本專欄前兩期給大家梳理了範冰冰逃稅案，以及英國首相特麗莎梅在脫歐中的掙扎
本期專欄將為大家梳理國內外英文媒體筆下的《延禧攻略》。
2018年夏秋劇的爆款擔當，無疑是宮鬥劇了，《延禧攻略》、《天盛長歌》、《如懿傳》等紛至沓來，在國內外英文媒體中也掀起一波報導熱潮，《經濟學人》也在2018年10月13日刊物的Chaguan也刊登了《延禧攻略》的專題報導，可見宮鬥劇的火爆程度。
本篇文章將從
四個方面來跟大家分享，國內外英文媒體報導《延禧攻略》走紅事件的寫作要點，並總結出其中精華供大家積累。
首先，就《延禧攻略》意外走紅一事，幾家英文媒體進行了不同的描述
ChinaFilmInsider 《中國底片》作為影視類的專業分析，選擇了從大家最熟知的微博熱搜的角度出發，
The show has been at the top on Weibo’s trendy list since the first episode debuted on July 19, and netizens across China are calling it a sensation.
這裡我們就可以學習到描述「霸佔微博熱搜榜」的寫法，be at the top on Weibo’s trendy list，大家在介紹自己喜歡的明星時，就可以用到這樣的句式，比如，My idol is xxx, who has been at the top on Weibo’s trendy list because of his/her talented performance in xxx show.
同樣寫熱度，South China Morning Post 《南華早報》的關注點則從該劇走紅的時間節點出發，
This summer has seen fevered discussions on mainland China’s social media platforms about the ancient Chinese fashions featured in a hit historical television drama series that has enraptured viewers across the country.
This summer (可自行更換季節或時間段) has seen fevered discussion... 是可以積累的議論文開頭句式，用於引出話題，同時也利落地交代了話題活躍的時間節點。
BAZAAR 《時尚芭莎》的寫法相對來說更加貼近生活，生動並且接地氣，
Unless you』ve been living under a rock recently, you』d have heard the title 『Story of Yanxi Palace』 being bandied about by more than a few friends.
Unless you』ve been living under a rock recently，you』d have heard ... 「除非你與世隔絕，否則你一定聽說了...」 這種說法就比較生動且接地氣了，大家也可以把這段寫作材料當口語素材積累，舉個例子，最近大家比較關注的「京港澳大橋開通」的消息佔滿主流媒體頭條，在介紹它的時候，我們就可以提及它的受關注程度：Unless you』ve been living under a rock recently, you』d have heard the opening of the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge, connecting Hong Kong with the mainland city of Zhuhai and the former Portuguese colony of Macau.
我們再來看看 The Economist 《經濟學人》的Chaguan專欄是如何入手的，
標題：Stressed-out Chinese love melodrama about courtly life
If you can handle a bossy eunuch, you can survive in today’s China
首先，文章在標題中簡明扼要地定義了《延禧攻略》，稱其為love melodrama，言情傳奇劇。
melodrama是指情節離奇而誇張的驚險故事，傳奇劇，情節劇，(a story or play in which there are a lot of exciting or sad events and in which people's emotions are very exaggerated). 大家仔細品味一下melodrama的英文釋義，應該大概了解我們平時說的「戲精」應該怎麼說了吧？除了我們熟悉的「drama queen／king」，你還可以很文藝委婉地描述為a person whose emotions are very exaggerated.
