和老外聊天的地道口語第148期:喝茶與中國文化

Zhao: in China at least, coffee is often associated with an exotic, well-to-do bourgeois lifestyle. Coffee is often considered a hobby of the well-educated, middle-class people.
在中國,說起咖啡,人們往往會想到異國情調,小資的優越生活方式.喝咖啡通常被認爲是有修養的中產階級的習慣.

Tony: maybe that's why some young chaps often spend a whole afternoon in a coffee bar, surfing the net or just typewriting something with laptop. While they are savoring a coffee at a leisured pace, they are actually showing off!
也許,這便是有些年輕人動不動就花一整個下午泡在咖啡吧,擺開筆記本電腦,上上網,或者只是打打文件的原因吧.他們悠閒地品着咖啡,其實也是在炫耀自己.

Z: yes. Behind a lifestyle, there is a culture. Young people easily become blind worshippers of a Westernized life. While they may not really life coffee, they think it desirable and enviable to be lavish with money in those high-consumption places.
嗯.生活方式背後就是文化.年輕人很容易就迷信西式生活.他們也一定喜歡咖啡,但堅信,在那些高消費場所花錢至少令人羨慕.

T: then what about tea? We need to bear in mind in the first place that tea, rather than coffee, has been the most popular drink for the Chinese people.
那你說喝茶怎麼樣?要知道,中國人最喜歡的飲料不是咖啡,而是茶.

Z: well. Tea reprements another facet of popular culture. While a coffee bar is usually quiet and resonates with soft, elegant music, a teahouse is often a noisy, crowded, public space. People visit teahouses to associate with others, playing chess, chatting, or simply listening to operas.
嗯,茶大概是代表了大衆文化的另一個側面.咖啡吧是那種安靜,高雅,餘音繚繞的地方,茶館則往往是嘈雜,擁擠的公共空間.人們去茶館是想跟人說說話,下下棋,或者只是聽聽戲.

T: what a pity that the traditional teahouses, as depicted Lao She, keep fading away so quickly in this metroplis. It is not easy to find an old-fashioned teahouse that suits the ordinary people's spending power either. Teahouses of today all feature a cozy, comfortable environment, and high-quality services, but can easily cost you a good deal—just like a coffee bar.
可惜啊,在北京這個大都市,老舍筆下那種傳統茶館正在迅速地銷聲匿跡.普通人去的起的那種老茶館再也難找到了.如今的茶館都是那種舒適,愜意的環境,還有高檔的服務,但是太貴了,跟咖啡廳幾乎不相上下.

Z: well, that's true. In a sense, it is not so much what you drink that really counts, as where and how you drink.
這是實話,在某種意義上,重要的彷彿不再是喝什麼了,而是在哪兒喝,怎麼喝.

生詞集錦

bourgeois: belonging to the middle class 中產階級的
a traditional bourgeois family 一個傳統的中產階級家庭

well-to-do: having a lot of money; rich 有錢的;富有的;富裕的
a well-to-do family 富裕家庭
They're very well-to-do. 他們很闊綽.

Savor: to enjoy the full taste or flavour of something, especially by eating or drinking it slowly 品味;細品;享用
He ate his meal slowly, savoring every mouthful. 他細嚼慢嚥地吃着飯，一口一口地品味。

show off: to try to impress others by talking about your abilities, possessions, etc. 炫耀自己;賣弄自己
He's just showing off because that girl he likes is here. 他不過是在表現自己，因爲他喜歡的那個姑娘在場。

Worshipper: a person who worships God or a god 崇拜上帝(或神)的人;做禮拜的人;敬神者;拜神者
regular worshippers at St Andrew's Church 經常到聖安德肋教堂做禮拜的人
sun worshippers lying on the beach 躺在海灘上曬太陽的人們 figurative

lavish: large in amount, or impressive, and usually costing a lot of money 大量的;給人印象深刻的;耗資巨大的
lavish gifts/costumes/celebrations 豐厚的禮品;昂貴的服裝;規模盛大的慶典
They lived a very lavish lifestyle. 他們過着揮霍無度的生活.

Bear in mind: 記住
Bear in mind that you'll have to practice economy. 記住要厲行節約.

in the first place: used at the end of a sentence to talk about why something was done or whether it should have been done or not (用於句尾,談論某事爲何或是否應該做)究竟,到底,當初
I still don't understand why you chose that name in the first place. 我仍不明白,你究竟爲什麼取了這麼個名字.
I should never have taken that job in the first place. 我當初就不該接受那份工作.

