躺平还是内卷？

近日，一篇《躺平即是正义》的文章火了。作者在文中大谈“躺平即正义”，描述了自己是如何在两年没有稳定工作的情况下，通过极低的生活消费跟有一搭没一搭的打零工，维持一种“自由”的状态。

继“内卷”之后，“躺平”一词又开始引发热议。

无注释原文：

China’s Gen Z are ‘laying flat’, but does this new work, life attitude pose a social and economic threat?

SCMP

· The ‘laying flat’ attitude about work and life is seeing a growing number of China’s Generation Z opt for a simple, frugal and lonely life

· The attitude is seen to represent a silent protest to unfairness, often the result of structural and institutional factors that can no longer be altered by personal efforts

A growing number of China’s Generation Z, born between 1995 and 2010, are embracing a “laying flat” attitude about work and life as they throw in the towel in the face of tough competition and opt for a simple, frugal and lonely life.

It is hard to quantify the scope of the new social psychology, but the attitude is certainly gaining popularity in an increasingly rigid social structure with a yawning gap between the rich and the poor.

Let us imagine a dormitory at a top university in Shanghai where Li and Wang live together. Li comes from a small town in northern Jiangsu province and Wang is a Shanghai native. After graduation, they both find jobs at the same technology company with a monthly starting salary of 10,000 yuan (US$1,553).

For Li, he has to spend a third of his salary to rent a room and will need to work extremely hard to save enough money to buy a flat in the city where the average price is around 6,000 yuan (US$931) per square foot.

Shanghai native Wang, on the other hand, will inherit at least two flats from his parents worth 20 million yuan (US$3.1 million) combined.

It will be very hard for Li to catch up, and with all other conditions equal, he will be in a disadvantaged position in the marriage market.

He can take a risk to start his own venture, or he could choose to leave Shanghai, but he could also choose to stay in Shanghai and lay flat.

There, the laying flat attitude represents a silent protest to unfairness, often the result of structural and institutional factors that can no longer be altered by personal efforts.

It is also out of a perception that competition is no longer fair and there is no point to seek academic or career advancements.

What is the point of joining a big tech company only to suffer from the notorious so-called 996 work style when there are few prospects of breaking social glass ceilings?

It is way too early to say China’s age of ambition is ending since the country still hosts a vibrant economy and endless chances for young people.

But it is also true that Chinese society, like other mature economies, is becoming less accommodative to the ambitions of the younger generation.

For now, the lay flat mentality remains a personal choice for those disillusioned by the reality, but it could translate into negative implications for China’s social and economic future.

After all, a country cannot rise high if many young people choose to lay low.

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注：中文文本为机器翻译仅供参考，并非一一对应

含注释全文：

China’s Gen Z are ‘laying flat’, but does this new work, life attitude pose a social and economic threat?

SCMP

· The ‘laying flat’ attitude about work and life is seeing a growing number of China’s Generation Z opt for a simple, frugal and lonely life

对工作和生活的“躺平”态度使越来越多的中国Z世代选择了简单、节俭和孤独的生活

除了表示平的，flat还可以表示“不积极的；不感兴趣的；缺乏热情的”，英文解释为“not interesting, or without emotion or excitement”举个🌰：

After the excitement of the party, life seems somewhat flat now.

聚会的兴奋劲儿过去之后，生活现在似乎相当乏味。

Generation Z (or Gen Z) is the demographic cohort after the Millennials. Demographers and researchers typically use the mid-1990s to early-2000s as starting birth years. There is little consensus regarding ending birth years. Most of Generation Z have used the Internet since a young age and are comfortable with technology and social media.

Z世代（Generation Z），美国及欧洲的流行用语，意指在1990年代中叶至2000年后出生的人。一般来说，他们主要是X世代的小孩，但也有较年轻的婴儿潮世代或是较年长的Y世代的小孩。他们又被称为M世代（多工世代，multitasking）、C世代（连结世代，Connected Generation）、网络世代（Net Generation），或是互联网世代（the Internet Generation）。（Wikipedia）

表示“选择”，英文解释为“If you opt for something, or opt to do something, you choose it or decide to do it in preference to anything else.”举个🌰：

Depending on your circumstances you can opt for one method or the other.

根据自己的情况，你可以选择这种或那种方法。

表示“节俭的；朴素的；（食物）简单的，廉价的”，英文解释为“careful when using money or food, or (of a meal) cheap or small in amount”如：a frugal lifestyle 节俭的生活方式。

· The attitude is seen to represent a silent protest to unfairness, often the result of structural and institutional factors that can no longer be altered by personal efforts

这种态度被认为代表了对不公平现象的无声抗议，这些不公平现象往往是结构性和体制性因素造成的，个人努力已经无法改变

表示“（使）改变，更改，改动”，英文解释为“to become different; to make sb/sth different”举个🌰：

We've had to alter some of our plans.

