雙語閱讀：中國夫婦為何不愛“羊”寶寶

　　摘要:據(jù)《華盛頓郵報》報道，有些人生來就是幸運的，然而中國的父母們可不想僅憑機遇來決定他們孩子的命運。

　　Some people are born lucky. Parents in China, however, would rather not leave their kids’ fate to chance.

　　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.

　　據(jù)《華盛頓郵報》報道，有些人生來就是幸運的，然而中國的父母們可不想僅憑機遇來決定他們孩子的命運。

中國夫婦為何不愛“羊”寶寶

　　過去幾周內(nèi)，許多夫妻拼命努力地嘗試受孕，爭分奪秒地想要在幸運的馬年生下一個寶寶。他們的理由很簡單：沒人想在可怕的羊年要小孩。

　　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.

　　羊是一種溫順的動物，養(yǎng)著就是為了長大后宰掉吃肉的。按照一些迷信的說法，羊年出生的小孩長大后會像溫順的羊一樣永遠只能追隨別人、永遠都成為不了領(lǐng)袖。很多中國人認為，羊年出生的孩子注定要遭受痛苦的心碎，失敗的婚姻和生意上的霉運。其中一個流傳甚廣的民間說法是在十個羊年出生的人中只有一個能找到幸福。

　　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.

　　健康專家表示，近幾個月的生育咨詢數(shù)量大增。有些醫(yī)生甚至擔(dān)憂年末會有大量的夫婦因錯過馬年生育而選擇墮胎。

　　According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Year of the Sheep (also called goat or ram) begins Feb. 19, 2015, so the window for conception closes around the end of this month.

　　根據(jù)中國農(nóng)歷日歷，羊年(亦稱山羊或綿羊年)從農(nóng)歷2015年2月29日開始，所以今年最理想的懷孕日期大概在本月月末。

　　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.

　　北京和睦家醫(yī)院產(chǎn)科醫(yī)師李建軍表示，很多夫婦都詢問過可否通過剖腹產(chǎn)以提前在馬年產(chǎn)下孩子。

　　Some doubt the furor will have a significant effect on the Chinese birthrate this year. But the babymania is so widespread that the state-run China News Service issued a report trying to debunk the “unfounded” myth of bad luck for those born in Year of the Sheep.

　　有些人認為這種“馬年趕著生小孩”的狂熱會給今年中國的出生率帶來巨大影響。這種過度狂熱、且大幅傳播的“嬰兒潮”促使官方的中國新聞社專門發(fā)表了一期報道，以揭穿“羊年生的小孩走霉運”這種“毫無根據(jù)”的民間傳說。

　　“We try our best to dissuade couples from believing the sheep superstitions,” one official at China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention said. The woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to give an interview, said the subject has become such a prominent issue that it is often addressed in classes for would-be parents.

　　中國疾病預(yù)防控制中心一名不愿透露姓名的女官員表示，“我們正盡力規(guī)勸夫婦不要相信所謂的羊年迷信。”她表示，關(guān)于羊年的迷信已經(jīng)成為一個很嚴重的問題，甚至很多時候需要專門的課程來幫助“準父母”們在這方面答疑解惑。

　　But the medical professionals do not have an easy sell. The official said that even her colleagues at the disease-control center are obsessed with the supposed luck a horse year brings.

　　但醫(yī)務(wù)人員不容易。這位官員說，即便是她在疾病控制中心的同事，也對這種馬年好運的說法深信不疑。

　　‘All that pressure’

　　“全都是壓力”

　　It’s unclear how the Year of the Sheep came to acquire its bad reputation.

　　沒有人清楚羊年霉運的臭名是從哪里得來的。

　　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.

　　中國的十二生肖各有優(yōu)缺點。最受人們喜愛的生肖當(dāng)屬龍、虎和馬，因為根據(jù)中國的民間說法，這三種充滿力量的動物往往會帶來成功。