ChinesePod
@ 50638 相親活動
A 喲，怎麼這麼多人圍在一起？還有照片？他們都在找失蹤的人嗎？
yō, zěnme zhème duō rén wéi zài yīqǐ? hái yǒu zhàopiàn? tāmen dōu zài zhǎo shīzōng de rén ma?
Huh, why are there so many people gathered around? And why do they have pictures? Are they all looking for lost people?
B 不是，這是相親。都是父母給自己的孩子物色對象。孩子自己不來，他們就帶著照片來。
bù shì, zhè shì xiāngqīn. dōu shì fùmǔ gěi zìjǐ de háizi wùsè duìxiàng. háizi zìjǐ bù lái, tāmen jiù dài zhe zhàopiàn lái.
No, they're checking out potential spouses. They're all parents helping their children check out matches. The kids themselves don't come. They just bring pictures.
A 真奇怪。這種事情當然要自己看咯。怎麼能讓父母代勞呢？
zhēn qíguài. zhèzhǒng shìqing dāngrán yào zìjǐ kàn lo. zěnme néng ràng fùmǔ dàiláo ne?
That's really odd. Of course you need to see for yourself with this kind of thing. How can you make your parents do the work for you?
B 傳統思想的影響吧。以前都是父母做主，孩子沒有選擇的權力。
chuántǒng sīxiǎng de yǐngxiǎng ba. yǐqián dōu shì fùmǔ zuòzhǔ, háizi méiyǒu xuǎnzé de quánlì.
That must be the influence of traditional thinking. In the past it was always the parents in charge. Kids had no power to choose.
A 現在大家還這麼封建嗎？也有年輕人願意？
xiànzài dàjiā hái zhème fēngjiàn ma? yě yǒu niánqīngrén yuànyì?
Is everybody still so feudal now? Are there young people who are OK with this?
B 有些父母是瞞著孩子來的。他們擔心孩子的朋友圈小，沒有機會接觸異性。或者工作太忙了，沒時間找對象。
yǒuxiē fùmǔ shì mán zhe háizi lái de. tāmen dānxīn háizi de péngyou quān xiǎo, méiyǒu jīhuì jiēchù yìxìng. huòzhě gōngzuò tài máng le, méi shíjiān zhǎo duìxiàng.
Some parents don't tell their kids that they are coming. They worry that their kids' social circle is too small, and they have no opportunity to meet members of the opposite sex. Or they are too busy with work, and have no time to look for a mate.
A 算了吧。如果忙到這種程度，乾脆別談戀愛了。還相什麼親啊？
suàn le ba. rúguǒ máng dào zhèzhǒng chéngdù, gāncuì bié tán liàn'ài le. hái xiāng shénme qīn a?
Oh, forget it. If you're that busy, then just completely forget about romance. Why go looking for mates?
B 其實現在的相親和以前不一樣。已經不是父母之命、媒妁之言的時代了。現在只是作為認識異性的一種方式。再說，很多時候相親都是父母逼的。好多人自己也不願意，但是老爸老媽天天在耳邊嘮叨。“年齡不小了，要抓緊啊！”所以要想他們不嘮叨，只有屈服。好在現在的父母也開通了不少，只要孩子見面後覺得不合適，他們也不會逼你去發展。
qíshí xiànzài de xiāngqīn hé yǐqián bù yīyàng. yǐjīng bù shì fùmǔ zhī mìng, méishuò zhī yán de shídài le. xiànzài zhǐshì zuòwéi rènshi yìxìng de yī zhǒng fāngshì. zàishuō, hěn duō shíhou xiāngqīn dōu shì fùmǔ bī de. hǎo duō rén zìjǐ yě bù yuànyì, dànshì lǎobà lǎomā tiāntiān zài ěrbiān láodao. `` niánlíng bù xiǎo le, yào zhuājǐn a!" suǒyǐ yàoxiǎng tāmen bù láodao, zhǐyǒu qūfú. hǎozài xiànzài de fùmǔ yě kāitong le bùshǎo, zhǐyào háizi jiànmiàn hòu juéde bù héshì, tāmen yě bùhuì bī nǐ qù fāzhǎn.
