【导读】昨天两则中美关系的新闻引人瞩目。

一则是央视报道，当地时间2021年10月6日，中共中央政治局委员、中央外事工作委员会办公室主任杨洁篪同美国总统国家安全事务助理沙利文在瑞士苏黎世举行会晤。双方同意采取行动，落实9月10日两国元首通话精神，加强战略沟通，妥善管控分歧，避免冲突对抗，寻求互利共赢，共同努力推动中美关系重回健康稳定发展的正确轨道。

另一则是新华社报道，中国驻美大使秦刚当地时间10月6日应邀在线出席由美国美亚学会和金沙集团合作举办的“旅游和人文交流”主题论坛开幕式并发表主旨演讲，他用用七个“热词”，向美国公众介绍中国的最新发展情况和中国人的精神面貌。

首先是两个与抗击新冠疫情有关的热词——“人民至上、生命至上”和“逆行者”；接着，秦刚又用“躺平”“凡尔赛”“饭圈”三个网络词汇勾勒出中国部分年轻人的生活方式和思想状态，以及社交媒体文化和商业化追星行为，说到“饭圈”时指出，“在种种混乱畸形的背后，是互联网平台及其幕后资本主导的一条利益链。饭圈文化是娱乐圈过度商业化、资本化的扭曲反映。政府正在整治引导。”；他用“内卷”和“双减”的对比介绍当今中国社会高度竞争带来的压力和商业化带来的冲击，以及中国政府和社会如何应对，他指出，“双减”政策，要减轻义务教育阶段学生作业负担和校外培训负担，目的是让教育回归本真，孩子要在学校里，德智体全面发展，使成长比成功更重要，不能让资本操作教育。

秦刚希望疫情阴霾散去后，美国朋友可以去中国学习、工作、旅游，沉浸式感知一个真实、立体、全面的中国。“到那时，我今天讲的这些肯定又过时了。”

讲堂特编发秦刚大使演讲的部分英文，知晓对七个热词的表述，同时也进一步理解如何讲好中国故事。

【部分正文】 

人民至上：既是孔子“民为邦本”的人文思想，也是中国共产党执政理念

The first buzzword is 人民至上、生命至上, or people first, life first. This phrase was from China’s fight against the pandemic, and it is rooted in Chinese history and reflects a deep concern for humanity. Over 2,000 years ago, Confucius raised the idea that people are the foundation of a country. The founding mission of the Communist Party of China is to pursue happiness for the people, and putting people at the center is a guiding principle of the CPC and a core value of socialism with Chinese characteristics. When COVID-19 hit China, we mobilized resources nationwide and launched an epic campaign to fight it. The whole country was united as one, with no place left behind and no life given up. From a 30-hour-old baby to senior citizens of over 100 years old, no cost was spared to save a life, and all the treatment was free. Now the pandemic has been put under effective control in China, and sporadic or cluster cases in a few regions were all curbed very quickly.

逆行者：抗疫中不惧风险、迎难而上、无私奉献的各职业人物群体

《召唤——上海市抗击新冠肺炎疫情美术、摄影主题展》在中华艺术宫开展，现场展出朱勇的雕塑作品《逆行者》

Second, 逆行者, or heroes in harm’s way, which refers to the everyday heroes who put their mission before their lives and made fearless sacrifices to fight the pandemic. There were medical professionals, military personnel and firefighters who rose to the challenge on the frontline and raced against time to save lives; there were construction workers who worked around the clock to build hospitals in less than two weeks; there were volunteer drivers who used their private cars to give free rides to patients and medical staff; there were countless police officers, truck drivers, delivery persons, street cleaners, community workers, who held on to their posts day and night to keep people’s daily life up and running at a special time. 

