ChinesePod
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@ 51373 中年危機
A: 老婆，我回來了。
lǎopó, wǒ huílai le.
Honey, I'm back.
B: 怎麼樣，你那事和小項說了嗎？
zěnmeyàng, nǐ nà shì hé Xiǎo Xiàng shuō le ma?
How was it? Did you talk about that thing with Xiaoxiang?
A: 哎！
āi!
Agh!
B: 說話啊。
shuōhuà a.
Let me hear it.
A: 說了，小項說，作為我的上司，他也很想幫我爭取到升職的機會，但公司裡的年輕人更需要培養。
shuō le, Xiǎo Xiàng shuō, zuòwéi wǒ de shàngsi, tā yě hěn xiǎng bāng wǒ zhēngqǔ dào shēngzhí de jīhuì, dàn gōngsī lǐ de niánqīngrén gèng xūyào péiyǎng.
We talked about it. Xiaoxiang said, as my superior, he also wants me to help with promotion opportunities. However, it's more important that we work with and train the young people in the company.
B: 我算看透小項了，盡會說些官話。
wǒ suàn kàn tòu Xiǎo Xiàng le, jìn huì shuō xiē guānhuà.
I see right through that Xiaoxiang. All he ever he ever does is give these formal excuses.
A: 我現在真的感覺有點迷茫，不知道下一步該怎麼走。
wǒ xiànzài zhēnde gǎnjué yǒudiǎn mímáng, bù zhīdào xià yī bù gāi zěnme zǒu.
I'm really feeling a bit lost these days. I don't know what I should do next.
B: 我說你也彆氣餒，要不咱換個工作。
wǒ shuō nǐ yě bié qìněi, yàobu zán huàn ge gōngzuò.
Look, don't be discouraged. How about we find you a new job?
A: 哪有這麼容易啊，像我這個歲數，在人才市場上已經不吃香了。
nǎyǒu zhème róngyì a, xiàng wǒ zhè ge suìshù, zài réncái shìchǎng shàng yǐjīng bù chīxiāng le.
It's not that easy. Being this old, I'm already not very sought after on the job market.
B: 你有工作經驗啊。
nǐ yǒu gōngzuò jīngyàn a.
You have work experience.
A: 沒用的，現在的大學生一抓一大把，工資要求一個比一個低。如今的公司都講求利潤效益，節省成本，經驗優勢比不上成本優勢。
méiyòng de, xiànzài de dàxuéshēng yīzhuāyīdàbǎ, gōngzī yāoqiú yī ge bǐ yī ge dī. rújīn de gōngsī dōu jiǎngqiú lìrùn xiàoyì, jiéshěng chéngběn, jīngyàn yōushì bǐbushàng chéngběn yōushì.
It's useless. There are tons of college grads these days. Their salary requirements are just too competitive. These days companies only think about profit margins and cutting costs. Having experience is far less advantageous than keeping cost low.
B: 那怎麼辦，兒子明年就要讀大學了，要住校，開銷一下子就上去了。
nà zěnme bàn, érzi míngnián jiùyào dú dàxué le, yào zhùxiào, kāixiāo yīxiàzi jiù shàngqu le.
Then what are we going to do? Our son is going to start university next year. He'll be living on campus and our expenses are about to go up.
A: 我要不去找找我的老同學，看他那裡是不是能給我份兼職做。
wǒ yàobu qù zhǎo zhao wǒ de lǎo tóngxué, kàn tā nàlǐ shì bu shì néng gěi wǒ fèn jiānzhí zuò.
Maybe I should go look up my old classmate, see if he has any part-time work for me.
B: 嗯，去試試看也好。我們廠最近也不太好，聽說廠長在制定裁員名單，每個人都提心吊膽的。
ng4, qù shì shi kàn yě hǎo. wǒmen chǎng zuìjìn yě bùtài hǎo, tīngshuō chǎngzhǎng zài zhìdìng cáiyuán míngdān, měi ge rén dōu tíxīndiàodǎn de.
