How did Su get along with the partisans at imperial court?
This chapter records the fight between Su and the corrupted officials, with Su bluntly expressing his opinions about the governmental issues. He was not the type who would hesitate to tell the truth for fear of offending others. Not surprisingly it resulted in the impeachment of him.
There are certain rules of the game played cheifly behind the scenes. The first law s a good politician is one who has mastered the art of saying nothing with a great number of words. A good official never states, but only denies. With a sufficient schooling in the art of saying perpetually" no comment" and "you're right", a good official can go along way.
Yes minister完美的诠释了什么是the art of saying nothing with a great number of words
H : If you ask me for a straight answer, then I shall say that, as far as we can see, looking at it by and large, taking one time with another, in terms of the average of departments, then in the final analysis, it is probably true to say that at the end of the day, in general terms, you would probably find that not to put too fine a point on it, there probably wasn’s very much in it one way or the other...as far as one can see...at the stage. （表示不确定的同义词替换）
M : ...Is that yes or no ?
H : Yes and no.
stroke
■a quick forceful action 断然之举
•Ending negotiations was seen as a bold stroke by many commentators.终止谈判被很多评论者视为大胆妄然之举。
•By computerizing we could, at a (single)/in one stroke, improve efficiency and reduce costs.电脑化能使我们一下子既提高效率，又降低成本。
condemn
[kən'dem] verb transitive
■to criticize something or someone strongly, usually for moral reasons （通常指出于道义而）谴责，指责
•The terrorist action has been condemned as an act of barbarism and cowardice.人们谴责这一恐怖行径是野蛮和懦弱的行为。
•The film was condemned for its sexism.这出电影被指责带有性别歧视。
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Phrasal Verbs condemn sb to (do) sth
■to say what the punishment of someone who has committed a serious crime will be 判决，宣判（某人某种刑罚）
•She was condemned to death and executed two weeks later.她被宣判死刑，两星期后被处决。
•[often passive] They were condemned to spend the rest of their lives in prison.他们被判终身监禁。
