Emperor Cuckoo: Human interest in China &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

I won't increase the burden on society
不给社会增加负担 Bù gěi shèhuì zēngjiā fùdān

February 14, Fu Wanxiang at the stand where he sells baked pears and baked sweet potatoes; at his side, his son lends a hand.
2月14日，伏万祥在摊位上销售烤梨、烤红薯，他的儿子在一旁帮忙。
2 yuè 14 rì, Fú Wànxiáng zài tānwèi shàng xiāoshòu kǎo lí, kǎo hóngshǔ, tā de érzi zài yī̠páng bāngmáng

Recently in Nanjing, the story of the nearly ninety-year-old "Baked pears Grandpa," Fu Wanxiang, who insists on "earning his own living," has found an enthusiastic following on the web, and has given rise to a passionate ripple effect, with several thousand online users discussing it, encouraging everyone to patronize the old man's business, and expressing how moved they are and how much they admire him.
近日，南京年近九旬“烤梨爷爷”伏万祥坚持自食其力的故事被热心网友发到网上，引起热烈反响，数千网友积极评论，呼吁大家照顾老人的生意并抒发自己的感动和敬佩。
Jìnrì, Nánjīng nián jìn jiǔ xún “kǎo lí yéye” Fú Wànxiáng jiānchí zìshíqílì de gùshi bèi rèxīn wǎngyǒu fā dào wǎng shàng, yị̌nqǐ rèliè fạ̌nxiǎng, shù qiān wǎngyǒu jījí pínglùn, hūyù dàjiā zhàogu lǎorén de shēngyi bìng shūfā zìjǐ de gǎndòng hé jìngpèi.

Fu Wanxiang is 89 years, after he retired he began selling baked pears and baked sweet potatoes in his neighborhood, and he did that for about 30 years; he says: "As long as I can move, I will persist in relying on myself, I won't increase the burden on society."
伏万祥老人今年89岁了，自退休后就在家门口卖烤梨和烤红薯，一干就是近30年，他说：“只要还干得动，我就坚持靠自己，不给社会增加负担。”
Fú Wànxiáng lǎorén jīnnián 89 suì le, zì tuìxiū hòu jiù zàijiā ménkǒu mài kǎo lí hé kǎo hóngshǔ, yī̠ gān jiùshì jìn 30 nián, tā shuō: “Zhǐyào hái gān de dòng, wǒ jiù jiānchí kào zìjǐ, bù gěi shèhuì zēngjiā fùdān.”

Fu Wanxiang's household is poor, his wife is paralyzed and bedridden, his son is mentally disabled, and the family is squeezed into a small, dilapidated shack. The old man runs his stand mainly to earn extra money for family expenses; he says, "I can still move about, manage the books, give small change, my mind is clear -- so I should go out and earn a living."
伏万祥家境贫寒，老伴瘫痪在床，儿子的头脑有残疾（智障），一家人挤在狭小破旧的小屋里。老人摆摊挣钱主要是为了贴补家用，他说：“我现在还能活动、算账、找零钱，脑子也不糊涂，既然这样就要出来做活。”
Fú Wànxiáng jiājìng pínhán, lǎobàn tānhuàn zài chuáng, érzi de tóunǎo yǒu cánjí (zhì zhàng), yī̠jiārén jǐzài xiáxiǎo pòjiù de xiǎowū lǐ. Lǎorén bǎi tān zhèngqián zhǔyào shì wéile tiēbǔ jiāyòng, tā shuō: “Wǒ xiànzài hái néng huódòng, suàn zhàng, zhǎo língqián, nǎozi yě bù hútu, jìrán zhèyàng jiù yào chūlai zuòhuó.”

Source: 《城市快报》2012-02-15 第1版 :"年近九旬自食其力烤梨爷爷感动网友(图)" online

Minor surgery 小手术

11/28/2011

Surgery in progress, doctor leaves to take a call
手术进行中医生出去接电话
Shǒushù jìnxíng zhōng yīshēng chūqu jiē diànhuà

A routine surgery for a detached retina had to be done several times, and ultimately, after eight months, the patient permanently lost sight in her eye. Hearing the doctor's "final opinion," the patient, Ms. Sun, remembered one small detail during surgery: the head surgeon got a phone call, took his cell phone and left, and didn't return for more than ten minutes.
一个并不算大的“视网膜脱落”手术，却接连做了几次，最终，8个月后，眼睛永久性失明。面对医生的“终审宣判”，患者孙女士想起了当时手术时的一个细节：主刀医生曾经接到一个电话，他拿着手机出去了十几分钟才回来。
Yī gè bìngbù suàn dà de “shìwǎngmó tuōluò” shǒushù, què jiēlián zuòle jǐ cì, zuìzhōng, 8 ge yuè hòu, yǎnjing yọ̌ngjiǔxìng shīmíng. Miànduì yīshēng de “zhōngshěn xuānpàn”, huànzhě Sūn nǚshì xiạ̌ngqǐ le dāngshí shǒushù shí de yī gè xìjié: zhǔdāo yīshēng céngjīng jiēdào yī gè diànhuà, tā názhe shǒujī chūqule shíjǐ fēnzhōng cái huílai.

[Cartoon: Patient:"Why did the doctor leave?" Nurse: "He's gone out to take a phone call." ”医生干啥走了？“ ”他出去接电话了“ ”Yīshēng gànshá zǒu le?“ ”Tā chūqu jiē diànhuà le“]

"The surgery failed, couldn't the fact that the head surgeon took a phone call have something to do with it?" With this suspicion in mind, Ms. Sun recently filed a lawsuit asking the hospital to be responsible for damages.
“手术的失败，会不会与主刀医生接听电话有关？”带着疑问，近日，孙女士将医院诉至法院，要求医院承担侵权赔偿责任。
“Shǒushù de shībài, huì bụ̀ huì yǔ zhǔdāo yīshēng jiētīng diànhuà yǒuguān?” Dàizhe yíwèn, jìnrì, sūn nǚshì jiāng yīyuàn sù zhì fǎyuàn, yāoqiú yīyuàn chéngdān qīnquán péicháng zérèn.

It all began on November 11, 2008; as Ms. Sun, a resident of Nanjing, was on her way to work, she suddenly felt her vision go blurry, as if things in front of her were being covered up. She went with her husband to the hospital for a check-up. "Minor surgery for retinal detachment." This was the doctor's opinion after an examination at a top ophthalmology hospital in Nanjing; it was decided that on November 12, the surgery would be done.
时间推至2008年11月8日，这天，在单位上班的南京市民孙女士突然感觉眼前模糊，似乎眼前有东西遮挡。她在丈夫的陪同下，来到医院检查。 “视网膜脱落是小手术。”南京某大型三甲医院的眼科主任检查后，得出了结论，之后确定在11月12日进行手术。
Shíjiān tuī zhì 2008 nián 11 yuè 8 rì, zhè tiān, zài dānwèi shàngbān de Nánjīng shìmín Sūn nǚshì tūrán gǎnjué yǎnqián móhu, sìhū yǎnqián yǒu dōngxi zhēdǎng. Tā zài zhàngfu de péitóng xià, láidào yīyuàn jiǎnchá. “Shìwǎngmó tuōluò shì xiǎoshǒushù.” Nánjīng mǒu dàxíng sān jiǎ yīyuàn de yǎnkē zhǔrèn jiǎnchá hòu, déchū le jiélùn, zhīhòu quèdìng zài 11 yuè 12 rì jìnxíng shǒushù.

