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@ 50334 慶祝生日
A 這照片裡的孩子是誰啊？
zhè zhàopiàn lǐ de háizi shì shéi ā?
Who is the kid in this photo?
B 這麼漂亮可愛的孩子，除了我還會是誰？
zhème piàoliang kěài de háizi, chúle wǒ huán huì shì shéi?
Such a cute child-- if it wasn't me, who would it be?
A 少臭美了。我怎麼看都覺得不像你。這是什麼時候照的呀？
shǎo chòuměi le. wǒ zěnme kàn dōu juéde bù xiàng nǐ. zhè shì shénme shíhou zhào de yā?
Don't be so high on yourself. No matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem like you. When was this photo taken?
B 我“抓週”的時候照的。
wǒ `` zhuāzhōu" de shíhou zhào de.
It was taken when I was ``Grabbing at my First Year."
A “抓週”？
`` zhuāzhōu"
``Grabbing at your First Year?"
B 是啊，就是在孩子一週歲生日的那天，在他面前放上書、筆、尺、錢幣、印章等東西讓他抓，最先抓到什麼就說明他對什麼最感興趣，將來可能從事這方面的工作。比方說，如果抓到筆，長大就可能當作家；抓到印章，將來就可能做官。
shì ā, jiùshì zài háizi yī zhōusuì shēngrì de nàtiān, zài tā miànqián fàngshàng shū, bǐ, chǐ, qiánbì, yìnzhāng děng dōngxi ràng tā zhuā, zuìxiān zhuādào shénme jiù shuōmíng tā duì shénme zuì gǎnxìngqù, jiānglái kěnéng cóngshì zhè fāngmiàn de gōngzuò. bǐfangshuō, rúguǒ zhuādào bǐ, zhǎngdà jiù kěnéng dàng zuòjiā; zhuādào yìnzhāng, jiānglái jiù kěnéng zuòguān.
Yeah, that's a child's first birthday. You put a book, a brush, a ruler, some money, a chop and some other stuff in front of him and have him grab one. The first thing he grabs is what he's most interested in. Maybe his job in the future will be in this field. For example, if he grabs the pen, he'll be a writer when he grows up. If he takes the chop, maybe he'll be a public official.
A 真有意思，中國人小時候都“抓週”嗎？
zhēn yǒuyìsi, zhōngguórén xiǎoshíhòu dōu `` zhuāzhōu" ma?
That's really interesting. Do all Chinese people ``Grab at their First Year?"
B 也不是。“抓週”是古代的習俗，現在已經很少有人這麼做了。畢竟，將來誰也說不準。現在的家長更喜歡做一些有紀念性的事情，比如說帶孩子去做手模、腳模，記錄下他成長的痕跡。
yě bù shì. `` zhuāzhōu" shì gǔdài de xísú, xiànzài yǐjīng hěn shǎo yǒurén zhème zuò le. bìjìng, jiānglái shéi yě shuō bùzhǔn. xiànzài de jiāzhǎng gèng xǐhuan zuò yīxiē yǒu jìniàn xìng de shìqing, bǐrú shuō dài háizi qù zuò shǒumó, jiǎomó, jìlù xià tā chéngzhǎng de hénjī.
No, it's an ancient custom. These days, not many people do it anymore. After all, no one can say for sure what will happen in the future. Nowadays, parents prefer to do commemorative things, such as taking a child to get casts made of his hands and feet. They can record traces from the process of his growing up.
A 聽上去我還是覺得“抓週”更有趣。對了，聽說中國人生日時喜歡把所有的親戚朋友都請到飯店裡大吃一頓，這是真的嗎？
tīngshàngqù wǒ hái shì juéde `` zhuāzhōu" gēng yǒuqù. duìle, tīngshuō zhōngguórén shēngrì shí xǐhuan bǎ suǒyǒu de qīnqīpéngyǒu dōu qǐngdào fàndiàn lǐ dàchī yī dùn, zhè shì zhēn de me?
