YJ called me this morning and asked, “What does ‘epitomize’ mean?”
“集大成, I guess?”
“Oh, okay.”
I wondered about the random vocab word, until I read the China Law Blog today. YJ and I usually read the CLB daily but I’d been busy the last few days and so had not had the chance to read this wonderful post and the equally delightful comments. In the post, CLB eulogizes the late President Gerald Ford:
Forget the politics, he was an American like George Washington was an American. He was what Americans call “salt of the earth.” Modest. Quietly religious. Hard working. Steady. Solid. Genuine.
American.
For days I have been wanting to write something on our late President, but could not think of any way to legitimately link it to China.
CLB then asks the question: If Gerald Ford in some way epitomizes America, then “Who is China’s Gerald Ford?”
I once jokingly suggested Hua Guofeng, but in light of President Ford’s recent passing and the tributes pouring in from all quarters, such a comparison now seems a bit cruel. Jerry doesn’t need more jokes, after all the