“你为什么来中国？” [美国媒体]

“Why did you come to China?”

“你为何来到中国？”



One of the most asked questions, yet also one of the most difficult to answer.

这是一个最常被问到的问题，也是最难以回答的问题。

This morning's elevator conversation quickly found it's way to this question via this route:

这个早上的电梯会谈是快速通向这个问题的途径：

Do you work or study here？

“你在这儿工作还是学习？”

Work.

“工作”

Where are you from?

“你来自哪里？”

California.

“加利福尼亚”

Then why did you come to China?

“那你为什么要来中国？”

This question has vexed me because I don't quite know the answer. Occasionally I reply that when I know why I'm in China, then I'll probably go home.

这个问题使我烦恼，因为我也不太清楚答案是什么。偶尔我会回答说，当我知道我为什么来中国的时候，那么我可能就会回家了。

One of the things that bothers me is that it is implied that the person wouldn't know why I came to China, as if they think coming here was a poor decision and are curious why I made it. This leads me to ponder, was it a poor decision? Thus it is something I'm constantly trying to define and decide for myself.

困扰我的事情之一就是，这暗示着人们不知道我为什么要来中国，好像他们认为来这里是个糟糕的决定，好奇我为什么会这么做。这使我深思，这确实是个糟糕的决定吗？因此这是某种我不断尝试为自己定义和决定的事情。

While there certainly is no definite answer, I am just curious to hear other people's thoughts on this question. Do you flippantly reply, or does it also make you question your life?

当然，这里没有明确的答案，我只是想听听别人对这个问题的看法。你会漫不经心地回答？或者它也让你质疑你的生活？



wangjinxi
“One of the things that bothers me is that it is implied that the person wouldn't know why I came to China, as if they think coming here was a poor decision”
You're reading too much into the question. People are curious because you are a foreigner, it's just a standard question that you will get anywhere you go, no one is judging you or suggesting that you made a poor decision by coming here.
It's also something a lot of Chinese people are curious about because they see live overseas as much more attractive than life in China, for obvious reasons.
I usually just make a corny joke out of it and say something like "Haha you want to live in my country and I want to live in yours, we should swap passports!" Guaranteed to have any ayi rolling on the elevator floor laughing.

“困扰我的事情之一就是，这暗示着人们不知道我为什么要来中国，好像他们认为来这里是个糟糕的决定。”
你对这个问题过度解读了。人们好奇是因为你是外国人，这只是一个标准问题，无论你走到哪里，你都会碰到它，没有人评判你，或者暗示你来这里是做了一个不好的决定。
这也是很多中国人好奇的事情。因为显而易见的原因，他们认为生活在国外比生活在中国更有吸引力。
对此我通常会说一个老掉牙的笑话，说“哈哈，你想住在我的国家，我想住在你的国家，我们应该交换护照！”保证电梯上会有阿姨笑得直不起腰来。

aetheriality
“why'd you come to china?”
for the /r/shaokao of course!

“为什么来中国？”
当然是为了烧烤！

platypusmusic
I was young and needed the communism
因为我曾经太年轻，并且需要共产主义。

hokwongwei
I get this a lot in Taiwan, too. "The moon is rounder abroad," as they say. Taiwanese people can't fathom a laowai picking up from sunny California and heading over to the ghost island. These days I just say: "I'm here because I really like Chinese food" and people leave me alone.

我在台湾也碰到了这个问题很多次。“外国的月亮更圆，”他们说。台湾人无法理解一个老外为什么要从阳光明媚的加利福尼亚来到这个鬼岛。这些天我只是说：“我来这里是因为我真的很喜欢中国菜”，然后人们都把我丢到一边。

goin_dang
Or Chinese women. Seriously Taiwanese women are like the, um, best China can offer.

或者说是因为中国女人。认真地说，台湾女人像是，嗯，中国能提供的最好的女人。

hokwongwei
I will neither endorse nor refute this comment, but I will add that my wife is Taiwanese.

我既不赞成也不反驳这个观点，但我要补充一点，我的妻子是台湾人。

hokwongwei
Why did I get downvoted for saying my wife is Taiwanese? Reddit is such a strange place sometimes.

为什么在我说了我的妻子是台湾人之后你们要踩我？Reddit 有时候真是个奇怪的地方。

komnenos
Because its racist for a cis gendered white man to be married to a race traitor, duh!/S

因为这是对一个种族主义者白人和一个叛离自己种族的女人结婚的种族主义，这还用问！

childsleaze
I have a lot of interest in Chinese history, culture and language. So obviously living abroad is a great learning experience. But I also enjoy getting to know the people I work with on a deeper scale than just "hello" "how are you"

我对中国历史、文化和语言很感兴趣。显然，在国外生活是一次很好的学习经历。但我也喜欢与我工作的人有更深层次的交流，而不仅仅是“你好”“怎么样”。

brokenladder24
I have the same interests. I am in Xi'an teaching at a high school. I have over 1,000 students a month and I love it! I am learning Mandarin and also learning a lot about myself. I find that this subreddit, however, has a lot of jaded responses/topics. Glad to see someone similar to me! 我很高兴！

我有同样的兴趣。我在西安的一所中学教书。我一个月有1000多名学生，我对此很喜欢！我在学习普通话，也学到很多关于自己的东西。然而，我发现在这个板块（中国板块）有很多消极的反应/主题，很高兴看到和我相似的人！我很高兴！

iwazaruu
I look them straight in the eye and tell them I was the biggest fucking loser back home and couldn't get a real job, but by their country's standards I'm qualified to be a teacher so I came here to make 5x what normal teachers make working half the time they put in.
or
for adventure

我会直视他们的眼睛，告诉他们我是家里最大的失败者，找不到一份真正的工作，但是按照他们国家的标准我有资格当教师，所以我来到这里只投入正常教师一半的工作时间就能获得5倍的工资。
或者
因为冒险精神。

shadowhomo
I always reply with the same response, "because I like China"
It's true and more importantly, it shuts them up.

我总是以同样的反应回答“因为我喜欢中国”
这是真的，更重要的是，这能让他们闭嘴。

Kooglemoore
I have a repertoire of responses:
"Because I like China."
"Got on the wrong plane."
"For the Olympics!" Generally the followed by, "But the Olympics were in 2008..." "But...I just bought a ticket for the 2015 Beijing Olympics...what is the meaning of this?"

对此，我有一系列的反应：
“因为我喜欢中国。”
“上错飞机了。”
“为了奥运会！”一般来说，紧随其后的问题是，“但奥运会是在2008……”
“但是……我刚买了一张2015年北京奥运会的票……这是什么意思？”

DiscoTut
I have a few set answers that I change depending on how douchey or friendly the question is asked: 我来这儿赚钱 if they're kinda douchey 我来这儿赚你的钱if they're extra douchey 我来吃饭if they're nice

我有几个固定的答案，怎么回答取决于他们问这个问题的时候的白痴程度或者友好程度：
如果他们有点儿白痴：我来这儿赚钱；如果他们非常白痴：我来这儿赚你的钱；如果他们很友好：我来吃饭。

choaniki
Going to a Far East country for a meal is not very convincing. Especially since so many PRCs moving to Western countries so they export the food culture too.

到远东国家只为了去吃饭不是很有说服力。特别是随着众多的中国人移居西方国家，所以他们的饮食文化也随之出口了。

DiscoTut
You honestly think I'm being serious that the reason I came to China was for food? 你脑袋进水了

你真的认为我真正来中国的理由是因为吃东西？你脑袋进水了