“高价彩礼”真为了“攀比”吗？|外刊双语

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　　今天跟大家分享的外刊取自2023年纽约时报，中英文双语均来源纽约时报中文网。

　　The 30 women sat in wooden chairs, facing each other in a rectangular formation. At the front of the room was the ruling Party’s hammer and sickle logo, with a sign declaring the meeting’s purpose: "Symposium of unmarried young women of the right age."

　　30名女性面对面坐在木椅上，围成一个长方形。房间正面有党的锤子镰刀标志，还有一条横幅宣告会议的目的："适龄未婚女青年座谈会"。

　　1. facing each other...：是主句的伴随状语。

　　2. in a rectangular formation：in a... formation指组成……的队形。

　　3. At the front of the room was the ruling Party’s hammer and sickle logo：是倒装句。纽约时报例句：At the far end of the bay, set against a mountain slope and surrounded by bog land, was a cluster of dilapidated, rusty, corrugated iron buildings. 在海湾的远端，背靠一座山坡，被沼泽地包围着的是一群年久失修、褪色起皱的铁房子。

　　Officials in Daijiapu, a town in southeast China, had gathered the women to sign a public pledge to reject high "bride prices," referring to a wedding custom in which the man gives money to his future wife’s family as a condition of engagement. The local government, describing the event earlier this year in a notice on its website, said it hoped people would abandon such backward customs and do their part to "start a new civilized trend."

　　中国东南部戴家埔乡的官员们召集这些女性签署了一份公开承诺，抵制高价"彩礼"。这是指一种婚礼习俗，男方要向未来妻子的家人付钱，以作为订婚条件。今年早些时候，当地政府在其网站上的一则通知中描述了这件事，并希望人们摒弃这种落后的习俗，为"移风易俗"尽自己的一份力量。

　　1. high "bride prices,"：注意标点符号在双引号里面，后面还有After "great efforts on all sides," officials said。

　　2. 高价"彩礼"：high bride prices，lavish marriage payments，exorbitant marriage payments。

　　As China faces a shrinking population, officials are cracking down on an ancient tradition of betrothal gifts to try to promote marriages, which have been on the decline. Known in Mandarin as caili, the payments have skyrocketed across the country in recent years — averaging $20,000 in some provinces — making marriage increasingly unaffordable. The payments are typically paid by the groom’s parents.

　　随着中国面临人口萎缩，官员们正在打击古老的彩礼传统，试图提振不断下滑的结婚率。近年来，全国各地的彩礼费用飙升，在一些省份平均为14万元，这使得人们越来越难以负担结婚的费用。这些费用通常由新郎的父母支付。

　　1. on the decline：下降

　　2. 破折号前后是一起的：the payments have skyrocketed across the country in recent years — averaging $20,000 in some provinces — making marriage increasingly unaffordable中破折号前后是一起的，即the payments have skyrocketed across the country in recent years, making marriage increasingly unaffordable，这样很明显making...是主句的结果状语。

　　To curb the practice, local governments have rolled out propaganda campaigns such as the Daijiapu event, instructing unmarried women not to compete with one another in demanding the highest prices. Some town officials have imposed caps on caili or even directly intervened in private negotiations between families.

　　为了遏制这种行为，地方政府开展了宣传活动，戴家埔的活动也是其中一例，它们指导未婚女性不要相互攀比着要求最高规格的彩礼。一些乡镇官员对彩礼设置上限，甚至直接干预家庭之间的私下谈判。

　　Even so, the government’s campaign has drawn criticism as reinforcing sexist stereotypes of women.

　　即便如此，政府的宣传活动还是遭到了批评，称其强化了对女性的性别偏见。

　　After the Daijiapu event went viral on social media, a flurry of commenters questioned why the burden of solving the problem fell on women. Some commenters urged officials to convene similar meetings for men to teach them how to be more equal partners in marriage.

　　戴家埔的活动在社交媒体上疯传后，大量评论人士质疑，为什么解决问题的负担落在了女性身上。一些评论人士敦促官员们为男性召开类似的会议，教他们如何在婚姻中成为更平等的伴侣。

　　The imbalance is most pronounced in rural areas, where there are now 19 million more men than women. Many rural women prefer to marry men in cities to obtain an urban household registration permit, or hukou, which provides access to better schools, housing and health care.

　　这种不平衡在农村地区最为明显，那里的男性比女性多1900万。许多农村女性更愿意嫁给城市男性，以获得城市户口，从而获得更好的教育资源、住房和医疗保健。

　　Poorer men in rural areas must pay more to marry because the women’s families want a stronger guarantee that they can provide for their daughters, a move that instead could plunge them deeper into poverty.

　　农村地区较贫穷的男性必须支付更多的结婚费用，因为女性的家庭希望他们能够为女儿提供更强有力的保障，而此举可能会让男性家庭陷入更深的贫困。

　　"This has broken many families," said Yuying Tong, a sociology professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "The parents spend all their money and go financially bankrupt just to find a wife for their son."