It sounds like ``Grabbing at your First Year" is still more interesting. Oh, right-- I've heard that on their birthdays Chinese people like to invite all their friends and relatives to a restaurant for a meal. Is that true?
B 中國人講究“民以食為天”，一般家裡有重要的喜事就會請客，讓親戚朋友們分享好消息，順便聯絡感情。不過一般只有整歲，比如10歲、20歲、50歲的生日才會大肆慶祝一番，普通的生日只是跟家人們一起小小地慶祝。我記得我10歲生日的時候好像就請了十幾桌呢。
zhōngguórén jiǎngjiù `` mínyǐshíwéitiān" , yībān jiālǐ yǒu zhòngyào de xǐshì jiù huì qǐngkè, ràng qīnqīpéngyǒumen fēnxiǎng hǎo xiāoxi, shùnbiàn liánluò gǎnqíng. bùguò yībān zhǐyǒu zhěng suì, bǐrú shí suì, èrshí suì, wǔshí suì de shēngrì cái huì dàsì qìngzhù yīfān, pǔtōng de shēngrì zhǐshì gēn jiārénmen yīqǐ xiǎoxiǎo de qìngzhù. wǒ jìde wǒ shí suì shēngrì de shíhou hǎoxiàng jiù qǐng le shíjǐ zhuō ne.
Chinese people pay a lot of attention to the idea that ``Food is the Most Important Thing in People's Lives." Generally, whenever something good happens, they'll invite their friends and relatives to share the good news, and strengthen their emotional connections. But generally they only celebrate on a large scale on birthdays with a round number, like the tenth, twentieth, fiftieth, etc. They have a small celebration with their relatives on regular birthdays. I remember on my tenth birthday, it seems like we invited ten tables of people.
A 那不是有100多人？嘖嘖，果然有排場。咦？這張照片裡穿旗袍的大美女是誰？
nà bù shì yǒu yībǎi duō rén? zézé, guǒrán yǒu páichǎng. yí? zhè zhāng zhàopiàn lǐ chuān qípáo de dà měinǚ shì shéi?
Isn't that more than a hundred people? Ha ha, as expected, it was really ostentatious. Who's the beautiful woman wearing a qipao in this photo?
B 你仔細看看，她的眼睛、鼻子、嘴是不是都有點像我呀？
nǐ zǐxì kànkan, tā de yǎnjīng, bízi, zuǐ shì bu shì dōu yǒudiǎn xiàng wǒ yā?
Look carefully at her eyes, her nose, her lips. Don't they look a little like me?
A 是有點像，難道是你媽媽年輕的時候照的？
shì yǒudiǎn xiàng, nándào shì nǐ māma niánqīng de shíhou zhào de?
They do look a bit similar. Can you mean that this is a photo of your mom when she was young?
B 不是，這是我20歲生日那天朋友們拉我去拍的藝術照。由專業的化妝師，髮型師幫我設計，怎麼樣？很像大明星吧。
bù shì, zhè shì wǒ èrshí suì shēngrì nàtiān péngyoumen lā wǒ qù pāi de yìshùzhào. yóu zhuānyè de huàzhuāngshī, fàxíngshī bāng wǒ shèjì, zěnmeyàng? hěn xiàng dà míngxīng ba.
No, it's an artistic photo that my friends took me to get on my twentieth birthday. There was a professional makeup artist and hair stylist to help me. What do you think? I look like a big star, huh?
A 嗯，就是不太像你。對了，這幾張也是你的藝術照嗎？
ng4, jiùshì bùtài xiàng nǐ. duìle, zhè jǐ zhāng yě shì nǐ de yìshùzhào ma?
Humph, it just doesn't look much like you. Oh, right-- are these photos also your artistic pictures?
