“Mamahuhu” taking root overseas“馬馬虎虎”闖出一片“江湖”

李全忠

隨著中國文化在世界各地傳播，很多外國人也開始喜歡并使用“馬馬虎虎”這個詞。它到底有怎樣的精神氣質(zhì)呢？

主題語境：社會? 篇幅：341詞?建議用時：6分鐘

As a kid， I spoke English to my Chinese immigrant parents， who replied to me and my siblings mostly in kind. My grandmother， who lived with us， was different. She could communicate with us only in Mandarin. A few phrases in Mandarin are particularly vivid to me and the most striking of all is mamahuhu.

Out of a sense of pride， my siblings and I transformed mamahuhu from an adjective into an ethos （精神氣質(zhì)）. It's the name we gave my mother's car， and it's the philosophy behind my brother's repairs around the house or on vehicles. “So?so， good enough，” he told me. “It took a lot of time to repair， but I eventually made it！”

Growing up， I talked about mamahuhu only at home. But lately， as elements of Chinese culture have spread throughout the world， I realize my family isn't alone in our affection for the term： A Michelin?starred chef playfully borrowed the expression for his restaurant in San Francisco， so did sketch comedians in Shanghai who specialized in videos， with their own line of mamahuhu?logoed clothes， throw pillows and face masks. Various accounts on online platforms used the word in their names.

My sons don't speak Mandarin， but they find mamahuhu kind of black humor. It's our family's practice to make do， and as the pandemic （流行病） set in—no in?person school， no travel possible—the philosophy helped us survive.

With this clear?eyed world view， my family don't rely on tradition or priority as their only guide. They understand that best?laid plans are no guarantee of safety or happiness. It's a lesson—one of mamahuhu's many—that I want to impress upon them most of all. Last summer， our family considered visiting Hawaii， but again for our spring break earlier this year， we repeatedly postponed the vacation because of the pandemic. In the end， we settled for a road trip to Southern California to see their grandparents and baby cousin. As we were driving along the highway， I asked the boys if they were excited. “This trip is mamahuhu，” one joked. Everyone laughed.

Reading Check

1. What can we know from paragraph 1？

A. The author's English was different from her parents'.

B. The author's parents encouraged her to say English.

C. The author's grandmother didn't speak English.

D. The author's grandmother only spoke phrases in Mandarin.

2. Why does the author mention a Michelin?starred chef in paragraph 3？

A. To prove culture shock can be accepted worldwide.

B. To convey a message that every culture has its own function.

C. To explain the Michelin?starred chef is good at advertising.

D. To show Chinese culture has an increasing influence on the world.

3. In the author's opinion， what does mamahuhu really mean？

A. Vivid language has no borders.

B. Accepting imperfection is a philosophy.

C. The pursuit of perfection is human nature.

D. Cherishing each moment is the best choice.

4. What can be inferred about the road trip from the last paragraph？

A. The boys considered the road trip a joke.

B. The road trip brought the boys unexpected surprise.

C. The boys were basically satisfied with the road trip.

D. The road trip was kind of judgment of mamahuhu.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Difficult sentence in the text

As a kid， I spoke English to my Chinese immigrant parents， who replied to me and my siblings mostly in kind. 小時候，我和我的中國移民父母說英語，他們也通常用英語回應(yīng)我和兄弟姐妹們。

【點石成金】本句是一個主從復(fù)合句，who replied to me and my siblings mostly in kind 是非限制性定語從句，修飾先行詞parents。

Ⅱ. Text?centered chunks

grow up 長大；成熟

throughout the world 全世界；舉世

rely on 依靠

impress sth upon sb 使某人牢記某事

because of 由于

in the end 最后；終于

settle for 勉強接受；將就