Because local anesthesia was used, Ms. Sun was wide awake when she was wheeled into the operating room, where the head surgeon, Dr. Li, and an assistant began the operation. About half an hour into the procedure, Dr. Li's phone rang. Dr. Li took out the phone, looked at it, put down the scalpel and began to walk towards the door to the operating room while answering the call.
因为是局部麻醉，孙女士被推进手术室后仍意识清醒，主刀医生李某便和助手开始施行手术。就在手术进行到一半的时候，主刀医生李某的手机响了。李某掏出来看了一下，随后放下手术刀，一边朝手术室外面走，一边按下了接听键。
Yīnwèi shì júbù mázuì, Sūn nǚshì bèi tuījìn shǒushùshì hòu réng yìshi qīngxǐng, zhǔdāo yīshēng Lǐ mǒu biàn hé zhùshǒu kāishǐ shīxíng shǒushù. Jiù zài shǒushù jìnxíng dào yị̄bàn de shíhou, zhǔdāo yīshēng Lǐ mǒu de shǒujī xiǎng le. Lǐ mǒu tāo chūlai kànle yị̄xià, suíhòu fàngxia shǒushùdāo, yī̠biān cháo shǒushùshì wàimian zǒu, yī̠biān ànxiale jiētīng jiàn.

"I could hear the sounds of a phone being answered, and I really began to worry, I thought, how could the doctor answer the phone while he was in the middle of surgery?" Ms. Sun said that the doctor spent quite a while answering the call, "more than ten minutes." In the meantime, in the large operating room she could hear the surgeons next to her asking, "How could he take a phone call in the middle of surgery? What if something were to happen, what could be done?"
“我能听到叽里呱啦的接听电话的声音，当时担心坏了，心想，在给我做手术的时候，医生怎么能出去接电话呢?”孙女士说，李医生接听电话的时间很长，“至少超过十几分钟。”其间，在这间大手术室内，孙女士甚至听到旁边手术台上的医生都在议论：“手术期间怎么能这样接听电话？万一搞出什么事情怎么办？”
“Wǒ néng tīngdào jīliguālā de jiētīng diànhuà de shēngyīn, dāngshí dānxīn huài le, xīnxiǎng, zài gěi wǒ zuò shǒushù de shíhou, yīshēng zěnme néng chūqu jiē diànhuà ne?” Sūn nǚshì shuō, Lǐ yīshēng jiētīng diànhuà de shíjiān hěn cháng, “zhìshǎo chāoguò shíjǐ fēnzhōng.” Qíjiān, zài zhè jiān dàshǒushù shì nèi, Sūn nǚshì shènzhì tīngdào pángbiān shǒushùtái shàng de yīshēng dōu zài yìlùn: “Shǒushù qījiān zěnme néng zhèyàng jiētīng diànhuà? Wànyī gǎochū shénme shìqing zěnme bàn?”

After taking the call, Dr. Li and his assistant continued with the operation until it was finished.
接听完电话后，李医生和助手继续做手术，直至手术结束。
Jiētīng wán diànhuà hòu, Lǐ yīshēng hé zhùshǒu jìxù zuò shǒushù, zhízhì shǒushù jiéshù.

Ms. Sun said that after the surgery, several doctors came over to examine her; it seemed they were a little flustered, and her heart "skipped a few beats." Later, a couple of doctors examined her several more times, and said the results weren't good, and that she'd have to have the surgery done a second time. On November 19, she had the second surgery. On November 25, the doctor again performed a surgical procedure on her eye. In June 2009, she again went in for surgery. During this entire period, she did not have any vision in that eye. On July 16, 2009, Ms. Sun went to an affiliated hospital at Shanghai's Fudan University for an examination, and the Shangai doctors confirmed to Ms. Sun that further surgery would be useless, because she now was blind in that eye.
孙女士说，手术结束后，便有几个医生跑过来查看，看起来神情有点慌张，她的心里顿时“咯噔”了一下。之后，眼科的两个主任先后多次为孙女士的眼睛检查，几天后说恢复得不好，需要二次手术。11月19日，二次手术。11月25日，医生再次对孙女士眼部进行手术。2009年6月份，孙女士再次入院手术。在这期间，孙女士一直看不到东西。2009年7月16日，孙女士来到了上海复旦大学附属医院检查，据上海的医学专家检查确认，孙女士的眼睛已经无法再次手术，符合永久性失明的条件。
Sūn nǚshì shuō, shǒushù jiéshù hòu, biànyǒu jǐ gè yīshēng pǎo guòlai chákàn, kàn qǐlai shénqíng yọ̌udiǎn huāngzhāng, tā de xīnli dùnshí “gēdēng” le yị̄xià. Zhīhòu, yǎnkē de liǎng gè zhǔrèn xiān-hòu duōcì wèi Sūn nǚshì de yǎnjing jiǎnchá, jǐ tiān hòu shuō huīfù dé bù hǎo, xūyào èrcì shǒushù. 11 yuè 19 rì, èrcì shǒushù. 11 yuè 25 rì, yīshēng zàicì duì Sūn nǚshì yǎnbù jìnxíng shǒushù. 2009 nián 6 yuèfèn, Sūn nǚshì zàicì rùyuàn shǒushù. Zài zhè qījiān, Sūn nǚshì yī̠zhí kànbudào dōngxi. 2009 nián 7 yuè 16 rì, Sūn nǚshì láidàole Shànghǎi Fùdàn Dàxué fùshǔ yīyuàn jiǎnchá, jù Shànghǎi de yīxué zhuānjiā jiǎnchá quèrèn, Sūn nǚshì de yǎnjing yǐjing wúfǎ zàicì shǒushù, fúhé yọ̌ngjiǔxìng shīmíng de tiáojiàn.

Ms. Sun and her family could not accept this outcome, and they negotiated many times with the hospital, and finally the hospital admitted the doctor took a phone call during surgery, but contended that this had nothing to do with the results of the surgery, so the hospital wouldn't take responsibility.
面对这一结局，孙女士和家人均无法接受，他们数次前往医院交涉，最终，院方承认了主刀医生手术期间接听电话的事实，但认为这一事实跟手术结果无关，因此，不愿意承担责任。
Miànduì zhè yī jiéjú, Sūn nǚshì hé jiā rénjūn wúfǎ jiēshòu, tāmen shùcì qiánwǎng yīyuàn jiāoshè, zuìzhōng, yuàn fāng chéngrènle zhǔdāo yīshēng shǒushù qījiān jiētīng diànhuà de shìshí, dàn rènwéi zhè yī shìshí gēn shǒushù jiéguǒ wúguān, yīncǐ, bù yuànyi chéngdān zérèn.

