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Economics Brief
經濟學簡介
Six Big Ideas: Overcapacity and undercapacity
六大經濟學理論：產能過剩和產能不足
Glutology
過剩的學問
The third brief in our series on big economice ideas looks at Say's law
我們有關重大經濟思想系列的第三篇文章考察的是薩伊定律。
In 1804 Jean-Baptiste Say enrolled in the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts in Paris to learn the principles of spinning cotton.
1804年，讓·巴蒂斯特·薩伊在巴黎國民工藝美院報名入學，學習紡織棉花的原理。
The new student was 37 years old, points out his biographer, Evert Schoorl, with a pregnant wife, four children and a successful career in politics and letters trailing behind him.
他的傳記作者艾佛特·斯庫爾 （Evert Schoorl）指出，這名新學生當時已經37歲，有一位已經懷孕的妻子、4個孩子以及在政界和文壇的功成名就。
To resume his studies, he had turned down two lucrative offers from France's most powerful man, Napoleon Bonaparte.
為了重新開始學習，他已經拒絕了來自當時法國最有權勢的人——拿破侖·波拿巴的兩次厚邀。
The ruler would have paid him handsomely to write in support of his policies.
這位統治者本來要重金聘請他，讓他撰寫支持他的政策的文章。
But rather than “deliver orations in favour of the usurper”, Say decided instead to build a cotton mill, spinning yarn not policy.
但是，薩伊不但沒有“發表美化這位篡位者的文章”，反而決定建造一座棉紡廠，紡紗織布，而不是制定政策。
Napoleon was right to value (and fear) Say's pen.
拿破侖重視（并害怕）薩伊的這支筆是對的。
As a pamphleteer, editor, scholar and adviser, he was a passionate advocate for free speech, trade and markets.
作為一名小冊子作者、編輯、學者和顧問，他是一位自由言論、自由貿易和自由市場的熱情支持者。
He had imbibed liberal principles from his heavily annotated copy of Adam Smith's “The Wealth Of Nations” and bolstered his patriotic credentials in battle against Prussian invaders. (During breaks in the fighting, he discussed literature and political economy with other learned volunteers “almost within cannonballs' reach”. )
他從他那本滿是注釋的亞當·斯密的《國富論》的書中汲取了自由原則，并在抗擊普魯士入侵者的戰斗鞏固了他的愛國者聲譽（在戰斗間隙，他曾與其他幾位博學的自愿者“幾乎是在炮彈射程之內”，討論文學和政治經濟學。）
His greatest work was “A Treatise on Political Economy”, a graceful exposition (and extension) of Smith's economic ideas.
他最偉大的作品是《政治經濟學概論》（A Treatise on Political Economy），這是一部對亞當·斯密的經濟學思想做出了優雅的闡釋(和擴充)的著作。
In Say's time, as nowadays, the world economy combined strong technological progress with fitful demand, spurts of innovation with bouts of austerity.
在薩伊那個時代，如同現在一樣，世界經濟集強大的技術進步與斷斷續續的需求、創新的迸發與緊縮的發作于一身。
In France output of yarn grew by 125% from 1806 to 1808, when Say was starting his factory.
就在薩伊創辦自己的工廠時，法國的紗線產出在1806年到1808年間增長了125%。
譯文來源考研英語時事閱讀