Actually, this kind of match-making is different from in the old days. These days it's not dependent on the on the mother and father and the match-maker's opinion. These days, it's just one way of meeting someone from the opposite sex. Plus, a lot of this matchmaking is ordered by the parents. A lot of people don't want to, but every day there parents are nagging away. ``You're not so young anymore, you need to hurry up!" So if you want to get them to stop nagging, you can only submit. The good news is that these days parents have become much more progressive. If their kid doesn't like the match after meeting in person, they won't make you keep dating.
A 這倒是。不像以前父母就是綁也要把你綁上花轎，結果弄出那麼多悲劇來。現在父母的觀念變了，仔細想想，相親也沒什麼不好的。你想，我們父母那時候都是這樣認識的。好多人還是先結婚後戀愛的呢。感情不也都挺好的嘛。
zhè dàoshì. bù xiàng yǐqián fùmǔ jiùshì bǎng yě yào bǎ nǐ bǎngshàng huājiào, jiéguǒ nòngchū nàme duō bēijù lái. xiànzài fùmǔ de guānniàn biàn le, zǐxì xiǎngxiang, xiāngqīn yě méi shénme bù hǎo de. nǐ xiǎng, wǒmen fùmǔ nà shíhou dōu shì zhèyàng rènshi de. hǎo duō rén háishi xiān jiéhūn hòu liàn'ài de ne. gǎnqíng bù yě dōu tǐng hǎo de ma.
That's true. It's not like in the past where the parents would all but tie you to the bridal chair. That led to a lot of tragedies. These days, parents' thinking has changed a lot. If you think about it, there's actually nothing wrong with match-making. Think about it, our parents all met in that way. A lot of people got married before their courtship. Isn't that great?
B 是啊。大家目的明確。一來二去就成了，效率多高啊。
shì a. dàjiā mùdì míngquè. yī lái èr qù jiù chéng le, xiàolǜ duō gāo a.
Yes. Everyone's goals are clear. It just moves along naturally. It's really efficient.
A 可是有時我覺得這樣一點空間都沒有，體會不到愛情中應有的浪漫。
kěshì yǒushí wǒ juéde zhèyàng yīdiǎn kōngjiān dōu méiyǒu, tǐhuì bu dào àiqíng zhōng yīngyǒu de làngmàn.
But sometimes I think that way, there's no freedom to maneuver. You can't experience the feelings of romance that come with love.
B 什麼浪漫不浪漫的，找不到結婚對象才叫人苦惱呢。一個勁兒地去相親，煩都煩死了。我公司就經常組織年齡差不多的人去聯誼，搞什麼玫瑰俱樂部。雖然不直說是相親，但是大家都心知肚明。另外，現在電視上出現了越來越多的相親類節目，更搞笑的是有好多人擠破頭地去報名呢。
shénme làngmàn bù làngmàn de, zhǎobudào jiéhūn duìxiàng cái jiào rén kǔnǎo ne. yīgejìnr de qù xiāngqīn, fán dōu fánsǐ le. wǒ gōngsī jiù jīngcháng zǔzhī niánlíng chàbuduō de rén qù liányì, gǎo shénme méigui jùlèbù. suīrán bù zhíshuō shì xiāngqīn, dànshì dàjiā dōu xīnzhīdùmíng. lìngwài, xiànzài diànshì shàng chūxiàn le yuèláiyuèduō de xiāngqīn lèi jiémù, gèng gǎoxiào de shì yǒu hǎo duō rén jǐpòtóu de qù bàomíng ne.
Why are you worrying about romance-- if you can't find someone to marry, that's when your life is really tough. Looking for a mate with all your energy, you'll be totally frustrated.
A 那種都是假的。通過一個節目就能速配成功，那能叫感情嗎？還有，我最受不了那種特別觀念很重的相親了。一坐下來就問對方有沒有房子，有沒有車子，有多少存款什麼的。這多沒勁啊！又不是和錢結婚。
nàzhǒng dōu shì jiǎ de. tōngguò yī ge jiémù jiù néng sùpèi chénggōng, nà néng jiào gǎnqíng ma? háiyǒu, wǒ zuì shòubuliǎo nàzhǒng tèbié gōnglì, méndì guānniàn hěn zhòng de xiāngqīn le. yī zuò xiàlai jiù wèn duìfāng yǒuméiyǒu fángzi, yǒuméiyǒu chēzi, yǒu duōshao cúnkuǎn shénme de. zhè duō méijìn a! yòu bù shì hé qián jiéhūn.