躺平：年轻人放弃奋斗或逃避竞争，如美国的归巢族，但更多人崇尚逆行者

躺平：年轻人放弃奋斗或逃避竞争，低欲望生活，或不想工作，啃老

Third, 躺平, or lie flat, which describes the youngsters who give up ambitions and do the bare minimum to get by. They are either trying to evade competition and lead a low-desire life, or they just don’t want to work and choose to live off their parents, like some boomerang kids in America. “Lie-flatters” are either from well-off families, born with a silver spoon in mouth, or believe that whatever comes their way, they have basic medical insurance, pension and unemployment subsidies to fall back on. This is totally different from previous generations, who didn’t have the luxury to “lie flat”, because they had to tighten their belts and work hard to earn a living. At the same time, compared with older generations, youngsters nowadays face greater competition in employment, career, housing and parenthood. To give you an idea of that, ten million college graduates enter the job market every year.

Some people think “lying flat” stands for a life philosophy of no worldly pursuits; some take it as a passive choice in a fast changing society; some believe this is just to vent stress before they get going again. But more people don’t approve the “lie-flatters”, who they believe are just refined egoists, and people have greater respect for 逆行者,heroes in harm’s way. 

凡尔赛：自诩的贵族精神，在朋友圈中以故作委婉方式炫耀自己精致优雅

凡尔赛：自诩的贵族精神，如朋友圈中发帖：今晚去维多利亚港哭，以后努力赚钱去巴黎哭

Fourth, 凡尔赛, or Versailles, originally from the Palace of Versailles in France. The word was borrowed to refer to the self-claimed aristocratic spirit. On social media, it is used to label humble-braggers, who pretend to sound modest when they flaunt their rich and unique lifestyle. For example, some people want to brag about their new villa, “Oh, I hate to move but I have to, because you only get your own Supercharger for Tesla in a private garage”. Some people show off their luxury travel, “Weeping tonight at Victoria Harbor. Will save my tears for Paris next time.” These are typical examples of humble-bragging, which are usually followed by plenty of FOMO comments on social media. 

内卷：非理性内部竞争或“被自愿”竞争，诞生了虎妈、鸡娃，拼爹、拼校外功夫

内卷：非理性内部竞争或“被自愿”竞争，诞生了虎妈、鸡娃，拼爹、拼校外功夫

Fifth, 内卷, or involution. A latest buzzword, it means irrational or involuntary competition. Because of it, people feel burned out, and individual efforts are made less worthwhile. In a highly competitive era, people tend to think success is more important than personal growth. With fierce competition between students and between parents, and chains of contempt found in everything from after-school classes to school-district housing, no one can stay immune from the arms race in education. Out of anxiety or vanity, tiger parents would keep pushing their kids to learn more and take more after-school classes, and they would bend over backwards to help their kids succeed. Training schools have taken advantage of this to grow wildly.

As a result, involution intensifies, and education becomes a profitable industry. Some elementary pupils have a schedule more packed than high school students, with their subjects so varied that you cannot even imagine. In such an environment, both parents and children get very tired, parents’ wallets empty, and there is no quality time with children to speak of. 

双减：政府针对内卷的政策，减课内课外负担，让教育回归本真，成长优于成功

双减：政府针对内卷的政策，义务教育减课内课外负担，让教育回归本真，成长优于成功

Sixth, 双减, or double reduction. This is a recent policy to address involution in education. It aims to reduce the excessive homework load and after-school tutoring hours for students in compulsory education. With capital restricted in education sector, education will return to its original purpose, children can have all-round development in school, and personal growth will be considered more important than success. The “double reduction” policy has lessened students’ academic burden and peer pressure. They don’t have to vie with each other in after-school classes any more. They have more time for sports, play and their real hobbies. But for parents, some may feel that their world is collapsing. They have spent all the money to get their kids ahead of others, and now they can’t cram the kids any more. Still, most parents feel that their world is lighting up. They don’t have to get themselves so tired and their wallets emptied, and they don’t have to be part of commercialization of education any more. 

