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经济学人：为什么中国年轻人总被催婚？

独霸上海的妖怪 · 公众号 · · 2023-01-31 11:28

正文

写在前面

又是一年新春到，每逢佳节被催婚。父母以及亲戚的「催婚」成了很多回家过年的年轻人不得不面对的固定环节。春节期间，催婚话题也频频登上热搜，可见年轻人都苦催婚久矣。其他国家的年轻人会遭遇催婚吗？为什么中国年轻人越来越不愿意结婚？

最新一期《经济学人》的中国专栏发布了一篇关于催婚的文章，回答了上述问题，很有意思。我从中选了语言点比较丰富的几段话，带同学们一起读一读。

学习要点

1）催婚、相亲、结婚用英文怎么说？

2）「年轻人」除了young people还可以怎么说？

3）如何表达「配得上某人」？

4）「装聋作哑」用英文怎么说？

外刊原文

我把完整全文放在了内部小程序 「跟Lexie学外刊」 里，同学们点击下方链接即可查看。

# 01

The holiday is a chance for parents, aunts, uncles—even distant cousins—to press their young relatives to get married. Such nagging occurs in most countries. In conservative China, though, the pressure is intense.

Online searches for cuihun (urging someone to wed) peak every year at this time, according to data from Baidu, a search engine. Beleaguered 20- and 30-somethings are flooding social media with complaints. “I used to like the atmosphere at new year, but now I hate it more and more,” said one person on Weibo, a Twitter-like platform. “If you are not married, you’re urged to get married. If you are married, you’re urged to have children.”

# 02

There are several reasons behind this demographic crunch. Young people are better educated than previous generations and more likely to spend their 20s pursuing careers. This is especially true of women. Owning a car and a house is seen by many as a basic requirement for settling down—and many young people have neither. In cities, a grueling work culture leaves little time for marriage and kids. In rural areas, a hefty bride price can get in the way of a match.

# 03

Parents don’t care for such excuses. Some singles have come home to find that a string of blind dates has been set up for them. Others provide cuihun countermeasures. One netizen suggested telling parents that it is tough to find a partner worthy of them. An article published two years ago in Chongqing Daily, a local newspaper, advised feigning deafness or going on the attack by interrogating aunts and uncles about their own children’s marital status.

外刊精读

# 01
谁在 催婚？

①The holiday is a chance for parents, aunts, uncles—even distant cousins —to press their young relatives to get married.

春节期间，父母、叔婶、乃至远房表亲都会借机催促年轻人结婚。

distant cousins 表示「远房表亲」。七大姑八大姨这样的「远方亲戚」d就叫作 distant relatives 。

咱们中国有一句老话：远亲不如近邻。用英文说就是： A close neighbour means more than a distant relative.
而「直系亲属」叫作 next of kin 。
press sb to do sth / press sb into doing sth 表示「催促某人做某事」 ( to make strong efforts to persuade or force sb to do sth ) 。文中 press sb to get married 便表示「催婚」。
同义词还有 urge sb to do sth , push sb to do sth 。

②Such nagging occurs in most countries. ③In conservative China, though, the pressure is intense .

大多数国家都会有这样的唠叨。然而，在保守的中国，结婚的压力很大。

nag 为动词，指「纠缠不休，唠叨，不停地抱怨」 (If someone nags you, they keep asking you to do something you have not done yet or do not want to do) 。介词搭配为 nag (at sb) 。

比如爸妈催婚催烦了，我们就会说：别再叨叨了！用英文说就是：Stop nagging ! 或者 Stop nagging at me !

文中nagging 为动名词，such nagging 回指①提到的亲戚的催婚。

我们再来看一个《老友记》里的例子：

I have been begging you for months! And you did. You cleaned. And nagging works!
nagging 还可作形容词，指「唠唠叨叨的，一味抱怨的」 (always complaining) 。比如： nagging parents 唠叨的父母
nag 还可表示「困扰，烦扰」 (to make someone feel continuously worried or uncomfortable) ，惯用搭配为 nag sb , nag at sb 。

