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@ 51298 年輕人的生育觀
A: 兒子啊，隔壁大龍家最近生了個大胖小子，可好玩兒啦。
érzi ā, gébì Dàlóng jiā zuìjìn shēng le gè dàpàngxiǎozi, kě hǎowánr la.
Son, did you know Da Long next door just had a healthy newborn baby? Lot's of fun.
B: 哦。
ò.
Oh.
A: 媽也盼著哪天能抱上孫子。
mā yě pàn zhe nǎtiān néng bào shàng sūnzi.
This mom is looking forward to the day that she can hold a little grandson herself.
B: 哦。
ò.
Oh.
A: 媽跟你說話，你在聽嗎？
mā gēn nǐ shuōhuà, nǐ zài tīng ma?
I'm talking to you. Are you listening?
B: 聽著呢，您不就是希望我們也快點兒生嘛。
tīng zhe ne, nín bù jiùshì xīwàng wǒmen yě kuài diǎnr shēng ma.
I'm listening. You're just hoping that we have one soon ourselves, no?
A: 可不是，媽這些年真是盼星星盼月亮啊。可是你跟小趙結婚都五年了，也沒生個娃娃。
kěbushì, mā zhèxiēnián zhēnshì pàn xīngxing pàn yuèliang a. kěshì nǐ gēn Xiǎo Zhào jiéhūn dōu wǔ nián le, yě méi shēng gè wáwa.
That's exactly it. These last few years I've just been really looking forward to it. But, you've been married to Xiao Zhao for five years already and you haven't had a baby yet.
B: 我都跟您談過多少次了，我們想做丁克家庭。沒小孩不是挺好的嘛。
wǒ dōu gēn nín tán guo duōshao cì le, wǒmen xiǎng zuò dīngkè jiātíng. méi xiǎohái bùshì tǐng hǎo de ma.
Mom, I've discussed this with you so many times already. We want to have a D.I.N.K. family. Not having any kids might be pretty nice, no?
A: 好什麼好！做什麼什麼克，我看你是想克我！
hǎo shénme hǎo! zuò shénme shénme kè, wǒ kàn nǐ shì xiǎng kè wǒ!
What's so nice about that? All this 'D.I.N.K.' baloney; you're just trying to confuse me!
B: 媽，您看現在物價高，養育小孩不容易的。奶粉尿布，衣服褲子，那要花好多錢的。再說以後還要讀書，念大學，出個國什麼的......
mā, nín kàn xiànzài wùjià gāo, yǎngyù xiǎohái bù róngyì de. nǎifěn niàobù, yīfu kùzi, nà yào huā hǎo duō qián de. zài shuō yǐhòu hái yào dúshū, niàn dàxué, chū gè guó shénme de......
Mom, the cost of living these days is getting higher. Bringing up a kid isn't easy. Baby food, diapers, clothes; you've got to spend a lot on that stuff. And after that, there's education, university, maybe going abroad or something.
A: 有什麼養不起的，有錢富養，沒錢就窮養。當初媽生你的時候也不是百萬富翁啊。你外婆還生了九個呢。
yǒu shénme yǎngbuqǐ de, yǒu qián fù yǎng, méi qián jiù qióng yǎng. dāngchū mā shēng nǐ de shíhou yě bùshì bǎiwànfùwēng ā. nǐ wàipó hái shēng le jiǔ gè ne.
And that makes it impossible to raise a kid? If you have lot's of money, raise him with lot's of money. If not, raise him with less. When I had you I wasn't a millionaire! You're grandma had nine herself.
B: 現在和以前不一樣的。現在生活水平高，物質豐富。而且都希望下一代能比自己好，能在他們同齡人中脫穎而出。所以，對小孩的支出就像是個無底洞。
xiànzài hé yǐqián bù yīyàng de. xiànzài shēnghuó shuǐpíng gāo, wùzhì fēngfù. érqiě dōu xīwàng xiàyīdài néng bǐ zìjǐ hǎo, néng zài tāmen tónglíngrén zhōng tuōyǐng'érchū. suǒyǐ, duì xiǎohái de zhīchū jiù xiàng shì gè wúdǐdòng.
Times are different now. The standard of living is higher, and people have more stuff. We have to make sure the next generation is better off than we are and also that our kids can really stand out among their peers. Because of all this, paying a kid's expenses is like pouring money into a bottomless pit.
A: 你這套理論在我這裡說不通。我說，兒子啊，你和小趙是不是有什麼問題啊，要不去醫院看看。
nǐ zhè tào lǐlùn zài wǒ zhèlǐ shuōbutōng. wǒ shuō, érzi ā, nǐ hé Xiǎo Zhào shì bù shì yǒu shénme wèntí ā, yàobu qù yīyuàn kàn kan.
