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@ 51368 望子成龍
A: 小琴，哎呀，好久不見。
Xiǎoqín, āiya, hǎojiǔbùjiàn.
Xiaoqin, wow. Long time no see.
B: 是你啊，小夢。這是你兒子吧。
shì nǐ a, Xiǎomèng. zhè shì nǐ érzi ba.
Xiaomeng, it's you. Is this your son?
A: 是啊，讀五年級了，皮得要命，快叫阿姨。
shì a, dú wǔ niánjí le, pí de yàomìng, kuài jiào āyí.
Yeah, he's in the 5th grade. Naughty as can be. Hurry up and say hello.
C: 阿姨好。
āyí hǎo.
Hello, auntie.
B: 挺乖的。老公，這是我大學同學，快10年沒見了。
tǐng guāi de. lǎogōng, zhè shì wǒ dàxué tóngxué, kuài shínián méi jiàn le.
What a nice boy. Honey, this is my university classmate. It's almost been ten years since we've seen each other.
D: 你好，我們兒子現在讀四年級，也很活潑好動的。
nǐhǎo, wǒmen érzi xiànzài dú sì niánjí, yě hěn huópo hàodòng de.
Hello. Our son is in the 4th grade right now. He's quite active and lively as well.
C: 媽媽，過會兒有動畫片，我們不去李老師家了，好嗎？
māma, guò huǐr yǒu dònghuà piān, wǒmen bù qù Lǐ lǎoshī jiā le, hǎo ma?
Mom, there's a cartoon in a little while. Let's not go to Mr. Li's house, OK?
A: 誰說的，李老師幫你複習能讓你升學考考得好，再說媽媽都送了禮了。
shéi shuō de, Lǐ lǎoshī bāng nǐ fùxí néng ràng nǐ shēngxué kǎo kǎo de hǎo, zài shuō māma dōu sòng le lǐ le.
Cartoons? Mr. Li helps you review your studies and improve your entrance examination scores. On top of that, I've already given him a gift.
C: 我剛才上了半天的英語課，腦細胞都死光了。
wǒ gāngcái shàng le bàntiān de yīngyǔ kè, nǎoxìbāo dōu sǐ guāng le.
I just had a half day of English class. All my brain cells are fried.
A: 喏，腦白金給你帶著呢，快喝點。哎，你們小孩呢？
nuò, nǎobáijīn gěi nǐ dài zhe ne, kuài hē diǎn. āi, nǐmen xiǎohái ne?
Oh, I brought some melatonin for you. Here, drink it. Hey, where's your kid?
B: 哦，參加學校的週末實踐，去福利院照顧老人了。
ò, cānjiā xuéxiào de zhōumò shíjiàn, qù fúlìyuàn zhàogu lǎorén le.
Oh, he's doing some weekend volunteer work through the school and going to the welfare center to help out with unsupported elderly people.
A: 喲，那麼小的小孩子，自己都照顧不了還去照顧別人。
yō, nàme xiǎo de xiǎo háizi, zìjǐ dōu zhàogubùliǎo hái qù zhàogu biérén.
He's such a young kid. He can't even look after himself, yet he's looking after others?
B: 你倒別說，我們跟著去看過兩次，那幫孩子都挺認真的。
nǐ dào bié shuō, wǒmen gēn zhe qù kàn guo liǎng cì, nà bāng háizi dōu tǐng rènzhēn de.
You never know. We went with him and watched twice. It really helps the kids be more mature.
C: 媽媽，我們學校也有周末實踐的。
māma, wǒmen xuéxiào yě yǒu zhōumò shíjiàn de.
Mom, our school has weekend volunteer activities too.
A: 去週末實踐考試又不加分，你實際點好不好？
qù zhōumò shíjiàn kǎoshì yòu bù jiāfēn, nǐ shíjì diǎn hǎo bu hǎo?
Going to school weekend activities doesn't add any points to your exam. Be realistic, OK?
B: 小琴，我看你平時上班，週末又要帶孩子參加這個班那個班，很累人的。
Xiǎoqín, wǒ kàn nǐ píngshí shàngbān, zhōumò yòu yào dài háizi cānjiā zhè ge bān nà ge bān, hěn lèirén de.
Xiaoqin, I can see that you're always working. On the weekends taking your kid around to take this class and that class. That's so tiring.
A: 可不是嘛，這小祖宗還經常想著逃課，我不盯緊點不行。
kěbùshì ma, zhè xiǎo zǔzōng hái jīngcháng xiǎng zhe táokè, wǒ bù dīng jǐn diǎn bùxíng.
You said it. This spoiled little guy is always wanting to skip class. I have to keep my eye on him.