比如《金融时报》一篇关于新加坡的文章中有这样一句话：
For all the doubts that nag at Singapore, from democracy to demography, the city has been an incredible success. 尽管有各种疑虑困扰着新加坡（从民主体制到人口结构），这个城市国家仍是一个令人难以置信的成功故事。
sth occurs. 指「某事物发生」。名词形式为 occurrence 。

conservative 这里为形容词，表示「保守的，守旧的」 (not usually liking or trusting change, especially sudden change) 。文中conservative China便指「保守的中国」。
《纽约时报》一篇报道中国同性恋的文章中也用过这个词：
Although homosexuality is no longer a crime in China, a conservative culture persists that looks down on people in same-sex relationships. 尽管同性恋在中国不再是一项罪名，但看不起同性恋的保守文化依然存在。
intense [ɪnˈtens] 为形容词，表示「强烈的，极度的」(very great; very strong) 。文中The pressure is intense. 便表示「压力很大」。这个搭配同学们要学会使用。
如果要表达「...承受着巨大压力」，我们可以说： sb / sth is under intense pressure.
比如《金融时报》一篇关于传统能源行业的报道中有这样一句话：
But there are many smaller coal miners that have far less flexibility and are already under intense financial pressure because of falling prices and their relatively higher costs. 但许多小型煤炭生产商的适应能力要低得多，由于煤价不断下跌和成本相对较高，它们一直以来面临着严峻的财务压力。 [写作推荐]

# 02

春节期间，父母亲戚的催婚有多厉害？《经济学人》是这样说的：

① Online searches for cuihun ( urging someone to wed ) peak every year at this time, according to data from Baidu, a search engine.

根据百度的数据，每年春节都是搜索“催婚”这个词的高峰期。

这里《经济学人》采用了「音译+释义」的方式解释催婚这个词：
cuihun (urging someone to wed) 。
外媒在向英语母语读者介绍他们所不熟悉的外国事物时，经常采用这种写法。

wed 作动词，指「结婚」。这个词比较古旧。
除此之外，我们还可以说get married, tie the knot, get hitched 这些词都可以表示「结婚」。
我们来看几个美剧里的例子：
peak 作名词时，本来是「山顶」的意思，常用于表示「顶峰」。作动词，则指「达到顶峰」。这是个外刊高频词。 [熟词僻义]

② Beleaguered 20- and 30-somethings are flooding social media with complaints. ③“I used to like the atmosphere at new year , but now I hate it more and more,” said one person on Weib o, a Twitter-like platform. ④“If you are not married, you’re urged to get married. If you are married, you’re urged to have children.”

二三十多岁的年轻人被亲戚围剿，在社交媒体上大肆抱怨。一位微博网友说： “ 以前喜欢过年的气氛，现在却越来越讨厌了。没结婚，就会被催婚。结了婚，就催生娃。 ”

beleaguered [bɪˈliːɡərd] 是个形容词：

1）形容地方，指「被敌人包围的」。比如： the beleaguered city 被围困的城市。

2）形容人，指「饱受批评的，处于困境的」(experiencing a lot of problems or criticism) 。
这里beleaguered 20- and 30-somethings我们可以理解为「被亲戚围剿的年轻人」，特别有代入感的一个表述😄。
整数-something 表示「...多岁的人」。a 30-something 即「一个30多岁的人」。a 20-something 就是「一个20多岁的人」。文中 20- and 30-somethings 指「二三十多岁的人」。

people in their 20s and 30s 这个短语也可以表示「二三十多岁的人」。

《经济学人》一篇关于躺平的文章就用到了这个词：

Many people in their 20s and 30s grumble that hard work no longer rewards them with a better quality of life. 许多二三十岁的人抱怨说，努力工作已经无法提高生活质量。

以后我们在作文里就可以用people in the ir 20s and 30s 替换young people，避免重复。

✍️总结：people in their 20s and 30s, 20- and 30-somethings ≈ young people [写作推荐]

flood 作名词是「洪水」的意思，此处flood为动词，短语 flood sth with sth 用...淹没...，喻指「使...充满...」，非常有画面感的一个词。

sb floods social media with sth 便指「某人让社交媒体上充斥着...」。
再举个例子，《经济学人》一篇关于凡尔赛的文章用到了同样的句式：

Influencers like to flaunt their wealth and success. They flood our Instagram feeds with photos of gleaming teeth and sculpted abs while we squeeze into old jeans. 网红们喜欢炫耀自己的财富和成功。Instagram上充斥着他们晒出自己炫白牙⻮、光滑腹肌的照片，反观我们，只能勉强把自己塞进旧牛仔裤。