為了幫助西方讀者理解，增強代入感，《經濟學人》這裡把宮廷生活譯成了courtly life，courtly本身指舊式優雅的，極恭敬有禮的，是一個常用在歐洲古典文學中的詞，很能讓讀者聯想到歐洲宮廷文化European courtly culture，充滿復古文藝氣息。我們在寫作時，也考慮讀者的觀感。在寫作練習時，注意完成寫作後的檢查，在閱讀過程中嘗試換位思考，如果自己的讀者，能不能讀懂自己寫的文章。
A BIT surprisingly, one of the best things about the 「Story of Yanxi Palace」, a television drama about an 18th-century emperor that has broken Chinese viewing records this year, is watching concubines being rude to eunuchs. Even less predictably, the particular rudeness—combining scorn, resentment and a dash of fear—offers insights into how Chinese people cope with life in today’s ruthless and unequal society. An early scene shows the Qianlong emperor’s chief eunuch, a tubby, squeaky dimwit, bustling into a silk-draped waiting-room with an order for the harem. Return to your quarters, he announces, the emperor is working late. 「What? His majesty is sleeping alone again?」grumbles Noble Consort Gao, a boo-hiss villain. 「Let’s go,」 she tells her fellow concubines, stalking past the eunuch without a glance. 「What else is there to wait for?」
《經濟學人》本段行文中，銜接詞的使用非常工整，開篇的a bit surprisingly，表示「比較出乎意料的是」，緊接著在需要延伸展開說明的時候，作者又用even less predictable，表示「更難以預料的是」，無論在結構還是詞義上，都整齊對仗，同時為了讓結構更加工整好看，本段前兩句都使用了「插入語」的形式來解釋說明，只是為了保持句式的多樣性，前一句使用同位語從句a television drama … has broken Chinese viewing records this year，第二句則是用連字符插入以動名詞詞組為形式的後置定語，同時也能起到強調定語，平衡結構的作用。
自然流暢地使用銜接詞，是雅思寫作8分的要求，8分的定位是僅次於母語使用者的嫻熟程度，當然不需要每位同學都能達到，但是能有有意識地使用銜接詞，使句子連結得當，即便生硬，也能凸顯文章結構，是雅思寫作6分的要求，這一點就離我們同學很近了，有效地使用銜接詞的寫作方式，也是我們寫作積累，必不可少的一項內容。
另外值得一提的一點是，a bit 在地道英文（尤指英式英語）的使用中大多表示「相當的，比較多的」，而不是字面意思的「一點點」，這在使用上是一種想用委婉的用法。
比如去英國朋友家共進晚餐，朋友幫你盛飯時問飯盛得多不多，「Is this ok for you？」 你覺得自己肯定吃不完，就可以說，「That’s actually a little bit too much~」
這樣既委婉表達了吃不完，又在語言上不會冒犯主人。a (little) bit 暗含相當多／大的程度，是英式英語中表常見的用法。
如上是對該劇集走紅時間的相關報導梳理，接下來我們一起看一看，英文媒體是如何向讀者介紹《延禧攻略》。
還是先從《經濟學人》開始，
「Yanxi Palace」 is a gorgeously costumed fantasy, filled with poisonings, betrayals and young women competing for the Forbidden City’s great prize: being bedded by the emperor. 「Join the army, you might as well become a general,」 as one ambitious recruit to the harem chirps. The show is driven by female characters, including a kind but sickly empress, murderous concubines and—at the heart of the 70-episode epic—Wei Yingluo, a quick-witted, justice-seeking maid, who rises to become Qianlong’s beloved consort. The formula is wildly popular, drawing 700m live-streaming views on the drama’s best single day, in August.
