Intermediate - The Olympic Mascots (C0360)

啊呀，你有福娃？它们就是北京奥运会的吉祥物吧，真是太可爱了！
āyā ，nǐ yǒu fúwá ？tāmen jiùshì Běijīng Aòyùnhuì de jíxiángwù ba ，zhēnshì tài kěài le ！
Oh my! You have the Fuwa? They’re the mascots for the Beijing Olympics, right? They really are so cute!

是啊，这五个福娃把奥运文化和中国传统文化完美地结合在了一起。
shìā ，zhè wǔ ge fúwá bǎ àoyùn wénhuà hé Zhōngguó chuántǒng wénhuà wánměi de jiéhé zài le yīqǐ 。
Yeah. These five Fuwa perfectly combine traditional Chinese culture with the Olympic culture.

对了，我听说它们的名字很有意思。
duìle ，wǒ tīngshuō tāmen de míngzi hěn yǒu yìsī 。
Oh right, I’ve heard that their names are very interesting.

没错。它们叫：“贝贝”、“晶晶”、“欢欢”、“迎迎”和“妮妮”，连在一起是不是跟“北京欢迎您”很像？
méicuò 。tāmen jiào ：“Bèibei ”、“Jīngjing ”、“Huānhuan ”、“Yíngying ”hé “Nīni ”，lián zài yīqǐ shì bu shì gēn “Běijīng huānyíng nín ”hěn xiàng ？
Exactly. Their names are “Beibei,” “Jingjing,” “Huanhuan,” “Yingying,” and “Nini.” When put together it sounds like “Beijing welcomes you.”

真的很像，太有创意了！
zhēnde hěn xiàng ，tài yǒu chuàngyì le ！
It really does. How creative!

你再看这些福娃的造型，是不是也很有意思？
nǐ zài kàn zhèxiē fúwá de zàoxíng ，shì bu shì yě hěn yǒuyìsī ？
Look again at the styling of the Fuwa. Isn’t it interesting?

嗯，在它们身上我们能清楚地看出鱼、大熊猫、藏羚羊、燕子以及奥林匹克圣火的形象。
ng4 ，zài tāmen shēn shang wǒmen néng qīngchǔ de kānchū yú 、dàxióngmāo 、zànglíngyáng 、yànzi yǐjí àolínpǐkè shènghuǒ de xíngxiàng 。
Uh-huh. In their bodies we can clearly make out the figures of a fish, a panda, a Tibetan antelope, a swallow, and the Olympic flame.

这五个形象还分别代表不同的意义。比如贝贝，就是那个鱼形象的福娃，它代表繁荣。因为在中国传统文化中“鱼”代表繁荣。
zhè wǔ ge xíngxiàng hái fēnbié dàibiǎo bùtóng de yìyì 。bǐrú Bèibei ，jiùshì nàge yú xíngxiàng de fúwá ，tā dàibiǎo fánróng 。yīnwèi zài Zhōngguó chuántǒngwénhuà zhōng “yú ”dàibiǎo fánróng 。
These five figures also each separately represent a different meaning. Take for example, Beibei, the fish-shaped Fuwa. It symbolizes prosperity. This is because in traditional Chinese culture, fish symbolize prosperity.

没想到小小的几个福娃能代表这么丰富的意义，我都忍不住想把它们带回家了。
méi xiǎngdào xiǎoxiao de jǐ ge fúwá néng dàibiǎo zhème fēngfù de yìyì ，wǒ dōu rěnbuzhù xiǎng bǎ tāmen dàihuí jiā le 。
I didn’t realize these little Fuwa could represent such rich meaning. I can’t help but want to take them home with me.

哈哈。这五个福娃还代表人、动物与大自然要和谐生活。这也是北京奥运的重要主题之一。
hāhā 。zhè wǔ ge fúwá hái dàibiǎo rén 、dòngwù yǔ dàzìrán yào héxié shēnghuó 。zhè yě shì Běijīngàoyùn de zhòngyào zhǔtí zhīyī 。
Ha ha. These five Fuwa also symbolize that people, animals, and nature need to live in harmony. This is also one of the important themes of the Beijing Olympics.

Vocabulary

福娃	fúwá	fortune doll
吉祥物	jíxiángwù	mascot
完美	wánměi	faultlessly
结合	jiéhé	to join up
创意	chuàngyì	creative
造型	zàoxíng	appearance
藏羚羊	zànglíngyáng	Tibetan antelope
圣火	shènghuǒ	holy fire
繁荣	fánróng	prosperity
忍不住	rěnbuzhù	can’t help but, can’t keep from
和谐	héxié	harmonious
主题	zhǔtí	important themes
修饰	xiūshì	adorn
小名	xiǎomíng	nickname
昵称	nìchēng	nickname
外观	wàiguān	coloring
西藏	Xīzàng	Tibet
神圣	shénshèng	divine
多余	duōyú	superfluous
有余	yǒuyú	have enough and to spare
意料之外	yìliào zhīwài	contrary to expectation