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Pigs teach us about life
猪年是时候为猪“正名”了
China and Western countries may have different cultural beliefs about certain animals, but when it comes to pigs, we have somehow reached an agreement – that pigs are ugly, lazy, stupid and shameless.
中国和西方国家对于某些动物或许会有不同的文化观点，但双方在对猪的看法上却达成了一致 —— 猪都是丑陋、懒惰、愚笨而无耻的。
Just look at the idioms and phrases in our languages. In Chinese, we have the likes of "Boiling a dead pig", and "A pig looking in the mirror is still a pig". And in English, there are expressions such as "eating like a pig" and "sweating like a pig". None of them are exactly complimentary.
看看我们语言中的一些习语和短语就明白了。中文里，我们有“死猪不怕开水烫”、“猪八戒照镜子”等说法。而英文里则有“eating like a pig”（狼吞虎咽）、“sweating like a pig”（汗如雨下）等表达。这些都和赞美搭不上边儿。
But the truth is that pigs do have some finer qualities. And there's probably no better time to clear their names than now, with the arrival of the Year of the Pig on Chinese Spring Festival, which falls on Feb 5 this year.
但事实上，猪的确有些好品质。今年2月5日，我们将会迎来农历猪年，或许现在正是为它们正名的最佳时机。
For starters, science long ago proved that pigs aren't stupid at all. According to a paper published in 2017 in the International Journal of Comparative Psychology, pigs are "mentally and socially similar to dogs and chimpanzees". They like to play. They have good long-term memories. And they know the difference between those who treat them well and those who don't.
首先，科学界很早便证实了猪一点儿也不笨。《国际比较心理学杂志》于2017年刊登的一篇论文认为，猪“在心理和社交能力上类似于狗和黑猩猩”。它们喜欢玩耍，有着很好的长期记忆力。它们还能辨别对自己好与不好的人。
There are lovable pig characters in cartoons too. Peppa Pig, for example, a UK animated television series that began in 2004, has now become one of the most popular cartoons in 180 countries and regions. The four members in the cartoon's pig family teach children from all around the world about love, friendship, and the value of family. And in China, the adventures of McDull, a piglet who works hard toward his dreams even though he keeps failing, have been recounted in films since 2001.
动画片中也有可爱的小猪形象。比如，2004年开播的英国动画片《小猪佩奇》现在成为了180个国家和地区最受欢迎的动画片之一。该片中的小猪佩奇一家四口教会了全球孩子们爱、友情以及家庭的价值。而在中国，小猪麦兜的冒险故事从2001年开始便被搬上了大银幕，尽管不断遇到失败，但麦兜依然努力追逐梦想。
"People are putting too much emphasis on efficiency and immediate results, but McDull is slow and patient, and not afraid of repeated failures," said McDull's creator Brian Tse when she was promoting the 2009 film McDull, Kung Fu Ding Ding Dong in Beijing. "He has a heart of gold."
“如今，人们越来越急功近利，而麦兜则不同。他慢吞吞的，耐心十足，即使一再遭到失败困难也毫不气馁，”麦兜的创作者谢立文2009年在北京宣传电影《麦兜响当当》时如此表示。“他有颗金子般的心。”
Perhaps these are the qualities of pigs to keep in mind when we celebrate this Chinese New Year – their intelligence, cuteness, patience and innocence.
我们今年在庆祝农历新年时，或许应该将猪的这些品质铭记在心 —— 它们的聪明、可爱、耐心以及纯真。
