020 京剧尖细的歌声

旁白 neutral

What art form is nine hundred years old and includes acrobatics, martial arts, and squeaky singing?

哪种艺术形式有九百年历史，融合了杂技、武术和尖声唱腔？

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If you guessed the Chinese opera, you're right!

如果你猜是中国戏曲，那就对了！

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If you're wondering what the Chinese opera is like, and why the singers have squeaky voices, keep reading!

如果你好奇中国戏曲是什么样的，为什么演唱者声音尖细，继续往下读吧！

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If you were to attend the Chinese opera, this is what it would be like

如果你去看一场中国戏曲，大概就是这样的体验。

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First you would see an empty stage

首先，你会看到一个空荡荡的舞台。

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The actors want people in the audience to use their imagination, so they use only a few stage decorations

演员希望观众发挥想象力，所以他们只用寥寥几样舞台装饰。

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The performers also need a lot of room on stage for their acrobatics and martial arts

表演者也需要在舞台上有足够的空间进行杂技和武术表演。

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Next you might see a mini orchestra

接着，你可能会看到一个小型乐队。

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The orchestra is usually made up of string instruments like guitars, wind instruments like flutes, drums, and wooden clappers

乐队通常由弦乐器（比如类似吉他的乐器）、管乐器（比如笛子）、鼓和木制拍板组成。

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These are used to make music as well as sound effects, like a horse galloping or a rooster crowing

它们既用来演奏音乐，也用来制造音效，比如马蹄奔腾或公鸡啼鸣。

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Then you will see the actors come on stage

然后你会看到演员们登场。

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There are four groups of characters: Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Chou

戏曲中有四种角色：生、旦、净、丑。

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Sheng are the men in the opera, such as an uncle or a little boy

生是戏曲中的男性角色，比如叔叔或小男孩。

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Unlike the actors in the other three groups, they don't paint their faces

与其他三种角色的演员不同，他们不画脸谱。

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Dan are the women in the play, and they are the ones who sing with the squeaky voices

旦是戏中的女性角色，正是她们用尖细嗓音演唱。

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Jing are the warriors or demons. And Chou are the clowns

净是武士或妖怪，而丑是小丑。

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They wear white makeup on their noses and their job is to keep the audience laughing

他们在鼻子上涂白色妆容，职责是逗观众笑。

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So why do the Dan sing with squeaky voices?

那么，为什么旦角要用尖细的嗓音演唱呢？

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Even though the Dan are women, the actors playing them are almost always men

尽管旦角是女性，但扮演她们的演员几乎总是男性。

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When a man pretends to have a woman's voice, it often sounds squeaky

当男性模仿女性声音时，听起来往往很尖细。

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Nine hundred years ago, the Chinese opera was performed outside, so the actors had to sing loudly

九百年前，中国戏曲是在户外表演的，所以演员们必须大声唱。

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Their voices weren't supposed to sound pretty, just loud

他们的声音不是为了好听，而是为了响亮。

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It takes a lifetime of studying to be an actor in the Chinese opera

成为一名中国戏曲演员需要终生的学习。

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Historically, children were sold to the opera to begin training when they were young

历史上，孩子们很小的时候就被卖去学戏，开始训练。

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Parents knew that the opera would give their children a good life

家长们知道戏曲能给孩子一个好前程。

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Even though the children were young, they would get up early every morning to begin their exercises, and they would practice all day long

虽然孩子们年纪小，但他们每天一大早起床练功，而且要练习一整天。

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One actor remembers having to do handstands on a chair for hours and practicing five thousand kicks and punches in one day

有位演员记得，他得在椅子上倒立几个小时，一天要练五千次踢腿和出拳。

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The children were forced to work very hard, but it made their bodies some of the strongest in China

孩子们被迫非常刻苦地训练，但这使他们的身体成为全中国最强壮的之一。

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One of the most famous stars of the Chinese opera is Jackie Chan

中国戏曲最著名的明星之一是成龙。

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When he was six, his parents signed a ten-year contract so he could be trained in the opera

他六岁时，父母签了一份十年合同，让他接受戏曲训练。

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When Jackie Chan became an adult, the Chinese opera was not very popular anymore

成龙成年后，中国戏曲已经不那么流行了。

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So, Jackie Chan used what he had learned at the opera to become one of the best martial arts superstars in movie history

于是，成龙用在戏曲中学到的本领，成为了电影史上最出色的武术巨星之一。

旁白 neutral

The Chinese opera is a lot more than beautiful costumes, amazing acrobatics, martial arts stunts, and stories

中国戏曲远不止华丽的戏服、惊人的杂技、武打特技和故事。

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It is an art form that brings together the best cultural traditions of China

它是一种艺术形式，汇聚了中国最优秀的文化传统。