JESSICA 在北京学汉语,她的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词,就会来请教她。今天是杨林要问的:花美男。

YL: JESSICA,你发现没有,现在有一种男人,皮肤比女人还好,比女人还爱打扮,穿得特时髦,都跟从偶像剧里走出来似的。我们叫他们“花美男”,flower-pretty-man! 呵呵,我瞎翻的,美语中不会也有类似的称呼吧?

JESSICA: Actually, there IS an English equivalence. It’s “metrosexual” m-e-t-r-o-s-e-x-u-a-l, metrosexual. 

YL: metro– “大城市”,加上 sexual– “性别的”。那 metrosexual 跟中文里说的“花美男”指的是一种人吗?

Jessica: Well, Metrosexual men live in big cities, know all the trendy places in town and pay great attention to their appearances. 

YL: 没错! 花美男就是住在大城市里的时尚达人,特别注重外表和打扮!要这么说,花美男就是 metrosexual man! 

JESSICA: I guess being a metrosexual man means you’re doing your homework on the latest trends. You need to be up-to-date on the hottest fashion! 

YL: up-to-date on the hottest fashion? fashion是时尚的意思,up-to- date 是跟上潮流,所以,up-to-date on the hottest fashion 就是“紧跟最新时尚”吧?

JESSICA: That’s right! But Yanglin, I would say the real fashionable people are not those who follow the trends, but the trend setters! 

YL: trend setters? t-r-e-n-d, trend 是趋势的意思,setter, s-e-t-t-e-r 是设定者,所以 trend setter 就是开创时尚的真正潮人! 

JESSICA: 没错! Now let’s see what you’ve learned today!

YL: 第一,注重打扮的“花美男”是 metrosexual men; 第二,紧跟流行时尚是 be up-to-date on the hottest fashion; 第三,领导时尚的潮人叫 trend setter!