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The Cartoonist Tsai Chi-Chung: Everything Old is New Again 漫画大师蔡志忠：古意翻新

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

While many consider comics to be “kid stuff,” an inventive writer-illustrator by the name of Tsai Chi Chungis proving the opposite: Comics are capable of conveying classical themes and complex philosophies.

当许多人还把漫画视为小孩的玩意时，创意十足的插画作家蔡志忠，却证明事实恰好相反：漫画也可以表达古典婉约的主题和复杂的哲学思想。

Tsai began drawing comic strips at the age of seventeen. In 1976, he founded his own production company and produced two cartoon films: Old Master Q and Shao Lin Temple. But the fun really began around 1983 when he published his first four-box comics, featuring such characters as Drunken Swordsman and Fat Dragon. However, it was his pioneering work in the art of visualizing classics of Chinese literature and philosophy that brought him the greatest critical, artistic and commercial success.

蔡志忠十七岁就开始画漫画，1976年他成立了自己的制片公司，制作两部卡通影片：Q师傅和少林寺。但直到1983年他出版第一本四格连环漫画，生动地绘出醉侠、肥龙等角色之后，才开始渐入佳境，不过，是他以艺术手法把中国古典文学与哲学可视化的前卫作品，奠定了他个人在评论、艺文、和商业各方面的卓越成就。

In works such as 1993’s retelling of the immortal Journey to the West, Tsai is able to maintain the basics of the original while veering off course humorously into modern times. Thus, episodes in classical literature are spiked with modern political figures – like Ronald Reagan – and gadgets, such as elevators and cell phones. It is this strategy of selective modernization that adds a crucial dimension to his satire, skillfully allowing the readers to laugh at literary classics, society and themselves.

在1993年他重新诠释不朽名著西游记作品，蔡志忠在保留原作品精髓的同时，还幽默地溶入了现代的成份。因此古典文学故事中交织了现代政治人物－譬如前美国总统里根－和摩登道具，譬如电梯和移动电话。这种选择性现代化的策略运用，增加了蔡志忠作品的嘲讽深度，巧妙地让读者得以嘲笑古典作品、现代社会、和他们自己。

Vocabulary

单词发音

inventive [ɪnˋvɛntɪv] adj. 善于发明创造的; 有创造力的

illustrator [ˋɪləs͵tretɚ] n. 插图画家

comic strip 连环图画

visualize [ˋvɪʒʊə͵laɪz] v. 使形象化

veer [vɪr] v. 改变方向；转向

off course 不在规定的过程中

episode [ˋɛpə͵sod] n.（连载小说中的）一节

spike [spaɪk] v. 偷偷往(饮料中)搀烈性酒(或毒品) to add flavor or spice to

dimension [dɪˋmɛnʃən] n. 特点；方面

satire [ˋsætaɪr] n. 讽刺作品

Sentence of the Day

His works are very tongue in cheek.

他的作品嘲讽挖苦意味很重。

tongue in cheek 假心假意的; 半开玩笑的

课文讲解

Coworkers Parker and Jenny bump into each other on a Saturday:  帕克和珍妮是同事，他们在某个星期六碰面：

P: Hey Jenny, where are you going?

嗨，珍妮，妳上哪儿去？

J: I’m headed to the bookstore to buy another comic by Tsai Chih chung.

我去书店，再买本蔡志忠的漫画。

P: He’s really great. I still remember reading his Sayings of Zhuang Zi when I was in grade school.

他真是棒，我记得在国小时，曾经看过他画的庄子这本书。

J: I haven’t read that one yet, but I just finished his Journey to the West, which was incredible. His retelling of ancient stories that poke fun at our society is devilishly clever.

我没读过这本，不过我刚看完西游记这本，真是好看。他的手法真高明，重述老故事之际，还一边取笑我们现代社会。

P: I know what you mean. There’s a scene in Journey to the West where Tsai changes an original scene so that the characters are supposedly actors.

我懂妳的意思。西游记里原来有一幕，蔡志忠把它做了修正，让那些角色俨然是演员正在做演出。

J: Right. And the pig Zhu Bajie tells the others he’s been chosen to be the hero because he’s from Hong Kong, and the ratings are always better for Hong Kong actors. That line is hilarious.

没错，猪八戒解释说他获选来扮演英雄，是因为他是香港人，香港演员的排名总是排在前面，这句话真令人拍案叫绝。

P: His story is so different from the original in parts, but so funny. Most of all, his distinctive drawing style really sets his work apart from other cartoonists.

蔡志忠的故事有些和原著差很多，但是真好笑。尤其他的画风真有特色，有别于其他漫画家作品。

J: Absolutely. But I really admire how he’s not afraid to stray from the story to relate to the world of his readers.

确实，而且我很钦佩他勇于偏离故事主轴，而与读者置身的现代世界做一结合。

P: When it comes to brave spoofs of Chinese classics, no one beats Tsai Chih Chung’s work!

细数大胆开中国古典作品玩笑的漫画作品，蔡志忠绝对是坐第一把交椅的创作者！

－by Michael Loncar

Vocabulary

单词发音

bump into【口】碰见某人; 偶遇; 巧遇

grade school【美】小学 elementary school

poke fun at (通常作贬义)开玩笑; 嘲弄; 嘲笑 to ridicule in a mischievous manner; tease

devilishly [ˋdɛv!ɪʃlɪ] adv.【过时】非常﹐ 极其〔表示恼怒〕

rating [ˋretɪŋ] n.〔电影﹑电视节目等的〕排行榜

hilarious [hɪˋlɛrɪəs] adj. 极好笑的﹐ 极有趣的

in part 在某种程度上；部分地

set something apart from something else 使某人/某事物与众不同或优于其他的 to make something stand out when compared to something else

stray [stre] v. 走失；走散[（+from）]

spoof [spuf] n. 嘲讽性的模仿作品

Sentence of the Day

He reworks old chestnuts.

他把陈腔滥调重新诠译。

chestnut [ˋtʃɛs͵nʌt] n.【口】陈腐的笑话（或故事等）；陈词滥调