看密匝匝蟻排兵，亂紛紛蜂釀蜜，急攘攘蠅爭血 （馬致遠《夜行船・秋思》）。亂紛紛蜂釀蜜，英文習用語 as busy as a bee，忙得不可開交，形象地表達了忙碌的意思：Bees are always buzzing around doing things, so it’s natural to say bees are busy. Someone very busy, having many things to do and constantly working is as busy as a bee.
Busy 的名詞是 busyness：The word “busyness” represents the restless activity of people who can never keep still and who are always on the go.
整天忙得團團轉的主婦會這樣投訴：I have only one pair of hands.
你今晚忙嗎？Are you busy tonight?
不讓自己閒著：Keep yourself busy and try to find enough things to do.
You are busy when you have a lot to do. 表達 busy，忙忙碌碌的意思，口語上有很多選擇：The general notion of being busy is variously expressed: My hands are full / I’ve got my hands full / I’ve a lot of work on my hands / I’m snowed under with work / I’m hard at it / I haven’t a minute to spare.
忙忙碌碌、努力不懈的程度
There are words of varying degrees of busyness: busy, engaged, diligent, industrious, assiduous:
Busy implies actively and attentively involved in work or a pastime（such as too busy to come to the phone). Busy can also be used to describe intensive activity of any kind：a busy main road 熙熙攘攘的大街，a busy day 忙碌的一天。
Engaged 傾注全副精神：Someone who is engaged is also busy, but in a more focused way 更集中和聚焦, for example, engaged in compiling a dictionary or on writing his novel 專心致志於某事, giving a lot of time or attention to something.
Diligent 孜孜不倦的 is used to describe earnest and constant effort, and it often connotes enjoyment of or dedication to what one is doing, for example, diligent students/workers 廢寢忘食的學生/手足胼胝的工人, they work very diligently on the task they had been given.
Industrious 勤勤懇懇的：an industrious person is more focused and often with a definite goal in mind. An industrious employee is energetic and hard-working 工作賣力的僱員。Chinese are very industrious people 中國人是特別勤力工作的民族。
Assiduous 兢兢業業的：an assiduous person is one highly concentrated and painstakingly pre-occupied with a specific task 盡心盡力，做到最好。An assiduous student is the one most likely to win his or her teacher’s favour 勤力的學生最得老師偏愛。
Busy body/Busybody 意義和用法的分別
A busy body 忙碌的人 or a very busy body 大忙人 is not a busybody 愛管閒事的人 unless he is busy prying into other people’s business.
Mind your own business 和 None of your business 同義，表示別管閒事 do not interfere in the affairs of others。例句：If she asks where we’re going, tell her to mind her own business. Don’t tell me what to do, it’s none of your business.
A person who makes a habit of interfering in other people’s private affairs is called a busybody, Nosey-Parker, meddler or snooper.
應付愛管閒事的人，你可以毫不客氣地跟他說：Keep your nose out of my affairs / Leave me alone / What’s it to do with you? / Who told you to put your oar in?
Busyness/Business 意義和用法大有不同
Business 起碼有四個不同的意義和用法：
1. 貿易 trade：commercial transactions；I do business by buying and selling 我從事買賣的生意。
2. 公司 company：a commercial organization；you run a business 你經營企業。
3. 工作 work：part of your job 商務；his business is advertising 他從事廣告行業的工作。
4. 要事/職責 an important matter or something that concerns a particular person or organization：It is the business of the police to protect the community 警察的職責是保護社會。
最後，列舉幾個最常見的 Business idioms：
business-like 實事求是：working in an efficient and organized way and not wasting time or thinking about personal things 效率高、有條理的工作態度。
business as usual：doing everything in the ordinary way 一切按照正常方式進行。
business is business 公事公辦、在商言商：He’s a nice guy but business is business, he owes us money and he’ll have to pay it back.
mean business 態度非常認真：to be serious in one’s intentions, e.g. He has the look of a man who means business 他看上去像是個說話算數的人。
get down to business：to begin to work seriously 開始認真工作。
go about your business：to do what you usually do 幹你通常做的事 。
monkey business：dishonest or silly behaviour 胡鬧、惡作劇。
本專欄逢周二、五刊登
