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@ 51242 遊大觀園
A: 哇，這就是傳說中的大觀園。過來，我幫你拍張照片。
wā, zhè jiùshì chuánshuō zhōng de dàguānyuán. guòlai, wǒ bāng nǐ pāi zhāng zhàopiàn.
Wow, this is the legendary Prospect Garden. Come on over and I'll take your picture.
B: 不拍不拍，我們先看吧。曹雪芹真是神了，一本書裡，吃的、用的、住的都寫得那麼精緻，這個大觀園就是人們根據書裡的描寫建的。
bù pāi bù pāi, wǒmen xiān kàn ba. Cáo Xuěqín zhēnshì shén le, yī běn shū lǐ, chī de、 yòng de、 zhù de dōu xiě de nàme jīngzhì, zhè ge dàguānyuán jiùshì rénmen gēnjù shū lǐ de miáoxiě jiàn de.
Let's not take pictures. Let's look around first. Cao Xueqin was just amazing. In a single book he wrote so exquisitely about things for eating, using and living in. This Prospect Garden was built according to his description in the book.
A: 可能他真的是封建社會大戶人家的少爺吧！要不他怎麼會知道這麼多？
to be able to tā zhēnde shì fēngjiàn shèhuì dàhù rénjiā de shàoye ba! yàobu tā zénme huì zhīdào zhème duō?
Maybe he really was a young scion of a powerful family in feudal society. Otherwise, how would he know so much?
B: 也許吧。哎，這麼大，這麼漂亮！我們從哪邊走呢？
yěxǔ ba. āi, zhème dà, zhème piàoliang! wǒmen cóng nǎbiān zǒu ne?
Maybe...Oh, it's so big, and so beautiful! Where should we start from?
A: 看你激動的，跟“劉姥姥進大觀園”一個樣！
kàn nǐ jīdòng de, gēn" Liú lǎolao jìn dàguānyuán” yīgeyàng!
Look how excited you are. You're like "Grandma Liu entering the Prospect Garden."
B: 你才是“劉姥姥”呢！就從這邊走吧。你看，那就是寶玉住的地方！
nǐ cái shì" Liú lǎolao” ne! jiù cóng zhèbiān zǒu ba. nǐkàn, nà jiùshì Bǎoyù zhù de dìfang!
Look who's talking! You're actually “Grandma Liu！” Let's start from here. Look, that's where Baoyu lives.
A: 賈寶玉可真有福氣，簡直是扎進美女堆裡了，有那麼多又漂亮又有才的姐姐妹妹！
Jiǎ Bǎoyù kě zhēn yǒu fúqì, jiǎnzhí shì zhā jìn měinǚ duī lǐ le, yǒu nàme duō yòu piàoliang yòu yǒucái de jiějie mèimei!
Jia Baoyu was really lucky. He was really buried in a pile of beautiful women. He had so many beautiful and talented sisters.
B: 怎麼，你羨慕寶玉啦？一個純粹的奶油小生，放到今天恐怕都沒人要！一點男子漢氣概都沒有。
zěnme, nǐ xiànmù Bǎoyù la? yī ge chúncuì de nǎiyóuxiǎoshēng, fàngdào jīntiān kǒngpà dōu méi rén yào! yīdiǎn nánzǐhàn qìgài dōu méiyǒu.
Huh? You admire Baoyu? He was a total pretty boy. I'm afraid no one would want him if he were around today. He wasn't the least bit manly.
A: 那也不能怪他。他生在那樣一個大家庭，身邊都是太太小姐們，能陽剛起來嗎？
nà yě bùnéng guài tā. tā shēng zài nàyàng yī ge dàjiātíng, shēnbiān dōushì tàitai xiǎojie men, néng yánggāng qǐlái ma?
Well, you can't blame him for that. He was born in a big family like that, with ladies and sisters all around him. How masculine could he be?
B: 哎，假如你是寶玉，會喜歡黛玉還是寶釵？
āi, jiǎrú nǐ shì Bǎoyù, huì xǐhuan Dàiyù háishi Bǎochāi?
Hey, if you were Baoyu, would you prefer Daiyu or Baochai?
A: 這兩個都是大美女，我都喜歡！
zhè liǎng gè dōushì dàměinǚ, wǒ dōu xǐhuan!
