What are China's most popular online slang terms as we approach the end of the decade? One popular choice could be “Life is a cup, it's up to you to decide whether it's a drinking cup or a toothbrush cup.
“杯具”是中文中“悲劇”一詞的諧音，而與“喜劇”相對應(yīng)的則是“洗具”。80后及90后的聊天記錄中也出現(xiàn)了各式各樣的，關(guān)于“杯具，洗具”的討論。但在走紅背后，卻蘊含著嚴(yán)肅的思考。
Drinking cup (beiju) is a homophone for “tragedy” in Chinese, while toothbrush cup (xiju) is homophone for “comedy”. There's a whole range of beiju vs xiju debates running across the post-80s and post-90s' online talk. In the background, however, lurks something that's far less funny.
過去十年期間，中國發(fā)展顯著，也衍生出眾多的機遇。但隨之而來，年輕人們卻要頂著壓力，苦苦奮斗。
While the remarkable development in China over the past 10 years has brought a range of opportunities, young people are struggling with pressures that came with them.
當(dāng)他們第一次審視人生時，想必多數(shù)人會覺察到教育變革所帶來的影響。
Some of their first observations on life are influenced by changes in education.
與十年之初相比，現(xiàn)在上大學(xué)要容易得多。截止2009年，各大專院校在校學(xué)生人數(shù)由2000年的約500萬人增長到2700多萬人。
Compared with the beginning of the decade, getting into a university now is much easier. The number of college students went from about 5 million in 2000 to over 27 million in 2009.
但他們在畢業(yè)后的遭遇則是另一番景象。教育部統(tǒng)計數(shù)據(jù)顯示，同期內(nèi)各高校畢業(yè)生就業(yè)率由2002年的80%跌至2009年的74%。雖然1999實施的高校擴招政策為許多人鋪設(shè)了通向理想的坦途，但就業(yè)之路卻成了千軍萬馬要過的獨木橋。
What they do after graduating is another story. The employment rate of college grads has fallen from 80 percent in 2002 to 74 percent in 2009 (Ministry of Education stats) in the same period. The increased enrolment policy that took effect in 1999 opened the path of dreams for many, but the bridge to employment led to a narrower path for more.
網(wǎng)絡(luò)，至少還有你
Looking to the Internet
個人收入增加了——這是“洗具”;但我們的房子卻變小了——這是“杯具”。
Individual incomes are growing – that's the xiju; but our houses are getting smaller – that's the beiju.
在近十年初，我們告訴父母，“不要操心我的學(xué)習(xí)，我會取得好成績，努力賺大錢，以后給你們買大大的別墅!”現(xiàn)在，我們即將揮別十年，我們對父母說的話也變成了，“對不起，爸媽，如果沒人幫忙，我甚至連一個衛(wèi)生間都買不起?！?/p>
At the beginning of the decade, we told our parents, “Don't worry about my scores, I'll be good and make a fortune and buy you a big villa!”. Now, at the end, it's, “Sorry, Mom and Dad, I can't even get a bathroom without some help.”
根據(jù)MyCOS 的調(diào)查顯示，2008北京高校畢業(yè)生的平均月收入達到2700元，差不多是10年前的兩倍。同時，北京住房每平米均價達到13100元，差不多是10年的三倍。這就好比你騎著一輛自行車去追趕一輛法拉利。
The average monthly income of Beijing college grads in 2008, according to MyCOS, has 2,700 yuan, or about double what it was 10 years ago. A square meter of Beijing housing now costs 13,100 yuan on average, or about triple the cost a decade ago. It's like trying to ride a motorbike to catch a Ferrari.
為了避開人山人海的就業(yè)市場以及小得可憐的居住環(huán)境，我們將目光投向了網(wǎng)絡(luò)——一個更廣闊的虛幻世界。那也就意味著一個充滿電影與游戲的世界就在那，在我們面前。所以，“杯具”又變成了“洗具”。
To get a break from the overcrowded job market and the shoe-box housing, we look to the Internet and the much bigger virtual world. That means a world of movies and games just lying there, out in front of us. So, a beiju becomes a xiju.
讓暴風(fēng)雨來得更猛烈些吧
More competition
在教育、工作、旅行，娛樂以及信息方面，經(jīng)濟與社會的發(fā)展使它們變得更加多元化，但同時人們得到的機會越多，競爭也就變得越激烈。當(dāng)一些年輕人目睹這一現(xiàn)狀時，他們也理所當(dāng)然地將其視為社會改良的催化劑。
The economic and social development have given people greater variety in education, work, travel, entertainment and information, but the more opportunities people have access to, the fiercer the competition. When some young people look at that, they also see it as catalyst for social improvement.
比如，20歲的徐樂，正就讀于北京外國語大學(xué)柬埔寨語專業(yè)。同時，她還輔修二外英語并利用業(yè)余時間學(xué)習(xí)日語課程。
For example, Xu Yue, 20, is majoring in Cambodian at Beijing Foreign Studies University. She's also studying English as a second major and taking Japanese courses in her spare time.
她提筆寫道：10年前，人們也許會輕而易舉地考入大學(xué)，接下來他們將會接受分配，在自己的家鄉(xiāng)工作。但現(xiàn)在，迫于壓力，我們必須要學(xué)習(xí)更多的知識。
Ten years ago, she notes, people might have felt relieved to get admitted to college, and they went on to settle down with a job in their hometown. Now, however, we're pressed to learn more.
“沒有競爭，或許我們更愿意安于現(xiàn)狀，心甘情愿地做一個普通人，”徐樂說。
“Without the competition, maybe we'd be satisfied with the status quo, and willing to be ordinary,” says Xu.
所以，人生究竟是“杯具”還是“洗具”?有時，這似乎要取決于你怎樣看待它以及如何處理壓力。
So, is life a beiju or xiju? In some cases, it appears to be a matter of choice in how you view it and how you deal with the pressure.
無論如何，在接下來的十年里，更多的進步即將發(fā)生。難道我們只是坐在那兒，抱怨并嘆息?或者，我們也可以充分利用更豐富的資源和更先進的科技，來享受一個更多彩的人生?這都將取決于你。
In any case, there's more progress in store for the next decade. Do we just sit there, sighing and complaining about it? Or, do we make full use of the richer resources and advanced technology to enjoy a more colorful life? It's still up to you.
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