经济学人双语版
导读
去年我们曾经有两期精读专门讲述过中美贸易的相关表达，今天的精读摘选了20190511期以及20190518期经济学人finance and economics版块的两篇关于中美贸易文章的部分段落，来看下中国态度转变前后的相关表达。
正文精读
1. ①China’s propaganda machine grinds slowly. ②But its output is nothing if not consistent. ③It took more than 24 hours for state media to report President Donald Trump’s threats, tweeted on May 5th, to ratchet up tariffs on China. ④By that time Chinese stocks had already plunged, a foretaste of global market ructions. ⑤When the response finally came in official editorials, it was a familiar refrain from China’s canon of trade-war statements: “We do not want to fight, but we are not afraid to fight and, given no choice, we will fight.”
本段选自20190511期经济学人的文章Speaking softly，文章发布之时中国尚未做出严厉声明，还是一如既往的克制。让我们来看下这一段。
①China’s propaganda machine grinds slowly.
Propaganda machine宣传机器，指的是宣传部门，代表了官方的态度。
Grind，动词，本意指磨碎、碾碎，grinds lowly慢慢磨碎，来形容中国宣传部门的不紧不慢。（其实每次看外交部发言人发言时，就可以看出，发言人的发言或回应都是仔细斟酌，语速平缓，但是态度坚定。）
这里顺便歪个楼说下有关grinds lowly的谚语，希腊语中有这样一个谚语，翻译成英语为The mills of gods grind slowly, but they grind small. 英语中也将其写作God’s mill grinds slow but sure.字面意思指上帝的磨磨地很慢，但是磨地很细。引申义指虽然会花费很长的时间，但是终将会获得某种必然结果。在搜索时发现，很多中文检索结果里将其翻译为了“天网恢恢，疏而不漏”，指做坏事儿终将会得到报应或惩罚；但小编觉得英文原句说的不只是那些坏事儿会得到报应，与“不是不报，时候未到”更为相符，这里的报包含了善报（好的必然结果），也包含了恶报（坏的必然结果），比如：
I’m sure he’ll be wealthy one day, though the mills of the gods grind slowly.
我相信他总有一天会发财的，只不过现在时机未到。
②But its output is nothing if not consistent.
第二句话its output指的是中方宣传部门对外的宣传或声明。如果这些宣传或回应不一致，那么便毫无意义。
③It took more than 24 hours for state media to report President Donald Trump’s threats, tweeted on May 5th, to ratchet up tariffs on China.
第三句话表示了中国对美国的回应，it took more than 24 hours，花费了24个多小时来回复，与第一句中grind slowly对应。
5月5日，增加了对中国的关税，这里用到了ratchet up，读作/?r?t?.?t/，与increase, raise同义，通常用来形容在经历了连续数次的提高后，继续逐步提高、增加，用来形容一直以来不断增加的关税是再合适不过了，与之对应的是ratchet down：
The debate should ratchet up awareness of the problem among members of the general public.
这场辩论可以使普通百姓逐步认识这个问题。
Costs have been ratcheted down by as much as 50 percent since 2015.
自2015年以来，成本逐步降低了差不多有50%。
④By that time Chinese stocks had already plunged, a foretaste of global market ructions.
在中国做出回应之时，中国的股市已经暴跌。这里暴跌用了动词plunge，替换词还有nosedive， plummet, sharply fall等等。
逗号后的A foretaste of global market ructions作同位语，表示中国股市的暴跌是全球市场动荡的先兆。Foretaste名词，指预示、征象，预先的体验：
a foretaste of spring
春天的气息
The recent factory closures and job losses are just a foretaste of the recession that is to come.
最近的工厂倒闭和失业只是即将到来的经济衰退的预示。
Ruction名词，骚动，吵闹，常用作复数出现ructions，可以与turmoil,chaos, disorder等替换。
⑤When the response finally came in official editorials, it was a familiar refrain from China’s canon of trade-war statements: “We do not want to fight, but we are not afraid to fight and, given no choice, we will fight.”
当官方社评终于做出回应的时候，依旧是之前惯有的贸易战态度，这里用了familiar refrain，refrain在这里用作名词，指经常重复的话，老调，familiar refrain也就是老生常谈：
“Every vote counts” is a familiar refrain in politics.