They're both great beauties--I like both of them!
B: 你們男人都好貪心。
nǐmen nánrén dōu hǎo tānxīn.
You men are so greedy.
A: 嘿嘿，不過寶釵更好些，又溫柔又善解人意。黛玉病懨懨的，紅顏薄命不說，還是個大醋罈子！
hēihēi, bùguò Bǎochāi gèng hǎo xiē, yòu wēnróu yòu shànjiěrényì. Dàiyù bìngyānyān de, hóngyánbómìng bù shuō, háishì ge dà cùtánzi!
Ha-ha, but Baochai is a little better. She's soft and understanding. Daiyu is sickly-- we don't even have to talk about "beautiful women lead difficult lives”--- she's also extremely jealous!
B: 哎，黛玉真可憐。不過《紅樓夢》裡我最欣賞王熙鳳，八面玲瓏的，沒有她擺不平的事。
āi, Dàiyù zhēn kělián. bùguò Hónglóumèng lǐ wǒ zuì xīnshǎng Wáng Xīfèng, bāmiànlínglóng de, méiyǒu tā bǎibupíng de matter.
Agh, Daiyu is really pitiable. But my favorite in "The Dream of the Red Chambers" is Wang Kangfeng. She's very slick, and comfortable in all kinds of environments. There's nothing she can't take care of.
A: 不過最後也挺慘的。
bùguò zuìhòu yě tǐng cǎn de.
But she has a tragic end.
B: 金陵十二釵的命運都挺悲慘的。
Jīnlíng Shí èrchāi de mìngyùn dōu tǐng bēicǎn de.
The destinies of the Twelve Jinling Beauties were all very tragic.
A: 別老想小說裡的事了，這大觀園就是個公園，好好欣賞一下江南園林的風格吧。
bié lǎo xiǎng xiǎoshuō lǐ de matter le, zhè dàguānyuán jiù shì gè gōngyuán, hǎohāo xīnshǎng yīxià Jiāngnán yuánlín de fēnggé ba.
Don't just go thinking about the stuff from the novel. The Prospect Garden is a park-- enjoy the Yangtze Delta area scenery and style.
B: 好。前面就是林黛玉住的地方了！
hǎo. qiánmian jiùshì Lín Dàiyù zhù de dìfang le!
OK. Up ahead is the place where Lin Daiyu lives!
Key Vocabulary
大觀園 dàguānyuán Prospect Garden
曹雪芹 Cáo Xuěqín Cao Xueqin, reputed author of the "Dream of the Red Chamber" ("DRC")
封建社會 fēngjiàn shèhuì feudal society
大戶人家 dàhù rénjiā large family
少爺 shàoye young master; scion
一個樣 yīgeyàng the same
賈寶玉 Jiǎ Bǎoyù The main character in "DRC"
純粹 chúncuì pure
奶油小生 nǎiyóuxiǎoshēng effeminate
氣概 qìgài spirit
陽剛 yánggāng masculine
林黛玉 Lín Dàiyù Lin Daiyu, a character in "DRC"
薛寶釵 Xuē Bǎochāi Xue Baochai, a character in "DRC"
貪心 tānxīn greedy
善解人意 shànjiěrényì good at getting along with people
病懨懨 bìngyānyān sickly
紅顏薄命 hóngyánbómìng beautiful women have difficult lives
醋罈子 cùtánzi lit: a jar of vinegar; a very jealous person
八面玲瓏 bāmiànlínglóng comfortable in many situations; smooth (socially)
擺不平 bǎibupíng to be unable to take care of (a problem)
金陵十二釵 Jīnlíng Shí èrchāi The Twelve Beauties of Jinling, the main characters in the "DRC"
悲慘 bēicǎn tragic
園林 yuánlín garden, park
Supplementary Vocabulary
《紅樓夢》 "Hónglóumèng" The Dream of the Red Chamber, a classic Chinese novel
陰柔 yīnróu introverted, gentle, feminine
吃醋 chīcù to be jealous (of a lover)
金陵 Jīnlíng old name for Nanjing
眼花繚亂 yǎnhuāliáoluàn dazzled, overwhelmed, dazed
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