今年春节，你被催婚了吗

你被催婚了吗。

今天我们一起来看看「经济学人」杂志近日关于「催婚」话题的文章。

🤔️小作业：

无注释原文：

China | Itching to hitch ’em

Chinese singles face the heat over the holiday

It’s not just parents who want them to get married

From: The Economist

In the weeks leading up to the lunar new year on January 22nd, millions of people in China travelled back to their home towns to celebrate the country’s biggest holiday. Some have not been home for two years, thanks to pandemic travel curbs. There have been joyful reunions, fireworks and banquets. But, for single people of a certain age, there have also been awkward questions.

The holiday is a chance for parents, aunts, uncles—even distant cousins—to press their young relatives to get married. Such nagging occurs in most countries. In conservative China, though, the pressure is intense.

Online searches for cuihun (urging someone to wed) peak every year at this time, according to data from Baidu, a search engine. Beleaguered 20- and 30-somethings are flooding social media with complaints. “I used to like the atmosphere at new year, but now I hate it more and more,” said one person on Weibo, a Twitter-like platform. “If you are not married, you’re urged to get married. If you are married, you’re urged to have children.”

Nowadays the pressure comes from the state, too. China’s young people have been marrying later—or not at all. The average age of a first-time newly-wed was 28.7 in 2020, about four years higher than it was a decade ago. China registered 7.6m marriages in 2021, the lowest number on record.

Fewer marriages have meant fewer births. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China had 1.412bn people at the end of last year, down by 850,000 on the year before. It is the first time the population has declined since 1962. A shrinking, ageing population is bad for economic growth and will create a huge burden of care. But incentives for couples to have children, such as cash handouts and tax cuts, have had little effect.

There are several reasons behind this demographic crunch. Young people are better educated than previous generations and more likely to spend their 20s pursuing careers. This is especially true of women. Owning a car and a house is seen by many as a basic requirement for settling down—and many young people have neither. In cities, a gruelling work culture leaves little time for marriage and kids. In rural areas, a hefty bride price can get in the way of a match.

Parents don’t care for such excuses. Some singles have come home to find that a string of blind dates has been set up for them. Others provide cuihun countermeasures. One netizen suggested telling parents that it is tough to find a partner worthy of them. An article published two years ago in Chongqing Daily, a local newspaper, advised feigning deafness or going on the attack by interrogating aunts and uncles about their own children’s marital status.

Another solution is to rent a boyfriend or girlfriend for new year. Some actors provide such a service. But the ruse was easier to pull off when the holiday was celebrated over video.

This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline "Itching to hitch ’em" (Jan 26th 2023)

注：中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

China | Itching to hitch ’em

中国｜催婚

Chinese singles face the heat over the holiday

单身人士面临节日压力

It’s not just parents who want them to get married

并不仅仅是父母希望他们结婚

From: The Economist

In the weeks leading up to the lunar new year on January 22nd, millions of people in China travelled back to their home towns to celebrate the country’s biggest holiday. Some have not been home for two years, thanks to pandemic travel curbs. There have been joyful reunions, fireworks and banquets. But, for single people of a certain age, there have also been awkward questions.

在中国，春节是全国最重要的节日，在春节前的几周里，数百万人回到家乡庆祝这个节日。由于新冠疫情出行限制，有些人已经两年没回家了。春节里有欢乐的团聚，烟火和宴会。但是，对于某些年龄的单身人士来说，还有尴尬的问题。

itch to do sth = itch for sth 表示“急切地想做”，英文解释为“to want to do something very much and as soon as possible”举个🌰：

He was itching to hear the results. 他渴望知道结果。

hitch /hɪtʃ/ 作名词，表示“临时故障，小问题”，英文解释为“a temporary difficulty that causes a short delay”举个🌰：Due to a slight technical hitch the concert will be starting half an hour late. 由于出了一点小小的技术故障，音乐会将推后半小时开始。

作动词，hitch a lift/ride 1）表示“免费搭车；搭便车”，英文解释为“to get a free ride in a person's car; to travel around in this way, by standing at the side of the road and trying to get passing cars to stop”举个🌰：

They hitched a ride in a truck. 他们搭乘了一辆路过的货车。

2）表示“（用绳子）系住；（用钩子）挂住”，英文解释为“to fasten something to another thing by tying it with a rope or using a metal hook”举个🌰：

The horses were hitched to a shiny, black carriage. 马匹被套在一辆黑亮的大车上。

短语：

📍get hitched 表示“结婚”，英文解释为“to get married”举个🌰：

Is LR really getting hitched? LR真的要结婚了吗？（假的。

'em /əm/ 是them的缩略形式，举个🌰：

Tell 'em to go away. 告诉他们走开。

此处heat表示“压力；逼迫”，英文解释为“pressure on sb to do or achieve sth”，通常用法feel/take/face the heat，举个🌰：

