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Reader question:

What does "silver lining" mean in this headline – The silver lining in airlines' fuel cloud (Shanghai Daily, December 10, 2008)?

My comments:

It means that the storm is over – the worst is coming to an end, and airlines that have been plagued by prohibitively high fuel costs now see some hope.

Hope, that is, after hardship. Once upon a time, a very short time as a matter of fact, oil prices hovered at around US$150 a barrel. Now they're languishing at the 40s. Airlines are therefore breathing a collective sign of relief.

Silver lining?

Ever heard of the cliché "every cloud has a silver lining"?

The silver lining refers to the white edges of a stormy cloud. As a storm begins to die, you see clouds begin to thin and break up. And sunshine is seen over the edges of clouds in the form a silvery lining, hence the term.

When silver linings are observed, hope is restored. Another cliché, there's sunshine after every storm, catches the same spirit. When people see the silver lining, they, to use another cliché, see the light at the end of the tunnel. Or as Percy Shelley (1792-1822) wrote, "If winter comes, can spring be far behind?"

In short, when you see the sign of a silver lining, take heart, because the worst is over. Or as Chet Baker (1929-1988) sang, "somewhere the sun is shining, and so the right thing to do is make it shine for you."

Alright, you got the gist – no more clichés.

Instead, here are "silver lining" examples.

1. Chet Baker's "Look for the silver lining" lyric:

When e'er a cloud appears in the blue.

Remember somewhere, the sun is shining

And so the right thing to do is make it shine for you.

A heart, full of joy and gladness

Will always banish sadness and strife

So always look for the silver lining

And try to find the sunny side of life.

2. We all know the adage that tough times make great leaders, but they also hold the promise of greatness for the rest of us. We look back on those who lived through the Depression with a certain amount of reverence. We wonder whether current generations can show as much courage under duress as previous ones have. What I hear in all the silver-lining talk is this: Contemporary Americans are eager to prove that they are up to their own make-or-break challenge.

- Recession's silver lining, LA Times, December 15, 2008.

3. Gilbert Arenas is already thinking about the possibility of a last-place finish for his Washington Wizards—andfinding the silver lining.

With Arenas still working his way back from a third knee operation in 1 1/2 years, the Wizards are off to a 1-8 start heading into their game Friday against the Houston Rockets.

 "I don't want to see them struggle," Arenas said Thursday at Madame Tussauds, where his wax figure was unveiled, "but if this is one of those years where we don't make the playoffs or we finish in last place... that's what happened to San Antonio and that's how they got Tim Duncan and look at them now... and that's for the better."

- Arenas: Last could be 'for the better' for Wizards, AP, November 20, 2008.

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Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.