{"id":7785,"date":"2019-10-03T03:49:29","date_gmt":"2019-10-03T03:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/chinese-reading\/you-are-just-a-substitute\/"},"modified":"2019-10-03T03:49:29","modified_gmt":"2019-10-03T03:49:29","slug":"you-are-just-a-substitute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/my\/you-are-just-a-substitute\/","title":{"rendered":"You are Just a substitute"},"content":{"rendered":"
This is a slightly sad blurb a<\/em>bout a substitue \u73ed\u957f, or classroom leader. If you’ve ever used Chinese-made textbooks to study, or if you’re studying language in China, this could be managable for a beginner, otherwise, co<\/em>nsider it an intermediate passage.
Intermediate Chinese Reading Exercise: You are Just a SubstituteChinese beginner textbooks are often filled with classroom-y words, and stories a<\/em>bout inter-student and student-teacher relationships, so this should make a bit more intuitive sense if you’ve ever been in a real Chinese classroom environment.
In my opinion, there’s no good English translation for the word \u73ed\u957f. In Chinese classrooms, one student is elected the class leader – they are respo<\/em>nsible for keeping other students in line, are given extra classroom duties, and are akin to a teacher’s pet. But in English, the word “teacher’s pet” has a negative meaning. Not so in Chinese classrooms, wher being the \u73ed\u957f is co<\/em>nsidered a real privilege.
One of the more difficult clauses here is … \u57cb\u5934\u7ee7\u7eed\u73a9”\u4e09\u56fd\u6740”. This means “… immersed themselves in co<\/em>ntinuing to play San Guo Sha.” San Guo Sha is a popular Asian card game (which, I understand, has been turned into an o<\/em>nline multiplayer network game).
Click to Listen
\u6838\u5fc3 – hé x\u012bn – Core, “heart”, nucleus
\u4ee3\u66ff- dài tì – Substitute, instead
\u8bb2\u53f0 – ji\u01ceng tái – Speaking platform, podium
\u4e71\u54c4\u54c4 – luàn h\u014dng h\u014dng – Disorderly and noisy, in an uproar
\u8033\u65c1\u98ce – \u011br páng f\u0113ng – In one ear and out the other
\u72e1\u8fa9 – ji\u01ceo biàn – Quibble, argue
\u53cd\u9a73 – f\u01cen b\u014d – Retort, sharp reply
\u65a5\u8d23 – chì zé – Denounce
\u56a3\u5f20 – xi\u0101o zh\u0101ng – Be arrogant, be on one’s high horse
\u4e89\u8fa9 – zh\u0113ng bián – Dispute
\u73ed\u957f\u662f\u4e00\u4e2a\u73ed\u7ea7\u91cc\u7684\u6838\u5fc3\uff0c\u6743\u529b\u5730\u4f4d\u662f\u4e0d\u7528\u8bf4\u7684\uff0c\u5728\u73ed\u957f\u4e0d\u5728\u65f6\uff0c\u80fd\u600e\u4e48\u529e\u5462\uff1f\u53ea\u80fd\u627e\u4e00\u4f4d\u80fd\u529b\u597d\u3001\u6210\u7ee9\u597d\u7684\u540c\u5b66\u4ee3\u66ff\u4e86\u3002
\u6211\u5c31\u662f\u4ee3\u66ff\u7684\uff0c\u5728\u5f53\u5929\u73ed\u957f\u4e0d\u5728\u65f6\uff0c\u8001\u5e08\u5c31\u603b\u662f\u627e\u6211\u4ee3\u66ff\uff0c\u6211\u4e5f\u5f88\u5f00\u5fc3\u4e3a\u8001\u5e08\u5e72\u6d3b\u3002
\u8fd9\u5929\uff0c\u521a\u597d\u73ed\u957f\u6709\u4e8b\u51fa\u53bb\u4e86\uff0c\u6211\u53ea\u80fd\u8dd1\u4e0a\u8bb2\u53f0\uff0c\u7ba1\u597d\u7eaa\u5f8b\u3002\u8bfe\u5ba4\u91cc\u4e71\u54c4\u54c4\u7684\uff0c\u8c01\u4e5f\u6ca1\u6709\u6ce8\u610f\u5230\u6211\u3002\u6211\u5927\u58f0\u558a: “\u5168\u90e8\u56de\u5230\u81ea\u5df1\u7684\u4f4d\u7f6e\u4e0a\uff0c\u73b0\u5728\u5f00\u59cb\u8bb0\u540d\u3002” \u987f\u65f6\uff0c\u8bfe\u5ba4\u91cc\u9759\u4e86\u4e00\u4f1a\u513f\uff0c\u5927\u90e8\u5206\u540c\u5b66\u90fd\u56de\u5230\u5ea7\u4f4d\u4e0a\u4e86\uff0c\u53ea\u6709\u5c11\u6570\u540c\u5b66\u628a\u6211\u7684\u8bdd\u5f53\u505a”\u8033\u65c1\u98ce“\uff0c\u57cb\u5934\u7ee7\u7eed\u73a9”\u4e09\u56fd\u6740”\u3002
