Upper-Intermediate - The Seven Year Itch (D1721)

A: 莺莺，你脸色不大好啊，不舒服吗？
Yı̄ngyı̄ng, nı̌ liǎnsè bùdà hǎo a, bù shūfu ma?
Ying Ying, you don’t look so good. Are you not feeling well?

B: 没有。
méiyǒu.
No.

A: 是不是两口子闹矛盾了？
shı̀bushı̀ liǎngkǒuzi nàomáodùn le?
Is it that there’s some conflict at home?

B: 嗯。昨晚又跟浩宇吵架了，没睡好。
ng. zuówǎn yòu gēn Hàoyǔ chǎojià le, méi shuı̀ hǎo.
Yeah. I had another fight with Haoyu last night and didn’t
sleep well.

A: 你跟浩宇以前不是好好的吗？怎么最近老听你说
吵架？
nı̌ gēn Hàoyǔ yı̌qián bùshı̀ hǎohāo de ma? zěnme zuı̀jı̀n lǎo
tı̄ng nı̌ shuō chǎojià?
Weren’t you and Haoyu doing great before? How is it that I
always hear about the two of you fighting these days?

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 B: 哎，我也不知道。老是因为一些鸡毛蒜皮的小事
吵。
āi, wǒ yě bù zhı̄dào. lǎoshi yı̄nwèi yı̄xiē jı̄máosuànpı́ de
xiǎoshı̀ chǎo.
I don’t know either. It’s always about stupid little things.

A: 是不是因为有了孩子以后事情突然多起来了？
shı̀bushı̀ yı̄nwèi yǒu le háizi yı̌hòu shı̀qing tūrán duō qı̌lái le?
Maybe it’s because after having kids there’s suddenly so
much more to worry about?

B: 我也说不清楚。反正看着他在眼前晃来晃去就觉
得不顺眼。他也是，以前对我的那些耐心好像一
夜之间全没了。
wǒ yě shuōbuqı̄ngchǔ. fǎnzhèng kànzhe tā zài yǎnqián
huàngláihuàngqù jiù juéde bù shùnyǎn. tā yě shı̀, yı̌qián
duı̀ wǒ de nàxiē nàixı̄n hǎoxiàng yı̄yèzhı̄jiān quán méi le.
I can’t really say. I have to say, seeing him around all the
time just bugs me. He’s the same way; the patience he used
to have for me seems to have totally disappeared overnight.

A: 夫妻之间哪有不吵架的。床头吵架床尾和嘛，夫
妻没有隔夜仇。
fūqı̄ zhı̄jiān nǎyǒu bù chǎojià de. chuángtóu chǎojià
chuángwěi hé ma, fūqı̄ méiyǒu géyè chóu.

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 What couple doesn’t fight? You fight getting into bed and
make up before you fall asleep. By the morning you’ve al-
ready forgotten why you were angry.

B: 现在真的有些改变了。我们对对方都没耐心了。
我想是不是真的到了“七年之痒”了。
xiànzài zhēnde yǒuxiē gǎibiàn le. wǒmen duı̀ duı̀fāng dōu
méi nàixı̄n le. wǒ xiǎng shı̀bushı̀ zhēnde dào le” qı̄niánzhı̄-
yǎng” le.
Things really have changed now. We have no patience for
one another. I think it might be the ”seven year itch”.

A: 什么痒不痒的，你千万别给自己这种暗示。结婚
久了肯定要经历一个平淡期，两口子好好沟通沟
通，过去就好了。
shénme yǎng bù yǎng de, nı̌ qiānwàn bié gěi zı̀jı̌ zhèzhǒng
ànshı̀. jiéhūn jiǔ le kěndı̀ng yào jı̄nglı̀ yı̄ gè pı́ngdànqı̄, liǎng-
kǒuzi hǎohāo gōutōnggōutōng, guòqù jiù hǎole.
Enough of this ”itch” nonsense! You just can’t let that
thought enter your mind. After a while, you will definitely
experience a lull in your marriage. If the couple communi-
cates well, they will get past it with no problems.