《纽约时报》一篇关于都美竹的报道中也用到了这个词：

Ms. Du's supporters flooded the social media pages of several brands with threats of boycotts if they did not terminate their endorsement deals with Mr. Wu. One by one, the brands moved to distance themselves from him. 都美竹的支持者涌入几个品牌的社交媒体页面，威胁如果它们不终止与吴亦凡的代言协议，就会进行抵制。品牌一个接一个地开始与他保持距离。
sth floods social media 表示「社交媒体上充满…」。

《纽约时报》一篇关于医疗事故的报道中使用了该表达：

Stories of similar delays have flooded social media. 社交媒体上还有许许多多类似的治疗延误的故事。 [写作推荐]

# 03
年轻人为什么越来越不愿意结婚？

《经济学人》在文中还对结婚率下降、人口下降的原因进行了简要分析。

①There are several reasons behind this demographic crunch .

人口紧缩背后有几个原因。

crunch 作名词，指「紧要关头，困境」 (an important and often unpleasant situation or piece of information）。

demographic crunch 便表示「人口困境」。

我们在《经济学人》一篇关于人口普查的文章也讲过这个词：
This year’s megacount will provide further details about the country’s demographic crunch .今年的人口普查将展现更多细节，揭示中国正面临的人口困境。

②Young people are better educated than previous generations and more likely to spend their 20s pursuing careers. ③This is especially true of women.

年轻人比前几代人教育程度更高，更有可能在 20 多岁时追求事业，女性尤其如此。

be better educated 是be well educated的比较级，表示「受教育程度更高的」。
pursue careers 指「追求事业发展」。
sth is true of sb / sth 表示「...确实如此」。 This is especially true of sb. 指「...尤其如此」。这个句式大家背下来。
英文里还有一个高频句型： A ... , and the same is true of B 表示A和B情况相似。
比如临考时老师和学生同样面临压力，我们可以这样说：
At the daunting prospect of the examination, students must try to focus under great pressure, and the same is true of teachers.
再比如疫情期间，餐饮业和旅游业都受到重创。
Profits from the catering industry slumped due to the pandemic, and the same was true of tourism. [写作推荐]

④Owning a car and a house is seen by many as a basic requirement for settling down —and many young people have neither.

很多人认为安定生子的基本条件是要有车有房，而许多年轻人两者都没有。

see sth as sth 指「把...视为...」，这里用了它的被动形式： be seen as sth 。
by many 指「被许多人」。many 指many people。
类似的表达还有：be viewed as sth, be regarded as sth, be deemed sth等等，都是外刊高频词，大家打包一起记忆。
a basic requirement for sth 指「对…的基本要求」。

再举个例子，《金融时报》一篇关于数学的报道中有这样一句话：

Numeracy isn't a sign of geekiness, but a basic requirement for intelligent discussions of public policy. 会算术不是怪咖的标志，而是对公共政策进行理性讨论的基本要求。
settle down 表示「安顿下来，安定下来」，通常是指结婚。
举个《老友记》里的例子：

It‘s time to settle down.

而 settle for sth 表示「将就，勉强接受」，大家顺便记一记。
举个电影《小妇人》里的例子：

I will not be the person you settle for just because you cannot have her.

⑤In cities, a grueling work culture leaves little time for marriage and kids.

城市中高压工作文化也让人几乎没有时间结婚生子，农村里，高昂的彩礼也不利于婚配。

grueling [ˈgruːəlɪŋ] 为形容词，意思是「让人筋疲力尽的，非常累人的」，相当于extremely difficult and tiring。
a grueling work culture 指「高压的工作文化」。记住996的感觉，你以后就会用grueling了。

我们在《乘风破浪的姐姐们》，外媒也在叫好的综艺这篇文章里也遇见过这个词：
“Thirty sisters gather together to overcome all grudges … and labels. They will undergo gruelling training to show their best selves on stage. 海报上写着：“30位姐姐相聚一堂，克服恶意…与标签。她们将接受艰苦的训练，在舞台上展示自己最好的一面。

hefty 基本含义为「大而重的」 (big and heavy) ，当其和金钱搭配时则表示「可观的，超出一般的」 (large; larger than usual or expected) 。

比如： a hefty fine 巨额罚款。
bride price 指「彩礼，聘礼」，这个词比较直白。
还有一个说法是 betrothal gifts 。 betrothal [bi'trəuðəl] 是「订婚，婚约」的意思，betrothal gift 订婚时给的礼物，也就是「彩礼，聘礼」。

