中華文化英文講系列（6）：跟老外聊聊北京的市井民風(fēng)

李晶

如果您看過(guò)《老炮兒》這部電影，一定對(duì)老北京人“愛(ài)玩兒，會(huì)玩兒”的特點(diǎn)記憶深刻。冬天西海冰面上，三倆老少爺們兒，拿著長(zhǎng)棍，拾掇來(lái)幾個(gè)象棋子兒，就玩兒起了“冰球”;那白發(fā)蒼蒼的大爺，精神矍鑠地站在草地上抖起了空竹;再看后海兩邊，到處是拎著鳥籠出來(lái)遛鳥的老爺子。這就是北京的市井生活，最接地氣的老北京人的娛樂(lè)生活。沒(méi)有高大上的排場(chǎng)，沒(méi)有熙熙攘攘的喧囂，只有一份恬靜平淡，樂(lè)天知命。如果你帶著老外在北京城轉(zhuǎn)悠，遇到這些市井百態(tài)、民間娛樂(lè)，該如何跟他們一一道來(lái)呢？

首先，我們來(lái)看看上述這段描寫老北京人娛樂(lè)生活的畫面如何用英文表達(dá)。

In winter， on the ice at Xihai （西海） in Beijing， dozens of old people with long thick sticks and Chinese chess pieces are playing the Beijing-style ICE HOCKEY that their grandfathers reformed and which has now been played for a century. White-haired old men take their birds for walks on both sides of Houhai （后海） while chatting. Others play the traditional diabolo （空竹） in the open air， making the musical sound that brings in children and visitors who would like to try the wonder for themselves. This is a typical picture of the old Beijingers entertainment， with no luxury or nobility， with no hustle and bustle， but only tranquility and simplicity， which reveals their optimism and satisfaction of life.

北京“玩主”的歷史淵源

在中國(guó)，幾乎所有人都知道首都北京不僅是政治文化中心，還是玩家的天堂，老北京爺們兒幾乎個(gè)個(gè)是“玩主”，從玩核桃到玩鳥、玩蟲、放風(fēng)箏，花鳥蟲魚、文玩古董、傳統(tǒng)體育——沒(méi)一個(gè)不是老北京們的玩資。為什么他們這么會(huì)玩、能玩？這要追溯到清朝的八旗制度和“八旗子弟”。

清朝入關(guān)后，原來(lái)的八旗勇士作為功臣，享受了很多特權(quán)，衣食無(wú)憂，生活閑適，且代代世襲。久而久之，這一代代八旗子弟無(wú)所事事，就開(kāi)始琢磨各種娛樂(lè)。及至清朝末期，八旗子弟逐漸沒(méi)落，但這些玩樂(lè)已經(jīng)深入了幾代人的生活，他們將這些娛樂(lè)活動(dòng)逐步帶入民間，成為老北京文化的一部分。“八旗子弟”也成為“游手好閑”“玩物喪志”的代名詞了。

在向外國(guó)朋友介紹“玩主”的歷史淵源時(shí)，可以參考下面這段英文表達(dá)。

It is widely-acknowledged that Beijing is not only the center of politics and culture， but also a heart of recreation. Every native of Beijing is a Master of Play， whether it be the pastime of playing with walnuts， keeping birds and insects or flying kites. Plants， birds， insects and fish or antiques and works of art can all be hobbies. Certain folk games have also been passed down. Recreation started to prevail in Beijing at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty as the Manchu nobles， especially the Eight Flag Warriors， were granted privileges which guaranteed them a comfortable life without workload for their meritorious military service. The privileges were hereditary， resulting in generations of Masters of Play. The Manchu nobles didnt decline until the end of the Qing Dynasty， but their recreational pursuits had infiltrated everyday life and become a part of it. It was the nobles who brought these recreational pursuits to the commoners. The pursuits have gradually become an integral part of traditional Beijing culture. In addition， the phrase “Eight Flag Warriors，” unlike its original significance of might and grandeur， fell to be synonymous with “l(fā)oafing around” or “indulgence resulting in loss of lofty aspirations.”

多姿多彩的民間娛樂(lè)

民間娛樂(lè)種類很多，大多具有鮮明的民族和地域特色，直接的解釋或翻譯可能很難讓老外真正理解。在介紹過(guò)程中，我們要考慮到他們的可接受程度，盡可能用他們熟悉的娛樂(lè)活動(dòng)進(jìn)行類比，便于快速理解。

北京民間娛樂(lè)的種類很多，這里只能選擇幾個(gè)有代表性的項(xiàng)目介紹，比如斗蛐蛐兒、養(yǎng)鳥、養(yǎng)金魚、鴿子哨。蛐蛐、金魚、鴿子這些動(dòng)物大概就是那時(shí)候的“寵物”。無(wú)論東方人還是西方人，對(duì)“寵物”這個(gè)概念都易于理解，將這些娛樂(lè)類比為今天的“寵物”，就讓外國(guó)人對(duì)老北京這幾樣民間娛樂(lè)有了最初的認(rèn)識(shí)，并增加了親切感，也更愿意去了解其細(xì)節(jié)了。除了那個(gè)時(shí)代的“寵物”，老北京人還熱衷于放風(fēng)箏、逛廟會(huì)（本刊2015年10月號(hào)有文章專門介紹廟會(huì)）、滑冰、泡茶館兒等。這些有的跟北京特定的氣候有密切聯(lián)系，有的和文化傳統(tǒng)和歷史沿革有關(guān)。