Can she take the heat of this level of competition? 她承受得了这种水平的比赛的压力吗？

表示“为…作铺垫；是…的先导”，英文解释为“If a period of time or series of events leads up to an event or activity, it happens until that event or activity begins.”举个🌰：

The pilot had no recollection of the events leading up to the crash. 飞行员想不起飞机坠毁前发生了什么。

表示“（正式的）宴会”，英文解释为“a large formal meal for many people, often followed by speeches in honour of someone”。

The holiday is a chance for parents, aunts, uncles—even distant cousins—to press their young relatives to get married. Such nagging occurs in most countries. In conservative China, though, the pressure is intense.

春节是父母、七大姑八大姨——甚至远房亲戚——催促年轻亲戚结婚的机会。这种烦恼在大多数国家都有发生。然而，在保守的中国，这种压力很大。

cousin /ˈkʌz.ən/ 表示“堂（或表）兄弟；堂（或表）姐妹；远房亲戚”，英文解释为“a child of a person's aunt or uncle, or, more generally, a distant (= not close) relation”

nagging /ˈnæɡ.ɪŋ/ 作形容词，1）表示“抱怨的；指责的”，英文解释为“complaining or criticizing”如：a nagging voice 抱怨声；

2）表示“令人心烦不已的；纠缠不休的”，英文解释为“used to describe an unpleasant feeling that continues for a long period of time”如：nagging doubts/pain 难以消除的疑虑/令人不得安宁的疼痛。

作名词，表示“抱怨；指责”，英文解释为“complaining and criticizing”举个🌰：

I got sick of her constant nagging. 我对她没完没了的抱怨感到厌烦。

conservative表示“保守的；守旧的”，英文解释为“not usually liking or trusting change, especially sudden change”如：a conservative society/outlook 保守的社会/观念。

Conservative 表示“（英国）保守党的”，英文解释为“belonging to or supporting the British political party that traditionally supports business and opposes high taxes and government involvement in industry”如：the Conservative Party 保守党，Conservative policies 保守党奉行的政策。

intense /ɪnˈtens/ 表示“强烈的，极度的”，英文解释为“extreme and forceful or (of a feeling) very strong”如：intense cold/heat/hatred 严寒/酷热/痛恨。

Online searches for cuihun (urging someone to wed) peak every year at this time, according to data from Baidu, a search engine. Beleaguered 20- and 30-somethings are flooding social media with complaints. “I used to like the atmosphere at new year, but now I hate it more and more,” said one person on Weibo, a Twitter-like platform. “If you are not married, you’re urged to get married. If you are married, you’re urged to have children.”

据百度搜索引擎的数据，每年这个时候“催婚”一词的在线搜索量都会达到峰值。20和30多岁饱受困扰的人纷纷在社交媒体上抱怨。“我曾经喜欢新年的氛围，但现在我越来越讨厌它，”一位用户在类似推特（Twitter）的平台微博上说。“如果你没有结婚，就会被催婚。如果你结婚了，就会被催生。”

可以作名词，也可以作动词，表示“（达到）峰值”，英文解释为“When something peaks, it reaches its highest value or its highest level.”举个🌰：

Temperatures have peaked at over 90 degrees. 温度已达到峰值，超过了90度。

beleaguered /bɪˈliː.ɡəd/ 表示“被烦扰的；处于困境的”，英文解释为“having a lot of problems or difficulties”如：the beleaguered doctors 已焦头烂额的医生们。

-something 用于数字后指年龄或某个年龄段的人，表示“…多岁，…多岁的人”，英文解释为“used after a number like 20, 30, etc. to refer to the age of a person who is between 20 and 29, 30 and 39 years old, etc., or to a person who is of this age”举个🌰：

I'd guess she's thirty-something. 我猜她三十多岁。

表示“大量送至；挤满；拥满；（使）充斥，充满”，英文解释为“to send sth somewhere in large numbers”举个🌰：

The office was flooded with applications for the job. 办公室堆满了应征该职的求职信。

He was flooded with joy when his first child was born. 第一个孩子出生时，他满心欢喜。

Nowadays the pressure comes from the state, too. China’s young people have been marrying later—or not at all. The average age of a first-time newly-wed was 28.7 in 2020, about four years higher than it was a decade ago. China registered 7.6m marriages in 2021, the lowest number on record.

