精選希臘神話故事英語詞源
18.The writing/Finger on the Wall 不詳之兆；大禍臨頭
這個成語的字面意思是“墻上的文字（或手指）”，而實際含義是 a sign or warning ofimpending disaste（迫在眉睫的兇兆）；a sign that sth bad will happen; a feeling that ones numberis up；等等。其語言外殼與內涵是怎樣聯系起來的呢？還是出自《圣經》。
據《舊約。但以理書》(Daniel)第 5 章記述：有一次古巴比倫(Babylonian)的國王伯沙撒 (Belshazar)正在宮殿里設宴縱飲時，突然，不知從哪里出現了一個神秘的手指，當者國王的 面，在王宮與燈臺相對的粉墻上寫西了四個奇怪的單詞：MENE（彌尼）、MENE（彌尼）、 ＴＥＫＥＬ（提客勒）、ＵＰＨＡＲＳＩＮＧ （烏法珥新）。國王張皇失措，驚恐萬分，誰 也不懂墻上所寫的字是什么意思。后來叫來了被虜的猶太預言家但以理，才明白了這幾個字 的意思就是大難臨頭。他說：“彌尼就是上帝已經數算你國的`年日到此為完畢；提客勒就是你被稱在天平里顯出你的虧欠；烏法珥新就是你的國分裂，歸與瑪代人和波斯人。”果然，當夜 伯沙撒被殺，又 62 歲的瑪代人大利烏取而代之。
因此，“墻上的文字（或手指）”就表示身死國亡的兇兆。英語中這個成語有幾種表達方式： the writing/handwriting on the wall 或 a finger on the wall,通常與 be，like 等系動詞連用；有時 寫成 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, 有時候也可省略 on the wall，只說 Don't you see the writing？意思也是一樣的。
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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