电视剧《都挺好》近日在各大卫视及网络视频平台热播并引发热议。该剧改编自作家阿耐的同名小说,讲述了表面上无限风光的苏家,随着家中“主心骨”苏母的突然离世,瞬间分崩离析,父亲、两个儿子还有小女儿之间的矛盾不断激化的故事。《都挺好》撕开了亲情的“遮羞布”,其中重男轻女、啃老、不和谐的夫妻关系、愚孝的父子关系等这些中国家庭讳莫如深、难以启齿的阴影,都被这部剧撬动了开关。编剧王三毛说,原生家庭欠你的,你得靠自己找回来。找不回来就是一场灾难,找回来就“都挺好”。
本篇课程首发于2019年03月27日,选自 The Economist
https://www.economist.com/china/2019/03/23/a-hit-tv-series-in-china-skewers-cranky-old-parents
A hit TV series in China skewers cranky old parents
中国热播剧直戳顽固乖张的父母
① It is no mean feat to be one of the top-ten trending hashtags on Weibo for 20 consecutive days and counting. “All is Well” has done just that.
连续20天且仍在占据微博热搜榜前十名绝非易事,但电视剧《都挺好》就做到了。
② The show tells the story of a fictional Chinese family torn by internal conflict. The female protagonist, Su Mingyu, is barely on speaking terms with her widowed father and one of her two brothers.
该剧讲述了一个虚构的中国家庭因内部矛盾变得支离破碎的故事。女主角苏明玉和她的丧偶父亲以及其中一个哥哥鲜少交流。
③ The questioning of blind attachment to traditional values in the show is causing a stir. Viewers are transfixed by its rare portrayal of middle-class life, warts and all.
这部剧对中产阶级生活罕见又毫无保留的描绘令观众感到震撼。其对盲目遵从传统价值观的质疑也引发热议。
④ Many Chinese can relate to the Su family’s troubles. Some have used social media to share their own tales of sexism within the family.
很多中国人对于苏家的遭遇感同身受。一些人还在社交媒体上分享了他们在自己家里所遭遇到的性别歧视。
⑤ But the biggest reaction has been to the drama’s critique of filial piety. Even today, the Confucian principle of unswerving loyalty to one’s parents remains hallowed.
但这部剧引起的最大反响还是关于它对所谓孝心的批判。即便在今天,对父母绝对服从的儒家孝道观依然被奉若神明。
⑥ In the series, however, the widowed father does not attract much sympathy. Commentators on social media call him a juying (“giant baby”)—a characteristic common among parents in real life, they say.
然而,在这部剧中,丧偶父亲并没有得到太多同情。社交媒体上的评论者将他称为一个“巨婴”——他们说,这是现实生活中父母的典型特征。
⑦ The Su children do their duty, but the audience is supposed to applaud the resentment they express.
苏家儿女已经尽了自己的责任。但观众更喜闻乐见的,却是他们对家庭所表达的怨恨。
▍生词好句
hit /hɪt/ n. 风行一时的事物(如电影、戏剧、歌曲等)
skewer /ˈskjuːə/ vt. 讥讽;强烈批评 (to ridicule sharply and effectively) n. 烤肉钎子
cranky /ˈkræŋki/ adj. (BrE) 古怪的;怪异的;(NAmE) 脾气坏的
It is no mean feat to do something. 做某事绝非易事。 (feat: an act of skill, endurance, or ingenuity 本领;技艺)
trending hashtag “热搜”
consecutive /kənˈsekjətɪv/ adj. 连续不断的 = successive
and counting (数量)继续增长
fictional /ˈfɪkʃənəl/ adj. 虚构的;小说(中)的
be torn by ··· 被……撕裂
protagonist /prəˈtæɡənɪst/ n. (故事或戏剧中的)主角;主人公
be on speaking terms with somebody 与某人只是泛泛之交
stir /stɜː, stɜːr/ n.(一些人感到的)激动;愤怒;震动
filial /ˈfɪliəl/ adj. 子女的;孝顺的
filial piety 孝顺;孝心
unswerving /ʌnˈswɜːvɪŋ/ adj. 坚定的;不懈的;始终如一的
hallowed /ˈhæləʊd, ˈhælod/ adj. 受尊崇的 = sacred
characteristic /ˌkær.əktəˈrɪstɪk/ n. 特征;特点
applaud /əˈplɔːd/ vt. 赞许;称赞 = praise, celebrate /vt. 鼓掌
resentment /rɪˈzentmənt/ n. 愤恨;怨恨
▍词汇拓展
1. series 一系列(单复数同形)
a series of problems 一系列的问题
a series of reactions 一连串的反应
2. hit n. 风行一时的事物(如电影、戏剧、歌曲等)
a hit single/show/record 热门单曲/演出/唱片
3. cranky adj. (BrE) 古怪的;怪异的;(NAmE) 脾气坏的
cranky ideas/schemes 离奇古怪的想法/计划
4. ··· be no mean feat ……是了不起的成就
It is definitely no mean feat to be able to finish all these readings in a week.
能够在一个礼拜把这些东西都读完,真的是件很了不起的事情。
5. trending (trend的现在分词) adj. 在社交媒体引发热议 n. 趋势;趋向
a list of trending topics 热门话题名单
6. and counting (数量)继续增长
The tree is more than 10 meters tall and counting.
这棵树已经10米多高了并且还在继续长高。
7. all is well that ends well 皆大欢喜
8. high-brow art 高眉艺术(指的是表现方式上更有深度的、理解上更有难度的,从而对消费者的社会层次、教育水平要求更高的那些文化形式,比如歌剧、画展等)
low-brow art 低眉艺术(指的是大众的、更侧重于感官刺激的,理解上没有什么难度的文化形式,比如流行歌曲、一般的电影等)
9. be torn by ··· 被……撕裂 (torn 原型 tear)
be torn between 在两者之间(艰难)抉择
The young man is torn between going to the US and staying with his girlfriend in China.
那个年轻人面临着一个两难的抉择,到底是去美国,还是和女朋友一起留在国内。
10. widow n. 寡妇;鳏夫 vt. 使……成为寡妇;使……成为鳏夫
Su Daqiang is widowed by a heart attack. 心脏病夺走了苏大强妻子的生命。
11. stir n.(一些人感到的)激动;愤怒;震动
Scandals of Lee Seungri caused quite a stir.
李胜利的丑闻引起了轩然大波。
12. warts and all 不隐瞒缺点的;不遮丑的
In the biography, the writer tried to paint the president as he really was, warts and all.
在这部传记当中,作者试图真实地刻画总统,丝毫不掩饰其缺点。
13. relate to ··· 理解;认同;与……产生共鸣
I found it hard to relate to things I’ve never experienced.
我无法理解那些我没经历过的事。
resonate with··· 引起……的共鸣
When I say I can totally relate to your feelings, it means your feelings resonate with me.
当我说我很能理解你的感受的时候,就表示你的感受引起了我的共鸣。
14. filial adj. 子女的;孝顺的
filial piety 孝顺;孝心
15. hallowed adj. 受尊崇的 = sacred
One of the hallowed Chinese traditions is to respect the old and cherish the young.
尊老爱幼中国尊崇的传统之一。