Upper-Intermediate - The Seven Year Itch (D1721)

A: 莺莺,你脸色不大好啊,不舒服吗?
Yīngyīng, nǐ liǎnsè bùdà hǎo a, bù shūfu ma?
Ying Ying, you don’t look so good. Are you not feeling well?
B: 没有。
méiyǒu.
No.
A: 是不是两口子闹矛盾了?
shìbushì liǎngkǒuzi nàomáodùn le?
Is it that there’s some conflict at home?
B: 嗯。昨晚又跟浩宇吵架了,没睡好。
ng4. zuówǎn yòu gēn Hàoyǔ chǎojià le, méi shuì hǎo.
Yeah. I had another fight with Haoyu last night and didn’t sleep well.
A: 你跟浩宇以前不是好好的吗?怎么最近老听你说吵架?
nǐ gēn Hàoyǔ yǐqián bùshì hǎohāo de ma? zěnme zuìjìn lǎo tīng nǐ shuō chǎojià?
Weren’t you and Haoyu doing great before? How is it that I always hear about the two of you fighting these days?
B: 哎,我也不知道。老是因为一些鸡毛蒜皮的小事吵。
āi, wǒ yě bù zhīdào. lǎoshi yīnwèi yīxiē jīmáosuànpí de xiǎoshì chǎo.
I don’t know either. It’s always about stupid little things.
A: 是不是因为有了孩子以后事情突然多起来了?
shìbushì yīnwèi yǒu le háizi yǐhòu shìqing tūrán duō qǐlái le?
Maybe it’s because after having kids there’s suddenly so much more to worry about?
B: 我也说不清楚。反正看着他在眼前晃来晃去就觉得不顺眼。他也是,以前对我的那些耐心好像一夜之间全没了。
wǒ yě shuōbuqīngchǔ. fǎnzhèng kànzhe tā zài yǎnqián huàngláihuàngqù jiù juéde bù shùnyǎn. tā yě shì, yǐqián duì wǒ de nàxiē nàixīn hǎoxiàng yīyèzhījiān quán méi le.
I can’t really say. I have to say, seeing him around all the time just bugs me. He’s the same way; the patience he used to have for me seems to have totally disappeared overnight.
A: 夫妻之间哪有不吵架的。床头吵架床尾和嘛,夫妻没有隔夜仇。
fūqī zhījiān nǎyǒu bù chǎojià de. chuángtóu chǎojià chuángwěi hé ma, fūqī méiyǒu géyè chóu.
What couple doesn't fight? You fight getting into bed and make up before you fall asleep. By the morning you've already forgotten why you were angry.
B: 现在真的有些改变了。我们对对方都没耐心了。我想是不是真的到了“七年之痒”了。
xiànzài zhēnde yǒuxiē gǎibiàn le. wǒmen duì duìfāng dōu méi nàixīn le. wǒ xiǎng shìbushì zhēnde dào le" qīniánzhīyǎng” le.
Things really have changed now. We have no patience for one another. I think it might be the “seven year itch”.
A: 什么痒不痒的,你千万别给自己这种暗示。结婚久了肯定要经历一个平淡期,两口子好好沟通沟通,过去就好了。
shénme yǎng bù yǎng de, nǐ qiānwàn bié gěi zìjǐ zhèzhǒng ànshì. jiéhūn jiǔ le kěndìng yào jīnglì yī gè píngdànqī, liǎngkǒuzi hǎohāo gōutōnggōutōng, guòqù jiù hǎole.
Enough of this "itch" nonsense! You just can't let that thought enter your mind. After a while, you will definitely experience a lull in your marriage. If the couple communicates well, they will get past it with no problems.
B: 哎,王姐,你是不知道,有时候吵得凶了,我都想干脆离婚算了。
āi, Wángjiě, nǐ shì bù zhīdào, yǒushíhou chǎo de xiōng le, wǒ dōu xiǎng gāncuì líhūn suànle.
Oh, Miss Wang, you don’t understand. Sometimes we have such terrible arguments I just want to get a divorce and be done with it.
A: 离婚就能解决问题了?离婚了孩子怎么办?单亲家庭的孩子很容易出现心理问题的。
líhūn jiù néng jiějué wèntí le? líhūn le háizi zěnme bàn? dānqīn jiātíng de háizi hěn róngyì chūxiàn xīnlǐ wèntí de.
What problems will getting a divorce solve? What will happen to your child if you get a divorce? The children of single-parent families are very susceptible to psychological problems.
B: 我们就这样老吵,对孩子也不好。
wǒmen jiù zhèyàng lǎo chǎo, duì háizi yě bù hǎo.
The way we quarrel all the time isn’t good for our child either.
A: 浩宇他应该没有外心吧?
Hàoyǔ tā yīnggāi méiyǒu wàixīn ba?
Haoyu isn’t taking interest in other women, is he?
B: 应该没有,还是一下班就回家,家务啊,孩子啊,也能搭把手的。
yīnggāi méiyǒu, háishì yī xiàbān jiù huíjiā, jiāwù a, háizi a, yě néng dābǎshǒu de.
I don’t think so. When he gets off work he still comes straight home. He also pitches in doing housework and taking care of the child.
A: 那就没事。你可千万别提离婚,成个家多不容易啊。
nà jiù méishì. nǐ kě qiānwàn bié tí líhūn, chéng gè jiā duō bù róngyì a.
Then there’s no problem. You should never bring up the idea of getting a divorce. Maintaining a family is far from easy.
B: 好,王姐我听你的。
hǎo, Wángjiě wǒ tīng nǐ de.
OK Miss Wang. I’ll listen to your advice.
A: 嗯。那早点回家吧。
ng4. nà zǎodiǎnr huíjiā ba.
Good. You should get home before it gets late.

Key Vocabulary

脸色 liǎnsè complexion
闹矛盾 nàomáodùn to have conflict
鸡毛蒜皮 jīmáosuànpí trivial matter
晃来晃去 huàngláihuàngqù to go back and forth
顺眼 shùnyǎn pleasing to the eye
床头吵架床尾和 chuángtóu chǎojià chuángwěi hé 'to fight at the head of the bed and make up at the end of it'
隔夜 géyè of the previous night
夫妻没有隔夜仇 fūqī méiyǒu géyè chóu 'a husband and wife's quarrels don't last overnight'
chóu hatred, enmity
七年之痒 qīniánzhīyǎng "Seven-Year Itch"
yǎng to itch
暗示 ànshì hint
平淡期 píngdànqī boring stage
平淡 píngdàn dull, boring
xiōng fierce
干脆 gāncuì just
单亲家庭 dānqīn jiātíng single-parent family
心理 xīnlǐ psychological
外心 wàixīn extramarital affair
搭把手 dābǎshǒu to lend a hand
成家 chéngjiā to form a family

Supplementary Vocabulary

外遇 wàiyù extramarital affair
痒痒 yǎngyang itch; tickle
潜意识 qiányìshi subconsciousness
玛丽莲梦露 Mǎlìlián Mènglù Marilyn Monroe
激情 jīqíng passion, enthusiasm
cuì crisp

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