“每一票都重要”是政治上的老生常谈。
Canon名词，读作?k?n.?n/，有原则、准则的意思，注意与cannon（大炮、加农炮）区分。
另外这里注意，中文贸易战的原则“不愿打，但也不怕打，必要时不得不打”作者译为了“We do not want to fight, but we are not afraid to fight and, given no choice, we will fight.”
分析完各句后，让我们来整合看下整段的翻译：
①China’s propaganda machine grinds slowly. ②But its output is nothing if not consistent. ③It took more than 24 hours for state media to report President Donald Trump’s threats, tweeted on May 5th, to ratchet up tariffs on China. ④By that time Chinese stocks had already plunged, a foretaste of global market ructions. ⑤When the response finally came in official editorials, it was a familiar refrain from China’s canon of trade-war statements: “We do not want to fight, but we are not afraid to fight and, given no choice, we will fight.”
中国宣传部门总是有条不紊。如果前后不一致，那么对外的声明便毫无意义。美国总统5月5日在推特上威胁称要提高对中国的关税，官方媒体在24个小时后才进行报道。而那时，中国股市已经暴跌，预示了全球市场的动荡。最终中国在官方社评中作出了回应，是对中国贸易战原则的老生常谈：“不愿打，但也不怕打，必要时不得不打”。
①Though china runs a massive trade surplus with America, over the pastyear it has run a massive rhetoric deficit.②During that period President Donald Trump has tweeted about China at least 130times; Chinese leaders, by contrast, havemostly kept mum about the trade disputewith America. ③But in the past few days thathas begun to change. ④A sudden barrage of commentaries about the trade war in state media has struck a note of defiant nationalism.⑤“If you want to talk, our door is wideopen,” said an anchor on China’s most watched news programme on May 13th, in a clip that went viral. “If you want to fight,we’ll fight you to the end.”
5月13日我国全网热传的声明，让这场贸易战进入了一个新的阶段，以上节选自20190518期的经济学人文章Fighting words.
①Though china runs a massive trade surplus with America, over the pastyear it has run a massive rhetoric deficit.
中国对美国有巨大的贸易顺差，贸易顺差指的是在贸易双方进出口业务中，甲方的出口金额大于乙方的出口金额，或者是甲方的进口金额少于乙方的进口金额时，其中的差额，对于甲方来说，就称为贸易顺差；对乙方来说，则成为贸易逆差。一般来说，贸易顺差的一方，相当于净赚进了钱；而贸易逆差的一方，则是净付出了钱。单在2018年，中国的全球贸易顺差为3500多亿美元，这也是为何美国一直耿耿于怀，一直通过加征关税打压中国。
针对贸易战，美方经常性地通过推特来表达对中国的不满；而中国在贸易战之初就表明了态度：不愿打，但也不怕打，必要时不得不打，随后的每一次回应都是对该原则的不断重复（familiar refrain）。
在本段第一句话形容中国的态度时，用到了a massive rhetoric deficit，“巨大的措辞逆差”，与前面的massive trade surplus“巨大的贸易顺差”形成对比。Rhetoric，名词，读作/?ret?r?k/，指措辞，花言巧语，deficit赤字、不足，rhetoric deficit 也就是我们中文常说的“词汇贫乏”。“Trade surplus与trade deficit对应，贸易顺差与贸易逆差。
②During that period President Donald Trump has tweeted about China at least 130 times; Chinese leaders, by contrast, have mostly kept mum about the trade dispute with America.
紧接着第二句话开始进一步解释rhetoric deficit的表现，用分号隔开，前后对比了双方的不同反应，一边是狂发推，至少130次提到中国；另一边则是尽量保持沉默，这里用到了mum这个词，小编也是第一次见到mum除了有妈妈的意思，还可以作为形容词，表示沉默的，相当于silent，常见搭配keep mum保持沉默：
It’s not official yet, so keep mum .
这还不是正式的，所以不要讲出去。
③But in the past few days thathas begun to change. ④A sudden barrage of commentaries about the trade war in statemedia has struck a note of defiant nationalism.
