长期招聘英语兼职翻译
duan
端
wu
午
jie 节
端午节(农历5月5日,通常在公历的6月份)是中国古老的传统节日,始于春秋战国时期,至今已有2000多年历史。
The Dragon Boat Festival, the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, has had a history of more than 2,000 years. It is usually in June in the Gregorian calendar.
有关端午节起源的传说很多,比如为了纪念伍子胥、曹娥、介子推等,但最广为流传的当属屈原的故事。屈原,战国时期楚国政治家,也是中国历史上伟大的爱国诗人。面对强秦压迫,忠君爱国的屈原主张富国强兵,与秦国作战,却遭到众多贵族反对,还因此被废黜流放。
Qu Yuan was a minister of the State of Chu during the Warring States period and one of China's earliest poets. Known for his loyalty and patriotism, in the face of great pressure from the powerful State of Qin, Qu Yuan advocated enriching the country and strengthening its military forces so as to fight against the State of Qin. However, he was opposed by aristocrats and later deposed and exiled by King Huai.
流亡期间,屈原仍然关心家国民生,创作大量优秀诗作。公元前278年,秦军攻克楚国都城,悲愤交加之下,屈原写罢最后一首诗,纵身跳入汨罗江自尽。那一天,正是中国农历五月初五。
In exile, he still cared much for his country and people, which was expressed in the poems he composed. When Qu Yuan heard that the Qin troops had finally conquered the Chu capital, overwhelmed by grief and indignation, he finished his last poem and jumped into the Miluo River. It was the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar.
屈原死后,楚国人民聚集在汨罗江畔哀悼这位忠臣。渔民们驾船寻找他的尸体。人们用五彩绳和粽叶包裹食物扔进江中吸引鱼虾;还有一位老医生往江中倒雄黄酒,希望能灌醉水里的生物,保护屈原的尸体不被攻击。从此以后,为了纪念屈原,五月初五这天便被定为端午节,赛龙舟、吃粽子、系五彩绳和饮雄黄酒也成了端午节的传统习俗。
After his death, the people from the State of Chu gathered along the banks of the river to pay their respect. The fishermen sailed their boats up and down the river looking for his body. To divert fish and shrimps from attacking his body, people used five-colored silk thread braid and reed leaves to wrap the food and throw them into the water. An old doctor poured a jug of realgar wine into the water, hoping to make all aquatic beasts drunk.
有学者专家建议“端午节”应译为 Duanwu Festival,网络的英文《维基百科》(Wikipedia)也以 Duanwu Festival 作为词目(headword)。真是这样吗?
《牛津英语词典》(The Oxford English Dictionary,简称 OED)收录了“端午节”的英文 Dragon Boat Festival(字面意为“龙舟节”),其定义如下:
The dragon boat festival, believed to have been celebrated for over 2,000 years, takes place on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the Chinese calendar throughout China and in Chinese communities worldwide. It commemorates the death of Qu Yuan (c340–278 b.c.), China's first known poet, who drowned himself when his home state of Chu was overthrown; the dragon boat races traditionally represent the search for his body.
端午节在农历 5 月 5 日,相信已有 2000 多年的历史,中国各地和全球的华人小区均有庆祝。这个节日纪念的是中国第一位已知的诗人屈原,他因故土楚国灭亡而投江自尽。传统上,龙舟竞渡代表的是搜寻他的遗体。
《韦氏三版新国际英语词典》(Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language,简称 W3)也收录了 Dragon Boat Festival,不过定义精简模糊了许多。
Dragon Boat Festival 胜出!
关于粽子的起源还有另外一个传说。
传闻屈原死后,爱戴屈原的百姓们担心他的亡魂挨饿,纷纷往汨罗江中投食。忽然有一天,其中一位百姓梦到了屈原。在梦中,屈原很委屈地告诉他:“你们送的食物都被江里的蛟龙和鱼虾吃掉了,我什么也吃不到啊。” 这个人梦醒后,沉思良久,最终想了一个好办法,即用五彩绳和粽叶包裹食物,唬退蛟龙和鱼虾,这样屈原便可以吃到食物了。
eople threw food into the river in the event that Qu Yuan's spirit was hungry. One day, one of these people had a dream. In the dream, Qu Yuan told him, “I could not eat the food you offered since all of it was eaten up by the dragon and fish in the river.” When the man woke up, he was lost in thought and came up with a good idea. He would use five-colored silk thread braid and reed leaves to wrap the food. Through this method, the dragon and fish could be scared off.
如今,粽子已经成为最受欢迎的中华传统美食之一,南北方口味还各有不同,甜粽子vs咸粽子,成为互联网上的经典“战役”,为人津津乐道。
粽子的英文是:rice-dumpling/zongzi
rice-dumpling是比较书面的表达,更常用的表达是zongzi,就是粽子的拼音直译。因为是中国特有的食物,所以直译过来也没问题,类似的还有饺子“jiaozi”。
不同馅料的英文表达请见下图:
1
端午吃什么?
“粽包分两髻,艾束著危冠。旧俗方储药,羸躯亦点丹。”端午节不可不吃的美味食物就是粽子。
Glutinous rice filled with meat, nuts or bean paste and wrapped in bamboo leaves. It is associated with Dragon Boat Festival with historical meaning. The custom of eating zongzi is now popular in North and South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian nations.
在糯米中加入肉、干果或者豆沙,再以竹叶包裹。在端午节吃粽子是一个具有历史意义的传统。这个传统现在在朝鲜、韩国、日本以及东南亚国家都很流行。
2
端午喝什么?
“樱桃桑椹与菖蒲,更买雄黄酒一壶。”端午节尝试一下雄黄酒吧。
Adults drink Xiong Huang Wine, which can fend off evil spirits.
成年人饮雄黄酒可以祛除病魔。
3
端午玩什么?
“鼓声三下红旗开,两龙跃出浮水来。棹影斡波飞万剑,鼓声劈浪鸣千雷。”端午节最应景的节目就是赛龙舟。
Dragon boat racing is an indispensable part of the festival, held all over the country. As the gun is fired, people will see racers in dragon-shaped canoes pulling the oars harmoniously and hurriedly, accompanied by rapid drums, speeding toward their destination.
全国各地举办的赛龙舟活动是端午节不可或缺的一部分。发令枪一响,我们就可以看到参赛者们坐在龙舟上快速、和谐地划着桨,伴着急速的鼓声冲向终点。
4
端午戴什么?
端午节最有特色的饰物就是香包。小孩佩戴香包,传说有避邪驱瘟之意。
On Dragon Boat Festival, parents also need to dress their children up with a perfume pouch. They first sew little bags with colorful silk cloth, then fill the bags with perfumes or herbal medicines, and finally string them with silk threads. The perfume pouch will be hung around the neck or tied to the front of a garment as an ornament. They are said to be able to ward off evil.
在端午节,父母会给孩子们戴上香包。他们首先用彩色的绸布缝制成小包,然后在小包里装上香料和草药,最后用丝线将小包缝上。香包被挂在孩子的脖子上或系在衣服的前面作为装饰。传说香包也可以驱魔辟邪。
5
端午挂什么?
“不效艾符趋习俗,但祈蒲酒话升平。”挂艾叶菖蒲和悬钟馗像,都是为了驱疾避凶,讨个吉利。
People hang branches of moxa and calamus around the doors of their homes. And they display portraits of evil’s nemesis, Chung Kuei.
来源:外研社《漫读中华·民间传说》、蔡雷英语、网络,仅供交流、学习之用,版权归原作者、原出处所有,若有侵犯了您的合法权益,请联系我们进行更正、删除,谢谢!
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