Our company often organizes friendship activities for people of about the same age. It's called, like, The Rose Club. Although they don't explicitly say it's for match-making, everyone knows implicitly. Also, recently on TV there have been more and more match-making programs. Even more ridiculous, a lot of people go hellbent for leather to sign up.
B 我也特別反感這種開口閉口就是錢的人了。對了，最近特別流行網絡相親，我有個朋友就是這樣認識，然後閃電式結婚的。
wǒ yě tèbié fǎngǎn zhèzhǒng kāikǒubìkǒu jiùshì qián de rén le. duì le, zuìjìn tèbié liúxíng wǎngluò xiāngqīn, wǒ yǒu ge péngyou jiùshì zhèyàng rènshi, ránhòu shǎndiàn shì jiéhūn de.
Those things are all fake. After going on a program they can match off quickly? Where is the emotion? The thing I can't stand is those relatives who care so much about status and fame. As soon as they sit down they ask the counterpart if they have a house, a car, how much savings they have. It's so boring! You're not getting married to the money!
A 不會吧？這也行？網上的十有八九是騙子。
bùhuì ba? zhè yě xíng? wǎngshàng de shíyǒubājiǔ shì piànzi.
I also really can't stand people who only talk about money. Oh, right- these days online match-making is really popular. I have a friend who met their partner that way, and then immediately got married.
B 那有什麼辦法，人家願意唄。
nà yǒu shénme bànfǎ, rénjiā yuànyì bēi.
No way! Does that work? People online are probably frauds!
A 哎，婚姻、愛情，就是能讓人失去理智和判斷力。你別看我一副鄙視相親的樣子。其實我成天盼著趕快遇到自己的白馬王子。
āi, hūnyīn, àiqíng, jiùshì néng ràng rén shīqù lǐzhì hé pànduàn lì. nǐ bié kàn wǒ yī fù bǐshì xiāngqīn de yàngzi. qíshí wǒ chéngtiān pàn zhe gǎnkuài yùdào zìjǐ de báimǎwángzǐ.
People will use any method, I guess.
B 我看，你的希望馬上就要實現了！剛才有幾個阿姨一直盯著你看，說不定當中就有你未來的婆婆哦。
wǒ kàn, nǐ de xīwàng mǎshàng jiù yào shíxiàn le! gāngcái yǒu jǐ ge āyí yīzhí dīng zhe nǐ kàn, shuōbudìng dāngzhōng jiù yǒu nǐ wèilái de pópo o.
Agh, marriage and love can make people lose their sense and judgment. Don't look at my anti-matchmaking ways. Actually, I'm hoping everyday to bump into my own Prince Charming.
I see, you also hope to make it happen immediately! Just now there were a few older ladies staring at you. Who knows, maybe one of them is your future mother-in-law.
Key Vocabulary
相親 xiāngqīn match-making activity
物色 wùsè to seek out something suitable
對象 duìxiàng object
代勞 dàiláo to do something for someone
父母之命、媒妁之言 fùmǔ zhī mìng, méishuò zhī yán parental commands and a matchmaker's words
開通 kāitong open-minded
一來二去 yī lái èr qù in the course of contacts
一個勁兒 yīgejìnr continuously
聯誼 liányì friendship ties
心知肚明 xīnzhīdùmíng to know tacitly
速配 sùpèi to quickly match
功利 gōnglì interest and gain
門第觀念 méndì guānniàn matters of family status
開口閉口 kāikǒubìkǒu to repeatedly talk of one thing
十有八九 shíyǒubājiǔ most likely
Supplementary Vocabulary
媒婆 méipó matchmaker (female)
做媒 zuòméi to be a matchmaker
包辦 bāobàn to take care of the whole job
相中 xiāngzhòng to settle on
開明 kāimíng enlightened
門當戶對 méndānghùduì to be well-matched socially and economically
牽線搭橋 qiānxiàndāqiáo to act as a go-between
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