《經濟學人》這裡對《延禧攻略》的介紹，相對簡練規整，開頭點明《延禧攻略》的性質：這是一部著裝華麗的虛構劇，充斥著惡毒、背叛和後宮爭寵這些情節。
注意《經濟學人》在這裡用一句話說明全部要點，這點是非常值得平時喜歡採用「湊字戰術」來寫作的同學借鑑下來。準確精煉地表達內容，才是寫作的要求，為了字數上達標而拼命湊字，這在正規語言能力測試中是不會幫你達到理想的分數的。
該段接著引用臺詞 「Join the army, you might as well become a general」，來描述該劇的基調，進而邊敘述邊展開評論。然後將落腳點放在對主人公的介紹上，最後總結該劇的火爆程度以及走紅時間。
《南華早報》South China Morning Post + 《時尚芭莎》BAZAAR + 《ABC新聞》ABC News 對於「延禧攻略」故事的介紹可以組合成一個雅思口語7.5分的part2話題內容，介紹一個你喜歡的/流行的電視劇：
Set in the 18th century, The Story of Yanxi Palace details the schemes of the concubines of the Qianlong Emperor. Focusing on the lives of the women in the Forbidden City and featuring fabulous costumes, the series was particularly attractive to a female audience. —— South China Morning Post
如上第一段先談一談你要介紹的劇的基本信息，如時間、人物和概要，以及它的受歡迎程度。接下來談談該劇涉及到的一些情節發展：
It revolves around the palace intrigue and the women that are embroiled this dangerous game of love, politics and dynastic power. It follows the narrative of Wei Yingluo (played by Chinese actress Wu Jinyan), a smart and daring palace maid who enters the Forbidden City to uncover the truth of her sister’s death, and becomes entangled in a web of deceit, betrayal and plots, but ultimately wins the love of the Emperor and attains the highest position in the palace. —— BAZAAR
再對故事本身稍作總結：
The story follows a badass, witty maid from a humble background on a journey of revenge. Revolving around a concubines-backstabbing story engine, Yanxi Palace is a cautionary tale about jealousy, relentless revenge, imperial power struggles, crime and romance. —— ABC News
最後談談你為什麼喜歡這部劇，可以參考結合《經濟學人》文章中提到的一些觀點，並且依照個人理解，有邏輯地分點敘述：
The reason that I like watching Yanxi is that, first, such dramas just use history as a backdrop. For audience like me who just wants to watch stuff chilling and getting rid of the stress from work, Yanxi is a good choice. Because it never bores me unlike the authentic historical TV programs which discuss serious problems. Moreover, they are really stories about 「modern life」, whether that means love stories or concubines seeking promotions. It all reflects the real stories happening nowadays. Many Chinese might mock attempts to extract political lessons from 「Yanxi Palace」 or other recent Qing dramas drawing huge audiences, such as 「Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace」.
首先，延禧攻略僅以歷史階段為背景，並不像正劇那麼嚴肅，對於我這種希望看劇「不用帶腦子」並想以此解壓的觀眾來說，是很好的選擇；其次，延禧攻略以及最近同樣很火的如懿傳中，講述的小白職場晉升史和愛情故事，也一定程度上是對現代人的生活的反應，很多職場新人也希望通過看劇吸取一些經驗
到這裡就是一個比較完整的雅思7+話題的答案了，大家可以參考如上結構，並試著總結出適合自己的答題思路。我們談積累，是希望儘可能多地幫大家積累素材，而積累的下一步，是同學們自行思考，總結消化，把「別人」的東西，有效地轉化為己用。這比大家盲目地背誦「範文」或者參考答案要有助益得多。也希望大家在英語學習的過程中，不要被所謂的「固定模式/搭配」局限住思維，而忽略英語語言的使用藝術。
休息一下眼睛哦
接下來就是梳理《延禧攻略》走紅原因相關的報導。包括人物形象、故事情節以及其它原因。
人物形象 Character方面
Starhub評論道，Not your regular female lead. She's spunkier, with more attitude，即魏瓔珞一反常態、懂得反抗，並且有自己的見解。
with more attitude是英文中讚揚人物有獨立見解的一種常見表達，比如表揚年輕人獨立，有自己的見解，可以說 She is an independent person with more attitude than her peers.
ABC News也認同這一點。魏瓔珞不像其他深宮久居的女人那樣脆弱無能，也擺脫了「傻白甜」式的女主呆板設定套路。
Central character Wei — the maid-turned-concubine — revolutionises the stereotypical portrayal of women in similar palace scheming dramas, where the female protagonist tends to be simply pure, innocent and helpless.