　　"这让许多家庭破裂，"香港中文大学社会学教授同钰莹说。"父母花光了所有的钱，甚至破产，就为了给儿子找个老婆。"

　　Officials have acknowledged their limited ability to eliminate a custom that many families see as a marker of social status. In rural areas, neighbors may gossip about women who command low prices, questioning whether something is wrong with them, according to researchers who study the custom.

　　官员们承认，该习俗被许多家庭视为社会地位的标志，他们移风易俗的能力有限。据研究该习俗的人士称，在农村地区，邻居们可能会对那些要价低的女性说三道四，质疑她们是否有什么问题。

　　The tradition is also linked to entrenched attitudes about the role of women as caregivers in families. In parts of rural China, the payment is still seen as a purchase of the bride’s labor and fertility from her parents, researchers say. Once married, the woman has typically been expected to move in with her husband’s family, get pregnant and be responsible for housework, child raising and the care of her in-laws.

　　这一传统也同女性在家庭中扮演照顾者角色这一根深蒂固的观念有关。研究人员说，在中国农村的部分地区，彩礼仍被视为从新娘的父母那里购买新娘的劳动和生育能力。一旦结婚，女性通常会搬到夫家，怀上孩子、负责家务、抚养孩子和照顾公婆。

　　Securing a high marriage payment can be a way for lower-income families with daughters to build savings for unexpected medical bills or other emergencies. And with parents living longer, some women are demanding higher prices as reimbursement for being the primary caregivers of the older generation, researchers say.

　　对于有女儿的低收入家庭来说，通过婚姻获得一大笔钱可能是一种攒钱的方式，以便应对意外的医疗费用或其他紧急情况。研究人员说，父母年龄越大，一些女性要求彩礼越高，作为对父母主要照顾者的补偿。

　　1. secure：获得，得到。"找到一份不错的工作"就可以说secure a decent job。

　　2. a way for lower-income families with daughters to build savings：是a way for sb to do sth的用法。

　　Sociologists say a more effective way for the government to curb the tradition would be to put more funding toward child care and into health care for seniors.

　　社会学家表示，要想遏制这一传统，政府更有效的方法是向儿童保育和老年人的医疗保健投入更多资金。

　　As more young Chinese delay or shun marriage altogether, their parents’ expectations around marriage payments are shifting, said Liu Guoying, 58, a matchmaker in Nanchang, the capital city of Jiangxi Province, which is notorious for bride prices that can exceed $50,000.

　　58岁的刘国英（音）是南昌市的一名媒人，她说，随着越来越多的中国年轻人推迟结婚或完全不结婚，父母对彩礼的期望正在发生变化。南昌是江西省省会，该省以彩礼高昂而闻名，有时超过35万元。

　　Parents eager to facilitate a smooth start to the marriage are increasingly passing the payment to the newlyweds as a gift. Some parents so desperately want their daughters to be married that they are willing to settle for less cash as long as the prospective sons-in-law treats their children well.

　　越来越多的父母为了让婚姻有个顺利的开始，会把钱作为礼物送给新婚夫妇。一些父母非常希望自己的女儿能出嫁，只要未来的女婿对自己的孩子好，他们愿意少要点钱。

　　1. Some parents so desperately want their daughters to be married that：是so...that句型。

　　2. settle for：无奈接受，勉强接受

　　"Pity the hearts of the parents of the world," Ms. Liu said.

　　"可怜天下父母心，"刘国英说。

　　A new generation of women, more educated than their parents, may also be playing a role in changing attitudes around the issue. A 2020 survey of around 2,000 people in China found that highly educated couples were less likely to pay bride prices, believing that loving each other was enough.

　　新一代女性受教育程度比父母高，可能也在改变人们对这个问题的态度方面发挥了作用。2020年，中国一项针对约2000人的调查发现，学历越高，送出或收到彩礼的比例越低，他们认为两个人相爱就好。

　　But even for women like Luki Chan, 27, who went to college, an opportunity her mother never had, escaping the pressure of hometown traditions can be difficult.

　　但即使对于像27岁的露琪·陈（音）这样上过大学——她的母亲从未有这样的上学机会——的女性来说，要摆脱老家习俗的压力也很不容易。

　　Ms. Chan grew up in a mountainous region of Fujian, a province in southeast China where marriage payments are often high. Her mother expects to receive at least $14,000 from the groom when Ms. Chan gets married, she said, as repayment for the money she spent on her schooling.

　　陈女士在中国东南省份福建的山区长大，那里的彩礼往往很高。她母亲对彩礼的期望值不少于10万，希望能把读书花的钱补回来。

　　Now, Ms. Chan is building her own career in Shanghai as a theater producer and is in the process of registering for marriage documents with her Taiwanese boyfriend. Ms. Chan fears that when her parents find out, their demands for a bride price will ultimately prevail. Ms. Chan rejects the tradition, regarding it as tantamount to being sold.

