[New York Times] China's introverts find a kindred spirit: a stick figure from Finland
China’s introverts find a kindred spirit: a stick figure from Finland
People who live in China’s crowed cities are used to having their personal space invaded - in schools, malls, restaurants, bus stations, dormitories and even bathrooms. But that doesn’t mean they like it.
Now a growing number of them identify with a Finnish cartoon character who channels their urban anxieties, albeit in a different cultural context.
The “Finnish Nightmares” comic series documents the social challenges faced by Matti, a mild-mannered stick figure who abhors small talk. The series has been trending on Chinese social media, and it even spawned a new word for social awkwardness in Mandarin: jingfen, or “spiritually Finnish.”
Matti is a “stereotypical Finn” who “tries his best to do unto others as he wishes to be done unto hime: to give space, be polite and not bother with unnecessary chitchat,” according to a description on the official website of “Finnish Nightmares.”
“As an anthropophobic, I love this series so much,” Li Xin, a college student in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, wrote recently on Sina Weibo, one of China’s most popular social media sites, where a “Finnish Nightmares” hashtag has gotten about 240,000 clicks.
“China has a huge population, and Chinese people usually congregate in large groups, but there are still a lot of introverts, like me,” Ms. Li, 22, said in an interview conducted via Weibo messges. “In a society like China’s, we are considered hard to deal with and thought of as weirdos. But the truth is we just don’t enjoy unnecessary socializing that much. It’s too tiring.”
introvert:(n) [‘ɪntrəvɜːt] 內向的人 (intro 朝向裡邊 + vert 轉向 = 內向的人) back
extrovert:(n) [‘ekstrəvɜːt] 外向的人
kindred spirit:(n) [‘kɪndrɪd] [‘spɪrɪt] 志同道合的人; kindred:(a) 同類的 back
A special connection between two kindred souls needs to be grieved just as a marriage or committed partnership. 两个相似灵魂之间的特殊关系像婚姻或坚定的伙伴关系一样需要忧愁.
She hopes to find a partner who is a kindred spirit. 他希望找一個志同道合的伴侶.
The Olympic torch will unite kindred spirit. 奧運火炬會把志趣相投的人團結在一起.
- stick figure:(n) [stɪk] [‘fɪgə] 線條簡單的形象 back
be used to doing sth: 習慣做某事 back
have sth done: 主語的某件事被”別人”做了, 而”別人”可以不提
have my hair cut. 去理髮店理髮.
have my room cleaned. 請人打掃房間.
- invaded:(a) 被侵犯的; invade:(v) [ɪn’veɪd] 侵入; 侵擾 back
What right does he have to to invade my privacy? 他有什么权利侵犯我的隐私？
Soldiers invaded the country. 有军队入侵该国.
- dormitory:(n) [ˈdɔ:mɪtrɪ] 宿舍 back
There is a verdant lawn in front of the dormitory. 宿舍前是绿茵茵的草坪.
Let us have a look at these students’ classes and dormitory life. 让我们来看看这些学生的课程和宿舍生活.
- identify with sb/sth:(v) [aɪ’dentɪfaɪ] 認同某人/某物, 理解 back
Human can esily identify with the emotional expressions of chimpanzees. 人类很容易对黑猩猩的情感表达产生共鸣.
He identified with our distress. 他体谅我们的痛苦.
Most of his energy was channeled into writing and lecturing. 他把大部分精力都放在写作和讲课上.
- urban:(a) [‘ɜːb(ə)n] 城市的 back
The directions of urban development have been marked out. 城市发展的规划已制定出来了.
The police drummed up new methods of dealing with urban crime. 警方找到了对付城市犯罪的新方法
He accepted the job, albeit with some hesitation. 尽管有些犹豫，他还是接受了那份工作
- context:(n) [‘kɒntekst] 背景 back
To appreciate what these changes will mean, it is necessary to look at them in context. 要明白这些变化的意义，就有必要了解它们的背景.
- document:(v) [‘dɒkjʊm(ə)nt] 記錄 back
His research documents how the crisis occurred. 他的研究记录了危机是如何发生的.
I abhor discrimination** of any kind. 我厌恶任何一种歧视.
If nature abhors a vacuum, Donald Trump abhors silence and clam. 假如大自然厭惡真空, Donald Trump 就憎恨沈默和平靜.
New technology has spawned new business opportunities. 新技术创造了大量新的商机.
- stereotypical:(a) [,steriə’tipikl] 典型的 back
That means India is without an old Wall Street staple: Women who feel they must act like the stereotypical male banker to advance. 这意味这在印度没有那种华尔街的陈规陋习：女性行动必须像一个老掉牙的男银行家那样.
- V + unto:(prep.) 對, 向, 朝某處或某個位置移動 back
And he said unto him, “Who is my neighbor?” 他于是对他说道：“谁是我邻居？”
I will do unto others what they did to me 我會以其人之道還治其人之身.
- polite:(a) [pə’laɪt] 有禮貌的 back
She’s always very polite. 她总是很有礼貌.
- bother with sth:(v) [‘bɒðə] 為…而費心 (經常用於否定句中) back
He didn’t bother with a reply. 他懒得回复.
So Why bother with it? 干吗要那么麻烦呢？
Why should they bother with something of little-to-no interest when they could have (or plead for) the thing they crave? 如果有或者说可以请求得到他们所渴望的东西，他们为什么还要被毫无兴趣的事物而烦扰？
- chitchat:(n) [‘tʃɪttʃæt] 閒聊 back
Not being a mother, I found the chitchat exceedingly dull. 还没做母亲的我，觉得闲谈异常无味.
Millions of people use Twitter for ordinary chitchat and unfiltered thoughts. 數以百萬計的人使用推特進行平常的閒聊和未經過濾的思考.
anthropophobic:(n) [,ænθrəpə’foʊbɪk] 恐懼社交的人 (anthropo(與人類相關的) + phobic ‘fobɪk) back
hashtag:(n) 標籤 back
- congregate:(v) [‘kɒŋgrɪgeɪt] 聚集 back
Crowds began to congregate to hear the President’s speech. 人群开始聚拢，来聆听总统的演讲.
New immigrants congregate in the cities, taking such service sector jobs as washing dishes and cleaning residences or offices. 新移民都聚集在城市，寻找服务性工作，诸如刷盘子，为家庭或办公室打扫房间等.
On Sundays, they congregate at a local elementary school for soccer gamers. 每逢星期天, 他們在當地的一所小學集合踢足球比賽.
interview conducted:(v) [‘kɒndʌkt] 面談內容 back
deal with: 打交道, 對付, 相處 back
weirdo:(n) [‘wɪədəʊ] 怪物, 怪人 back
What kind of weirdo is this? 这是一个多么怪异的人呢？
No. What are you going to do with my sneeze, weirdo? 没有。 你这个怪人，你想对我的喷嚏做什么？
I’m a weirdo, but everybody’s weird in some kind of way. 我是個怪人, 但每個人在某種程度上都有奇怪的地方.
- socializing:(n) [‘səʊʃəlaɪzɪŋ] 社交, 交際 back
Her in-class conversations led to some friendships and socializing outside class. 课堂上的交谈给她带来了友谊和课堂外的交往.
That’s the time you spend at work socializing with colleagues, E-mailing back and forth, instant messaging, talking on the phone. 这个时间特指的是你在工作中与同事进行交往的时间，如：往来电子邮件、即时消息和电话交谈等.