Tongs are a simple tool for picking things up when you do not want to touch them with your fingers — because they are hot, dirty, or need to stay clean. The shape is always the same idea: two arms joined at one end, so when you squeeze, the far ends close and grip.

Tongs are a simple tooltongs是一種簡單的工具，for picking things up用來夾東西，when you do not want to touch them with your fingers在你不想直接用手指碰到那個東西的時候——because they are hot, dirty, or need to stay clean因為它們很燙、很髒，或需要保持乾淨。The shape is always the same idea形狀的概念永遠一樣：two arms joined at one end兩隻臂在一端連在一起，so when you squeeze所以當你一捏，the far ends close and grip另一端就會合起來、夾住東西。

You see them everywhere at a Taiwanese night market and at a 燒烤 table: the pair used for turning meat on the grill, the pair sitting in the tray at a bakery for picking up bread, the small pair for putting ice in a glass, the little pair at a hotpot restaurant. There are medical ones too, and big ones for lifting coal or logs out of a fire, which is where the word came from.

You see them everywhere at a Taiwanese night market and at a 燒烤 table你在台灣夜市和燒烤攤到處都看得到：the pair used for turning meat on the grill翻烤肉用的那把、the pair sitting in the tray at a bakery for picking up bread麵包店托盤裡夾麵包用的那把、the small pair for putting ice in a glass放冰塊到杯子裡用的那把小的、the little pair at a hotpot restaurant火鍋店那把小夾子。There are medical ones too也有醫療用的，and big ones for lifting coal or logs out of a fire還有用來從火裡夾煤炭或木頭的大夾子，which is where the word came from而這也是這個字的由來。

The important grammar point is that this word is always plural in shape — you say 'the tongs are on the table', never 'a tongs'. If you need to count them, you say 'a pair of tongs', 'two pairs of tongs', exactly the way you do with scissors, glasses and trousers. In everyday speech people usually just say 'the tongs' and everyone knows which pair is meant.

The important grammar point is that this word is always plural in shape重要的文法重點是，這個字的形狀永遠是複數——you say 'the tongs are on the table'你會說'the tongs are on the table'，never 'a tongs'絕不會說'a tongs'。If you need to count them如果你需要數它們，you say 'a pair of tongs', 'two pairs of tongs'你會說'a pair of tongs'、'two pairs of tongs'，exactly the way you do with scissors, glasses and trousers就跟scissors、glasses和trousers這些字的算法一模一樣。In everyday speech在日常口語裡，people usually just say 'the tongs'大家通常就直接說'the tongs'，and everyone knows which pair is meant大家都知道指的是哪一把。

You will also hear this word in a fixed phrase from the old days, 'hammer and tongs', which means arguing or fighting very hard: 'They were going at it hammer and tongs.'

You will also hear this word in a fixed phrase from the old days你也會在一個從以前流傳下來的固定片語裡聽到這個字，'hammer and tongs''hammer and tongs'，which means arguing or fighting very hard意思是吵得或打得非常兇：'They were going at it hammer and tongs.'「They were going at it hammer and tongs.」他們吵／打得非常兇。