学习汉语已成为全球时尚和趋势

With the growing enthusiasm for learning Chinese around the world in recent years, there has been increased understanding of Chinese vocabulary and concepts among foreigners.

近年来，随着全世界学习汉语的热情日益高涨，外国人对汉语词汇和概念的理解也越来越深。

According to a report on overseas understanding of Chinese words issued by the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration on Saturday, the first of its kind, there has been a drastic rise in the popularity of Chinese words among foreigners in the past few years.

据中国外文出版总署上周六发布的一份关于海外对汉语的了解的报告显示，在过去的几年里，汉语在外国人中的受欢迎程度急剧上升。

The report indicates that most of the top 100 most frequently said Chinese words by foreigners belong to those related to Chinese traditions or culture, such as chunjie, or Spring Festival, and chongyang, or Double Ninth Festival (the ninth day of the lunar ninth month). Shaolin, referring to the Shaolin Temple, which is famous for promoting Chinese kung fu, was listed as the most recognized Chinese word.

该报告指出，外国人最常说的100个汉语词汇大多数都属于与中国传统或文化有关的词，如春节，重阳节(农历九月初九)。少林，指以推广中国功夫而闻名的少林寺，被列为最众所周知的汉语词汇。

Chinese political terms, such as mingyun gongtongti, or community with shared future for mankind, and yi dai yi lu, or Belt and Road Initiative, have also become popular among foreigners in recent years. Words such as zhongguomeng, or Chinese Dream, and zhongguo daolu, or Chinese road, are also among the 100 Chinese words most frequently used or understood by foreigners.

近年来，中国的政治术语，如“人类命运共同体”，以及“一带一路”，在外国人中也越来越受欢迎。“中国梦”，“中国道路”等词汇也是外国人经常使用或理解的100个汉语词汇之一。

The rising popularity of such Chinese words in other parts of the world is a result of the fruitful major-country diplomacy initiated by China in recent years and also a reflection of the increased global influence of China as a result of its fast-growing economy. It is natural for other countries to keep an attentive ear to the voice of an influential and emerging power like China.

这类汉语词汇在世界其他地区越来越受欢迎，是近年来中国所发起的富有成效的大国外交的结果，也是中国经济快速增长所带来的全球影响力上升的反映。其他国家倾听中国这样有影响力的新兴大国的声音是很自然的。

Some Chinese economic terms have also become increasingly familiar to foreign people. Of a variety of such words, the names of the Chinese currency, renminbi and yuan are most widely known to foreigners, along with zhifubao, or Alipay. No wonder that during this year’s Spring Festival period, tens of thousands of sellers in Southeast Asian nations accepted Alipay or Wechat Pay from Chinese customers as alternatives to traditional ways of payment.

一些中国的经济术语也越来越为外国人所熟知。在各种各样的这类词汇中，“中国货币”、“人民币”、“元”和“支付宝”是外国人最熟悉的词。难怪在今年的春节期间，东南亚国家成千上万的卖家接受中国客户的支付宝或微信来替代传统支付方式。

Food is the first necessity of people, as an old Chinese saying puts it. Chinese food has long been a favorite of many foreigners. Of the top 100 most frequently mentioned Chinese words, eight are Chinese foods, such as jiaozi, or dumplings, tofu, or bean curd, huoguo, or hot pot, goqi, or Chinese wolfberry, mantou, or steamed bun, and jianbing, or pancake.

正如一句中国古话所说，民以食为天。长期以来，中国食物一直是许多外国人的最爱。在最常提到的100个汉语词汇中，有8个是中国食物，如饺子、豆腐、火锅、枸杞、馒头、煎饼。

That foreigners say Chinese words is to some extent a reflection of their mastering of some knowledge of China. The country’s manufacturing now ranks first in the world. For ordinary people in many foreign countries, goods manufactured in China are an indispensable part of their daily lives, which has helped deepen their understanding of China.

外国人说汉语在某种程度上反映了他们对中国某些知识的掌握。中国制造业现在在世界上排名第一。对于许多外国的普通人来说，中国制造的商品是他们日常生活中不可或缺的一部分，这有助于加深他们对中国的了解。

The acceptance of more and more Chinese words by foreigners is also a result of the ever-increasing popularity of Chinese learning in foreign countries. A Chinese-learning fever has been seen in a large number of countries across the world. As an institution to promote Chinese and disseminate Chinese culture, the Confucius Institute has set up 511 branches and 1,073 classrooms in 140 countries and regions, with 2.1 million registered students. Chinese companies now employ large numbers of local employees overseas, many of whom work hard to learn Chinese for their work needs.

外国人对汉语的接受度越来越高也是中国留学生在国外越来越受欢迎的结果。 世界上许多国家都出现了汉语学习热。作为推广汉语和传播中国文化的机构，孔子学院在140个国家和地区设立了511个分支机构和1073个教室，注册学生210万人。如今，中国企业在海外雇佣了大量的本地员工，其中许多人为了工作需要而努力学习汉语。

The rising popularity of Chinese words among foreigners is also a kind of cultural integration although this is a gradual process. The broader cultural integration between China and other countries, however, still hinges on the expansion of Chinese-promoting institutions, China’s economic buildup and the advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative.

尽管这是一个渐进的过程，但在外国人中日益流行的汉语词汇也是一种文化整合。然而，中国与其他国家之间更广泛的文化整合仍取决于汉语推广机构的扩张、中国的经济建设以及“一带一路”倡议的推进。

The article was first published in Legal Evening News.

此文章最早在《法制晚报》上发表。