Ms. Sun believes that the condition of her eye today is a direct result of the doctor taking a phone call and missing the optimal time for surgery, and this caused the surgery to fail. Ms. Sun and the hospital could not come to an agreement, so she is suing the hospital.
孙女士认为，她的眼睛之所以出现今天的结果，是医生接听电话延误了手术最佳治疗时间，导致手术失败造成。孙女士在与院方协调无果后，一纸诉状将其告上了法院。
Sūn nǚshì rènwéi, tā de yǎnjing zhīsuǒyǐ chūxiàn jīntiān de jiéguǒ, shì yīshēng jiētīng diànhuà yán wùle shǒushù zuìjiā zhìliáo shíjiān, dǎozhì shǒushù shībài zàochéng. Sūn nǚshì zài yǔ yuàn fāng xiétiáo wú guǒ hòu, yī zhǐ sùzhuàng jiāng qí gào shàngle fǎyuàn.

The court commissioned the Nanjing Medical Association to evaluate whether Ms. Sun's condition is related to medical malpractice. The appraisal report stated that during Ms. Sun's operation, there were no irregularities, and that there often are medical complications that can bring about this result. "The fact that the surgeon took a phone call during the procedure in itself is not enough to cause these medical complications or bring about this result." Based on this, the hospital claimed there was no medical malpractice involved.
法院委托南京医学会，对孙女士的这一情况进行医疗事故技术鉴定。最终，鉴定报告认为，孙女士手术期间，医生的“操作未见违规之处”，是手术常见并发症最终导致目前的后果。“手术者术中接打电话不足以导致术后并发症的发生及目前结果。”据此，医学会认为，本病例不属于医疗事故。
Fǎyuàn wěituō Nánjīng yīxué huì, duì Sūn nǚshì de zhè yī qíngkuàng jìnxíng yīliáo shìgù jìshù jiàndìng. Zuìzhōng, jiàndìng bàogào rènwéi, Sūn nǚshì shǒushù qījiān, yīshēng de “cāozuò wèijiàn wéiguī zhī chù”, shì shǒushù chángjiàn bìngfāzhèng zuìzhōng dǎozhì mùqián de hòuguǒ. “Shǒushù zhě shù zhōng jiē dǎ diànhuà bùzú yǐ dǎozhì shù hòu bìngfāzhèng de fāshēng jí mùqián jiéguǒ.” Jùcǐ, yīxué huì rènwéi, běn bìnglì bù shǔyú yīliáo shìgù.

Should surgeons take phone calls during surgery?
手术中医生该不该接听电话？
Shǒushù zhōng yīshēng gāi bù gāi jiētīng diànhuà?

The reporter wrote to the Jiangsu Health Ministry for advice, and the person who received the request said that at present most doctors follow the rules in a manual called "Hospital Work Rules," published in 1982. "In the 1980s, there was no rule against this kind of situation." But while searching other rules and regulations, the reporter discovered that in 2010, the Health Ministry published a book called "National Hospital Workers and Staff Members Regulations," and on page 49 of that book, "Surgery Management Work Rules," it clearly says: "No staff member can bring or use portable communications devices in the operation room."
记者拨打江苏省卫生厅投诉咨询电话咨询，接待人员表示，目前大多数医院都遵守的是《医院工作制度》，这部制度是1982年由卫生部出台，“上世纪80年代，没有对这个事情进行规定，也是正常的。”记者在搜索相关法律法规时，发现卫生部曾在2010年出版了一部名为《全国医院工作制度与人员岗位职责》的书籍，在该书第49项“手术管理工作制度”中，明确规定：“任何人员不能将移动通讯工具带入手术间内使用。”
Jìzhě bō dǎ Jiāngsū shěng wèishēng tīng tóusù zīxún diànhuà zīxún, jiēdài rényuán biǎoshì, mùqián dàduōshù yīyuàn dōu zūnshǒu de shì 《Yīyuàn gōngzuò zhìdù》, zhè bù zhìdù shì 1982 nián yóu wèishēngbù chūtái, “Shàng shìjì 80 niándài, méiyǒu duì zhège shìqing jìnxíng guīdìng, yěshì zhèngcháng de.” Jìzhě zài sōusuǒ xiāngguān fǎlǜ fǎguī shí, fāxiàn wèishēngbù céng zài 2010 nián chūbǎnle yī bù míngwéi 《Quánguó yīyuàn gōngzuò zhìdù yǔ rényuán gǎngwèi zhízé》 de shūjí, zài gāi shū dì 49 xiàng "Shǒushù guạ̌nlǐ gōngzuò zhìdù" zhōng, míngquè guīdìng: "Rènhé rényuán bùnéng jiāng yídòng tōngxùn gōngjù dàirù shǒushù jiān nèi shǐyòng."

It is reported that because of the special circumstances of the medical profession, such as cases where a doctor is needed urgently, answering a phone call could be a good thing. In reality, the concept of surgery covers a broad range of things, including preparation, anesthesia, and other steps, so couldn't the surgeon take a call during the anasthesia procedure?
据悉，医生因为职业的特殊性，万一遇到危重病人需要紧急会诊或者抢救，其及时接听手机将是很重要的。而事实上，手术的概念也比较宽泛，手术包括准备、麻醉、等待以及实施的几个阶段，如果在麻醉或者准备阶段，医生能不能接听？
Jùxī, yīshēng yīnwèi zhíyè de tèshūxìng, wànyī yùdào wēizhòng bìngrén xūyào jǐnjí huìzhěn huòzhě qiǎngjiù, qí jíshí jiētīng shǒujī jiāngshì hěn zhòngyào de. Ér shìshíshang, shǒushù de gàiniàn yě bǐjiào kuānfàn, shǒushù bāokuò zhǔnbèi, mázuì, děngdài yǐjí shíshī de jǐ gè jiēduàn, rúguǒ zài mázuì huòzhě zhǔnbèi jiēduàn, yīshēng néng bùnéng jiētīng?

"Actually, you can put in a regular telephone in the operating room, and specialized nurses can answer the phone and pass urgent messages to the doctor. But surgeons are not permitted to take mobile phones into the operating room, because after all, the operating room is sterilized, and it has already been proven that telephones carry a huge amount of germs. The doctor can let a nurse answer the mobile phone," said a doctor.
“其实可以在手术室设置固定电话，由专门的护士负责接听，传达紧急信息。而医生的手机，应不允许带进手术室，毕竟手术室是无菌空间，手机上携带大量病菌已经被证实。医生的手机可以由护士代为接听。”一位医生表示。
"Qíshí kẹ̌yǐ zài shǒushùshì shèzhì gùdìng diànhuà, yóu zhuānmén de hùshi fùzé jiētīng, chuándá jǐnjí xìnxī. Ér yīshēng de shǒujī, yīng bù yụ̌nxǔ dàijìn shǒushùshì, bìjìng shǒushùshì shì wújūn kōngjiān, shǒujī shàng xiédài dàliàng bìngjūn yǐjing bèi zhèngshí. Yīshēng de shǒujī kẹ̌yǐ yóu hùshi dàiwéi jiētīng," yī wèi yīshēng biǎoshì.