B: 哎，王姐，你是不知道，有时候吵得凶了，我都
想干脆离婚算了。
āi, Wángjiě, nı̌ shı̀ bù zhı̄dào, yǒushı́hou chǎo de xiōng le,
wǒ dōu xiǎng gāncuı̀ lı́hūn suànle.

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 Oh, Miss Wang, you don’t understand. Sometimes we have
such terrible arguments I just want to get a divorce and be
done with it.

A: 离婚就能解决问题了？离婚了孩子怎么办？单亲
家庭的孩子很容易出现心理问题的。
lı́hūn jiù néng jiějué wèntı́ le? lı́hūn le háizi zěnme bàn?
dānqı̄n jiātı́ng de háizi hěn róngyı̀ chūxiàn xı̄nlı̌ wèntı́ de.
What problems will getting a divorce solve? What will hap-
pen to your child if you get a divorce? The children of single-
parent families are very susceptible to psychological prob-
lems.

B: 我们就这样老吵，对孩子也不好。
wǒmen jiù zhèyàng lǎo chǎo, duı̀ háizi yě bù hǎo.
The way we quarrel all the time isn’t good for our child either.

A: 浩宇他应该没有外心吧？
Hàoyǔ tā yı̄nggāi méiyǒu wàixı̄n ba?
Haoyu isn’t taking interest in other women, is he?

B: 应该没有，还是一下班就回家，家务啊，孩子
啊，也能搭把手的。
yı̄nggāi méiyǒu, háishı̀ yı̄ xiàbān jiù huı́jiā, jiāwù a, háizi a,
yě néng dābǎshǒu de.

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 I don’t think so. When he gets off work he still comes
straight home. He also pitches in doing housework and tak-
ing care of the child.

A: 那就没事。你可千万别提离婚，成个家多不容易
啊。
nà jiù méishı̀. nı̌ kě qiānwàn bié tı́ lı́hūn, chéng gè jiā duō
bù róngyı̀ a.
Then there’s no problem. You should never bring up the
idea of getting a divorce. Maintaining a family is far from
easy.

B: 好，王姐我听你的。
hǎo, Wángjiě wǒ tı̄ng nı̌ de.
OK Miss Wang. I’ll listen to your advice.

A: 嗯。那早点回家吧。
ng. nà zǎodiǎnr huı́jiā ba.
Good. You should get home before it gets late.

Key Vocabulary

脸色 liǎnsè complexion

闹矛盾 nàomáodùn to have conflict

鸡毛蒜皮 jı̄máosuànpı́ trivial matter

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 晃来晃去 huàngláihuàng- to go back and forth
qù

顺眼 shùnyǎn pleasing to the eye

床头吵架 chuángtóu chǎo- ’to fight at the head of

床尾和 jià chuángwěi hé the bed and make up
at the end of it’

隔夜 géyè of the previous night

夫妻没有 fūqı̄ méiyǒu géyè ’a husband and wife’s

隔夜仇 chóu quarrels don’t last
overnight’

仇 chóu hatred, enmity

七年之痒 qı̄niánzhı̄yǎng ”Seven-Year Itch”

痒 yǎng to itch

暗示 ànshı̀ hint

平淡期 pı́ngdànqı̄ boring stage

平淡 pı́ngdàn dull, boring

凶 xiōng fierce

干脆 gāncuı̀ just

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 单亲家庭 dānqı̄n jiātı́ng single-parent family

心理 xı̄nlı̌ psychological

外心 wàixı̄n extramarital affair

搭把手 dābǎshǒu to lend a hand

成家 chéngjiā to form a family

Supplementary Vocabulary

外遇 wàiyù extramarital affair

痒痒 yǎngyang itch; tickle

潜意识 qiányı̀shi subconsciousness

玛丽莲梦 Mǎlı̀lián Marilyn Monroe

露 Mènglù

激情 jı̄qı́ng passion, enthusiasm

脆 cuı̀ crisp

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