【明報專訊】This saying means a small action can have a great effect. In Chinese, there is a similar expression "xing xing zhi huo, ke yi liao yuan" (星星之火可以燎原). The positive meaning is a little effort from many can become a great force. It can also have a negative meaning, implying the actions of a few can cause serious consequences for many. This saying is often made more compact by removing the "grammar" words and leaving the "meaning" words "xing huo liao yuan" (星火燎原). Can we do the same thing in English? Usually not, as this difficult task is reserved for experienced newspaper editors trying to write an eye-catching headline.