Many people agree with this point of view. The reporter has learned that this case is now being heard in court.
对此观点，不少市民表示赞同。记者了解到，此案目前正在法院审理中。
Duì cǐ guāndiǎn, bùshǎo shìmín biǎoshì zàntóng. Jìzhě liǎojiě dào, cǐ àn mùqián zhèngzài fǎyuàn shẹ̌nlǐ zhōng.

Original source: 《西安日报》2011-11/23 and online version

Just say no! 说不!

10/25/2011

"Parent nibblers"
"啃老族" "Kěn lǎo zú"

They have become adults, but they stay at home all day and spend the money their parents have saved -- these kinds of people are known as "parent nibblers," and even though the parents who are being "nibbled" complain, there often is little they can do about it.
已经成年，却还成天赖在家中，啃老爸老妈的老本，这样的人被称为“啃老族”，被“啃”的父母即便有怨言，通常也无可奈何。Yǐjīng chéngnián, què hái chéngtiān lài zài jiāzhōng, kěn lǎobà lǎomā de lǎoběn, zhèyàng de rén bèi chēngwéi "kěn lǎo zú," bèi "kěn" de fùmǔ jíbiàn yǒu yuànyán, tōngcháng yě wúkě nàihé.

[Photo: Caption on bucket says "The savings parents have amassed" (父母积蓄 Fùmǔ jīxù) -- which the kids are "wringing out of" the parent]

These days, the number of "parent nibblers" is increasing; one of society's most difficult problems is how to stop this.
如今，社会上这种“啃老族”愈来愈多，如何杜绝还真成了社会一大难题。Rújīn, shèhuì shàng zhèzhǒng "kěn lǎo zú" yùláiyù duō, rúhé dùjué hái zhēn chéngle shèhuì yí dà nàntí.

Recently, the 20th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 11th People's Congress opened in Jiangsu province, and a draft plan for "Rules ensuring the rights of senior citizens" was considered.
近日，江苏省十一届人大常委会第二十次会议开幕，就《江苏省老年人权益保障条例(草案修改稿)》进行了审议。Jìnrì, Jiāngsū shěng shíyí jiè Rén-Dà chángwěihuì dì-èrshí cì huìyì kāimù, jiù 《 Jiāngsū shěng lǎoniánrén quányì bǎozhàng tiáolì (cǎo'àn xiūgǎi gǎo) 》 jìnxíng le shěnyì.

In relation to the "parent nibblers," new laws were proposed: "When adult children make demands on parents, parents have the right to refuse ... Children or other close relatives cannot use real estate or other reasons to defraud, embezzle or take by force any property belonging to the parents."
其中对“啃老族”现象提出新的规定：“有独立生活能力的成年子女要求老年人经济资助的，老年人有权拒绝。子女或者其他亲属不得以物业或者其他理由，骗取、克扣或者强行索取老年人的财物”。Qízhōng duì "kěn lǎo zú" xiànxiàng tíchū xīn de guīdìng: "Yǒu dúlì shēnghuó nénglì de chéngnián zínǚ yāoqiú lǎoniánrén jīngjì zīzhù de, lǎoniánrén yǒuquán jùjué. Zínǚ huòzhě qítā qīnshǔ bùdé yǐ wù yè huòzhě qítā lǐyóu piàn qǔ, kèkòu huòzhě qiángxíng suóqǔ lǎoniánrén de cáiwù"...

Most people support Jiangsu's proposed law to prohibit children from "nibbling away at their parents' savings," and see it as a way to protect older people, and also as a means of strongly discouraging young people, especially those who are ignorant or incompetent, and who hide out all day at home and don't work, and thoughtlessly rely on the parents' life savings: to them we just have to say no!
对于江苏省首开先河拟立法禁止子女啃老的规定，大部分人表示赞同，这样即保护了老年人，也对年轻是一种鞭策，对于那些不学无术，整天猫在家里不工作的年轻人，自己不劳动盲目依赖父母生存的人，就应该向他们说不。Duìyú Jjiāngsū shěng shǒu kāi xiānhé nǐ lìfǎ jìnzhǐ zínǚ kěn lǎo de guīdìng, dàbùfen rén biǎoshì zàntóng, zhèyàng jí bǎohù le lǎoniánrén, yě duì niánqīng shì yì zhǒng biāncè, duìyú nàxiē bùxuéwúshù, zhěngtiān māo zài jiālǐ bù gōngzuò de niánqīng rén, zìjǐ bù láodòng mángmù yīlài fùmǔ shēngcún de rén, jiù yīnggāi xiàng tāmen shuō bú!

Of those who represent the generations born in the '80s and '90s, many already are in their thirties, and are capable of working, but don't want to; not only do they rely on their parents, but they take for granted the behavior of "nibbling" at their parents, and think this is how it's supposed to be; they believe that since their parents gave birth to them, they can just live like this ...
其中以80、90后为代表，许多已到了而立之年，有劳动能力却不想工作，不仅依赖父母，而且还心安理得的把这种啃老行为当作理所当然，认为父母把他们生下来，就应该如此生活。Qízhōng yǐ 80, 90 hòu wéi dàibiǎo, xǔduō yǐ dàole érlìzhīnián, yǒu láodòng nénglì què bù xiǎng gōngzuò, bù jǐn yīlài fùmǔ, érqiě hái xīn'ānlǐdéde bǎ zhèzhǒng kěn lǎo xíngwéi dàngzuò lǐsuǒdāngrán, rèn wéi fùmǔ bǎ tāmen shēng xiàlái, jiù yīnggāi rúcǐ shēnghuó.

This is especially true among the '90s generation; they grew up in well-off surroundings, so they don't have the spirit of hard work and suffering, and as soon as they encounter some minor setback, they beat the drums of retreat ... Then, many companies don't want to hire the '90s generation, and this indirectly makes it easier for them to become "parent nibblers" ...
其中，90后一代尤为突出，从小在富裕的生活环境中长大，没有吃苦耐劳的精神，稍微遇到点挫折，就打起退堂鼓。其次，许多企业不屑招90后，也间接促成他们成为啃老一族。Qízhōng, 90 hòu yídài yóuwéi tūchū, cóngxiǎo zài fùyù de shēnghuó huánjìng zhōng zhǎngdà, méiyǒu chīkǔ nàiláo de jīngshen, shāowēi yùdào diǎn cuòzhé, jiù dǎqǐ tuìtánggǔ. Qícì, xǔduō qǐyè búxiè zhāo 90 hòu, yě jiànjiē cùchéng tāmen chéngwéi kěn lǎo yì zú.

