Upper-Intermediate - It's Written in the Stars - Part 3 (D2444)

A: 你是火象星座,跟你最配的就是同为火象星座的狮子座和射手座,要不风象星座也行。
nǐ shì huǒxiàng xīngzuò, gēn nǐ zuì pèi de jiùshì tóng wéi huǒxiàng xīngzuò de shīzizuò hé shèshǒuzuò, yàobù fēngxiàng xīngzuò yě xíng.
You are a fire sign. The most compatible with you are other fire signs: the Leo and the Sagittarius. Or else you could also do well with a wind sign.
B: 陈姐,我老听你说火象,风象什么的,这到底是什么意思啊?
Chénjiě, wǒ lǎo tīng nǐ shuō huǒxiàng, fēngxiàng shénmede, zhè dàodǐ shì shénme yìsi ā?
Sis Chen. I always hear you talk about fire signs and wind signs, stuff like that. What does this mean anyway?
A: 十二星座分成四象,分别是风象、火象、水象和土象,其中风象和火象是阳性星座,水象和土象是阴性星座。
shíèr xīngzuò fēnchéng sìxiàng, fēnbié shì fēngxiàng、 huǒxiàng、 shuǐxiàng hé tǔxiàng, qízhōng fēngxiàng hé huǒxiàng shì yángxìng xīngzuò, shuǐxiàng hé tǔxiàng shì yīnxìng xīngzuò.
The twelve signs are divided up into four elements, that is: wind, fire, water and earth. The wind and fire element are Yang signs. The water and earth elements are Yin signs.
C: 陈姐,别迷信了,星座那一套,拿来茶余饭后聊聊天还可以,真让小文照着星座来找男朋友,不靠谱。
Chénjiě, bié míxìn le, xīngzuò nà yī tào, nálái cháyúfànhòu liáoliaotiān hái kěyǐ, zhēn ràng XiǎoWén zhàozhe xīngzuò lái zhǎo nánpéngyou, bù kàopǔ.
Sis Chen, don't be superstitious. This zodiac stuff is alright for after-dinner conversation but it's not reliable for Xiaowen to really use to find a boyfriend.
A: 迷信?我告诉你,星座是有科学道理的,要不然怎么会流行了这么多年,而且大家都觉得准。
míxìn? wǒ gàosu nǐ, xīngzuò shì yǒu kēxué dàolǐ de, yàoburán zénme huì liúxíng le zhème duō nián, érqiě dàjiā dōu juéde zhǔn.
Superstition? I am telling you, the zodiac is scientific, otherwise how would it have been popular for so many years? And everyone thinks it's accurate.
C: 你这就是心理暗示,好多人本来没有星座预测中那些性格特点,看了星座的解释,就会在心里暗示自己这样去做,反而模仿了星座。
nǐ zhè jiùshì xīnlǐ ànshì, hǎoduō rén běnlái méiyǒu xīngzuò yùcè zhōng nàxiē xìnggé tèdiǎn, kàn le xīngzuò de jiěshì, jiù huì zài xīn lǐ ànshì zìjǐ zhèyàng qù zuò, fǎnér mófǎng le xīngzuò.
This is just a psychological suggestion. Many people don't have the personality traits that the zodiac predicts. When they see the zodiac's explanation, they then suggest to themselves that that is what they do, and then end up copying the sign's description..
A: 小李,我问你,你的生日是五月份吧。
XiǎoLǐ, wǒ wèn nǐ, nǐde shēngrì shì wǔyuèfèn ba.
Xiao Li, I want to ask you, your birthday is in May, right?
C: 是啊,怎么了?
shì a, zěnmele?
Yeah, what's wrong?
A: 我看你啊,就是典型的金牛座,你们金牛座就是这样,又固执又理性,金牛座都不相信星座。小文你看他,像不像一头犟牛。
wǒ kàn nǐ ā, jiùshì diǎnxíng de jīnniúzuò, nǐmen jīnniúzuò jiùshì zhèyàng, yòu gùzhi yòu lǐxìng, jīnniúzuò dōu bù xiāngxìn xīngzuò. XiǎoWén nǐ kàn tā, xiàng bù xiàng yī tóu jiàng niú.
When I see you, I see a typical Taurus. You Tauruses are just like this; you are stubborn on one hand and rational on another. Tauruses don't believe in the zodiac. Xiao Wen, don't you think he is just like an obstinate bull?
C: 陈姐,你弄错了,我是五月底出生的,是双子座。
Chénjiě, nǐ nòng cuò le, wǒ shì wǔyuè dǐ chūshēng de, shì shuāngzǐzuò.
Sis Chen, you got it wrong. I was born at the end of May. I am a Gemini.

Key Vocabulary

火象 huǒxiàng fire sign
狮子座 shīzizuò Leo
射手座 shèshǒuzuò Sagittarius
风象 fēngxiàng wind sign
水象 shuǐxiàng water sign
土象 tǔxiàng earth sign
阳性 yángxìng Yang natured
阴性 yīnxìng Yin natured
迷信 míxìn superstitious, superstition
茶余饭后 cháyúfànhòu after dinner, leisure
靠谱 kàopǔ reliable
流行 liúxíng popular
zhǔn accurate
心理 xīnlǐ psychology
暗示 ànshì imply, suggest
预测 yùcè predict
反而 fǎnér instead
典型 diǎnxíng typical
金牛座 jīnniúzuò Taurus
固执 gùzhi stubborn
理性 lǐxìng rational
jiàng obstinate
双子座 shuāngzǐzuò Gemini

Supplementary Vocabulary

中西结合 zhōngxījiéhé combination of Chinese and Western (practices, medicine, beliefs, etc.)
理论 lǐlùn theory
八卦 bāguà gossip
影响 yǐngxiǎng to affect
挑剔 tiāotì to nitpick
感性 gǎnxìng emotional, sentimental
双胞胎 shuāngbāotāi twin

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