ChinesePod
@ 50851 鑽石
A 沒想到鑽石那麼貴！幾萬塊錢只能買綠豆那麼點兒大的。
méixiǎngdào zuànshí nàme guì! jǐ wàn kuài qián zhǐnéng mǎi lǜdòu nàme diǎnr dà de.
I had no idea diamonds were so expensive! Tens of thousands of RMB and you only get one as big as a green bean.
B 你給女朋友挑鑽戒去了？
nǐ gěi nǚpéngyou tiāo zuànjiè qù le ?
You went looking for a diamond ring for your girlfriend?
A 是啊。要求婚，沒鑽戒怎麼行？我女朋友深受廣告毒害，成天旁敲側擊地提醒我。
shì a. yào qiúhūn, méi zuànjiè zěnme xíng? wǒ nǚpéngyou shēnshòu guǎnggào dúhài, chéngtiān pángqiāocèjī de tíxǐng wǒ.
Yeah. How can you propose if you don't have a diamond ring? My girlfriend has been profoundly affected by the evils of advertising. She's constantly dropping hints and prodding me.
B 女人好像都有鑽石情結，一看就暈。不過老實說，鑽石確實是挺漂亮的。比那些紅寶石、藍寶石高貴多了，而且又稀有。
nǚrén hǎoxiàng dōu yǒu zuànshí qíngjié , yī kàn jiù yūn. bùguò lǎoshí shuō, zuànshí quèshí shì tǐng piàoliang de. bǐ nàxiē hóng bǎoshí, lán bǎoshí gāoguì duō le, érqiě yòu xīyǒu.
It seems like girls all have a fixation on diamonds. They go gaga at the sight of one. But frankly, diamonds really are very beautiful. They're more valuable than rubies and sapphires, and much rarer.
A 什麼呀？這都是開採商的陰謀，故意誇大鑽石的稀有，而且操控價格。其實非洲、 俄羅斯有大把大把的鑽石。你沒看《血鑽》啊？
shénme ya? zhè dōu shì kāicǎi shāng de yīnmóu, gùyì kuādà zuànshí de xīyǒu, érqiě cāokòng jiàgé. qíshí Fēizhōu, E2luósī yǒu dàbǎdàbǎ de zuànshí. nǐ méi kàn《Xiězuàn》a?
What? That's a conspiracy among the miners. They intentionally exaggerate the scarcity of diamonds and control the price. Actually, Africa and Russia have loads of diamonds. Haven't you seen ``Blood Diamond"?
B 沒看。我只聽過鑽石恆久遠，一顆永流傳。
méi kàn. wǒ zhǐ tīng guò zuànshíhéngjiǔyuǎn, yīkēyǒngliúchuán .
No. I've only heard that diamonds are forever. One piece can be passed down indefinitely.
A 看來你也中毒不輕。這種廣告詞你也信？
kànlai nǐ yě zhòngdú bù qīng. zhè zhǒng guǎnggàocí nǐ yě xìn?
Looks like you also caught the diamond bug. You also believe in those ads?
B 你幹嘛那麼憤世嫉俗呀？鑽石又沒招你惹你？
nǐ gànma nà me fènshìjísú ya? zuànshí yòu méi zhāo nǐ rě nǐ!
Why are you so angry at the world? What did diamonds ever do to you?
A 怎麼沒有？這個血淋淋的行業現在要把我的口袋掏空了，我抱怨幾句還不行嗎？
zěnme méiyǒu? zhè ge xiělínlín de hángyè xiànzài yào bǎ wǒ de kǒudài tāo kōng le, wǒ bàoyuàn jǐ jù hái bùxíng ma?
What did they ever do to me? This blood-soaked industry is picking my pockets. What's wrong with complaining a bit?
B 好了啦，我也只是隨便說說。對了，你準備買多大的？
hǎo le la, wǒ yě zhǐshì suíbiàn shuōshuo . duìle, nǐ zhǔnbèi mǎi duō dà de?
Fine, I'm was just saying...Oh, right. How big of one are you planning to buy?