People who have analyzed this phenomenon believe that the '80s generation already has more or less endured some hardship, and gradually is understanding it was not easy for their parents, who exhausted themselves working ... Moreover, having been burnished a bit by hard times, the '80s generation already is marching into its thirties, and as they mature they are showing more responsibility towards their parents.
有关人士分析认为，“80后”或多或少都吃过一些苦，懂得父母奔波辛劳不容易。而且，经过几年摔打磨炼，“80后”已经开始迈向而立之年，他们日渐成熟的心态开始懂的孝顺。Yǒuguān rénshì fēnxī rènwéi, "80 hòu" huòduōhuòshǎo dōu chīguò yìxiē kǔ, dǒngdé fùmǔ bēnbō xīnláo bù róngyì. Érqiě. jīngguò jǐ nián shuāidǎ móliàn, "80 hòu" yǐjīng kāishǐ màixiàng érlìzhīnián, tāmen rìjiàn chéngshu de xīntài kāishǐ dǒngde xiàoshùn.

But this isn't at all true of the '90s generation; the enviroment they grew up in was better than that of the '80s generation, they could spend money without thinking about it, they never had to worry about food or clothing, everything was going their way, they could do as they pleased ... So their expectations are higher, and if they encounter the slightest setback, they just give up, and ultimately it's the parents who suffer the hardship.
但“90后”则不然。首先，他们的成长环境比“80后”更好，比较富裕的家庭环境，使他们花钱不愁、衣食无忧，一切顺着他们、由着他们。所以，他们求职时的心气更高。一遇到挫折，就选择放弃，到最后受苦的还是父母。Dàn "90 hòu" zé bùrán. Shǒuxiān, tāmen de chéngzhǎng huánjìng bǐ "80 hòu" gèng hǎo, bǐjiào fùyù de jiātíng huánjìng, shǐ tāmen huā qián bùchóu, yī-shí wúyōu, yìqiè shùnzhe tāmen, yóuzhe tāmen. Suóyǐ, tāmen qiúzhí shí de xīnqì gènggāo. Yí yùdào cuòzhé, jiù xuǎnzé fàngqì, dào zuìhòu shòukǔ de háishì fùmǔ.

Also, most '90s generation kids belong to "one-child" families, it goes without saying the parents doted on them. And with all of their needs being fulfilled in every possible way, for the '90s generation, family responsibilities and crisis never entered their minds, which brought about a situation where "parent nibbling" and parental guidance definitely are interrelated, and brain damage couldn't seem more normal.
另外，“90后”一般都是独生子女，父母对他们的溺爱自然不用说，生活上的富裕和父母无微不至的关怀使得很多“90后”没有家庭负担和危机意识，造成部分90后啃老和父母的教育也有一定关系，被批脑残也就再正常不过。Lìngwài, "90 hòu" yìbān dōu shì dúshēng zínǚ, fùmǔ duì tāmen de nì'ài zìrán búyòngshuō， shēnghuó shàng de fùyù hé fùmǔ wúwēibúzhì de guānhuái shǐ dé hěn duō "90 hòu" méiyǒu jiātíng fùdān hé wēijī yìshí, zàochéng bùfen 90 hòu kěn lǎo hé fùmǔ de jiàoyù yě yǒu yídìng guānxi, bèi pī nǎo cán yě jiù zài zhèngcháng búguò.

The Jiangsu rules against parent nibblers should be implemented as a prohibition against those 80/90 generation kids who are ignorant and incompetent, and who day in and day out are online amusing themselves by cursing people -- this has become very worrisome for parents. Of course, they can also serve as a kind of stimulation and punishment.
江苏拟立法禁止子女啃老，应该实行，禁止部分8090后不学无术，天天宅在家里上网骂人消遣，成为父母的一大心病。当然，也是对他们的一种督促与惩罚。Jiāngsū nǐ lìfǎ jìnzhǐ zínǚ kěn lǎo, yīnggāi shíxíng, jìnzhǐ bùfen 8090 hòu bùxuéwúshù, tiāntiān zhái zài jiālǐ shàngwǎng màrén xiāoqiǎn, chéngwéi fùmǔ de yí dà xīnbìng. Dāngrán, yě shì duì tāmen de yìzhǒng dūcù yǔ chéngfá.

Source: 《中老年时报》2011-01/24 第3版: "江苏拟立法规定老人有权拒绝子女“啃老”要求" and online

Red light? Have a smoke...

10/16/2011

Taking advantage of the red lights
(趁着红灯 chènzhe hóngdēng)

