The Japanese word, Danshari refers to a minimalist lifestyle that can free you from obsessing over material things.
日文“断舍离”指的是一种极简的生活方式,可以将你从对物质的沉迷中解放出来。
It has inspired many women all over the world to get rid of unnecessary things, such as books, clothes and furniture.
它已经使得全世界许多女性摆脱了不必要的东西,例如(不必要的)书籍、衣物和家具。
Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, depending on how you see it, what many women want to get rid of the most in 2016 is, well, their husbands.
出人意料而又在情理之中的是,这取决于你如何看待,2016年许多女性最想要丢掉的是,嗯,她们的丈夫。
According to a survey conducted by Croissant, a Japanese magazine popular with middle-aged and elderly women, many readers said they would divorce their husbands if they could, while 80 percent of the interviewees said they were happier after ditching their husbands.
据《Croissant》杂志(这是一本非常受中老年女性欢迎的日本杂志)进行的一份调查显示,许多读者表示,如果可以的话,她们就会和自己的丈夫离婚,而80%的受访者则表示,丢掉丈夫之后她们的生活更快乐了。
Japan is not the only country that has entered the age of "silver divorces." The divorce rate among people over 55 is increasing in Britain, France, Canada and the US, according to an article published by the Japanese Institute of Global Communications.
日本并不是唯一一个进入“银发离婚”时代的国家。据日本全球通信研究所发表的一篇文章指出,英、法、加、美等国家55岁以上人群的离婚率正在升高。
So, why do women aged over 55 want to ditch their husbands? Let's start with the concept of Danshari.
那么,为什么55岁以上的女性想要抛弃她们的丈夫呢?让我们先从“断舍离”的概念开始。
The concept can be boiled down to one simple question, "Do I really need this in my life?"
这一概念可以归结为一个简单的问题--我的人生真的需要这个东西吗?
The last time I asked myself this question, I threw away at least 10 books and several bags of clothing that I no longer wanted to wear.
上一次我问自己这个问题的时候,我丢掉了至少10本书和几大包我再也不想穿的衣服。
It helped me focus on what I have and freed me from having to find places for unwanted things. I felt free and relieved.
这让我更加专注于我已有的东西,并且把我从不得不找地方放这些不想要的东西这一种烦恼中解放了出来。我感觉很轻松宽慰。
The same concept can also apply to people. Dan, the first kanji character in Danshari, means refusal.
这一概念也可以应用到人身上。“断舍离”第一个汉字“断”表示“拒绝、不要”。
In Asia, husbands expect their wives to take care of their family like they are housekeepers and nannies rolled into one. Even though both of them may work, the wife is expected to do most of the housework and childrearing.
在亚洲,丈夫们希望他们的妻子像管家和保姆的集合体一样照顾家庭。即使夫妻两人都有工作,男人们也希望大多数家务和照顾孩子的工作交给妻子来做。
Many wives, especially stay-at-home mothers, sacrifice their dreams and lives for their families, yet they go unappreciated.
许多妻子,尤其是全职妈妈,为了家庭牺牲了自己的梦想和人生,但是却仍然得不到赞赏。
My 40-year-old friend told me she feels lost in her 10-year marriage. Before marriage, she worked as a curator at a museum where she met her artist husband.
我一个40多岁的朋友告诉我说,她对她长达10年的婚姻感到很失落。在结婚之前,她在一家博物馆当馆长,在那里她邂逅了她的艺术家丈夫。
The two fell in love, and she quit her job to support him at home. Recently, she has been asking herself what life would have been like if she hadn't gotten married.
两人坠入了爱河,她辞职做起了家庭主妇。最近,她一直在问自己,如果没有结婚的话,她的人生会是什么样子。
That brought her to the second kanji in Danshari, sha,which means to throw away.
这使她来到了“断舍离”第二个汉字“舍”,意思是“舍弃、丢掉”。
Marriage is hard; divorce is even harder. Many Asian women stay in a loveless marriage for decades. Social factors are a big reason for this. Many believe divorce will have a negative impact on their children.
结婚很难,离婚更难。许多亚洲女性在无爱的婚姻中坚守了数十年。社会因素是导致这一现象的一个很大原因。许多人认为离婚会对他们孩子产生负面影响。
My friend wants to wait until her son graduates from university to get a divorce. Her son is 7 years old, so only another 11 years to go.
我的朋友想等她儿子大学毕业后再离婚。她的儿子现在7岁大,所以那得是11年之后的事儿了。
The last kanji ri means separation. The timing for when you divorce a husband is very important.
“断舍离”最后一个汉字“离”意思是“脱离、分离”。你离婚的时机非常重要。
In Japan, if a wife waits until her husband has retired, she will be entitled to a large share of her husband's retirement payment.
在日本,如果一位妻子等到她丈夫退休之后再离婚,她就有权享受她丈夫的一大部分退休金。
My friend told her husband that she wants to be freed after their son graduates from university. He looked at her with confused eyes and asked what she, a 50-year-old woman, could possibly want to do.
我的朋友告诉她的丈夫说,等他们儿子大学毕业后她想获得自由。他疑惑地看着她并问她--一个50多岁的女人--可能想要干什么。
"Fifty is the new young," she answered. "I want to stay in the library and read as many books as possible without worrying about whether dinner will be late."
她回答道:“50岁是新的开始。我想要待在图书管理、尽可能地多读书,而不用担心晚饭是否晚了。”