A 你應該問多小的。我辛苦工作一年也買不起一克拉的鑽石。其實我們以前沒有結婚要送鑽戒這個概念，都是這幾年被廣告蒙的。
nǐ yīnggāi wèn duōxiǎo de. wǒ xīnkǔ gōngzuò yī nián yě mǎibùqǐ yī kèlā de zuànshí. qíshí wǒ men yǐqián méiyǒu jiéhūn yào sòng zuànjiè zhè ge gàiniàn, dōu shì zhèjǐnián bèi guǎnggào mēng de.
You should ask how small of one. Even if I work like a dog for a year I can't even afford one that weighs a carat. Actually, in the past we never had the custom of giving diamond rings when you propose. Lately, people have been duped by advertising.
B 這倒是，從前大家結婚就買個金戒指，既經濟又實惠。而且我們傳統上也更喜歡顏色喜慶一點兒的寶石，比如翡翠什麼的。
zhè dàoshì, cóngqián dàjiā jiéhūn jiù mǎi ge jīn jièzhi, jì jīngjì yòu shíhuì. érqiě wǒmen chuántǒng shàng yě gèng xǐhuan yánsè xǐqìng yīdiǎnr de bǎoshí, bǐrú fěicuì shénme de.
That is true. In the past, everyone just bought a gold ring when they got married. It was economical and had a tangible benefit. And traditionally, we liked gems with happy colors, like jadeite and such.
A 哎，回到以前多好。那時候連婚都不用求，家裡人商量商量就把婚給結了。哪兒來那麼多麻煩事兒？
ai, huídào yǐqián duōhǎo. nàshíhòu lián hūn dōu bùyòng qiú, jiālǐrén shāngliàngshāngliàng jiù bǎ hūn gěi jié le. nǎr lái nàme duō máfan shìr ?
Ah, it would be so good to get back to the past. In those days you didn't even need to propose. Your family members would just talk things over and then you'd get married. Where did all these annoying things come from?
B 誰叫你愛她呢？認了吧。再說，鑽石是保值的，你就當投資吧。
shéi jiào nǐ ài tā ne? rènle ba. zài shuō, zuànshí shì bǎozhí de, nǐ jiù dàng tóuzī ba.
Who said you had to love her? Accept it, bud. And furthermore, diamonds keep their value. See it as an investment.
A 你怎麼跟那個售貨員說得一樣？一個勁兒慫恿我買裸鑽，說這種最保值。
nǐ zěnme gēn nà ge shòuhuòyuán shuō de yíyàng? yīgèjìnr sǒngyǒng wǒ mǎi luǒ zuàn, shuō zhè zhǒng zuì bǎozhí.
How come you sound just like that salesman? Trying to talk me into buying a diamond, he said this kind keeps its value the best.
B 反正都要買，你就咬咬牙吧。再說，雖然戴在你老婆手上，其實是給你長臉。
fǎnzhèng dōu yào mǎi, nǐ jiù yǎoyao yá ba. zài shuō , suīrán dài zài nǐ lǎopo shǒu shàng, qíshí shì gěi nǐ zhǎngliǎn.
Anyway you've got to buy it. So just grit your teeth and go for it. And what's more, although your wife wears it, it will give you a lot of prestige.
A 饒了我吧。 我買還不行嗎？
ráo le wǒ ba. wǒ mǎi hái bùxíng ma?
Ah, forget it. Is there anyway I could get away with not buying it?
Key Vocabulary
毒害 dúhài to poison
旁敲側擊 pángqiāocèjī to fish for information
情結 qíngjié complex
陰謀 yīnmóu plot
操控 cāokòng to manipulate
中毒 zhòngdú poisoned
憤世嫉俗 fènshìjísú angry and dissatisfied
招惹 zhāorě to provoke
血淋淋 xiělínlín bloody
克拉 kèlā karat
翡翠 fěicuì chrysolite
喜慶 xǐqìng celebratory
保值 bǎozhí to maintain value
慫恿 sǒngyǒng to incite
裸鑽 luǒzuàn unset diamond
長臉 zhǎngliǎn to make someone look good
Supplementary Vocabulary
色澤 sèzé color
淨度 jìngdù clarity
切割 qiēgē cut
重量 zhòngliàng weight
鑑定 jiàndìng to appraise
收藏 shōucáng to collect
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