영어 강사 찾기
Zheng Chen
20/20 vision, what does it mean?
I've seen phrases like 'with the benefit of hindsight' and 'with 20/20 hindsight' and checked their respective meanings. I am confused by '20/20 vision'. If a person has 20/20 vision, does it mean he has an outstanding visual acuity?
Can I use '20/20 vision' metaphorically? For example: He is a politician of 20/20 vision, who has drawn up a blueprint for the country. Or: The manager has a 20/20 vision of the problems to come.
Thank you very much.
2017년 3월 21일 오후 4:43
답변 · 3
1
Well, in most parts of the world it's called "6/6" vision. I don't know if "6/6" is used metaphorically in those countries.
It is a reference to the familiar Snellen eye chart. 20/40 vision means that, at 20 feet from the chart, the smallest letters you can read are so big that a person with good vision could read them from 40 feet away.
Yes, you could use the word "vision" metaphorically and then use "20/20" as a way of saying "perfect."
There is actually a stock phrase in English: "20/20 hindsight." This is a reference to the fact that once we know how things turned out, in hindsight we always think we could have predicted them. "I knew politician X would win the election. It was obvious." "That's just 20/20 hindsight. It wasn't obvious at the time."
2017년 3월 21일
"20/20 vision" is perfect (or at least very good vision). If you have 20/20 vision, you don't need glasses.
The phrase "hindsight is 20/20 vision" is a metaphor. It means that before you make a decision, it isn't always easy to know which choice is best, but after you have made the decision, it is obvious which is the better choice.
For example, "This morning, I went over the bridge to get to work and got stuck in traffic for hours. I should have gone through the tunnel instead. Oh well. Hindsight is 20/20 vision."
You can use it metaphorically, but as a description of the person's ability - so neither of your examples really work.
2017년 3월 21일
아직도 답을 찾지 못하셨나요?
질문을 남겨보세요. 원어민이 도움을 줄 수 있을 거예요!
Zheng Chen
언어 구사 능력
중국어(북경어), 중국어(기타), 영어, 독일어
학습 언어
영어
좋아할 수도 있는 읽을거리

5 Polite Ways to Say “No” at Work
11 좋아요 · 2 댓글

Speak More Fluently with This Simple Technique
30 좋아요 · 5 댓글

How to Read and Understand a Business Contract in English
23 좋아요 · 4 댓글
다른 읽을거리