如今，压力也来自国家。中国的年轻人结婚年龄越来越晚——甚至根本不结婚。2020年，中国平均初婚年龄为28.7岁，比10年前高出约4岁。2021年，中国办理结婚登记760万对，这是自发布数据以来的最低水平。

表示“新婚者”，英文解释为“someone who has recently married”举个🌰：The hotel has a special discount rate for newly-weds. 这家宾馆为新婚夫妇提供特别优惠。

1）熟词僻义，表示“显示（读数）；记录”，英文解释为“if a measuring instrument registers an amount or sth registers an amount on a measuring instrument, the instrument shows or records that amount”举个🌰：

The thermometer registered 25°C. 温度计显示读数为25摄氏度。

2）我们常见的含义是“（尤指把姓名）登记，注册”，英文解释为“to put information, especially your name, into an official list or record”举个🌰：

I registered the car in my name. 我把车登记在我的名下。

📍政府工作报告中经常会出现这个词，比如2020政府工作报告中提到的：

以及2018年报告中提到的：

都有“显示；指示；表达”的含义（to record, show, or express something）。

Fewer marriages have meant fewer births. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China had 1.412bn people at the end of last year, down by 850,000 on the year before. It is the first time the population has declined since 1962. A shrinking, ageing population is bad for economic growth and will create a huge burden of care. But incentives for couples to have children, such as cash handouts and tax cuts, have had little effect.

结婚人数减少意味着生育数减少。根据中国国家统计局的数据，截至去年底，中国人口为14.12亿，比上一年减少85万人。这是自1962年以来中国人口首次下降。人口缩减和老龄化不利于经济增长，并将造成巨大的医疗负担。但鼓励夫妇生育的措施，如现金补贴和减税，收效甚微。

bureau /ˈbjʊərəʊ/ 1）表示“（政府部门的）局，处，科”，英文解释为“a government organization”如：the Federal Bureau of Investigation 联邦调查局。

2）表示“（搜集或提供信息的）办事处，办公室，机构”，英文解释为“an organization or a business that collects or provides information”举个🌰：Her disappearance was reported to the police department's Missing Persons Bureau. 她的失踪被报到了警察局的失踪人口调查处。

作动词，表示“（使）缩小，（使）变小”，英文解释为“to become smaller, or to make something smaller”举个🌰：

The market for their products is shrinking. 市场对他们产品的需求在减少。

表示“激励；刺激；鼓励”，英文解释为“something that encourages you to do sth”举个🌰：

There is no incentive for people to save fuel. 没有使人们节约燃料的鼓励办法。

表示“施舍物；救济款”，英文解释为“something such as food, clothing, or money that is given free to someone who has a great need for it”举个🌰：

I'm not interested in handouts - all I want is a job. 我不稀罕施舍的物品，我想要的是一份工作。

There are several reasons behind this demographic crunch. Young people are better educated than previous generations and more likely to spend their 20s pursuing careers. This is especially true of women. Owning a car and a house is seen by many as a basic requirement for settling down—and many young people have neither. In cities, a gruelling work culture leaves little time for marriage and kids. In rural areas, a hefty bride price can get in the way of a match.

造成这种人口危机背后的原因有很多。年轻人比前几代人受教育程度更高，更有可能在20多岁时追求事业。这一点在女性中尤为明显。许多人认为，拥有汽车和房子是安顿下来的基本条件，而许多年轻人两者都没有。在城市，繁重的工作文化让他们几乎没有时间结婚生子。在农村地区，高额彩礼可能会阻碍婚嫁。

1）作形容词，表示“人口的；人口统计的；人口学的”，英文解释为“relating to demography (= the study of populations and the different groups that make them up)”举个🌰：

There have been monumental social and demographic changes in the country. 该国的社会和人口状况已经发生了巨大的变化。

2）作名词，表示“（顾客）族群”，英文解释为“a group of people, for example customers, who are similar in age, social class, etc.”举个🌰：

This demographic (young teenagers) is the fastest-growing age group using the site. 该族群（十几岁的年轻人）是使用这个网站人数增长最快的年龄群体。

crunch /krʌntʃ/ 表示“（突发的）不足，短缺；（尤指）缺钱”，英文解释为“a situation in which there is suddenly not enough of sth, especially money”如：a budget/energy/housing crunch 预算金额/能源/住房短缺。

📍the crunch 表示“严峻的形势；紧要关头；需要作出艰难抉择的时刻”，英文解释为“a difficult situation that forces you to make a decision or do something”举个🌰：

The crunch came when I was forced to choose between my marriage and my career. 关键时刻到了，我不得不在婚姻和事业之间作出选择。

1）表示“安顿下来，习惯于新环境”，英文解释为“to become familiar with a place and to feel happy and confident in it”举个🌰：

