Recently, controversy broke out in the United States after The Mahjong Line, a Dallas-based company started by three white women, launched with game sets that eschewed the traditional Chinese tiles for images such as bags of flour, bubbles, and kites.
The cheeky line. Photo via The Mahjong Line.The botanical line. Photo via The Mahjong Line.作为设计这款新式麻将的创始人之一凯特·拉格尔(Kate LaGere)自称在与朋友打麻将时发现麻将牌都“长得很像”,“没有趣味性”。她想要一套独特的,能让她“自豪”地带去和朋友一起玩的麻将。自己设计着玩当然可以,但你拿出来卖......
Marketing copy on the company’s website noted that the “artwork of the traditional tiles, while beautiful, was all the same” and that the “venerable game needed a respectful refresh,” leading to a swift backlash and accusations of culturalappropriation.
As many people pointed out, the Mahjong Line didn’t just rebrand the Chinese history behind the game: it wiped it out altogether to be repackaged as something more suitable for the white gaze.
The beauty of mahjong is that it’s a game meant to be shared, which this community does happily and often. But what the Mahjong Line did wasn’t a loving embrace of an already-beloved game — it was a complete obliteration of the rich history behind the four-player pastime.
“Our mission is to combine our passion for art and color alongside the fun of the game while seeking to appeal to novices and experienced players alike. American mahjong tiles have evolved for many decades and we’d like to be part of this evolution in the most respectful and authentic way possible.”
“While our intent is to inspire and engage with a new generation of American mahjong players, we recognize our failure to pay proper homage to the game’s Chinese heritage. Using words like ‘refresh’ were hurtful to many and we are deeply sorry.”
这样的道歉,反正英大是真的看不到一丝诚意。马上,该公司关闭了在Instagram上的评论。大家都知道麻将起源于中国,但不是所有人都知道麻将牌面图案的寓意,这不是谁想改就能改的!麻将牌中的每一张牌都暗含了中国传统文化的诉求。以“花牌”为例,人们通常采用梅、兰、竹、菊为图案。 梅、兰、竹、菊占尽春、夏、秋、冬,被称为“四君子”,是中国人感物喻志的象征。而“中、发、白”3张牌则寓意着“中正”、“发达”、“纯洁”之意。近年来,麻将在国外越来越火,2017年4月,国际智力运动联盟(International Mind Sports Association:IMSA)宣布,麻将正式成为世界智力运动项目。撒贝宁还曾在节目中调侃:过年一家人打麻将,结果最后变成四个老外津津有味地学打麻将:不少国家还出现了专门教人打麻将的老师,收费还不低,很多网友看到了称:我也想去国外教他们打麻将。不会打麻将的英大感觉失去了一个亿......
那么,以后我们该如何向老外介绍麻将呢?下面这些地道表达,赶紧和英大一起学起来吧~
01“麻将”用英文怎么说?打麻将:play mahjong牌:tile条:bamboo /ˌbæmˈbuː/(长的像竹子)或者是sticks/stiks/(棍、杆)饼或者叫筒:dots /dɑːts/ 也有叫circles的(都是大圆点)万:characters /ˈkærɪktərz/东/南/西/北风:east / south / west / north wind红中:red dragon (red centre)发财:green dragon (make a fortune)白板:white dragon ( white board/slate )02“麻将”中各个操作用英文怎么说?洗牌:shuffle tiles (or cards)出牌:play a tile摸牌:draw a tile胡了:I’ve won!吃:take a tile to complete a straight碰:take a tile to complete a set of three杠:take a tile to complete a set of four
最后送上小彩蛋
Learn how to play mahjong in 2.5 minutes如何在2.5分钟内学会打麻将?我们欢迎所有外国人来学习打麻将,但是想要对中国麻将进行胡乱改造,门都没有!!!