然而，前几天发生了一些变化，第三句话承上启下，第四句话开始解释发生的变化，主语为无灵主语A sudden barrage of commentaries，commentary名词，通常指（广播或电视所播事件的）评论，解说，实况报道：
The commentary on the Olympic Games was much better on the other channel.
另一个频道对奥运比赛的实况报道要好得多。
Our reporters will give a running commentary (= a continuous one) on the election results as they are announced.
我们的记者将对选举的公布结果作实况追踪报道。
Barrage名词，读作/?b?r.ɑ??/ ，本意指掩护炮火，掩护炮火通常是非常密集的，因此其引申义指像连珠炮一样的或接二连三的（投诉、批评或质问）等等，常见搭配A barrage of sth，一连串的~：
The TV station has received a barrage of complaints about the amount of violence in the series.
电视台接到了一连串的投诉，批评电视剧中的暴力镜头太多。
He faced a barrage of questions over his handling of the problem.
就该问题的处理方式，他受到了接二连三的质问。
Strike a note (of sth)固定搭配，指表达某种情感或观点、态度等等，与express类似：
I find it really difficult to strike the right note when I’m writing job applications.
我发现写求职信时很难说到点子上。
At the end of her speech, she struck a note of warning about the risks involved in the project.
演讲的最后，她就这个项目包含的风险发出了警告。
Defiant nationalism，defiant形容词，意思是对抗的、违抗的、挑衅的：
a defiant attitude/gesture
挑衅的态度／姿态
The protesters blocking the entrance to the offices remained defiant this morning.
堵在办公室入口的抗议者今天早晨态度依然强硬。
⑤“If you want to talk, our door is wide open,” said an anchor on China’s most watched news programme on May 13th, in a clip that went viral. “If you want to fight,we’ll fight you to the end.”
第五句话，是对第四句话的进一步举例，一段视频在网络上迅速传播，双引号中引用了中方表态的话：“谈，大门敞开；打，奉陪到底”。
Anchor作名词讲，除了有锚的意思，还可以指（广播、电视节目的）主持人
Most watched news programme
收视率最高的新闻栏目，这里指新闻联播
Clip作名词讲，可以指（电影或电视节目的）剪辑，片断，文中指新闻联播中的一段视频，再比如：a clip from the movie这部电影的一个片段
Go viral指迅速传播，火爆全网。
分析完各句后，让我们来整合看下这段的翻译：
①Though china runs a massive tradesurplus with America, over the pastyear it has run a massive rhetoric deficit.②During that period President DonaldTrump has tweeted about China at least 130times; Chinese leaders, by contrast, havemostly kept mum about the trade disputewith America. ③But in the past few days thathas begun to change. ④A sudden barrage of commentaries about the trade war in statemedia has struck a note of defiant nationalism.⑤“If you want to talk, our door is wideopen,” said an anchor on China’s most watched news programme on May 13th, in aclip that went viral. “If you want to fight,we’ll fight you to the end.”
尽管中国对美国有着巨大的贸易顺差，但在过去的一年里，中国却面临着巨大的措辞逆差。在此期间，美国至少发了130次关于中国的推特；相比之下，中国在与美国的贸易战上基本保持沉默。但在过去几天，情况开始发生变化。中国官方媒体对贸易战突然连续的评论，带有强硬的民族主义色彩。5月13日，中国收视率最高的新闻节目中的一段视频在网上迅速传播，其中一位主持人说道“谈，大门敞开；打，奉陪到底。”
知识点总结
1. Grind slowly
2. 增加（关税）increase/raise/ratchet up tarrif
3. 暴跌：plunge, nosedive, plummet, sharply fall
4. Foretaste预示、征象
5. 骚动，混乱Ructions, turmoil, chaos, disorder
6. 老生常谈familiar refrain
7. 原则、准则Canon，注意与cannon（大炮）区分
8. Rhetoric deficit词穷
9. Keep mum 保持沉默
10. A barrage of sth一连串的，接二连三的
11. Strike a note of 表达某种情感/观点；strike the right note说到点子上；strike the wrong note没说到点子上
12. Defiant 对抗的、强硬的、挑衅的
13. Anchor （广播、电视节目的）主持人
14. Clip 电影或电视节目的片段
15. Go viral 迅速传播，火爆全网
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