啥是内卷、饭圈、凡尔赛……驻美大使秦刚给出了英文解释
10月6日，中国驻美国大使秦刚应邀在线出席“旅游和人文交流”主题论坛开幕式并发表主旨演讲。
From "people first" and "heroes in harm's way" to "involution", Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang shared popular buzzwords to explain to people in the US the profound changes in China as he encouraged them to visit the country once the pandemic is over.
Speaking online during the "US-China Regional Dialogue Series: Hospitality, Tourism and Cultural Exchange", Qin said that tourism, hospitality and cultural exchanges between China and the US are the foundations of mutual understanding and help people from the two countries correctly perceive each other.
[vɛrˈsaɪ]
"Versailles," originally from the "Palace of Versailles" in French, was borrowed to describe the self-claimed aristocratic spirit. On social media, it is used to label humble-braggers, he said.
Also made popular during China's efforts to control the pandemic was the saying ni xing zhe, or "heroes in harm's way", which refers to everyday heroes such as medical professionals, military personnel and firefighters who put their duty before their lives and made sacrifices to fight the pandemic.
The ambassador told a personal story to illustrate why the government unveiled a policy to address nei juan, or "involution", a buzzword meaning irrational or involuntary competition, which makes people feel burned out. "I still remember over 10 years ago, my weekends were spent rushing my kid from one training school to another, and the courses he took ranged from math to physics," he said. After a whole day of classes, a tutor came to the family home in the evening. When the tutoring session finished, Qin had to help his son with his composition homework.
"This is totally different from previous generations, who didn't have the luxury to 'lie flat', because they had to tighten their belts and work hard to earn a living," he said, adding that younger people are facing greater pressure than older generations when it comes to employment.
Qin said more people don't approve of the "lie-flatters", who they believe are self-centered, and have greater respect for the "heroes in harm's way".
That's why most parents felt a burden had been lifted when education authorities rolled out shuang jian, or double reduction. The policy reduced the excessive homework load and after-school tutoring hours for students, giving them more time for sports, play and hobbies.
The last buzzword, "Celebrity Fan Clubs," refers to the phenomenon that some celebrities use internet to hype up themselves and cause their fans to admire them in an irrational manner, while such abnormalities stem from a chain of interests dominated by online platforms and the capital that supports them, he said.
The ambassador said the buzzwords "reflect the changing and unchanging elements in our values" as China experiences rapid economic growth and profound social transformation. "We need to keep fine traditional values, uphold fairness and justice and not get lost in a market economy," he said.
其中，他的不少言论风趣幽默，让人眼前一亮，比如他在9月13日参加一场活动时，曾在开场白中打趣透露，在成为驻美大使前，他当时在即将开放的北京环球影城经历了最后一道考验——乘坐过山车，过程跌宕起伏，十分刺激。
“邀请方告诉我，这个过山车是《变形金刚》主题，是整个乐园中最刺激的项目。过山车大起大落的轨道，让我想起了近几年来的中美关系，所以我决定先坐为敬。但我的邀请方犹豫了，他们问：您确定要坐？我说：必须的！这是我做中国驻美大使前的最后一道考验。于是我就上去了，过山车大起大落，急弯倒挂，让人十分紧张，但我都能承受。最终，过山车稳稳地回到了最开始的轨道，平稳着陆，我也通过了驻美工作前的最后一道考验。所以，我来了，与你们共克时艰！”秦刚说道。
来源：中国日报双语新闻