饭圈：娱乐业粉丝组成的圈子，因过度商业化、资本化正被政府整治引导

饭圈：娱乐业粉丝组成的圈子，明星为追求流量而炒作，误导粉丝疯狂追星模仿

Seventh, 饭圈, or celebrity fan clubs. To attract eyeballs, some celebrities used the Internet to hype up themselves, and their fans crazily imitated their misbehaviors. As a result, some fans got confused with their identity, while others spent every penny they had in chasing their idols. Behind all these abnormities is a chain of interests dominated by online platforms and the capital that supports them. The “饭圈” culture reflects the excessive influence that commercialization plays in the entertainment industry, and the government is introducing measures to regulate this phenomenon. 

中国依法治国也以德治国，反对“资本无节制逐利垄断，损害社会公共利益”

The buzzwords I shared with you today reflect the changing and unchanging elements in our values when China experiences rapid economic growth and profound social transformation. Socialism with Chinese characteristics requires both material progress and cultural-ethical advancement. We need to keep fine traditional values, uphold fairness and justice, and not get lost in a market economy.

In addition to rule of law, China also practices rule of virtue. Then what is China’s traditional virtue? It means a concern for the common good of humanity. It means, to quote a Chinese poem, “how wonderful it would be if there could be tens of thousands of houses to shelter those in need, together in joy!” Therefore, it is unacceptable if capital is allowed to seek profit and monopoly at the expense of public interests. 

欢迎先“云”游中国，疫情过后带上手机下载手机支付去中国做登长城好汉

毛主席说，不到长城非好汉。图为北京长城

Ladies and gentlemen,Because of the pandemic, many of you have not been able to visit China for some time. What can we do about it? I would suggest, if you want to visit the Forbidden City, why not take a 3D virtual tour to feast your eyes? If you crave Chinese food, there are so many food blogs with luring pictures and videos that can indulge your eyes, though not your stomach. If you miss the shopping spree at Beijing’s Silk Market, try live streaming shopping that can deliver whatever you buy right to your doorstep. If you want to practice your Chinese language skills with native Chinese, you can find help at interactive learning apps, with both one-on-one learning and group lessons readily available. But please keep in mind, don’t share your credit card password with strangers.

疫情原因，很多美国朋友一时半会儿还去不了中国，怎么办呢？如果想去故宫转转，可以登录他们的3D全景虚拟漫游，一饱眼福；想吃中国美食，可以上许许多多的中国美食博主网站，望梅止渴；想去北京秀水街逛店购物，可以上电商直播平台，挑中了，让他们给你快递过来；想找中国朋友交流练汉语，可以登录交互式网站社区，可以一对一，也可以三五成群，但要注意哦，不要告诉别人你的信用卡密码。 

Chairman Mao Zedong once said, he who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man. When the pandemic is over, I would highly recommend you to visit China in person. Here are some tips: don’t forget to have your phone with you wherever you go, because scanning QR codes is more convenient when taking buses, high-speed trains, planes, or ships, or just riding a shared bike. You will also need your driver’s license, because you can help yourself to rent a shared new-energy car on the street. Don’t take with you big cash notes, because from street vendors to shopping malls, people prefer e-payment, and you had better have payment apps ready in your phone. You probably can’t get change if you pay by cash. Last but not least, I don’t recommend you Americans to go to Beijing Universal Studios or Shanghai Disneyland. There are simply too many Chinese people!

毛主席说，不到长城非好汉。疫情过后，大家还是要亲自去中国走走看看。我给几个温馨提示：别忘带手机，因为在中国无论乘公交、高铁、飞机、轮船，还是骑共享单车，用手机扫码更方便快捷；还要带上驾照，路边有自助的共享新能源汽车能随时带你去想去的地方；上街购物不要带大额钞票，因为许多商店摊位都用电子支付，收纸币，但没法儿找零，所以最好在去之前下载个电子支付APP；建议你们美国人就不要去北京环球影城和上海迪士尼凑热闹了，因为那里中国人实在太多了！

(李念整编，金梦亦有贡献）

*文汇独家稿件，转载请注明出处。