中英双语新闻——142 Self-mockery just goes viral

 　　In just two months, the latest buzzword from the Internet, diaosi, has spread so much that it can be found everywhere–from online forums¹ to micro blogs. Many people even call themselves diaosi. It’s not the first time a term has gone viral on the Internet in China. However, why is the word diaosi so popular that it has become a cultural phenomenon? Here, we tell you everything you want to know about it.

 

　　仅两个月时间，最新网络流行语“屌丝”已传播如此之广，从论坛到微博上随处可见。很多人甚至自称屌丝。在中国，这已不是首次某一词汇走红网络了。然而，为什么“屌丝”一词如此大受欢迎，以至于已成为一种文化现象？这里，我们为你一一解惑。

 

　　Where it began

 

　　“屌丝”的起源

 

　　The word originated in the Baidu.com’s Tiebar (a top Chinese bulletin board system) of soccer player Li Yi. There, fans of Li, who are called yisi in Chinese, not only talk about soccer but moan about their lives, work and relationships.

 

　　该词起源于足球运动员李毅的百度贴吧（国内知名的BBS）。李毅的球迷“毅丝”们在贴吧里不仅谈论足球，还抱怨自己对生活、工作与感情的不满。

 

　　Yisi, who are known for their rude and dirty language, were given the name diaosi by others who have seen their posts.

 

　　“毅丝”以语言粗鲁，脏话连篇而闻名，看过他们帖子的人便给他们起了“屌丝”这一称号。

 

　　What is a ‘diaosi’ like

 

　　“屌丝”什么样？

 

　　The word diaosi was coined first by single, young men who feel they have dead-end lives. Generally, men in this category don’t earn enough, are not good looking, and have difficulty winning promotion².

 

　　“屌丝”这个词最初是由那些感到生活没出路的年轻单身汉们创造出来的。通常这类男性挣钱不多，其貌不扬，晋升无望。

 

　　Unlike their upper-class contemporaries, they lack influential³ families, useful social networks for their careers, and most importantly, suitable women to marry.

 

　　与处于社会高层的同龄人相比，他们缺少有权势的家庭背景，没有可以帮助他们发展事业的社会关系，最重要的是，没有合适的结婚对象。

 

　　“I’m just a diaosi, poor and plain-looking, who will marry me?” It’s a common sentiment uttered by one of them, which is half self-mockery, half reality.

 

　　“我只是个屌丝，穷困潦倒且相貌平平，谁会嫁给我呢？”“屌丝一族”常常会这样一半自嘲、一半现实地感慨到。

 

　　Many young men call themselves diaosi because they feel they are among the lowest echelons⁴ of society. They suffer low self-esteem and have stopped trying to improve their lives.

 

　　很多年轻人自称“屌丝”，因为他们觉得自己处于社会最底层。他们缺乏自尊，也不再为新生活而奋斗。

 

　　‘Diaosi’ culture reflects social changes

 

　　“屌丝”文化反映出社会变革

 

　　According to Zhu Chongke, a professor in the School of Asia-Pacific Studies at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, the popularity of the word diaosi stems from the fact that it was created by common people and thus resonates with a huge population.

 

　　广州中山大学亚太研究院的朱崇科教授说，正因为“屌丝”一词是由普通大众创造的，才引发了大多数人的共鸣，变得如此流行。

 

　　“Labeling yourself a diaosi offers an outlet⁵ for people to mock themselves and relieve pressure, hence it spread quickly,” Zhu told Xinhua News Agency.

 

　　“通过给自己贴上‘屌丝’标签，人们找到了一个自嘲和减压的出口。因此这个词汇迅速传播开来。”朱崇科在接受新华社采访时如是说。

 

　　“The attitude is basically: ‘I already have little to lose, so why don’t I mock myself for fun?’.”

 

　　“从根本上讲，他们的态度是：‘我已是一穷二白，为何不自嘲取乐呢？’”

 

　　The diaosi phenomenon reflects not just a youth culture problem, but larger social issues.

 

　　屌丝现象所反映出的不单单是一个青年文化的问题，而是更大的社会问题。

 

　　“Society hasn’t offered an effective channel for young people who don’t have an influential family background to receive promotion at work,” Zhu said.

 

　　“社会没能为这些缺少家庭背景的年轻人提供一个有效的晋升渠道。”朱崇科说。

 

　　Ke Qianting is an associate professor in gender⁶ studies at Tsinghua University.

 

　　柯倩婷副教授是清华大学性别研究方面的专家。

 

　　“The pressure of marriage intensifies⁷ anxiety among this group,” Ke told Sohu.com.

 

　　“婚姻的压力令这些年轻人更加焦虑。”柯倩婷在接受搜狐的采访中说。

 

　　“Many of those young men claim to be diaosi, since they can’t find a proper woman to marry. It reflects a deep sense of loss.”

 

　　“很多这样的年轻人都因为找不到合适的结婚对象，而宣称加入‘屌丝一族’。这反映了一种深深的失落感。”

1 forums   

讨论会； 座谈会； 广播专题讲话节目； 集会的公共场所( forum的名词复数 )； 论坛，讨论会，专题讨论节目； 法庭

参考例句：

• A few of the forums were being closely monitored by the administrators. 有些论坛被管理员严密监控。
• It can cast a dark cloud over these forums. 它将是的论坛上空布满乌云。

2 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

3 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

4 echelons   

n.（机构中的）等级，阶层( echelon的名词复数 )；（军舰、士兵、飞机等的）梯形编队

参考例句：

• Officers were drawn largely from the top echelons of society. 这些官员大都来自社会上层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Except in the higher echelons, extensive classification has no place in the classification of vegetation. 除高阶类级之外，外延分类在植物分类中还是没有地位的。 来自辞典例句

5 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

6 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

7 intensifies   

n.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的名词复数 )v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A clear atmosphere intensifies the blue of the sky. 纯净的空气使天空变得更蓝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Blowing on fire intensifies the heat. 吹火使热度加强。 来自《简明英汉词典》