如何用地道英语向老外介绍中秋节?

原文:http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzI5MzQ0NjMyMw==&mid=2247486581&idx=1&sn=c84bc62f0bc9cfe94a60e9d202a649de&chksm=ec70bba9db0732bf080a7a57f395ead4987159bf2d36862155b592ab335a6b494565150af6ff#rd

去年香港《南华早报》中有一篇关于中秋节的报道,文章语言优美,素材丰富,今天拿出来和大家分享,希望在过节的同时,也顺便学点英文,让这个中秋节过得更加丰富~

下面我们一起来看:

摘要:Ancient event was held to celebrate family while giving thanks to crop harvest, and its spirit lives on, albeit altered to suit contemporary culture.

如何介绍中秋节?这一句话就够了——这个古老的节日是为了家庭团聚、庆祝丰收。这一精神传承了下来,只不过发生了些变化,和当代文化更加契合。


这句话包含三处信息:
  1. 中秋节主题一:celebrate family 家庭团聚;
  2. 中秋节主题二:give thanks to crop harvest 庆祝丰收。
  3. 中秋节的发展:altered to suit contemporary culture 发生了变化,更好地适应了当代文化。


注意 albeit 这个词,它表示转折的含义,写作中可以用来替换although, despite 等,它用法很灵活,一般放在句首或句中,可接形容词、介词短语、副 词、V-ed、V-ing,比如:

Albeit beautiful, the girl was not sought after.
那姑娘虽然漂亮,但不值得被追求。(albeit+adj.)
He accepted the job, albeit with some hesitation.
尽管有些犹豫,他还是接受了那份工作。(albeit+介词短语)
He tried, albeit without success.
虽然没有成功,可他努力了。(同上)
I tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to contact him.
尽管并未与他联系上,可是我已经尽力而为了。(albeit+副词) 


文中是 albeit altered to suit...是“albeit+V-ed”的形式,如果动词和主语是主动的关系,那就要用“albeit+V-ing”的形式。

在介绍其它中国古老的节日时,我们就可以嵌套这个句子,比如春节:
Ancient event was held to celebrate family while praying for good luck in the coming year, and its spirit lives on, albeit altered to suit contemporary culture.




一个浪漫的开头:“May we live long and share the beauty of the moon together, even if we are hundreds of milesapart.” This line / from a famous Song dynasty poem / written by Su Shi, better known as SuDongpo, perhaps best captures the spirit of Mid-Autumn Festival, an age-old event / with roots in both Chinese and Vietnamese cultures.

“但愿人长久,千里共婵娟”,这句古诗是宋代诗人苏轼(即苏东坡)诗歌里的一句词,这句话可能最能体现中秋节这个古老节日的精神。中秋节起源于中国和越南的传统文化。


最能代表中秋节的一句词:May we live long and share the beauty of the moon together, even if we are hundreds of miles apart. 但愿人长久,千里共婵娟。


这句话的主干是:This line perhaps best captures the spirit of Mid-Autumn Festival.
这句词或许最能体现中秋节的精神。

line 在这里指“诗句”,此外也可以指“歌词”、电影的“台词”。

capture the spirit of...就相当于 represent / embody / reflect the spirit of...,表示“体现出...的精神”。

an age-old event / with roots in both Chinese and Vietnamese cultures

An age-old event 是 Mid-Autumn Festival 的同位语,指“中秋节是一个古老的节日”。Age-old 是 very very old 的意思。


with roots in...是介词短语作后置定语,修饰an age-old event,表示“起源于”,意思上相当于 originate from..., have its origins in..., stem from...,我们也可以把这句话改成定语从句的形式:

an age-old event / that originated from both Chinese and Vietnamese cultures 


我们可以模仿这段话,介绍一下春节:
“Amid firecrackers in New Year's eve, the spring breeze gifts into the Toso.” This line from a famous Song dynasty poem written by Wang Anshi, a litterateur, politician and reformer, perhaps best captures the spirit of Spring Festival, an age-old event with roots in Chinese cultures.




月饼问题:In recent years, mooncakes have found themselves at the centre of controversy, and what was originally a celebration of plenty has become synonymous with modern-day excess.

最近几年,月饼引发争议。过去,月饼是富足的象征,而如今变成了浪费的代名词。

Each year, as Mid-Autumn approaches, businesses and individuals spend thousands of dollars on lavishly packaged mooncake gifts.

每年,随着中秋临近,公司和个人都会花数千美元来买过度包装的月饼礼物。


这两段讲的是月饼过度包装所带来的问题,这也是一个社会热点议题,建议把这几段话反复朗读,最好能背下来。


这段话中我们可以积累到一个写作句型:XX has found itself at the centre of controversy,字面意思是“XX发现自己处于争议的中心”,即“X引发争议”。


what was originally a celebration of plenty 这部分是what引导的主语从句,相当于一个名词结构,在整个句子中作主语,可以改写成:
a holiday that was originally a celebration of plenty
最初是庆祝丰收的节日。
plenty本义是“大量”,此处可以引申为“丰收富足”。

become synonymous with...的意思是“成了...的代名词”,写作中在描述某物的特点时就可以用这个表达,比如:
Smartphones have become synonymous with distraction.
智能手机已经成为分心的代名词。


我们也可以用 a byword for 替换become synonymous with,比如《经济学人》里的这个句子:
Ever since Bill Hewlett and David Packard set up in a garage nearly 80 years ago, it has been a byword for innovation and ingenuity.
自从80年前Bill Hewlett和David Packard在车库里成立公司以来,硅谷(it) 便成了创新和创造的代名词。
我们可以仿照这个句子再写一个:
Shenzhen has become synonymous with / been a byword for innovation and ingenuity.
深圳成为创新和创意的代名词。


modern-day excess 的意思是“当代的浪费”,excess指“过度”,此处可理解为“浪费”。其中 modern 和前面的 originally 形成时间上的对比。


第二段中的 lavishly packaged mooncake gifts 指“包装奢华的月饼礼物”。packaged是动词package转化而来的形容词,lavishly是副词,表示“浪费地”,修饰packaged。

今天就到这里,祝大家度过一个愉快的中秋夜晚!


推荐去年的推文:

经济学人:月饼里的大学问


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