She quickly settled down in her new house/job/school. 她很快适应了新居/新工作/新学校的生活。

2）表示“（通常与伴侣）定居，安定下来”，英文解释为“to start living in a place where you intend to stay for a long time, usually with your partner”举个🌰：

Eventually I'd like to settle down and have a family, but not yet. 最终我想安定下来生儿育女，但现在还不是时候。

gruelling /ˈgrʊəlɪŋ/ 表示“使人的精疲力尽的；艰辛的；让人受不了”，英文解释为“extremely tiring and difficult, and demanding great effort and determination”举个🌰：

Junior doctors often have to work a gruelling 100-hour week. 资历较浅的医生经常必须承受艰巨的工作量，一周工作100小时。

表示“（尤指金钱）大量的，巨额的”，英文解释为“a hefty amount of something, especially money, is very large”，如：a hefty fine 巨额罚款。

📍也可以指“高大健壮的；笨重的”（big and heavy），如：a tall hefty man 一个高大健壮的男人；以及“用力的，重重的”（a hefty blow, kick etc is done using a lot of force），如：a hefty shove 一记猛推。

表示“聘礼，彩礼”，英文解释为“money, property, or services given by a bridegroom to the kinsmen of his bride”

Parents don’t care for such excuses. Some singles have come home to find that a string of blind dates has been set up for them. Others provide cuihun countermeasures. One netizen suggested telling parents that it is tough to find a partner worthy of them. An article published two years ago in Chongqing Daily, a local newspaper, advised feigning deafness or going on the attack by interrogating aunts and uncles about their own children’s marital status.

父母并不在意这样的借口。一些单身人士回家后发现，已经为他们安排了一系列相亲活动。其他人则提出了应对催婚的策略。一位网友建议告诉父母，要找到配得上他们的伴侣很困难。两年前，当地报纸《重庆日报》（Chongqing Daily）发表了一篇文章，建议装聋作哑或反向催婚问七大姑八大姨他们孩子的婚姻状况。

表示“一系列；一连串；一批”，英文解释为“a series of things or people that come closely one after another”如：a string of hits 接二连三的成功。

blind date /ˌblaɪnd ˈdeɪt/ 表示“（由他人安排的）男女初次约会；相亲”，英文解释为“a romantic social meeting between two people who have never met each other”

表示“对策；反措施，应对措施”，英文解释为“an action taken against an unwanted action or situation”举个🌰：

The Chancellor's countermeasures against inflation have been completely ineffective. 财政大臣抑制通货膨胀的对策丝毫不奏效。

表示“假装，装作，佯装（有某种感觉或生病、疲倦等）”，英文解释为“to pretend that you have a particular feeling or that you are ill/sick, tired, etc.”举个🌰：

One morning, I didn't want to go to school, and decided to feign illness. 一天早上，我不愿去上学，就决定装病。

interrogate /ɪnˈter.ə.ɡeɪt/ 表示“讯问，审问，盘问”，英文解释为“to ask someone a lot of questions for a long time in order to get information, sometimes using threats or violence”举个🌰：

The police interrogated the suspect for several hours. 警察盘问了这名嫌疑犯好几个小时。

marital /ˈmærɪtl/表示“婚姻的；夫妻关系的”，英文解释为“connected with marriage”举个🌰：

They've been having marital problems, apparently. 很显然，他们的婚姻一直有问题。

Another solution is to rent a boyfriend or girlfriend for new year. Some actors provide such a service. But the ruse was easier to pull off when the holiday was celebrated over video.

另一个解决方案是租一个男朋友或女朋友过新年。一些演员提供这样的服务。但只有在通过视频庆祝节日时，这招才更容易实现。

ruse /ruːz/ 表示“诡计；计策”，英文解释为“a trick intended to deceive someone”举个🌰：

It was just a ruse to distract her while his partner took the money. 这不过是一个转移她注意力的伎俩，这样他的同伙就可以把钱拿走。

This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline "Itching to hitch ’em" (Jan 26th 2023)

- 今日盘点 -

itch to do sth、 hitch、 'em、 face the heat、 lead up to、 curb、 banquet、 cousin、 nagging、 conservative、 intense、 peak、 beleaguered、 -something、 flood sth with sth、 newly-wed、 register、 bureau、 shrink、 incentive、 handout、 demographic、 crunch、 settle down、 grueling、 hefty、 bride price、 string、 blind date、 countermeasure、 feign、 interrogate、 marital、 ruse

- 推荐阅读 -

2022政府工作报告中英文对照注释版

为了这个合集，准备了整整两年

「LearnAndRecord」2022大盘点

- END -