It may seem to most Japanese that their continuing economic power affords them the luxury of indulging such ingrained habits. Perhaps they should bear in mind Ernest Hemingway’s description of how a man goes broke: “slowly, then all at once.”
多数日本人似乎认为长期的经济繁荣使他们有权放纵这种根深蒂固的习气。或许他们应该记取欧内斯特·海明威有关男人怎样破产的描述：“开始时非常缓慢，但到后来只是一眨眼的工夫。”