I just can't agree with a theory like that. But son, let me ask, is it that you and Xiao Zhao are having some problems? How about we go to the hospital and let them have a look?
B: 瞎說，我們身體好著呢。你看我的肌肉......
xiāshuō, wǒmen shēntǐ hǎo zhene. nǐkàn wǒ de jīròu......
Rubbish! We're in good health. Check out my muscles...
A: 上次隔壁張阿姨她們在聊天的時候，我偷聽到，說什麼現在白領都多少有些亞健康，會影響生育什麼的。
shàngcì gébì Zhāng āyí tāmen zài liáotiān de shíhou, wǒ tōu tīng dào, shuō shénme xiànzài báilǐng dōu duōshao yǒuxiē yà jiànkāng, huì yǐngxiǎng shēngyù shénme de.
Last time I heard Auntie Zhang next door chatting, I overheard a bit. They said something about how white-collar workers have sub-par health and that it can affect giving birth and all that.
B: 哎喲，你們這些中年婦女就喜歡嚼舌根，傳這個傳那個。
āiyōu, nǐmen zhèxiē zhōngnián fùnǚ jiù xǐhuan jiáoshégēn, chuán zhè ge chuán nàge.
Oh, goodness. You middle-aged women just love to gossip. Talking about this and that.
A: 你呀，一點兒也不懂媽的心。
nǐ ya, yīdiǎnr5 yě bù dǒng mā de xīn.
You really don't understand how I feel at all.
B: 我懂，但是您懂我們的心嗎?如果我們生了小孩，等你們老了，我們這對小夫妻又要照顧小孩，又要照顧四個老人，負擔很重的。生一個還好，但萬一生個雙胞胎或三胞胎呢？我們還不累得夠嗆。反正，我覺得二人世界挺好的。
wǒ dǒng, dànshì nín dǒng wǒmen de xīn ma? rúguǒ wǒmen shēng le xiǎohái, děng nǐmen lǎo le, wǒmen zhè duì xiǎo fūqī yòu yào zhàogu xiǎohái, yòu yào zhàogu sì gè lǎorén, fùdān hěn zhòng de. shēng yī ge hái hǎo, dàn wànyī shēng gè shuāngbāotāi huò sānbāotāi ne? wǒmen hái bù lèi de gòuqiàng. fǎnzhèng, wǒ juéde èrrénshìjiè tǐng hǎo de.
I understand. But, do you understand how we feel? If we have a kid, when you get old, we'll have to look after both the kid and all four of our parents. That's a big burden. One is okay, but what if we have twins, or triplets? We haven't even gotten tired of working ourselves. Besides, I think a couple's world is pretty nice.
A: 什麼二人世界，我看你們就知道玩。只顧自己逍遙快活，一點都不理會父母的心思。
shénme èrrénshìjiè, wǒ kàn nǐmen jiù zhīdào wán. zhǐgù zìjǐ xiāoyáo kuàihuó, yīdiǎn dōu bù lǐhuì fùmǔ de xīnsi.
Couple's world? It seems to me that you two just want to play around. Only focusing on yourselves, worry-free and cheerful. Not mindful of your parents' ideas at all.
B: 不跟您說了，觀念不同。
bù gēn nín shuō le, guānniàn bùtóng.
Okay, let's not talk about this. Our ways of thinking are just too different.
Key Vocabulary
盼星星盼月亮 pàn xīngxing pàn yuèliang to hope for
丁克 dīngkè Double Income No Kids
克 kè to overcome
物價 wùjià commodity prices
養育 yǎngyù to raise
奶粉 nǎifěn powdered milk
尿布 niàobù diaper
脫穎而出 tuōyǐng'érchū to come to the fore
無底洞 wúdǐdòng bottomless pit
說不通 shuōbutōng to be unable to be persuaded
亞健康 yà jiànkāng sub-par health
嚼舌根 jiáoshégēn to gossip
夠嗆 gòuqiàng unbearable
二人世界 èrrénshìjiè couple's world
逍遙 xiāoyáo carefree
快活 kuàihuó cheerful
心思 xīnsī inclination
觀念 guānniàn notion
Supplementary Vocabulary
代溝 dàigōu generation gap
傳宗接代 chuánzōngjiēdài to continue the family line
養兒防老 yǎng'érfánglǎo to have children in order to be looked after in old age
多子多福 duōzǐduōfú the more sons, the more happiness
不孝有三，無後為大 bùxiàoyǒusān , wúhòuwéidà of the three major offenses to filial piety, not having a male heir is the worst
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