B: 其實小孩子還是給他點自由空間比較好，現在的孩子被逼得都沒有童真了。
qíshí xiǎo háizi háishì gěi tā diǎn zìyóu kōngjiān bǐjiào hǎo, xiànzài de háizi bèi bī de dōu méiyǒu tóngzhēn le.
Actually, it's better if you give kids a bit of their own personal space and freedom. The kids these days that are forced into things have all lost their innocence.
A: 哎喲，不跟你們講了。我要帶他去上課了，否則晚上小提琴課就來不及了。快，跟叔叔阿姨再見。
āiyōu, bù gēn nǐmen jiǎng le. wǒ yào dài tā qù shàngkè le, fǒuzé wǎnshang xiǎotíqín kè jiù láibují le. kuài, gēn shūshu āyí zàijiàn.
Oh geez, I can't talk anymore. I've got to bring him to class. Otherwise, he won't make his violin lesson this evening. Hurry up and say goodbye to auntie and uncle.
B: 哦，那以後有機會再聚一聚，再見。
ò, nà yǐhòu yǒu jīhuì zài jù yi jù, zàijiàn.
OK then, if it works out, maybe we can get together again sometime. See you.
C: 媽媽，我鞋帶鬆了。
māma, wǒ xiédài sōng le.
Mom, my shoelace is untied.
A: 你事情怎麼那麼多，站住別動。
nǐ shìqing zěnme nàme duō, zhànzhù bié dòng.
How do you have so much going on down there? Stand still and don't move.
C: 媽媽，明天的圖畫班我們不要去了吧，您也累了，休息一下吧。
māma, míngtiān de túhuà bān wǒmen bù yào qù le ba, nín yě lèi le, xiūxi yīxià ba.
Mom, let's not go to art class tomorrow. You're tired too. Let's take a break.
A: 媽媽還不是為了你啊，還不是希望你能贏在起跑線上。你可得給媽媽爭口氣。
māma hái bùshì wèile nǐ a, hái bùshì xīwàng nǐ néng yíng zài qǐpǎoxiàn shàng. nǐ kě děi gěi māma zhēng kǒu qì.
Don't I do this all for you? Isn't this all in hope that you'll get a good head-start? You really have to make your mother proud.
B: 老公，你看做小琴這樣的家長其實很辛苦，孩子更苦。
lǎogōng, nǐ kàn zuò Xiǎoqín zhèyàng de jiāzhǎng qíshí hěn xīnkǔ, háizi gèng kǔ.
Honey, see. Parents like Xiaoqin truly seem overworked. The kids are even more overworked.
D: 是啊，忽略了性格與人格的培養。看上去是在培養孩子不同的興趣，但像這樣的培養也有可能會毀了孩子對一些事物的興趣。
shì a, hūlǜe le xìnggé yǔ réngé de péiyǎng. kàn shàngqu shì zài péiyǎng háizi bùtóng de xìngqù, dàn xiàng zhèyàng de péiyǎng yě yǒu kěnéng huì huǐ le háizi duì yīxiē shìwù de xìngqù.
Yeah, it ignores their personalities and the development of their characters. It seems as though it's developing children's interests in new things, but actually this kind of education may also destroy their interests in different areas.
B: 她就是典型的望子成龍。
tā jiù shì diǎnxíng de wàngzǐchénglóng.
She's just a typical example of a parent trying to secure a bright future for her son.
D: 成龍還是成蟲還不一定呢，到最後一事無成也有可能。
chéng lóng háishì chéng chóng hái bù yīdìng ne, dào zuìhòu yīshìwúchéng yě yǒu kěnéng.
Whether that future will be bright or dismal, you still can't be certain. Maybe in the end, it will all have been for nothing.
Key Vocabulary
皮得要命 pí de yàomìng naughty to the point of aggravation
動畫片 dònghuà piān animated film
升學考 shēngxué kǎo entrance examinations
腦細胞 nǎoxìbāo brain cells
腦白金 nǎobáijīn melatonin
實踐 shíjiàn community service, to put into practice
福利院 fúlìyuàn welfare home
照顧不了 zhàogubùliǎo to be unable to take care of
加分 jiāfēn to add marks
累人 lèirén tiring
逃課 táokè to skip class
自由空間 zìyóu kōngjiān space in which one can act freely
童真 tóngzhēn naivete
小提琴 xiǎotíqín violin
贏在起跑線上 yíng zài qǐpǎoxiàn shàng to have a head-start
忽略 hūlǜe to neglect
人格 réngé individual character
望子成龍 wàngzǐchénglóng to hope one's son can make something of himself
一事無成 yīshìwúchéng to accomplish nothing
Supplementary Vocabulary
逆反心理 nìfǎn xīnlǐ rebellious mentality
望女成鳳 wàngnǚchéngfèng to hope one's daughter can make something of herself
中考 zhōngkǎo secondary school entrance exam
高考 gāokǎo college entrance exam
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