\u6211\u6012\u4e86\uff0c\u628a\u4ed6\u4eec\u7684\u540d\u5b57\u767b\u5230\u9ed1\u677f\u4e0a\u53bb\uff0c\u800c\u4e14\u5199\u7684\u5927\u5927\u7684\u3002\u4ed6\u4eec\u6781\u529b\u72e1\u8fa9“\u4e3a\u4ec0\u4e48\u767b\u6211\u540d\uff1f” \u6211\u521a\u60f3\u53cd\u9a73\uff0c\u53ef\u662f\u68c0\u67e5\u7684\u4eba\u6765\u4e86\uff0c\u6211\u5fc3\u5e73\u6c14\u548c\u5730\u5bf9\u4ed6\u4eec\u8bf4\u9053: “\u68c0\u67e5\u7684\u4eba\u6765\u4e86\uff0c\u4e0d\u8bb8\u5435\u95f9\uff0c\u4e0d\u7136\u53ef\u662f\u8981\u52a0\u4f5c\u4e1a\u7684\u3002” \u4ed6\u4eec\u7acb\u523b\u95ed\u4e0a\u5634\u3002\u5509\uff0c\u73ed\u957f\u4e0d\u597d\u5f53\u554a\uff01
\u68c0\u67e5\u56e2\u4e00\u8d70\uff0c\u4ed6\u4eec\u53c8\u4e0d\u7ba1\u6211\u7684\u65a5\u8d23\uff0c\u7ee7\u7eed\u5435\u95f9\uff0c\u5e76\u53cd\u9a73: “\u4f60\u56a3\u5f20\u4ec0\u4e48\u554a\uff0c\u4f60\u53ea\u662f\u4e2a\u4ee3\u66ff\u7684\u3002” \u4ed6\u4eec\u8bf4\u8fd9\u8bdd\u65f6\u53ef\u795e\u6c14\u591a\u4e86\u3002\u6211\u8f6c\u8fc7\u8eab\uff0c\u773c\u6cea\u5728\u6211\u7684\u773c\u7736\u91cc\u6253\u8f6c\uff0c\u6211\u5fcd\u4f4f\u4e86\uff0c\u6ca1\u6709\u8ddf\u4ed6\u4eec\u4e89\u8fa9\u3002
\u6700\u540e\uff0c\u73ed\u957f\u56de\u6765\u4e86\uff0c\u6211\u505c\u6b62\u4e86\u6211\u7684”\u4ee3\u66ff\u751f\u6d3b”\u3002
\u5509\uff0c\u4ee3\u66ff\u7684\u6bd4\u6b63\u7684\u8fd8\u8981\u70e6\u5fc3\u554a\u3002
 
The class mo<\/em>nitor is the heart of any class [lit: grade level], needless to say it’s a powerful position. When the class mo<\/em>nitor isn’t there, how should you deal with it? Well, you find another skilled student with good grades to substitute.
I’m a [class monitor] substitute; when the class mo<\/em>nitor isn’t there, the teacher asks me instead, and I’m happy to do some work for the teacher.
This one day, the class mo<\/em>nitor had just left to do something, so I ran up to the podium to oversee classroom discipline. The classroom was disorderly and loud, no one was paying attention to me. I called out loudly: “Everyone return to your places, we’re going to call roll.” The classroom immediately quieted down a bit, most students returned to their seats, but for a few, my words went in one ear and out the other, and they immersed themselves in their game of San Guo Sha.
Indignant, I wrote the names [of the misbehaving students] on the blackboard in big letters. They tried vehemently to argue, saying :”Why are you writing my name?” I had just thought up a [stinging] retort, but the class inspector arrived, and I calmly said, “The inspector has arrived, you must not be noisy, or else you’ll be assigned extra homework.” They immediately shut their mouths. Ai, it’s no fun being the class monitor!
As soon as the classroom inspector left, they o<\/em>nce again ignored my protests, co<\/em>ntinued being noisy, and snapped, “What are you on your high horse a<\/em>bout, you’re just a substitute.” They said this in a [mean]-spirited way. I turned away, tears welling in my eyes, but I tolerated it and did not argue with them.
Finally, the class mo<\/em>nitor returned, and I stopped [living] my “life as a substitute”.
Ai, being a substitute is more trouble than being the real thing.
<\/div>\n