我们不得不对一些计划作了改动。

🎬电影《大侦探福尔摩斯》（Sherlock Holmes）中的台词提到：that will alter the very course of the world. 足以改变世界的力量。

A growing number of China’s Generation Z, born between 1995 and 2010, are embracing a “laying flat” attitude about work and life as they throw in the towel in the face of tough competition and opt for a simple, frugal and lonely life.

越来越多的中国Z世代（出生于1995年至2010年）对工作和生活采取“躺平”的态度，他们在面对激烈的竞争时选择了放弃，选择简单、节俭和孤独的生活。

表示“认输；觉得成功无望而放弃”，英文解释为“to stop trying to do something because you have realized that you cannot succeed”举个🌰：

Three of the original five candidates have now thrown in the towel.

原来竞争的5个候选人中，有3位已经弃权了。

📍来源：This little expression of course derives from boxing. When a boxer is suffering a beating and his corner want to stop the fight they literally throw in the towel to indicate their conceding of the fight.

It is hard to quantify the scope of the new social psychology, but the attitude is certainly gaining popularity in an increasingly rigid social structure with a yawning gap between the rich and the poor.

很难量化新社会心理学的范围，但在贫富差距巨大、日益僵化的社会结构中，这种态度肯定会越来越受欢迎。

表示“固执的；僵化的；一成不变的”，英文解释为“not willing to change their ideas or behaviour”举个🌰：

We were disappointed that they insisted on such a rigid interpretation of the rules.

他们坚持对规则进行如此呆板僵化的解释，令我们非常失望。

表示“（差异或数量）巨大的，难以缩减的”，英文解释为“used to describe a difference or amount that is extremely large and difficult to reduce”举个🌰：

There exists nowadays a yawning gap between rich and poor.

如今贫富之间存在着巨大的差异。

Let us imagine a dormitory at a top university in Shanghai where Li and Wang live together. Li comes from a small town in northern Jiangsu province and Wang is a Shanghai native. After graduation, they both find jobs at the same technology company with a monthly starting salary of 10,000 yuan (US$1,553).

让我们想象一下上海一所顶尖大学的宿舍，小李和小王住在一起。小李来自江苏省北部的一个小镇，小王是上海人。毕业后，他们都在同一家科技公司找到了工作，月起薪为1万元（1,553美元）。

For Li, he has to spend a third of his salary to rent a room and will need to work extremely hard to save enough money to buy a flat in the city where the average price is around 6,000 yuan (US$931) per square foot.

对小李来说，他必须花三分之一的工资来租房，并且需要非常努力地工作，才能攒够钱在这个平均价格约为每平方英尺6000元（931美元）的城市买一套房子。

flat又来了，作名词，表示“一套房间；公寓；单元房”，英文解释为“set of rooms for living in, including a kitchen, usually on one floor of a building”。

表示“平方英尺”，在公制术语中，1平方英尺是一个边长为0.3048米长的正方形面积。一平方英尺等于0.09290304平方米。1平方米等于10.7639104平方英尺。

Shanghai native Wang, on the other hand, will inherit at least two flats from his parents worth 20 million yuan (US$3.1 million) combined.

另一方面，上海人小王将从其父母那里继承至少两套公寓，总价值2000万元（310万美元）。

表示“继承”，英文解释为“to receive money, a house, etc. from someone after they have died”举个🌰：

Who will inherit the house when he dies?

他死后由谁继承房子？

It will be very hard for Li to catch up, and with all other conditions equal, he will be in a disadvantaged position in the marriage market.

小李将很难赶上，在所有其他条件相同的情况下，他将在婚姻市场上处于不利地位。

He can take a risk to start his own venture, or he could choose to leave Shanghai, but he could also choose to stay in Shanghai and lay flat.

他可以冒险自己创业，也可以选择离开上海，但他也可以选择留在上海躺平。

1）作名词，表示“（尤指有风险的）企业，商业，投机活动，经营项目”，英文解释为“a business project or activity, especially one that involves taking risks”举个🌰：

A disastrous business venture lost him thousands of dollars.

一个彻底失败的经营项目使他损失严重。

2）作动词，表示“敢于去；冒险去（或做）；冒昧地说”，英文解释为“to risk going somewhere or doing something that might be dangerous or unpleasant, or to risk saying something that might be criticized”举个🌰：

As we set off into the forest, we felt as though we were venturing (forth) into the unknown.