　　现在，陈女士在上海从事戏剧制作人的工作，并且正在与来自台湾的男友办理结婚手续。她担心若是父母知晓这件事，恐怕会坚持索要彩礼。陈女士很反感这样的习俗，感觉这就像自己被卖掉。

　　"When I see the patriarchal system that exploits women, and the misogynistic marriage customs, I am very scared to discuss marriage with my family," she said.

　　"看到重男轻女的制度和婚姻习俗，我很害怕跟家里人讲我结婚的事，"她说。

　　Officials see the lavish payments as an urgent problem that could hinder economic development and trigger social instability.

　　官员们认为，高额彩礼是一个紧迫的问题，可能会阻碍经济发展，并导致社会的不稳定。

　　Across the country, cities are trying to popularize the idea of getting engaged without exchanging money. This month, local officials in Nanchang hosted a free mass wedding for 100 couples who got married simultaneously inside a huge sports stadium, touting the slogan "We Want Happiness, Not Bride Price."

　　中国各地的城市都在努力推广不收彩礼的理念。本月，南昌的地方官员在一个巨大的体育场为百对新人举办了一场免费的集体婚礼，宣传口号是"不要彩礼要幸福"。

　　The couples wore red and gold traditional Chinese wedding outfits, performing the ceremony in a synchronized choreography. Their relatives watched from the bleachers, with local government officials getting the prime seats.

　　新人们穿着红色和金色的中国传统婚礼服装，一起举行结婚仪式，舞姿统一。他们的亲属坐在看台上，官员则占据着主宾位置。

　　1. synchronized：美/ˈsɪŋkrənaɪzd/adj. 同步的；同步化的。

　　2. choreography美/ˌkɔːriˈɑːɡrəfi/：编舞，舞艺。

　　3. bleacher：美/ˈbliːtʃər/n. （美）露天看台。

　　But in a sign of how much the custom still persists, dozens of residents across China in the past year have complained to local officials in online message boards about exorbitant marriage payments.

　　在过去一年里，有数十名民众在政府的网络留言板上抱怨高价彩礼的问题，可见这样的习俗在民间仍然盛行。

　　1. in a sign of/that：表显然，可见，有一件事情能表明……；有迹象表明……。如金融时报例句：In one sign of the importance of distribution partnerships, a deal that makes Google the default on the Firefox web browser has helped turn Mozilla, the group behind the browser, into one of the fastest-growing Internet companies in Silicon Valley. 有一个例子能显示分销合作关系的重要性：将谷歌设为firefox网络浏览器默认搜索引擎的一项协议，使该浏览器的开发商mozilla集团成为硅谷成长最快的互联网公司之一。

　　In a sign that she wants to improve relations, she called leading bankers on the day of her appointment. 在接受任命的当天，沃伦给几位重要的银行家打了电话，显然是希望与他们改善关系。

　　2. persist：继续存在。外刊中有常见rife表盛行，如经济学人精读：婚姻观念的变化 | 外刊双语中这句：Child marriage, once rife, is ebbing. 还有rife的同义词widespread，prevailing，prevalent。

　　In one post last summer, a resident said he was "begging" his local government to regulate marriage payments in his rural village of Baixiang in southwest China, where many farmers live in poverty.

　　在去年夏天的一个帖子里，来自西南部柏香村的民众留言，"恳求"当地政府整治彩礼问题。当地有许多农民生活在贫困中。

　　Three weeks later, county officials replied that they had sent a team of investigators to interrogate the resident’s girlfriend at her home. She told investigators that her parents agreed to marry her off for about $40,000 and refused her pleas to lower the price. The boyfriend’s family had paid only half of it so far.

　　三周后，县里的官员回复，他们已经派了调查组到该居民的女朋友家里进行调查了解。她告诉调查人员，她的父母约定的聘金约30万元，并拒绝了她不要收那么高彩礼的请求。到目前为止，男方仅付了一半的钱。

　　1. interrogate美/ɪnˈterəɡeɪt/v. 审问，讯问，质问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询。

　　2. plea：美/pliː/n. 恳求，请求；（法庭上所作的）有罪（无罪）陈述；借口，托辞。

　　After "great efforts on all sides," officials said, the girlfriend’s father agreed to a payment of about $9,000 and returned the rest to the boyfriend’s family. The refund took place at the local Communist Party bureau, with party officials as witnesses.

　　官员们说，通过"多方努力"，女友的父亲同意收7万元，退还超出部分。退还彩礼是在当地党支部进行的，有党官员在一旁见证。

　　The officials concluded their report with a message for the couple: "Wishing you a happy life!"

　　官方在回复的最后祝福这对夫妇："祝您生活愉快！"

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