The bus came to a halt at a red light, and even though it takes only fifty or sixty seconds for the light to change, the driver got up from the driver's seat, "opened the front door and stepped outside for a smoke." 打开车前门下车抽烟 dǎkāi chē qiánmén xiàchē chōuyān.
[The photo shows the bus driver outside the bus having a smoke; the reporter gathered information for this article by riding the #15 bus in Nanjing and observing the driver and the passengers] ...
...
When there were about five seconds left before the red light changed, the driver got back on the bus, and rushed to follow the cars ahead of him in making a left turn.
直等到红灯剩下5秒，司机才上了车，急急忙忙地跟着前车左拐 Zhí děngdào hóngdēng shèngxia 5 miǎo, sījī cái shàng le chē, jíjímángmáng de gēnzhe qiánchē zuǒguǎ.
...
At the intersection of Xiang He Road and Zhu Jiang Road, the driver again opened the front door, stepped down, took out a pack of cigarettes, stood in the doorway to the bus, and lit a cigarette ... "Passengers hadn't a clue what was happening, and kept looking out of the bus."
乘客们都不知道发生了什么事，往车外张望 Chéngkè men dōu bùzhīdào fāshēng le shénme shì, wǎng chē wài zhāngwàng.
...
Realizing this, the driver boarded the bus and snuffed out the cigarette in his hand ..."Then the passengers knew that, because smoking wasn't permitted on the bus, the driver was taking advantage of the red lights to have a smoke."
车上乘客方才明白，原来公交车内不允许吸烟，司机便趁着等红灯下车过烟瘾了Chē shàng chéngkè fāngcái míngbai, yuánlái gōngjiāochē nèi bù yúnxǔ xīyān, sījī biàn chènzhe děng hóngdēng xiàchē guò yānyǐn le.
...
Soon after, the driver again stepped down from the bus and continued smoking ... "At that intersection, when there were only ten seconds left before the red light changed, the driver still hadn't gotten back on the bus, but calmly stood there smoking"
眼看路口的红灯就剩下10秒了，但司机还没有上车，依然气定神闲地站在车门外抽烟 Yǎnkàn lùkǒu de hóngdēng jiù shèngxià 10 miǎo le, dàn sījī hái méiyǒu shàngchē, yīrán qì dìngshén xiándì zhàn zài chēmén wài chōuyān.
...
A driver in a car that had stopped next the bus opened his window and shouted to the bus driver, "Why haven't you gotten on the bus, the red light's going to change very soon, you'd better hurry up" 停在公交车旁的一位小车司机打开车窗向外喊道：“还不上车，红灯快结束了，快来不及了。” Ting zài gōngjiāochē páng de yí wèi xiǎochē sījī dǎkāi chēchuāng xiàngwài hǎndào: “Hái bú shàng chē, hóng dēng kuài jié shù le, kuài lái bù jí le."
...
The driver didn't respond and seemed not to hear.
司机师傅似乎没有听到，不予理会 Sījī shī fu sìhū méiyǒu tīngdào, bùyǔ lǐhuì.
...
By this time, the passengers were getting anxious, "The light is about to turn green, the driver hasn't come back, how long is he going to make us wait?" The passengers kept talking about this, they were really dissatisfied with the driver's behavior.
...
With five seconds to go before the light turned red, the driver took a final drag on the cigarette, threw the cigarette butt into the street, hurriedly got back into the drivers seat, closed the door, and began to drive with the traffic ahead ... "This amazed the passengers and people on the street"
这让车上的乘客和车旁的行人都看傻了眼 Zhè ràng chēshàng de chéngkè hé chē páng de xíngrén dōu kàn shǎ le yǎn.
...
The reporter notes: "For a driver to stop in the fast lane, and take advantage of a red light to leave the driver's seat and step down and have a smoke, not only is risky for the driver, but also shows lack of concern for the safety of the passengers."
车还停在快车道上，司机趁着红灯擅自离开驾驶室，下车吸烟，非但不顾自己的安全，也是不顾一车乘客的安全。Chē hái tíng zài kuàichēdào shàng, sījī chènzhe hóngdēng shànzì líkāi jiàshǐshì, xiàchē xīyān, fēidàn bùgù zìjǐ de ānquán, yě shì bùgù yì chē chéngkè de ānquán.
...
According to Director Cao of the Nanjing Public Transportation Administration, relevant Nanjing regulations state that before being employed, every driver must undergo training and education in personal integrity and safety ..."This driver definitely took the training before being employed, so he must have knowingly violated the law, and has to be punished," Director Cao said.
“这位司机上岗前肯定受过培训，属于明知故犯，应予以处罚。”曹主任说 Zhè wèi sījī shànggǎng qián kěndìng shòuguò péixùn, shǔyú míngzhīgùfàn, yīng yúyǐ chǔfá,” Cáo zhǔrèn shuō.
Sources: 《现代快报》2011-10/13 第B4版：“路遇红灯，公交司机下车过烟瘾” and online version

"Hello ... how may I help you?" 您好...有什么能帮您?

10/09/2011

(您好...有什么能帮您? Nín hǎo ... yǒu shénme néng bāng nín?)

The phrase appeared in yesterday's Beijing Morning Post 《北京晨报》, and the story behind it gives a glimpse into the life of a Beijing police officer who serves as a 110 call center operator ... ”Hello, this is 110 call center desk #215, how may I help you?" In the course of a day, Gao Yanyan will repeat that phrase more than 800 times ...
“您好，110报警台215号，有什么能帮您？这样的话，高艳艳每天要重复800余次。 “Nín hǎo, 110 bàojǐng tái 215 hào，yǒu shénme néng bāng nín?" Zhèyàng dehuà，Gāo Yànyàn měitiān yào chóngfù 800 yú cì...

Gao Yanyan has been on the job nine years; in a typical year, she responds to more than 100,000 calls, and on average persuades six people not to commit suicide ...
高艳艳工作9年，[她]年均接听报警电话10万余个，成功劝阻、解救自杀者6人。Gāo Yànyàn ... gōngzuò 9 nián，[ta] niánjūn jiētīng bàojǐng diànhuà 10 wàn yú gè，chénggōng quànzǔ, jiějiù zìshāzhě 6 rén...

On the morning of October 2nd at 10:00, the reporter arrived at the Public Security Bureau's 110 call center, and although it was during the national holidays, the calls came in one after the other, and the operators were extremely busy...
10月2日上午10时，记者来到市公安局110指挥中心，虽然是节假日，但110电话此起彼伏，接警员们依然忙碌。10 yuè 2 rì shàngwǔ 10 shí，jìzhě láidào shì gōng'ānjú 110 zhǐhuī zhōngxīn, suīrán shì jié-jiàrì, dàn 110 diànhuà cǐqǐbǐfú, jiē jǐngyuánmen yīrán mánglù...

A one-minute call to 110
一分钟接一个110 Yī fēnzhōng jiē yī gè 110

A middle-aged man called to say, "I've lost my money!" ... "Where are you, where did you lose it, how much did you lose?" Gao Yanyan asked ... "Right now I'm in a market in the XiLuo Yuan neighborhood, yesterday I lost more than 1000 yuan here," the man replied ... "Don't worry," Gao Yanyan said, "The police are on the way, stay where you are, keep your cell phone line open," Gao Yanyan said...
“我的钱丢了！”一名中年男子说。“您现在哪里，在哪儿丢的，丢了多少钱？”高艳艳问。“我现在西罗园社区附近的一个早市，昨日在这里丢了一千多元钱。”中年男子回答。”高艳艳说。“您别着急，民警马上就过去，你就在原地等，保持手机通畅。
“Wǒ de qián diū le!" Yī míng zhōngnián nánzǐ shuō. “Nín xiànzài nǎli，zài nǎr diū de, diū le duōshao qián?" Gāo Yànyàn wèn ... “Wǒ xiànzài XīLuō Yuán shèqū fùjìn de yī gè zǎoshì，zuórì zài zhèlǐ diū le yīqiān duōyuán qián." ... "Nín bié zháojí，mínjǐng mǎshàng jiù guòqu, nǐ jiù zài yuándì děng, bǎochí shǒujī tōngchàng." ...

Because they talk so much during the day, the operators often suffer from sore throats and spinal injuries, these kinds of occupational illnesses ... Every day after work, she feels especially tired, doesn't want to talk, and sometimes only wants to play with her 3-year-old daughter ...
每天因说话太多，接警员们普遍都有咽炎、颈椎炎等职业病。下班回家后，她感觉特别累，不想说话，只是偶尔与3岁的女儿玩耍。Měitiān yīn shuōhuà tài duō, jiē jǐngyuán men pǔbiàn dōu yǒu yānyán, jǐngzhuī yán děng zhíyèbìng. Xiàbān huíjiā hòu, tā gǎnjué tèbié lèi, bù xiǎng shuōhuà, zhǐshì ǒu'ěr yǔ 3 suì de nǚ'ér wánshuǎ...