而ChinaFilmInsider則直接將魏瓔珞描述為Gangster sister (社會姐)
The main character Wei Yingluo has a strong feminist bent and is a smart, independent woman who is unwilling to bow down to the imperial politics. It’s rare to see such a positive representation of women, and netizens have dubbed her a 「gangsta sister」.
gangsta原指黑幫成員，會採用一些極端手段處理事情的人，與我們所熟悉的「黑社會」意思相近，現在可以和大家常說的「社會人」相對應。
Starhub還將魏瓔珞評價為聰明並且富有手段的角色，擺脫了「落難少女被白衣騎士拯救」的老式套路。
Quick-witted and cunning, female lead Wei Ying Luo (played by Wu Jin Yan) goes against the usual portrayal of 「damsels in distress needing to be saved by a white knight」. Instead, Wei Ying Luo employs ways and means to remove her opponents in the smartest ways, even acting like a retard to save her life.
ABC News在描述魏瓔珞人物形象時提到「rule-breaker」這個表達。同時也提到了目前「軟階層」的社會情況。
She is a rule-breaker, and her disregard for authority and hierarchy, as well as her ultimate success, give the Chinese audience immense satisfaction and even a sense of escapism. Her struggle to the top offers some viewers a temporary relief, even if her swift rise through the social class has become increasingly difficult to replicate in today's China.
除了對魏瓔珞的人物形象分析，《經濟學人》還簡單提到劇中的乾隆皇帝戲份「無足輕重」 (cipher)。同時也探討該劇是否符合feminist價值觀。
The leading man in 「Yanxi Palace」, Qianlong, is something of a cipher: a stern autocrat who finds his harem a chore. Chinese pundits have debated whether the show is a feminist tale about strong women, or a retrograde saga about women who survive by obeying and pleasing bossy men. It is both. It is a reflection of the country today, a chauvinist place full of strong women.
故事情節 Plot方面
BAZAAR 認為《延禧攻略》通過劇情安排使得角色的意圖和行為更加合理，人物也更加豐滿，還有意料之外但情理之中的情節反轉。該劇集通過情節的安排來帶著觀眾的情緒走。
While we do appreciate a good palace intrigue as the next person, what the 『Story of Yanxi Palace』 manages to do is flesh out its characters to degree where their intentions and actions become understandable, and when the moment comes, you actually find yourself sympathising with characters that you originally believed to be villains.
ABC News 認為《延禧攻略》的情節發展節奏比較快、不拖沓，更加符合當代觀眾的觀劇習慣。
But in Yanxi Palace, the plot developments are faster compared with the regular, slow-burner style of a palace scheming show, making the twists and turns of the machinations more accessible for a contemporary audience
其它原因
媒體報導中都有提到《延禧攻略》的在國內外的熱播，體現了中國文化軟實力的增長。
South China Morning Post 寫道
The popularity of the series highlights the importance of soft power. Popular entertainment such as television dramas, music and novels give peoplean opportunity to encounter the nation in an interesting way. It may prompt people from other places to want to know more about Chinese history and culture.
The Story of Yanxi Palace shows that soft power could be an effective way for China to build positive relations with other countries in addition to strengthening ties within the nation.
The popularity of ... highlights the importance of... 「...的走紅強調了…的重要性」 這個句式可以用在議論文中總結現象並提出自己的觀點，比如：The popularity of receiving vaccines overseas highlights the importance of medical safety and security.
ChinaFilmInsider 則談到了古裝劇的商業價值，也從側面體現了文化軟實力
The story of Yanxi Palace has generated commercial opportunities in overseas market as well as in local fashion.
The show garnered over 500 million hits during the first week of release, both in China and abroad. 「The prospective customers were not just interested in the stories,」 said Dongyang Huayu’s CEO Yang Le to China Daily, 「but they were also drawn by the Chinese culture and history behind them.」
ChinaFilmInsider 還有提到《延禧攻略》的服裝配飾也是一大亮點，並且對時尚舞臺產生了不小的影響，
But the biggest surprise from the show could be how Yanxi Palace『s heritage-defined China style has made such an impact on the world fashion stage this summer – and with no signs of cooling off.