B 是啊，那時候流行20歲生日的時候拍藝術照，畢竟20歲是女孩子一生中最美麗的時光啊。你再看這些照片，是我去年生日的時候照的。
shì ā, nà shíhou liúxíng èrshí suì shēngrì de shíhou pāi yìshùzhào, bìjìng èrshí suì shì nǚháizi yīshēng zhōng zuì měilì de shíguāng ā. nǐ zài kàn zhèxiē zhàopiàn, shì wǒ qùnián shēngrì de shíhou zhào de.
Yeah, at that time it was popular for twenty-year-old girls to get artistic photos taken. After all, a woman's most beautiful time of life is when she's twenty. Look at these pictures. They were taken on my birthday last year.
A 這不是蹦極嗎？
zhè bù shì bèngjí ma?
Isn't this a picture of you bungee jumping?
B 是啊，真是太刺激了。多虧我朋友提議這樣做，他們總是有用不完的新鮮點子。
shì ā, zhēnshì tài cìjī le. duōkuī wǒ péngyou tíyì zhèyàng zuò, tāmen zǒngshì yǒu yòng bu wán de xīnxiān diǎnzi.
Yeah, it was really exciting. Thank goodness my friends suggested this. They always have an endless supply of fresh ideas.
A 難道現在過生日也流行蹦極？
nándào xiànzài guò shēngrì yě liúxíng bèngjí?
Do you mean that bungee jumping is also popular for birthdays?
B 也不能這麼說。其實現在人們過生日都比較隨心所欲，沒有固定的形式。有的年輕人還會在生日那天請朋友們去KTV唱歌。
yě bùnéng zhème shuō. qíshí xiànzài rénmen guòshēngrì dōu bǐjiào suíxīnsuǒyù, méiyǒu gùdìng de xíngshì. yǒude niánqīngrén huán huì zài shēngrì nàtiān qǐng péngyoumen qù KTV chànggē.
Not really. These days, people do pretty much what they please on their birthdays. There's no fixed format. Some young people will invite their friends to KTV on that night.
A 為什麼呀？
wèishénme yā?
Why?
B 不為什麼，熱鬧好玩兒唄。唱歌可以很好地發洩情緒，你想，生日的時候心情一定很好，但是在飯店或者馬路上大喊大叫多奇怪啊，去KTV可以隨你吼，隨你唱。
bù wèishénme, rènao hǎowánr bei. chànggē kěyǐ hěnhǎo de fāxiè qíngxù, nǐ xiǎng, shēngrì de shíhou xīnqíng yīdìng hěn hǎo, dànshì zài fàndiàn huòzhě mǎlù shàng dàhǎndàjiào duō qíguài ā, qù KTV kěyǐ suí nǐ hǒu, suí nǐ chàng.
There's no reason, it's just lively and fun. Singing is a great way to blow off some steam. You're definitely in a good mood on your birthday, but it would be really weird to scream and yell at a restaurant or outside on the street. If you go to KTV you can sing and roar however you like.
A 有道理。那今年你生日我們也去KTV慶祝吧。
yǒu dàolǐ. nà jīnnián nǐ shēngrì wǒmen yě qù KTV qìngzhù ba.
True. Let's celebrate your birthday this year at KTV.
B 好啊。不過別忘了準備禮物哦。
hǎoā. bùguò bié wàng le zhǔnbèi lǐwù ō.
OK. But don't forget to get me a present.
Key Vocabulary
臭美 chòuměi to act conceited
印章 yìnzhāng seal
痕跡 hénjī traces
講究 jiǎngjiù to be particular about
民以食為天 mínyǐ shíwéitiān food is the primary need for the people
聯絡 liánluò to contact
大肆 dàsì on a large scale
排場 páichǎng extravagance
藝術照 yìshùzhào artistic photography
蹦極 bèngjí bungee jumping
點子 diǎnzi idea
隨心所欲 suíxīnsuǒyù to do as one pleases
發洩 fāxiè to vent
吼 hǒu roar (of a lion)
Supplementary Vocabulary
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