中华文化英文讲系列（6）：跟老外聊聊北京的市井民风

李晶

如果您看过《老炮儿》这部电影，一定对老北京人“爱玩儿，会玩儿”的特点记忆深刻。冬天西海冰面上，三俩老少爷们儿，拿着长棍，拾掇来几个象棋子儿，就玩儿起了“冰球”;那白发苍苍的大爷，精神矍铄地站在草地上抖起了空竹;再看后海两边，到处是拎着鸟笼出来遛鸟的老爷子。这就是北京的市井生活，最接地气的老北京人的娱乐生活。没有高大上的排场，没有熙熙攘攘的喧嚣，只有一份恬静平淡，乐天知命。如果你带着老外在北京城转悠，遇到这些市井百态、民间娱乐，该如何跟他们一一道来呢？

首先，我们来看看上述这段描写老北京人娱乐生活的画面如何用英文表达。

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”的历史渊源

在中国，几乎所有人都知道首都北京不仅是政治文化中心，还是玩家的天堂，老北京爷们儿几乎个个是“玩主”，从玩核桃到玩鸟、玩虫、放风筝，花鸟虫鱼、文玩古董、传统体育——没一个不是老北京们的玩资。为什么他们这么会玩、能玩？这要追溯到清朝的八旗制度和“八旗子弟”。

清朝入关后，原来的八旗勇士作为功臣，享受了很多特权，衣食无忧，生活闲适，且代代世袭。久而久之，这一代代八旗子弟无所事事，就开始琢磨各种娱乐。及至清朝末期，八旗子弟逐渐没落，但这些玩乐已经深入了几代人的生活，他们将这些娱乐活动逐步带入民间，成为老北京文化的一部分。“八旗子弟”也成为“游手好闲”“玩物丧志”的代名词了。

在向外国朋友介绍“玩主”的历史渊源时，可以参考下面这段英文表达。

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 “loafing around” or “indulgence resulting in loss of lofty aspirations.”

多姿多彩的民间娱乐

民间娱乐种类很多，大多具有鲜明的民族和地域特色，直接的解释或翻译可能很难让老外真正理解。在介绍过程中，我们要考虑到他们的可接受程度，尽可能用他们熟悉的娱乐活动进行类比，便于快速理解。

北京民间娱乐的种类很多，这里只能选择几个有代表性的项目介绍，比如斗蛐蛐儿、养鸟、养金鱼、鸽子哨。蛐蛐、金鱼、鸽子这些动物大概就是那时候的“宠物”。无论东方人还是西方人，对“宠物”这个概念都易于理解，将这些娱乐类比为今天的“宠物”，就让外国人对老北京这几样民间娱乐有了最初的认识，并增加了亲切感，也更愿意去了解其细节了。除了那个时代的“宠物”，老北京人还热衷于放风筝、逛庙会（本刊2015年10月号有文章专门介绍庙会）、滑冰、泡茶馆儿等。这些有的跟北京特定的气候有密切联系，有的和文化传统和历史沿革有关。

这里特别值得一提的是滑冰运动。它本是祖居东北地区的满族人的一项传统运动，清朝入关后，满族人将它带到北京，后逐渐成为北京人冬季的一项流行运动。

茶馆也是北京民间文化的重要内容。旧时，茶馆是了解社会的窗口，这里聚集了三教九流、各行各业的人，满八旗子弟在这里交流养鸟经验，赏鸟取乐，还有人在这里聊天解闷儿，大多数人是在这里喝碗茶，歇歇脚，继续为生计奔波。

上述多姿多彩的娱乐活动可以用英文表达如下。

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 （什刹海） 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.

北京民间娱乐的变迁

今天的北京逐渐被西方的娱乐方式所湮没，那些民间娱乐已渐行渐远。灯红酒绿的酒吧、充满异域果香的咖啡馆取代了喧闹嘈杂的茶馆，老北京的鸽子哨被高楼大厦阻隔，斗蛐蛐、遛鸟的闲适生活被快节奏的工作和对金钱的渴望与追求取代。老北京已渐行渐远，很多的美好只能珍藏于我们的记忆中。

这部分内容可以参考如下一段英文表达。

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 （喧闹） 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.