BAZAAR 作為時尚類刊物，特地總結了該劇的服飾特點。該劇的服裝尊重歷史事實，並且特意採取乾隆時期的刺繡技術來製作，堪稱藝術品。
The costumes, which struck us as dull at first, were actually works of art that the producer and directors painstakingly brought to life on screen. Every costume was embroidered according to the person’s rank in the palace during the Qing dynasty (different ranks of concubines could only wear certain colours), and were embroidered using embroidery techniques that existed during the Qianlong era.
The show also took inspirations from history books for its plots. In the show, the main character came across sewing threads made from peacock feather and mixed with gold and silver string to make an empress dress, documenting some of the brilliant real-life achievements of the ancient Chinese textile industry.
加油~還剩下最後一部分啦
如上即是對《延禧攻略》走紅這件事、該劇集本身的介紹以及走紅原因相關的英文媒體報導梳理。最後，我們來看一下作為社論文章 (editorial)，《經濟學人》是如何提出觀點的。
《經濟學人》認為該劇集的走紅，是切中了當下的一種市場，中國經濟飛速發展的過程中、當下年輕人的生活中充滿了困難和焦慮，大家都「生存不易」 (just trying to make a living)，大家希望看到「下屬忠誠、好人好報、惡人惡報、年輕人通過努力就能成功」這類三觀正的劇集。劇中女主角的「獨立精神」也可以引起觀眾的共鳴。
In a fast-rising China, life is hard and filled with obstacles and anxiety, says Wang Xiaohui, chief content officer at iQiyi, the Netflix-like entertainment company behind 「Yanxi Palace」. Mr Wang describes today’s main melody. The masses (and the party) like stories in which subordinates are loyal, kindness is rewarded and wickedness punished, and in which young people who work hard can succeed. Mr Wang hails the women in his drama for an 「independent spirit」that resonates with viewers. Outsiders may note that such spirits do not always seek to reform or change a society. Getting ahead can be enough.
本段中的in a fast-rising China要比雅思5.5分的句式「with the rapid development of China『s economy and science...」要簡練精準許多，也更加全面。因為「快速崛起」所包含的不僅僅是經濟和科技層面，也包含精神文明的進步，大家在描述文化類事件的寫作中，以個短語開頭作為鋪墊，比生搬「經濟技術發展」要自然很多。
本段提到愛奇藝的時候用了Netflix-like的表達，即「類似網飛的視頻網站」。《經濟學人》用英語讀者群體熟悉的事物做例子，來解釋他們也許不太清楚的東西。比如向外國讀者介紹新浪微博的時候，我們就可以說，Weibo is a Twitter-like social platform for Chinese netizens to express their creative ideas and personal thoughts.
接著，《經濟學人》在文章的最後一段中，點明劇中的紫禁城雖然充滿了嚴苛的規定，但是這些規定卻可以避免混亂。這一點是符合當今的主旋律的，就好比1999年的《雍正王朝》體現了「堅定不移的改革」，2007年的《大明王朝1566》體現了反腐的主題。
並且據此推斷：《延禧攻略》之後，同類題材的作品還會陸續走上熒幕。
A recurring theme of 「YanxiPalace」 is that the Forbidden City is a place of harsh rules, but that rules keep chaos at bay. Such obedient resignation suits China’s modern rulers well. With 15bn cumulative downloads, this will not be the last of its kind.
在文章最後，根據理性思維，作出合理客觀的推斷，是英文寫作結尾常用的方式，以體現文章的合理性和延續性。同學們也可以參考使用這種結尾方式，但是切忌「誇大事實」和「妄下推論」，英文學術寫作是對嚴謹的邏輯思維和辨析能力的綜合體現，大家要時刻謹記這一點。
本期內容先到這裡，希望喜歡，下期見。
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