当我们动身进入那片森林时，感觉自己似乎正在冒险进入一个未知的世界。

📺美剧《复仇》（Revenge）中的台词提到：This is brave new territory we're venturing into here. 这是我们华丽冒险的新地域。

📺美剧《宋飞正传》（Seinfeld）中的台词提到：You realize you're venturing into uncharted waters? 你意识到你在冒险进入未知水域吗？

There, the laying flat attitude represents a silent protest to unfairness, often the result of structural and institutional factors that can no longer be altered by personal efforts.

瞧，躺平的态度代表了对不公平的无声抗议，这往往是结构性和体制性因素的结果，个人的努力已经无法改变。

感叹词，表示“（用于表示同情或满足）你瞧，好啦”，英文解释为“used to express sympathy or satisfaction”举个🌰：

There, I've finally got it working.

你瞧，我终于把它弄好了。

It is also out of a perception that competition is no longer fair and there is no point to seek academic or career advancements.

这也是出于一种认识，即竞争不再公平，寻求学术或职业发展也没有意义。

1）表示“认识，观念，看法”，英文解释为“a belief or opinion, often held by many people and based on how things seem”举个🌰：

These photographs will affect people's perceptions of war.

这些照片会影响人们对战争的看法。

2）表示“知觉；感知”，英文解释为“the way you notice things, especially with the senses”如：visual perception 视觉；

🎬电影《失落的大陆》（Land of the Lost）中的台词提到：he has terrible depth perception 他的深度感知力很差。

What is the point of joining a big tech company only to suffer from the notorious so-called 996 work style when there are few prospects of breaking social glass ceilings?

在打破社会玻璃天花板前景渺茫的情况下，加入一家大的科技公司，却要承受臭名昭著的所谓996工作方式，这有什么意义呢？

表示“臭名昭著的，声名狼藉的”，英文解释为“famous or well-known for something bad”，如：a notorious computer hacker 声名狼藉的电脑黑客。

表示“无形限制，无形顶障（通常指职务晋升中无法逾越的限制）”，英文解释为“a point after which you cannot go any further, usually in improving your position at work”举个🌰：

Various reasons are given for the apparent glass ceiling women hit in many professions.

显然，在很多行业中女性的升迁都受到无形的限制，对此人们给出了不同的解释。

📍玻璃天花板，指在公司、企业和机关、团体中对某些群体（如女性、少数族裔）晋升到高级职位或决策层的潜在限制或障碍。（来源：维基百科）

📍2016年希拉里败选演讲：为理想奋斗绝对值得中就提到：Now, I — I know — I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but some day someone will and hopefully sooner than we might think right now. 我知道，我们还没有打碎最高和最硬的玻璃天花板（指女性当选总统），但终有一天，有人会打碎，希望这一天能比我们期待的更早到来。

It is way too early to say China’s age of ambition is ending since the country still hosts a vibrant economy and endless chances for young people.

说中国的野心时代正在结束还为时过早，因为这个国家仍然拥有充满活力的经济和年轻人的无限机会。

表示“活跃的；精力充沛的；热情洋溢的”，英文解释为“energetic, exciting, and full of enthusiasm”如：a vibrant young performer 充满朝气的年轻演员。

But it is also true that Chinese society, like other mature economies, is becoming less accommodative to the ambitions of the younger generation.

但是，像其他成熟经济体一样，中国社会对年轻一代的雄心壮志越来越不宽容，这也是事实。

表示“适应的；（自）调节的；予以方便的；随和的（等于accommodating）”，英文解释为“willing to fit in with someone's wishes or needs”。

For now, the lay flat mentality remains a personal choice for those disillusioned by the reality, but it could translate into negative implications for China’s social and economic future.

目前，躺平心态仍然是那些对现实感到失望的人的个人选择，但它可能转化为对中国社会和经济未来的负面影响。

表示“理想破灭的；不抱幻想的”，英文解释为“disappointed and unhappy because of discovering the truth about something or someone that you liked or respected”举个🌰：

He's become a disillusioned man.

他成了梦想破灭的人。

除了表示“翻译”，也可以指“转变，变为；转化（尤指将计划变为现实）”，英文解释为“to change something into a new form, especially to turn a plan into something real”举个🌰：

So how does this theory translate into practical policy?

那么如何将这个理论应用于制定现实可行的政策呢？

After all, a country cannot rise high if many young people choose to lay low.

毕竟，如果许多年轻人选择低调，一个国家不可能崛起。

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