OK, you may as well give it a shot. Our factory hasn't been great these days either. I heard the factory manager was putting together a list of the people whom are going to be let go. Everyone has been on edge lately.
A: 哎呦！
āiyōu!
Ouch!
B: 怎麼了，又是胃疼吧？
zěnmele, yòu shì wèiténg ba?
What's the matter? Is your stomach hurting again?
A: 嗯。
ng4.
Yeah.
B: 這兩天天冷，你要注意保暖。你可是我們家的頂樑柱啊。
zhèliǎngtiān tiān lěng, nǐ yào zhùyì bǎonuǎn. nǐ kě shì wǒmen jiā de dǐngliángzhù a.
It's been cold these days. You need to keep yourself warm. You really are the cornerstone of this family.
A: 沒關係，喝口熱茶就好了，不礙事。老婆，跟了我，沒讓你過上好日子，我對不住你。
méiguānxi, hē kǒu rèchá jiù hǎo le, bù àishì. lǎopó, gēn le wǒ, méi ràng nǐ guòshàng hǎorìzi, wǒ duìbuzhù nǐ.
It's OK. A sip of hot tea and I'll be fine. It's not a big deal. Honey, I haven't been able to give you the best life possible. I've let you down.
B: 你這叫什麼話，我覺得和你在一起的每一天都是好日子。
nǐ zhè jiào shénme huà, wǒ juéde hé nǐ zài yīqǐ de měi yī tiān dōushì hǎorìzi.
What are you talking about? I think every day with you with is a good day.
A: 老婆，別人都說什麼七年之癢，我們結婚十八年了，你癢過嗎？
lǎopó, biérén dōu shuō shénme qīniánzhīyǎng, wǒmen jiéhūn shí bā nián le, nǐ yǎng guo ma?
Honey, I've heard other people talk about this, '7-year itch' people get when they're in relationships. We've been married for 18 years now. Have you had the itch?
B: 我們不是養了我們的兒子嗎？
wǒmen bùshì yǎng le wǒmen de érzi ma?
Haven't we raised our son together?
A: 呵呵，老婆，我愛你。快讓我抱抱。
hēhē, lǎopó, wǒ ài nǐ. kuài ràng wǒ bào bao.
Hehe, honey, I love you. Hurry up and give me a hug.
B: 你呀，一把年紀了還這麼肉麻，老不正經的。
nǐ ya, yī bǎ niánjì le hái zhème ròumá, lǎobùzhèngjing de.
You! You're already quite old and your still so cheesy. You old dog.
Key Vocabulary
上司 shàngsi supervisor
看透 kàn tòu to see through
官話 guānhuà official speech
迷茫 mímáng perplexed, feeling lost
氣餒 qìněi discouraged
吃香 chīxiāng well-received, popular
一抓一大把 yīzhuāyīdàbǎ an excessive amount
講求 jiǎngqiú to be particular about, to stress
利潤 lìrùn profit
效益 xiàoyì benefit
住校 zhùxiào to live at school
開銷 kāixiāo to pay expenses
制定 zhìdìng to draft
裁員 cáiyuán to cut staff
提心吊膽 tíxīndiàodǎn to be on edge, to be in constant fear
頂樑柱 dǐngliángzhù main support
礙事 àishì to be a hinderance
七年之癢 qīniánzhīyǎng 7-year itch
肉麻 ròumá nauseating, cheesy
老不正經 lǎobùzhèngjing old yet still licentious
一把年紀 yī bǎ niánjì to already to be quite old
Supplementary Vocabulary
消極 xiāojí negative attitude/outlook
官場 guānchǎng officialdom
場面話 chǎngmiànhuà small talk
房樑 fángliáng house beam
支撐 zhīchēng to sustain, to prop up
包容 bāoróng to tolerate
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