逛商場的時候看到一件好看的衣服，拿到試衣間試穿，效果也不錯，正在想著要不要買的時候看了一眼價簽，便迅速走進試衣間換上了自己的衣服，把那件美服交回到導購手中。有過這樣的經歷嗎？這就是我們今天要說的sticker shock（價簽休克）。

The term “sticker shock” is widely used in the United States to refer to an exclamation of surprise when seeing the price tag of a bunch of items and realizing the damage is much greater than originally expected. This may cause a person to have second thoughts about the purchase.
“價簽休克”這個詞在美國用得很多，指人們在看到某些商品的價格標簽時表現出的驚訝，同時意識到這些商品的花費比之前想象的要高出很多。這種情況下人們一般會重新考慮是否要購買這些商品。

It is believed that the term originated in the 1970s, when automobiles became substantially more expensive due to increased government regulation. In the United States, many car dealers price their cars with very large stickers which can readily be seen by passerby, with the intent of drawing people into the lot. As prices rose, these stickers might have indeed seemed shocking, especially since inflation was rising at the same time as well.
據說，“價簽休克”這個說法出現于上世紀70年代，當時，因為政府管控的原因，汽車價格日漸高漲。在美國，很多汽車經銷商把汽車的價格寫在很大的貼紙上，這樣行人經過時都能清楚看到，同時也能吸引人們進入銷售大廳。因為價格上漲，尤其是通貨膨脹也在同時加劇的情況下，那些汽車價簽看上去可能的確有些讓人吃驚。

Some people also use the term when they express dismay at unexpected charges on bills, although this could more correctly be termed “bill shock.”
有些人也會用sticker shock這個說法來表達收到高額帳單時的驚訝，但其實這種情況更確切的表達應該是bill shock（帳單休克）。

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen）