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婚嫁陋习是该改革了!“三孩”配套措施之一丨经济学人精读

Soren 经济学人双语精读 2022-06-09
在中国,“闹婚”一种传统礼俗。古代闹婚是为了帮助新婚夫妻消除陌生感,快速进入夫妻角色。但到了现代,大家都是先恋爱后结婚,闹婚的现实价值早就消失殆尽,有的已变成一场大型性骚扰游戏,低俗至极。
近些年来,各地政府纷纷出台相关政策法规,整治闹婚行为,虽然取得一定效果,但低俗婚闹依然屡见不鲜。
5月31号政治局召开会议,指出要实施三孩生育政策以及配套支持措施,其中一项就是对婚嫁陋习、天价彩礼等不良社会风气进行治理。
 
2021年5月29日的《经济学人》China 版块中有篇文章讲到了中国的“闹婚”习俗,包括以下内容:
  1. 各式各样的闹婚;
  2. 古代闹婚的合理性与意义;
  3. 当今闹婚的恶俗性质;
  4. 各地政府如何整治闹婚行为。
 
我从中选取了 2、3 两段给大家精讲,对应着“古代闹婚的合理性与意义”以及“当今闹婚的恶俗性质”。
 
学习目标:
  1. 了解闹婚习俗的形成历史以及在古代的合理性;
  2. 了解当今闹婚的恶俗行为;
  3. 学会用英语向人介绍闹婚习俗。
 
学习步骤:
  1. 听力练习;
  2. 原文阅读;
  3. 精读解析。
 


第一步-听力练习
 
点击下方小程序卡片,先不看字幕听 1-2 遍,再对照字幕听 1 遍,看看哪些地方没有听出来:
 


第二步:原文阅读

独立阅读原文,看看能理解多少:

Naohun rites were not always intended to humiliate. They began centuries ago with the aim of helping to put newlyweds—who often barely knew each other—at ease. Relatives would gently tease the couple in their bridal chamber, alluding to intimate acts. This served as a form of sex education. Rituals involving the groom’s father, such as making him carry his daughter-in-law on his back, were once cheered as a sign that she would be well-treated by her husband’s family.


But in recent times, naohun has become an excuse to be rowdy, lewd or even physically abusive. In 2017 NetEase, an internet giant, found 142 cases in the previous five years of hazing so outrageous that it had featured in stories in China’s media. Half of the incidents involved binding and beating. In 80% of them, grooms were the victims. Only five involved hazing of the bride, but cases of sexual harassment may often go unreported.




第三步-精读

根据解析,理解原文,并记忆语言点


第一段

第一段讲了闹婚习俗在古代的合理性。

① Naohun rites were not always intended to humiliate.

在过去,闹婚仪式并不总是为了羞辱人。


①句引领全段,亮明段落主旨:过去闹婚并不总是为了羞辱人。
 
Naohun 是汉语“闹婚”的音译,也可以用 wedding hazings 表示,其中 haze 除了名词“雾、霾”的意思,也可以作动词,表示 play tricks on sb “捉弄某人”,香港《南华早报》关于“闹婚”报道的题目中就出现了这个表达:
vulgar wedding hazings 指“低俗闹婚”。
 
《南华早报》中还出现了一个关于“闹婚”的表达:
China “naohun”, which literally means “making disturbances at a wedding”中国的“闹婚”字面意思是指“在婚礼上瞎闹”
先把“闹婚”音译过来:naohun,然后再进行解释:which literally means “making disturbances at a wedding”.
 
在向老外介绍中国特有的现象时,就可以采取“音译+解释”的方式,比如《经济学人》介绍什么是“彩礼”时,是这么说的:
caili — cash given by the groom to the bride’s family彩礼——新郎家给新娘家的现金。


回到文中来,rite 指“仪式”,比如 funeral rites 丧葬仪式,文中 naohun rites 就是“闹婚仪式”的意思,也可以说 naohun tradition “闹婚传统习俗”。
 
be intended to do 是个固定搭配,表示“为了...,目的是...”,后面引出目的,文中 were not always intended to humiliate 的意思就是:在过去并不总是为了羞辱人。
注意 were 暗含了过去的时态,而汉语中是没有时态的,所以在翻译时要补充时间点“在过去”,把时态体现出来,才能保证信息完整性和准确性。

 


② They began centuries ago with the aim of helping to put newlyweds—who often barely knew each other—at ease.

闹婚始于几世纪前,目的是让新婚夫妇(他们几乎不认识彼此)放松下来。


②-⑤句对①句进行展开,讲了闹婚的几个功能。其中②句讲了第一个功能:让新婚夫妇放松。
 
They began centuries ago 点出了闹婚习俗的历史:始于几个世纪以前;
《南华早报》关于“闹婚起源”是这么说的:
China “naohun”, which literally means “making disturbances at a wedding” has a long tradition dating back to the start of the Han dynasty in the second century BC.中国“闹婚”(字面意思是“在婚礼上闹事”)拥有悠久的历史,可以追溯到公元前 2 世纪的汉朝初期。
我们可以从中积累到一对同义表达,表示“XX历史悠久”,可以说 XX begins...ago,也可以说 XX dates back to...
 
回到文中来,with the aim of...引出闹婚的目的:helping to put newlyweds at ease “帮助使新婚夫妇放松下来”;
put...at ease 是个固定搭配,表示 make sb feel at ease “让某人感到轻松”,比如约会的时候,try to put your partner at ease.
 
文中 newlyweds 后面插入了一个定语从句,补充关于“新婚夫妇”的信息:who often barely knew each other “他们几乎不认识彼此”。
 
我们看一下《南华早报》对“古代闹婚意义”的报道:
Guests ask the newlyweds to perform a series of tasks to ensure a lively wedding atmosphere and to show friendship.客人会要求新婚夫妇做一系列游戏,来活跃婚礼氛围,表达友谊。




③ Relatives would gently tease the couple in their bridal chamber, alluding to intimate acts. ④ This served as a form of sex education.

亲戚们会在新婚夫妇的洞房里开小玩笑,暗示新婚夫妇进行一些亲密的动作。这是性教育的一种形式。


③④两句讲了闹婚的第二个功能:性教育的一种形式。
 
gently tease,gently 体现出古代闹婚的程度:温和的。
bridal chamber 就是“新房、洞房”的意思,其中 bride 指“新娘”,bridal 是其形容词,表示“新娘的”,比如 a bridal gown 新娘礼服;
chamber 指用于特定用途的 room,比如三星堆考古中提到的“墓室”,英文就是 a burial chamber;《哈利波特与密室》中的“密室”,就是英文 chamber of secrets 翻译过来的.
 
allude to sb/sth 核心意思是 mention,只不过是 indirectly mention “间接提到、暗指”。如果有人提到你的事,却并不指明你,那是 allude to,要是指明便是 refer to。
 
intimate 指关系“亲密的”,每个人都有几个 intimate friends “闺蜜”,你无法能做到 be on an intimate terms with everyone “和每个人都关系密切”。
intimate acts 指“亲密行为、暧昧行为”。
 
serve as 是个很地道的表达,意思是“可用作、起到...作用”,比如:
The punishment would serve as a warning to others. 这一惩罚将起到杀一儆百的作用。
serve as a warning to... 对...起到警告的作用。
 
再比如,美国对中国芯片“卡脖子”给我们敲响了一记警钟,用英文说就是:
America's restrictions on chip exports to China serve as a wake-up call for our country.
serve as a wake-up call for... 对...起到警醒的作用。
 
当一国发生重大灾难时,其他国家领导人要致慰问电,一般会按照下面的格式:
Our hearts go out to you during this trying time and may our prayers serve as comfort to you and your loved ones.在这艰难的时刻,我们的心与你同在,对你们表示慰问。
our prayers serve as comfort to... 我们的祷告对...起到安慰的作用。
 
掌握 serve as 的含义和用法了吗?

文中 served as a form of sex education 的意思就是:起到一种性教育的形式的作用。

  


⑤ Rituals involving the groom’s father, such as making him carry his daughter-in-law on his back, were once cheered as a sign that she would be well-treated by her husband’s family.

有的闹婚仪式还会涉及新郎的父亲,比如让他背着儿媳妇,这预示着新娘今后会受到夫家善待。


⑤句讲了闹婚的第三个功能:表明新娘被夫家所接纳。
 
这句话的结构稍有些复杂,我们先把主干拎出来:
Rituals were once cheered as a sign that she would be well-treated by her husband’s family.
闹婚仪式曾被人们赞美,被认为是一个信号:新娘今后会受到夫家善待。
主干的核心结构是 Rituals were once cheered as a sign,后面的 that she would be well-treated by her husband’s family 是同位语从句,补充 sign 的内容。
 
Rituals 后面跟了一个-ing 后置定语,对 rituals 进行限定:involving the groom’s father 
涉及到新郎的父亲。
groom 和 bride 是一对,指“新郎”,再补充一点,“伴娘”的英文是 bridesmaid,“伴郎”的英文是 groomsman.
 
involving the groom’s father 后面通过 such as 进行举例,举了一个“涉及到新郎父亲”的例子:such as making him carry his daughter-in-law on his back
carry sb on one's back 意思是:把某人背起来。
daughter-in-law 指“儿媳”,son-in-law 指“女婿”。

 


第二段

第二段进行转折,讲了当前闹婚仪式变了味。

⑥ But in recent times, naohun has become an excuse to be rowdy, lewd or even physically abusive.

但近些年来,闹婚已经成为一块粗俗、龌龊、身体骚扰的遮羞布。


⑥句总领全段,点明段落主旨:闹婚已变得粗俗不堪。
 
but in recent times 标志着转折:闹婚变了味。
 
an excuse to do sth 指“做...的借口”,比如,Some married men use business trips as an excuse to date other girls. 有的已婚男人以出差为借口,和其他女孩约会。
 
rowdy 的英文解释是:making a lot of noise or likely to cause trouble “吵闹的”,比如酒吧里一群闹哄哄的人就是 a rowdy crowd,文中可以翻译成“粗野的、粗俗的”。
 
lewd [luːd] 英文解释是:referring to sex in a rude and offensive way “下流的、龌龊的”,有些中年油腻男很喜欢跟女性讲一些 lewd jokes 粗俗下流的玩笑。
 
physically abusive 指“身体骚扰”,如图:
 
rowdy, lewd 和 physically abusive 这三个词,和前面的 put at ease, gently tease 形成鲜明反差。
 

 

⑦ In 2017 NetEase, an internet giant, found 142 cases in the previous five years of hazing so outrageous that it had featured in stories in China’s media.

2017年,互联网巨头网易发现,在过去5年里,中国媒体重点报道了142起令人发指的婚闹事件。


⑦-⑩句举了网易的数据,体现出闹婚仪式的低俗。其中⑦句谈到了全国新闻报道的闹婚事件的总数量。
 
这句话的结构稍有些复杂,我们先把主干拎出来:NetEase found 142 cases of hazing 
网易发现142起闹婚事件。
haze 我们前面讲过,作名词有“雾、霾”的意思,这里作动词,表示 play tricks on sb “戏弄、捉弄”,cases of hazing 就是“闹婚事件”的意思。
 
142 cases of hazing 中间插入了一个时间结构:in the previous five years
意思是:过去五年有 142 起闹婚事件。
 
hazing 后面还跟了 so...that...结构,以体现出闹婚程度之严峻:so outrageous that it had featured in stories in China’s media.
outrageous 简单说就是 very shocking and unacceptable 的意思,可以翻译成“骇人听闻的”。
 
feature 在这里是熟词僻义,作动词,表示 to have an important part in sth 是...重要的一部分,hazing had feature in stories in China’s media 的意思就是:婚闹在中国媒体的报道中是重要的一部分。说得通顺一点就是:中国媒体对婚闹进行了重点报道。(stories 在这里不是“故事”,而是“报道”)
再举个例子,很多媒体喜欢报道特斯拉刹车失灵事件,可以说:
Tesla brake failures featured in stories in China's media.


最后我们把这句话再顺一遍:
NetEase found 142 cases in the previous five years of hazing so outrageous that it had featured in stories in China’s media.
网易发现,过去五年有 142 起婚闹事件,其程度令人发指,以至于中国媒体对其进行了重点报道。
 


⑧ Half of the incidents involved binding and beating. ⑨ In 80% of them, grooms were the victims. ⑩ Only five involved hazing of the bride, but cases of sexual harassment may often go unreported.

一半的事件涉及捆绑和殴打。在80%的婚闹事件中,新郎都是受害者。只有5起涉及欺辱新娘,但性骚扰案件往往没有被报道。


⑧-⑩句分别讲了不同形式的闹婚所占的比例。
 
incidents 是对前面 cases of hazing 的替换。
 
binding and beating 指把人绑起来殴打,如图:
 
go unreported 中,go 在这里作系动词,后加形容词,表示一种状态(尤指变坏),含义和用法同 become,比如,go bankrupt 破产,再如:China is going grey/white. 中国正在变灰/白(中国人口正在老龄化)。所以,go unreported 就是“没有上报”的意思。
2020年的《经济学人》中有篇文章讲到了外卖骑手在中国封城期间发挥了重要作用,文中有句话讲到了外卖交通事故频发,也用到了 go unreported 这个表达:
In the first half of 2019, Shanghai recorded 12 road accidents a week involving food-delivery riders. Many go unreported.2019年上半年,上海每周记录12起涉及外卖员的道路交通事故。许多事故未上报。


再举个例子,外媒喜欢报道中国的问题,而对中国美好的一面却视而不见,可以说:
Problems and serious incidents in China tend to feature in foreign media, while the love, kindness and righteousness often go unreported.
一个近期的例子就是,袁隆平去世的那几天,外媒铺天盖地地报道甘肃的马拉松事故,而对袁隆平的成就却几乎只字未提。
这个句子同时用到了我们讲到的 feature 和 go unreported,多读几遍,理解这两个词的用法,自己也可以试着造个句子。
 
有时我们会错过微信群里的消息,可以说:Messages in a Wechat group often go unnoticed.
 
其实这个用法在2018年考研英语一的Text1中也出现过:
Among the annoying challenges facing the middle class is one that will probably go unmentioned in the next presidential campaign: What happens when the robots come for their jobs? 中产阶级面临诸多磨人挑战,其中一个挑战不会在下届总统选举中被人提及,那就是:当机器人来抢工作的时候,会发生什么?
go unmentioned指“不会被提及”。
(其实不管什么类型的考试,本质上和外刊都是相通的。风起于青萍之末,学好英语,还是要回归外刊。)
 
补充一点:英语中有很多动词,在某些情景下可用作系动词,后接形容词,表示“变成”,除了go,还有以下几个:
1. become
As he reached the age of thirty, he became convinced he would remain single all his life.步入而立之年时,他确信自己会独身一辈子。
The weather was becoming colder.天气逐渐转寒。


2. get
The situation doesn’t seem to be getting any better.形势似乎并未有任何好转。


3. grow
I’d been waiting for forty minutes and I was beginning to grow uneasy.我已经等了40分钟,心里开始变得不安起来。


4. turn
It was late autumn and the leaves were slowly turning golden.深秋时节,树叶逐渐变成金黄色。
Our friendship was beginning to turn sour.我们的友谊的小船翻了。(sour本义是“酸的”,也可以表示关系、计划“坏的”。)




敲黑板

“闹婚”用英文怎么说:
wedding hazings
China “naohun”, which literally means “making disturbances at a wedding”
 
“彩礼”用英文怎么说:
caili — cash given by the groom to the bride’s family
 
新郎 groom
新娘 bride
新婚夫妇 newlyweds
伴娘 bridesmaid
伴郎 groomsmen
儿媳 daughter-in-law
女婿 son-in-law
洞房 bridal chamber
 
古代闹婚的合理性与意义:
put at ease.
ensure a lively wedding atmosphere
show friendship
serve as a form of sex education.
show that the bride would be well-treated by her husband’s family
 
当今低俗的闹婚行为:
be rowdy, lewd or even physically abusive.
binding and beating
sexual harassment
 
七零八碎的语言点:
with the aim of... 目的是...
allude to 暗指,间接提及
serve as 起到...作用
事件 feature in 媒体:媒体重点报道某一事件
use XX as an excuse to do...:把XX当作做某事的幌子
go unreported 没有被报道
go unnoticed 没有被注意到

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