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Reader’s question: He said his mother would be back very soon and, right on cue, she walked in. Could you explain “right on cue”? My comments: It means right at the moment he mentioned his mother (coming back soon), the mother appeared, walking in. “Cue” originally is a theater term, referring to the signal – either a word, a wave of hand, or a flag – for the next actor to speak/act. Literally, hence, "right on cue" means at the exact moment the “cue” sign is raised. If the actor speaks or makes a move right on cue, then he/she is doing the exact thing the director wants them to do, as required by the script. In other words, they’re doing a good job. In the above example, though, “right on cue” perfectly matches, in general meaning and spirit of course, the Chinese vernacular: 说曹操，曹操到！ However, translate thus at your own peril because one scarcely can imagine one’s mother, anyone’s mother for that matter, sharing anything in common with Cao Cao, the heavy-handed warlord from yesteryear. Related stories: Lower 48 states 本文仅代表作者本人观点，与本网立场无关。欢迎大家讨论学术问题，尊重他人，禁止人身攻击和发布一切违反国家现行法律法规的内容。 About the author:Zhang Xin has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column. |
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