A few days ago, the department held a meeting to honor Gao Yanyan's record of meritorious service, and a person she helped in the past, named Zhang, showed up. He'd made the trip especially to express his gratitude to Gao Yanyan ... Mr. Zhang told how he and his wife don't get along, he's always arguing with her, and the situation at home sometimes turns violent. Whenever he feels things are really out of control, he dials 110 ...
日前，市公安局专门为高艳艳举行了先进事迹推介会，一名曾经受过高艳艳帮助的张先生现身专程前来对高艳艳表达谢意。张先生说，因为与妻子性格不合，总是和她发生争吵，随后还演变为家庭暴力。在非常无助的情况下，他拨通了110。 Rìqián, shì gōng'ānjú zhuānmén wèi gāo yàn yàn jǔxíng le xiānjìnshìjì tuījiè huì, yī míng céngjīng shòuguò Gāo Yànyàn bāngzhù de Zhāng xiānsheng xiànshēn ... Zhuānchéng qiánlái duì Gāo Yànyàn biǎodá xièyì. Zhāng xiānsheng shuō, yīnwèi yǔ qīzi xìnggé bùhé, zǒngshì hé tā fāshēng zhēngchǎo, suíhòu hái yǎnbiàn wèi jiātíng bàolì. Zài fēicháng wú zhù de qíngkuàng xià，tā bō tōng le 110...

"The voice that answers is so friendly, this makes me feel at peace and all at once my anger disappears," Mr. Zhang said. With Gao Yanyan's patient guidance, he was able to talk about his feelings of depression, and express how much he cares about his wife, it's just that sometimes he loses control of his emotions, and this brings about the violence in his home. Mr. Zhang said he finally has come to terms with these feelings, and has renewed his relationship with his wife ...
“电话那边的声音很亲切，让我觉得很安静，一下子平息了我的怒火。”张先生说。在高艳艳的循循善诱下，他将心中的苦闷全部说了出来，并表示他非常在乎他的妻子，只是控制不住自己的感情才导致了家庭暴力。张先生最终解开了心结，与妻子的关系又恢复如初。... “Diànhuà nàbiān de shēngyīn hěn qīnqiè, ràng wǒ juéde hěn ānjìng, yīxiàzi píngxī le wǒ de nùhuǒ. ” Zhāng xiānsheng shuō ... Zài Gāo Yànyàn de xúnxúnshànyòu xià, tā jiāng xīnzhōng de kǔmèn quánbù shuō le chūlai, bìng biǎoshì tā fēicháng zàihu tā de qīzi, zhǐshì kòngzhì bùzhù zìjǐ de gǎnqíng cái dǎozhì le jiātíng bàolì. Zhāng xiānsheng zuìzhōng jiěkāi le xīn jié, yǔ qīzi de guānxi yòu huīfù rúchū....

She rode the bus to get familiar with Beijing
坐公交熟悉地名 Zuò gōngjiāo shúxī dìmíng

Gao Yanyan is not originally from Beijing, and so after college when she first came to the city, she wasn't familiar with many of the place-names and streets ... The first call she took on the job nine years ago did not go well ... The phone rang, it was the voice of a middle-aged man: "I'm at Sha Zi Kou, there's been an incident, please send the police."
电话铃里传出一个中年男子的声音：“这是沙子口，我这儿有点事，你派个警察来。” Diànhuàlíng lǐ chuánchū yī gè zhōngnián nánzǐ de shēngyīn：“Zhè shì Shā Zi Kǒu, wǒ zhèr yǒudiǎn shì, nǐ pài gè jǐngchá lái"...

Because she was afraid of issuing the wrong report, she cautiously asked, "That's Chong Wen district, isn't it?" The guy grew impatient and berated her: "Are you a Beijing policeman? Does Beijing have another Sha Zi Kou?" ...
因怕布错警，高艳艳小心翼翼地问了一句：“这是崇文区吧？" 结果对方急了，斥责道：“你是北京警察吗？北京还有哪儿有沙子口？" Yīn pà bù cuò jǐng，Gāo Yànyàn xiǎoxīnyìyì de wèn le yī jù: “Zhè shì Chóng Wén qū ba?" Jiéguǒ duìfāng jí le, chìzé dào: “Nǐ shì Běijīng jǐngchá ma? Běijīng háiyǒu nǎr yǒu Shā Zi Kǒu?"...

Gao Yanyan immediately became flustered ... Then the caller added, "If you are going to keep messing up this call, you'd better get out of that uniform and go home!" She was so humiliated she wanted to cry...
高艳艳立马慌了神。结果电话那边又说：“你要是连个警都接不好，就早点脱了制服回家吧！” 高艳艳委屈得直想掉眼泪。Gāo Yànyàn lìmǎ huāng le shén. Jiéguǒ diànhuà nàbiān yòu shuō: “Nǐ yàoshi lián gè jǐng dōu jiē bù hǎo, jiù zǎo diǎn tuō le zhìfú huíjiā ba!” Gāo Yànyàn wěiqu dé zhí xiǎng diào yǎnlèi...

After that, every day after work, she would ride the bus by herself in order to become familiar with the city ... Today, except for a few alleyways and remote areas, she knows the city's place-names by heart ...
随后，高艳艳开始勤奋地记地名。每天下班后她独自坐上公交车，满北京城转悠，目的就是为了熟悉北京的地名。一年后，除了个别的胡同和偏僻的地名外，高艳艳对北京的地名已是熟记于心。Suíhòu, Gāo Yànyàn kāishǐ qínfèn de jì dìmíng. Měitiān xiàbān hòu, tā dúzì zuòshàng gōngjiāochē, mǎn Běijīng Chéng zhuànyou, mùdì jiùshì wèile shúxī Běijīng de dìmíng. Yī nián hòu, chúle gèbié de hútòng hé piānpì de dìmíng wài, Gāo Yànyàn duì Běijīng de dìmíng yǐ shì shújì yú xīn...

She worked through an illness 　　
带病仍坚持接警 Dàibìng réng jiānchí jiē jǐng

In late March 2010, she discovered a swelling in her breast. In order not to disrupt anything at work, she waited until the National People's Congress concluded its meetings, then she went for a check-up, and found out she had a kind of inflammation ...The doctor said she had to be hospitalized immediately and undergo surgery ... 　
2010年3月“两会”期间，她发现自己身体内有一肿块。为了不影响工作，直到“两会”安保任务结束，她才到医院检查，得知患了肉芽肿浆细胞性乳腺炎，医生要求她立即住院手术。2010 nián 3 yuè “Liǎng-huì” qījiān, tā fāxiàn zìjǐ shēntǐ nèiyǒu yī zhǒngkuài. Wèile bù yǐngxiǎng gōngzuò, zhí dào “Liǎng-huì” ān bǎo rènwu jiéshù, tā cái dào yīyuàn jiǎnchá, dézhī huàn le ròuyá zhǒng jiāng xìbāo xìng rǔxiànyán, yīshēng yāoqiú tā lìjí zhùyuàn shǒushù....