這里特別值得一提的是滑冰運(yùn)動(dòng)。它本是祖居?xùn)|北地區(qū)的滿族人的一項(xiàng)傳統(tǒng)運(yùn)動(dòng)，清朝入關(guān)后，滿族人將它帶到北京，后逐漸成為北京人冬季的一項(xiàng)流行運(yùn)動(dòng)。

茶館也是北京民間文化的重要內(nèi)容。舊時(shí)，茶館是了解社會(huì)的窗口，這里聚集了三教九流、各行各業(yè)的人，滿八旗子弟在這里交流養(yǎng)鳥經(jīng)驗(yàn)，賞鳥取樂(lè)，還有人在這里聊天解悶兒，大多數(shù)人是在這里喝碗茶，歇歇腳，繼續(xù)為生計(jì)奔波。

上述多姿多彩的娛樂(lè)活動(dòng)可以用英文表達(dá)如下。

As mentioned above， animals like insects， birds or fish can become hobbies for Beijingers and， in the past， were regarded in the same way as keeping a pet. Cricket-fighting， not unlike bullfighting or cockfighting， is a kind of spectator event， but it rarely causes injury to animals. Its a gambling sport in which the two sides of spectators bet on the winning cricket before the fight， and the one who makes the right prediction wins the game. Beijingers have also kept goldfish as pets since the Jin and Yuan Dynasties which have exerted great influence on traditional Beijing culture for nearly 800 to 1000 years. The goldfish tank， with various kinds of goldfish， has become an indispensable decoration for a traditional courtyard. Beijingers also like to keep pigeons， and they tie pigeon whistles to their tail feathers. When the pigeon flies， it creates a series of melodious musical sounds， waking people up from their dreams and bringing joy to both children and adults. Pigeon-keeping has also gradually become a crucial component of traditional Beijing culture.

The windy climate of Beijing has contributed to the emergence of a great number of kite-flying enthusiasts. Kite-flying reflects ancient peoples dream of flying and the desire to explore the sky and the universe. Beijing kite-lovers fly kites throughout most seasons， except for winter when the wind is too strong to fly kites.

Unlike other recreational activities， ice-skating was introduced to Beijing by the Manchu people when they came to rule the whole of China during the Qing Dynasty. Native to Northeast China which is a frigid， icy area in winter， the Manchu were skilled at ice-skating. It was their traditional sport. In winter， lakes like Shichahai （什剎海） and Beihai （北海） were frozen. Ordinary people skated on Shichahai while the royal family skated on Beihai. Now， however， people can skate on either lake as there are no forbidden zones in the former royal palaces and parks.

Teahouse culture in Beijing has been well-known since the publication of a renowned Chinese playwright Laoshes masterpiece—Teahouse， which also became a hit when it was performed on stage. In the old days， people from various walks of life （such as reporters， teachers， actors， students， craftsmen and rickshaw drivers）， of disparate levels of social status， stopped at the teahouse for a drink to take a rest and chat. This made it a place of communication rather than tea-savoring. Most descendants of the Eight Flag Warriors， as mentioned earlier， knew nothing but recreation and they usually took the teahouse as a place for exchanges of bird-keeping experience and appreciation. A public place for socializing， the teahouse was also a compact society where you could read that age of history where ordinary peoples comedies and tragedies were played out every day.

北京民間娛樂(lè)的變遷

今天的北京逐漸被西方的娛樂(lè)方式所湮沒(méi)，那些民間娛樂(lè)已漸行漸遠(yuǎn)。燈紅酒綠的酒吧、充滿異域果香的咖啡館取代了喧鬧嘈雜的茶館，老北京的鴿子哨被高樓大廈阻隔，斗蛐蛐、遛鳥的閑適生活被快節(jié)奏的工作和對(duì)金錢的渴望與追求取代。老北京已漸行漸遠(yuǎn)，很多的美好只能珍藏于我們的記憶中。

這部分內(nèi)容可以參考如下一段英文表達(dá)。

Globalization has brought with it western entertainment， and this has sharply eroded （削弱） the popularity of traditional Beijing recreational activities in the metropolis. The hustle and bustle of the teahouse has been replaced with the revelry （喧鬧） of flourishing bars， and the exotic aroma of coffee beans pervades the coffee shops. The pigeon whistles are separated by the skyscrapers and the leisurely and cozy life of cricket-fighting and bird-keeping has been replaced by fast-paced work and an anxious desire and pursuit of money. The good old days of Beijing have been slipping away from us， becoming a mere but happy memory.