PROFILPELAJAR.COM

好奇害死猫（Curiosity killed the cat）是英国的一句谚语，旨在警告不必要的調查或實驗帶來的危險，警戒人们不要过分好奇，否则会给自己带来伤害。對於「好奇害死貓」的一個不常見的答辯是「但滿足了就沒事（but, satisfaction brought it back）^[1]」。

這個諺語原來的形式，現已較少使用，是「Care killed the cat」。在本句中，「care」被当作“烦恼（worry）”或“悲伤（sorrow）”。

起源

在本節中，「care」都是当作“烦恼（worry）”或“悲伤（sorrow）”。

这句谚语最早出现在英国剧作家本·琼森写于1598年的剧本《人各有癖（英语：Every Man in His Humour）》（Every Man in His Humour）中。这部剧本最早是由莎士比亚演出的。

...Helter skelter, hang sorrow, care will kill a cat, up-tails all, and a pox on the hangman.

莎士比亚在他1599年所著的剧作《無事生非》中运用了一句相似的话：

“

What, courage man! what though care killed a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care.
喂，放出勇气来，朋友！虽然忧能伤人（原文为猫），可是你是个好汉子，你会把忧愁赶走的。

”

至少直到1898年以前，該諺語都維持不變。“care killed the cat”被埃比尼澤·科巴姆·布魯爾（英语：Ebenezer Cobham Brewer）收錄到他的「片語與寓言字典（Dictionary of Phrase and Fable）」中，並定義為：

“

Care killed the Cat.

It is said that "a cat has nine lives," yet care would wear them all out.

”

中譯：據說貓有九條命，但即使如此，悲傷仍會把牠們搞死。

轉變

現代版本的起源未知。已知實際使用「Curiosity killed the cat」最早的是在1873年詹姆斯·艾倫·梅爾（James Allan Mair）的一本手冊「諺語手冊：英格蘭、蘇格蘭、愛爾蘭、美式、莎士比亞風格、聖經和家庭格言（A handbook of proverbs: English, Scottish, Irish, American, Shakesperean, and scriptural; and family mottoes）」，列在34頁的愛爾蘭諺語上。

約翰·亨德里克斯·柏克德（John Hendricks Bechtel）所著「諺語：警句與短語（Proverbs: Maxims and Phrases）」1902年的版本中，片語「Curiosity killed the cat」是100頁的專題「好奇心（Curiosity）」上的一個單獨條目。

歐·亨利1909年的短篇小說《学校呀学校》中也有提到，這顯示了該諺語在當時廣為人知：

“

Curiosity can do more things than kill a cat; and if emotions, well recognized as feminine, are inimical to feline life, then jealousy would soon leave the whole world catless.
好奇心不仅仅杀死一只猫；而如果一致公认女性的感情对猫类生命不利的话，妒忌心很快就会使世界上的猫一只不剩。

”

而作為一個故事的標題出現則是在1916年3月4日的華盛頓郵報上（第6頁）：

“

CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT.

Four Departments of New York City Government Summoned to Rescue Feline.

From the New York World.

Curiosity, as you may recall—

On the fifth floor of the apartment house at 203 West 130th street lives Miss Mable Godfrey. When she came to the house about seven months ago she brought Blackie, a cat of several years' experience of life.

The cat seldom left the apartment. He was a hearth cat, not a fence cat, and did not dearly love to sing. In other respects he was normal and hence curious.

Last Tuesday afternoon when Miss Godfrey was out Blackie skipped into the grate fireplace in a rear room. He had done this many times before. But he had not climbed up the flue to the chimney. This he did Tuesday. Blackie there remained, perched on the top of the screen separating the apartment flue from the main chimney, crying for assistance. Miss Godfrey, returning, tried to induce her pet to come down. If you are experienced in felinity, you know that Blackie didn't come down.

On Wednesday the cat, curiosity unsatisfied, tried to climb higher—and fell to the first floor. His cries could still be heard by Miss Godfrey; who, to effect Blackie's rescue, communicated with the following departments:
1. Police department.
2. Fire department.
3. Health department.
4. Building department.
5. Washington Heights court.

Among them they lowered a rope to Blackie. But it availed neither the cat nor them anything.
Thursday morning, just before noon, a plumber opened the rear wall back of the chimney. Blackie was taken out. His fall had injured his back. Ten minutes later Blackie died.