中国夫妇都想赶在不祥的羊年前怀上宝宝
文章来源:网络 | 更新日期:2014-05-21
Chinese couples rush to get pregnant before dreaded Year of the Sheep
中国夫妇都想赶在不祥的羊年前怀上宝宝
Some people are born lucky. Parents in China, however, would rather not leave their kids’ fate to chance.
某些人生来幸运。但是在中国，父母们却不愿让他们的孩子等待命运的际会。
For the past few weeks, many couples have been trying desperately to conceive, racing against time to have a baby in the fortuitous Year of the Horse. Their reasoning: No one wants a baby born in 2015, the dreaded Year of the Sheep.
而过去几周，许多夫妇都拼命地想怀上宝宝，争分夺秒地想在幸运的马年生下宝宝。他们的理由是：没有人想在2015年生下宝宝，不祥的羊年。
[句子结构分析] have been trying 为现在完成进行时态，表示从过去到现在一直在try。词组 try to 表示“设法, 试图”, 这个词组中间插入了副词desperately，所以可能有点不好辨识。racing 是现在分词，在句子中作状语。
Sheep are meek creatures, raised for nothing more than slaughter. Babies born in the Year of the Sheep, therefore, will grow up to be followers rather than leaders, according to some superstitions. The children are destined for heartbreak and failed marriages, and they will be unlucky in business, many Chinese believe. One popular folk saying holds that only one out of 10 people born in the Year of the Sheep finds happiness.
羊（给人的印象）向来是温顺的生物，只不过都是被驯养来屠杀掉。因此，人们迷信生于羊年的孩子将来长大了没有出息。许多中国人相信羊年出生的孩子必定会遭遇烦心事、婚姻不顺、生意不顺等。民间有流传10个羊年出生的孩子中只有一个能找到自己的幸福。
Health professionals say fertility consultations have spiked in recent months. Some doctors even have expressed worries that there may be a corresponding jump in abortions later this year, as couples realize they missed the horse-year cutoff.
近几个月以来健康专家们纷纷就此生育现象提出尖锐的意见。由于部分夫妇认为他们的产期错过了马年，一些医生对此可能引发今年晚些时候的高堕胎率感到忧虑。
[句子结构分析] spike 在这里意思为“迅速上升(或上涨)”，作不及物动词。worries 后边that引导的从句是同位语从句。同位语从句与定语从句的主要区别在于前者句子结构成分是完整的。这个同位语从句中使用了there be 句型。
According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Year of the Sheep begins Feb. 19, 2015, so the window for conception closes around the end of this month.
根据中国阴历算法，羊年开始于2015年2月19日，因此有怀胎想法的夫妇们将在这个月底前中止计划。
Many patients have inquired about early delivery via Caesarean section to ensure a horse-year birth, said Li Jianjun, an obstetrician at Beijing’s United Family Hospital.
一位北京睦家医院的产科医生说，许多准父母已经开始打听通过剖腹产来保证孩子生产在马年。
It’s unclear how the Year of the Sheep came to acquire its bad reputation.
说不清这些关于羊年的坏口碑是从哪里来的。
Each of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac has it virtues and faults. The undisputed favorite is the dragon, often followed by the tiger and the horse - an energetic animal closely associated with success, according to Chinese sayings.
中国的12生肖每个都有它的优点和缺点。最受人欢迎的无疑是龙，随后的是虎、马 - 正如中国民间所说，马是一种精力充沛的动物，总是与成功息息相关。
Even rats (considered clever and agile) and snakes (which look like mini-dragons) are considered lucky. But sheep have fewer advantageous qualities, according to some interpretations.
从某些解释看来，甚至老谋深算、机敏的鼠，看起来像小龙的蛇都被认为是幸运的，唯独羊几乎没有好品相。
“It’s an unfair and outdated superstition,” said Dong Mengzhi, 74, honorary president of Beijing’s Folk Literature and Art Society.
“那是不公平的、落后的迷信，”74岁的北京民间文学与艺术社团名誉主席Dong Mengzhi说。
While demographers acknowledge the Chinese zodiac’s cultural importance, some have thrown cold water on the idea that it affects birthrates on a national scale.
人口学家承认中国12生肖文化重要性的同时也给该观点泼冷水，（抢在羊年前生育的做法）也势必影响全国范围内的出生率。
Among the factors that have affected China’s birthrate in recent decades, and complicated the interpretation of such data, are political and economic upheaval and the government’s one-child policy.
数十年以来影响婴孩出生率的因素以及难以言明的数据，主要是政治经济的动荡以及政府的一胎政策。
“Ordinary people only care about the zodiac because it is much easier to understand than the truth. To us true feng-shui masters, the zodiac doesn’t matter at all,” said Wen Chaoliang, 39. “What matters most isn’t the year you are born but the exact time of delivery.”
“一般人只关心生肖，因为这比现实更易懂。但对于我们来说，只要风水配得好，生肖一点关系都没有，”39岁的Wen Chaoliang说，“最利害的不是你生在哪一年，而是你出生的时辰。”
For $500, Wen said, he has been helping couples pick the most fortuitous hours for their planned C-sections.
Wen还说，我收取每对夫妇500元，帮助他们选出最好的剖腹产时辰。
For an extra $130, he throws in a lucky name. For $3,000, he will rearrange your home’s furniture to ensure the best possible future for your child.
再付130元，他还帮人取一个幸运名字。而付3000元，他就帮你重新摆放家具以确保你的孩子得到最多的运气。
“Don’t you want your baby to be successful? Don’t you want your baby to be healthy and beautiful?” he said. “Think about it. Isn’t it worth it?”
