代人和波斯人。”果然，当夜 伯沙撒被杀，又 62 岁的玛代人大利乌取而代之。
因此，“墙上的文字（或手指）”就表示身死国亡的凶兆。英语中这个成语有几种表达方式： the writing/handwriting on the wall 或 a finger on the wall,通常与 be，like 等系动词连用；有时 写成 see/read the writing on he wall 的句型，表示提出警告,such as :Don't you see the writing on the wall, 有时候也可省略 on the wall，只说 Don't you see the writing？意思也是一样的。
eg:This inexplicable incident seemed,like the Babylonian finger on the wall,to be spelling out the letter of my judgement...
In this house of his there was writing on every wall.His business-like temperament protested against a mysterious warning that she was not made for him.
John's emplyer had less and less work for him;John could read the writing on the wall.
The writing on the wall is clear:if man behaves like an animal and allow hs population to increase while each nation steadily increases he coplexity and range of its environment,nature will take her course and the law of the Jungle will prevail.
When Bill's team lost four games in a row,he saw the handwriting on the wall.
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