女方给的「嫁妆，陪嫁」叫 dowry [ˈdaʊəri]。

我们在经济学人：独立女性应不应该收彩礼？这篇文章也遇见过这个词：

Also like India, China has a deep cultural preference for boys. But whereas India has dowries, China has bride prices. The groom’s parents, not the bride’s, are expected to pay for the wedding and give money and property to the couple. 并且，中国也像印度一样，重男轻女文化根深蒂固。不过，印度是女方要给男方嫁妆，中国则实行彩礼制度，男方的父母负责婚礼的开支，给新婚夫妇金钱和房产。
get in the way (of sth) 表示「挡…的路，妨碍」 (to prevent sb from doing sth; to prevent sth from happening) 。
我们再来看一个美剧《绝望主妇》里的例子：

match 这里为名词，指「配对，亲事」。
再举两个例子： She made a good match. 她结了一门好亲事。

You must not think that I approve of this match. 你别以为我会赞成这门亲事。 match 还可指「配偶」。比如： He's a good match. 他是个如意郎君。

如果我们想表达A和B是天造地设的一对，我们可以说： A and B are a perfect match for each other.
make a match 则表示「说媒」。 matchmaking 指「做媒」。
而「媒人」就叫作 matchmaker 。

《纽约时报》报道租男女朋友友回家过年这一现象时，曾用过该词：

Reflecting all that, “bihun” has given rise to a thriving matchmaking industry for singletons who may prefer to rent a partner for the holiday to deceive their relatives rather than face the badgering. 作为这一切的反映，“逼婚”已经让一个为单身者牵线搭桥的行业得以蓬勃发展，这个行业专为那些想租个伴侣回家过年的人服务，这些单身者宁愿欺骗他们的亲戚，也不想听家人唠叨自己的婚姻问题。

# 04
年轻人如何与父母斗智斗勇？

①Parents don’t care for such excuses. ②Some singles have come home to find that a string of blind dates has been set up for them.

父母可不管这些借口。有些单身人士返乡后发现，家人已经安排了好几场相亲。

not care for sb / sth 表示「不喜欢...」 (to not like sb/sth) 。
我们再来看两个英美剧里的例子：

She's from the south. She doesn't care for our Northern ways.

Hello, again. Don't you care for the party either?
singles 为复数名词，表示「单身者，未婚者」。光棍节就叫作： Singles' Day。

singleton [ˈsɪŋɡltən] 也可指「单身人士」。

string [strɪŋ] 作动词，本义是「细绳，线」， a string of sth 引申为「一连串，一系列...」。
《南华早报》一篇关于李易峰嫖娼事件的文章也用到了这个词：
The accusations are the latest in a string of scandals, from tax evasion to alleged sexual assault, in China’s entertainment industry since the start of 2021.
Six tone 一篇关于打击饭圈文化的文章也用到了这个词：
The Chinese government has increased its scrutiny of the entertainment industry and its fans after a string of scandals. 娱乐圈丑闻频发，中国政府加强娱乐业及饭圈监管。
同义表达还有 a series of sth, a run of sth, a succession of sth等等。 [写作推荐]
blind date 陌生男女之间的约会，即「相亲」。
set up blind dates for sb 指「为...安排相亲」。
set sb up with sb 表示「撮合某人和某人在一起」。

③Others provide cuihun countermeasures . ④One netizen suggested telling parents that it is tough to find a partner worthy of them.

还有些年轻人提出了反催婚的策略对策。一位网友建议，跟父母说很难找到他们满意的对象。

countermeasure [ˈkaʊntəmeʒ] 表示「对策，应对措施」 (an action taken against an unwanted action or situation) 。
be worthy of sth 表示「值得...的，配得上...的」。反义词为 be unworthy of sth 。
文中worthy of them为形容词短语作a partner的后置定语，a partner worthy of them 表示「配得上他们的伴侣」。

⑤An article published two years ago in Chongqing Daily, a local newspaper, advised feigning deafness or going on the attack by interrogating aunts and uncles about their own children’s marital status .

两年前，地方报业《重庆日报》刊登了一篇文章，建议装作听不见或反问叔叔阿姨们的孩子结婚了没。

经济学人：为什么中国年轻人总被催婚？

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