“你不想你的孩子成功吗？你不想你的孩子健康美丽吗？”他说，“想想吧，这不值得吗？”
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中国夫妇都想赶在不祥的羊年前怀上宝宝
Some people are born lucky. Parents in China, however, would rather not leave their kids’ fate to chance.
某些人生来幸运。但是在中国，父母们却不愿让他们的孩子等待命运的际会。
For the past few weeks, many couples have been trying desperately to conceive, racing against time to have a baby in the fortuitous Year of the Horse. Their reasoning: No one wants a baby born in 2015, the dreaded Year of the Sheep.
而过去几周，许多夫妇都拼命地想怀上宝宝，争分夺秒地想在幸运的马年生下宝宝。他们的理由是：没有人想在2015年生下宝宝，不祥的羊年。
[句子结构分析] have been trying 为现在完成进行时态，表示从过去到现在一直在try。词组 try to 表示“设法, 试图”, 这个词组中间插入了副词desperately，所以可能有点不好辨识。racing 是现在分词，在句子中作状语。
Sheep are meek creatures, raised for nothing more than slaughter. Babies born in the Year of the Sheep, therefore, will grow up to be followers rather than leaders, according to some superstitions. The children are destined for heartbreak and failed marriages, and they will be unlucky in business, many Chinese believe. One popular folk saying holds that only one out of 10 people born in the Year of the Sheep finds happiness.
羊（给人的印象）向来是温顺的生物，只不过都是被驯养来屠杀掉。因此，人们迷信生于羊年的孩子将来长大了没有出息。许多中国人相信羊年出生的孩子必定会遭遇烦心事、婚姻不顺、生意不顺等。民间有流传10个羊年出生的孩子中只有一个能找到自己的幸福。
Health professionals say fertility consultations have spiked in recent months. Some doctors even have expressed worries that there may be a corresponding jump in abortions later this year, as couples realize they missed the horse-year cutoff.
近几个月以来健康专家们纷纷就此生育现象提出尖锐的意见。由于部分夫妇认为他们的产期错过了马年，一些医生对此可能引发今年晚些时候的高堕胎率感到忧虑。
[句子结构分析] spike 在这里意思为“迅速上升(或上涨)”，作不及物动词。worries 后边that引导的从句是同位语从句。同位语从句与定语从句的主要区别在于前者句子结构成分是完整的。这个同位语从句中使用了there be 句型。
According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Year of the Sheep begins Feb. 19, 2015, so the window for conception closes around the end of this month.
根据中国阴历算法，羊年开始于2015年2月19日，因此有怀胎想法的夫妇们将在这个月底前中止计划。
Many patients have inquired about early delivery via Caesarean section to ensure a horse-year birth, said Li Jianjun, an obstetrician at Beijing’s United Family Hospital.
一位北京睦家医院的产科医生说，许多准父母已经开始打听通过剖腹产来保证孩子生产在马年。
It’s unclear how the Year of the Sheep came to acquire its bad reputation.
说不清这些关于羊年的坏口碑是从哪里来的。
Each of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac has it virtues and faults. The undisputed favorite is the dragon, often followed by the tiger and the horse - an energetic animal closely associated with success, according to Chinese sayings.
中国的12生肖每个都有它的优点和缺点。最受人欢迎的无疑是龙，随后的是虎、马 - 正如中国民间所说，马是一种精力充沛的动物，总是与成功息息相关。
Even rats (considered clever and agile) and snakes (which look like mini-dragons) are considered lucky. But sheep have fewer advantageous qualities, according to some interpretations.
从某些解释看来，甚至老谋深算、机敏的鼠，看起来像小龙的蛇都被认为是幸运的，唯独羊几乎没有好品相。
“It’s an unfair and outdated superstition,” said Dong Mengzhi, 74, honorary president of Beijing’s Folk Literature and Art Society.
“那是不公平的、落后的迷信，”74岁的北京民间文学与艺术社团名誉主席Dong Mengzhi说。
While demographers acknowledge the Chinese zodiac’s cultural importance, some have thrown cold water on the idea that it affects birthrates on a national scale.
人口学家承认中国12生肖文化重要性的同时也给该观点泼冷水，（抢在羊年前生育的做法）也势必影响全国范围内的出生率。
Among the factors that have affected China’s birthrate in recent decades, and complicated the interpretation of such data, are political and economic upheaval and the government’s one-child policy.
数十年以来影响婴孩出生率的因素以及难以言明的数据，主要是政治经济的动荡以及政府的一胎政策。
“Ordinary people only care about the zodiac because it is much easier to understand than the truth. To us true feng-shui masters, the zodiac doesn’t matter at all,” said Wen Chaoliang, 39. “What matters most isn’t the year you are born but the exact time of delivery.”
“一般人只关心生肖，因为这比现实更易懂。但对于我们来说，只要风水配得好，生肖一点关系都没有，”39岁的Wen Chaoliang说，“最利害的不是你生在哪一年，而是你出生的时辰。”
For $500, Wen said, he has been helping couples pick the most fortuitous hours for their planned C-sections.
Wen还说，我收取每对夫妇500元，帮助他们选出最好的剖腹产时辰。
For an extra $130, he throws in a lucky name. For $3,000, he will rearrange your home’s furniture to ensure the best possible future for your child.
再付130元，他还帮人取一个幸运名字。而付3000元，他就帮你重新摆放家具以确保你的孩子得到最多的运气。
“Don’t you want your baby to be successful? Don’t you want your baby to be healthy and beautiful?” he said. “Think about it. Isn’t it worth it?”
“你不想你的孩子成功吗？你不想你的孩子健康美丽吗？”他说，“想想吧，这不值得吗？”
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