Resonate: (of a voice, an instrument, etc. 嗓音、樂器等) to make a deep, clear sound that continues for a long time 產生共鳴;發出迴響;迴盪
Her voice resonated through the theatre. 她的聲音在劇院裏迴盪。

Depict: to describe something in words, or give an impression of something in words or with a picture 描寫;描述;刻畫
The novel depicts French society in the 1930s. 這部小說描述了 20 世紀 30 年代的法國社會。
The advertisements depict smoking as glamorous and attractive. 這些廣告把吸菸描繪得充滿刺激和富有吸引力。

Fade away: 逐漸減弱,逐漸消失
Memories of my sister faded away after many years.
過了多年以後,對我姐姐的記憶漸漸淡化了.

In a sense: 就某種意義來說
You are right in a sense. 就某種意義來說你是對的。

G: does tea-serving follow any special etiquette in China? Each time I dropped in at my Chinese frineds' homes, their parents would offer me a cup of hot, strong tea, though they never inquired of me about whether I want it.
在中國,給人上茶有什麼特別的禮節沒有?每次我上朋友家串門,他們總是給我泡上一杯熱騰騰的濃茶,可是他們從來也不問我需不需要.

Z: you've got the point there. It is a custom and good manners to serve tea to a guest who comes to pay a visit. There is no need to ask if he needs it or not, or if he wants something else. It might be an insult to the guest if he is left sitting there without being served tea.
你說到點子上了.給上門拜訪的客人上茶確實是風俗禮節,不需要問他們要不要茶,或者要不要別的東西.要是把客人冷落在一邊,連茶都不端一杯,會被認爲是在侮辱人家的.

G: so the guest is presumed to be thirsty and in need of some drink after the trip. In that case, I guess, in return, the guest doesn't have to drink it if he wouldn't like it.
這麼說來,我們就得客人趕路後,口渴了,需要喝點什麼.那樣的話,我想,客人如果不喜歡茶,也可以不喝它吧?

Z: it wouldn't be considered rude behavior if he doesn't even take a single drop. But he'd better receive the teacup with both hands and bow his thanks when the cup is brought before his face. When the host pours hot water into his cup, he may also choose to tap his index finger on the table, meaning "Thanks". No matter if he likes it or not, it is impolite if he doesn't even lay a finger on the cup.
如果一滴都不喝,確實也算不上無禮.但是茶端到他面前時,他最好雙手接住茶杯,欠身致謝.主人給他倒茶時,他也可以在桌面上輕叩下食指,表示”叩首謝謝”.不管他喜不喜歡,要是連碰都不碰一下茶杯,那就有失禮貌了.

G: so next time, I'd better take a few sips, to 'save face' at least, right?
所以,下次我還是喝幾口,”給面子”,對吧?

Z: sure. The guest is welcomed by being served tea. But if after chatting for a while, the host asks servants or family memners to serve a new cup of tea, or add some hot water, he is giving another signal.
當然啦.上茶是表示歡迎.但是,如果聊了一會兒後,主人叫僕人或者家人重新給你沏茶,或者加點開水,他的意思可就變了.

G: what does that imply, then?
那他是想說什麼呢?

Z: more often than not, the understatement is 'I'm afraid it's time you leave'.
很可能是,”不早了,你是不是該走了啊?”

詞彙集錦

Etiquette: the formal rules of correct or polite behaviour in society or among members of a particular profession (社會或行業中的)禮節,禮儀,規矩
advice on etiquette 在禮節方面的忠告
medical/legal/professional etiquette 醫學界的／法律界的／行業規矩

drop by/in/round; drop in on somebody; drop into something: to pay an informal visit to a person or a place 順便訪問;順便進入
Drop by sometime. 有空兒來坐坐。
I thought I'd drop in on you while I was passing. 我曾想路過時順便來看看你。
Sorry we're late─we dropped into the pub on the way. 對不起，我們遲到了--我們半路上順便到酒館坐了坐。

Insult: a remark or an action that is said or done in order to offend somebody 辱罵;侮辱;冒犯~ (to sb/sth)
The crowd were shouting insults at the police. 羣衆大聲辱罵着警察。
His comments were seen as an insult to the president. 他的評論被看成是對主席的冒犯。
The questions were an insult to our intelligence(= too easy). 那些問題（簡單得）有辱我們的智慧。

Sip: a very small amount of a drink that you take into your mouth 一小口(飲料)
to have/take a sip of water 喝一小口水

understatement
1.a statement that makes something seem less important, impressive, serious, etc. than it really is 保守的說法；不充分的敘述
To say we were pleased is an understatement(= we were extremely pleased). 只說我們高興真是輕描淡寫。
‘These figures are a bit disappointing.’ ‘That's got to be the understatement of the year.’ “這些數字有點令人失望。” “那一定是本年度最保守的說法了。”
practice of making things seem less impressive, important, serious, etc. than they really are 淡化；低調說法
typical English understatement 典型的英國式低調說法
He always goes for subtlety and understatement in his movies. 他總是在自己的電影中運用細膩刻畫和淡化手法。