Reader's question: Could you explain “last but not least”? Does it mean “less important”? My comments: This is a cliché that often appears at the end of a letter. When you write someone telling them a few things and as you are wrapping it up, you think of something else, something rather important you’ve forgotten to mention earlier, this is when you say, for instance: “Last but not least, I will to run for president in 2012.” Just an example – don’t have to take elections so seriously – but you get the gist. To sum up: “last but not least” means, even though this is a point you mention LAST, it’s not the LEAST important of all points you have made. On the contrary, you want to emphasize that it’s quite important. Related stories: 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(张欣) 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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