主题: 娃哈哈是如何发家的?| 华尔街日报
2月25日,娃哈哈创始人宗庆后,因病去世,享年79岁。
Zong Qinghou, Soft-Drink Magnate Who Bested Coke and Pepsi in China, Dies
曾打败可口可乐与百事可乐的中国饮料大亨宗庆后去世
magnate [ˈmægnət] 指「大亨,巨头」(a rich and powerful person in industry or business)。the soft-drink magnate 便指「饮料大亨」。标题为节省版面,省略了冠词the。
外刊中常出现的表示「巨头」的词还有 giant, tycoon等等。
best 这里为动词,指「击败,超过」,相当于defeat sb。这里best Coke and Pepsi 便指「打败可口可乐与百事可乐」。
take on sb 指「与...较量,接受...挑战」(If you take someone on, you fight them or compete against them, especially when they are bigger or more powerful than you are.),这个词一般指与比自己实力比较强的对手较量。
# 01
Like many from China’s first generation of private entrepreneurs, Zong grew up desperately poor. His hometown of Hangzhou later gained an image for technology, after Jack Ma based Alibaba Group Holding there, but business was more freewheeling in 1987 when Zong was selling drinks and ice cream for pennies from a three-wheeled vehicle.
与许多中国第一代民营企业家一样,宗庆后自幼家境贫寒。他的家乡杭州后来因马云在当地创办阿里巴巴而树立起科技城市的形象,但在1987年那会儿,做生意的方式还相当原始奔放,当时宗庆后曾踩着三轮车卖饮料和冰棍。
private entrepreneurs 指「民营企业家」。
sb grew up desperately poor. 便指「某人出身贫寒」。
desperately 这里是个程度副词,指「非常,极其」,相当于extremely。注意desperately 其后一般跟负面的形容词。
public image 公众形象
base 为动词,指「把总部设在…,把办公地点设在…」。
地点-based 便指「总部设在…的」,也是一个非常实用的表达。比如:a Shanghai-based company 一家总部设在上海的公司。
freewheel 由free(自由)和wheel(轮胎)构成,本来是指骑车或开车下坡时「滑行」。
freewheeling为形容词,喻指「随心所欲的,自由放纵的」(not concerned about rules or the possible results of what you do),非常有画面感的一个词,有一种野蛮生长的感觉。
And Shen-zhen’s special economic zone did well because it operated as a freewheeling hub.
深圳经济特区发展得很好,是因为它是一个不受拘束的枢纽。
penny是「便士」的意思,指代钱。