But in April, on the opening day of the South African World Cup soccer matches, right at the weekend, she learned that calls to the Center were significantly higher than average ... So she asked the hospital for a leave, and returned to the office, where for two hours she fielded more than 130 calls, recorded more than 45 police dispatches, and gave advice or help to more than 100 people ...
4月南非世界杯开幕那天，正好赶上周末，110报警电话比平日明显增多。得知此情况，高艳艳向医生请假回到单位参加接警工作。在2个多小时的接警时间中，她共接听报警电话130余件，形成派警记录45件，答复群众咨询、求助100余人次。4 yuè Nánfēi shìjièbēi kāimù nàtiān, zhènghǎo gǎnshàng zhōumò, 110 bàojǐng diànhuà bǐ píngrì míngxiǎn zēngduō. Dézhī cǐ qíngkuàng, Gāo Yànyàn xiàng yīshēng qǐngjià huídào dānwèi cānjiā jiē jǐng gōngzuò. Zài 2 gè duō xiǎoshí de jiē jǐng shíjiān zhōng, tā gòng jiētīng bàojǐng diànhuà 130 yú jiàn, xíngchéng pài jǐng jìlù 45 jiàn, dáfù qúnzhòng zīxún, qiúzhù 100 yú rén-cì...

This past May her condition returned, and so far she's had three operations ... At the office, her boss takes her condition into account and looks after her by managing the amount of time and the intensity of her workload ...
今年5月份，高艳艳的病情再次复发，前后经过3次手术。单位领导考虑到她的身体情况，在工作时间和工作强度上给予极大照顾。Jīnnián 5 yuèfèn, Gāo Yànyàn de bìngqíng zàicì fùfā, qiánhòu jīngguò 3 cì shǒushù ... Dānwèi lǐngdǎo kǎolǜ dào tā de shēntǐ qíngkuàng, zài gōngzuò shíjiān hé gōngzuò qiángdù shàng jǐyǔ jí dà zhàogu...

"Being a call center operator isn't just my job, it's my source of happiness, it gives me great delight to help people when they call" ...
她经常笑着说：“接警不只是我的工作，还是我的快乐之源，多帮助一个报警群众，我就会多得到一份乐趣。” “Jiē jǐng bùzhǐ shì wǒ de gōngzuò, háishi wǒ de kuàilè zhī yuán, duō bāngzhù yī gè bàojǐng qúnzhòng, wǒ jiù huì duō dédào yī fèn lèqù” ...

Sources: 《北京晨报》2011-10/08 第A05版：“高艳艳日均接警800余起”
http://www.morningpost.com.cn/bjcb/html/2011-10/08/content_120792.htm

"Work hard at everything" 凡事都努力

10/04/2011

(凡事都努力 Fánshì dōu nǔlì ）

The source of this quotation is Zhang Yimou 张艺谋, the famous contemporary Chinese film director who, in addition to producing such classic films as "To Live" (《活着》Huózhe) , and "House of Flying Daggers" (《十面埋伏》Shímiànmáifú, a film that was very popular with American audiences when it was released in 2004), managed to find time to co-direct the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics ...
He gave this advice to the young actress Zhou Dongyu 周冬雨 (her given name "Dongyu" in English means "Winter Rains") ... She knows Zhang Yimou because he directed her in the recent and popular film "Under the Hawthorn Tree" (《山楂树之恋》 Shānzhashù zhī liàn ), which opened in China last year [that's her and the hawthorn tree in the photo] ...

In that film, a story of "pure love" set in the Cultural Revolution of the 1970s, Zhou Dongyu plays a young woman named Jing Qiu 静秋 (her character's name in English means "Quiet Autumn") ... As an "educated youth," Jing Qiu is "sent down" to a rural village to teach; there she meets the love of her life, a young man called Lao San 老三 ...

[We can say that the film is well worth watching, and the novel by the same title on which it is based is an excellent read in Chinese (the author is the contemporary Chinese novelist Ai Mi 艾米) ... We won't spoil the ending for those who aren't familiar with the story, but there is an unforgettable moment when Jing Qiu calls out to Lao San, who has fallen ill, to let him know she is at his bedside: "我是静秋，我是静秋" ... ("It's Jing Qiu, it's Jing Qiu") ] ...

Zhou Dongyu talks about her relationship to Zhang Yimou in an interview published last March in the Bohai Morning Post《渤海早报》 ... She tells us that "Everything the film director Zhang taught me, I learned during the shooting of the film. What he said was, "Work hard at everything, you won't have any regrets if you work hard, but if you don't, when the time comes your tears will be useless."
周冬雨：张导教给我的，都是在拍电影时学到的。他原来跟我说，凡事都要努力，努力了才不会后悔，否则到时候哭都没地方。Zhōu Dōngyǔ：Zhāng dǎo jiāo gěi wǒ de，dōu shì zài pāi diànyǐng shí xuédào de. Tā yuánlái gēn wǒ shuō，Fánshì dōu yào nǔlì，nǔlì le cái bù huì hòuhuǐ，fǒuzé dàoshí hòu kū dōu méi dìfāng.

The interview and article give glimpses into the life of a '90s generation Chinese woman (those born in the '90s are called "九零后" "jiǔ líng hòu" (nine-zero-after) ... Of course, she is a celebrity, so her life can't be thought of as typical, but since she is just 19 years old, she is still attending college -- she's enrolled at the Beijing Film Academy (北京电影学院 Běijīng diànyǐngxué yuàn) [see link below] -- as it turns out, this is the same university that Zhang Yimou graduated from (in 1982, as a member of the first class to be graduated on the reopening of the Academy after the Cultural Revolution had ended) ...

Improving her English is very much on her mind ... “I really admire people whose English is good" (我最羡慕的是那些英文好的人 Wǒ zuì xiànmù de shì nàxiē yīngwén hǎo de rén) ... She was asked if Dou Xiao (the male actor who plays Lao San opposite her in the film), whose English is described as very good, ever tried to teach her English? 窦骁...英文挺好的，他不教你吗？Dòu Xiāo... yīngwén tǐnghǎo de，tā bù jiāo nǐ ma？

She replied, "Whenever I tried to speak English with him, he'd make fun of me, this kind of damaged my self-confidence (laughs) .... I'd really like to study English with him, it's just a matter of finding the time..." 我每次说英语他都笑话我，打击了我的自信心（笑）。我挺想跟他学英文的，但需要时间。Wǒ měi cì shuō yīngyǔ tā dōu xiàohua wǒ，dǎjī le wǒ de zìxìnxīn (xiàozhe）. Wǒ tǐng xiǎng gēn tā xué yīngwén de，dàn xūyào shíjiān.

She is reported to "really like Bei Dian" (喜欢北电 xǐhuan BěiDiàn) , mainly because it is Zhang Yimou's alma mater (因为他是张导母校 yīnwèi tā shì Zhāng dǎo mǔxiào) ... Her teachers are said to be impressed with her progress (老师刮目相看 Lǎoshī guāmùxiāngkàn) ...

Sources: 《渤海早报》20110315 第40版: “‘谋女郎’周冬雨谈大学”, Beijing Film Academy 北京电影学院