A：Bob! Your eyes look bloodshot. Did you not sleep well?鲍勃!你满眼血丝,没睡好?
B：I had a drop too much last night. I attended a banquet given by a Chinese colleague of mine. And it was startling for me to find that people are forced to drink against their will on a Chinese table.昨晚参加一个中国同事的聚会,多喝了几倍.中国人喝起酒来真可怕,人们老是被逼着多喝几杯.
A：You have it right. Alcohol is a medium for communicating emotion in China. Drinking with business partners or would-be friends is a way of solidifying friendship, especially in Northern China.这你可说对啦.在中国,喝酒是感情交流的介质.尤其是在北方,和业务伙伴或者准朋友喝可以增进感情.
B：I just felt embarrassed if I refused to drink when people toasted to me. But if I keep gulping down one cup after another, I'm afraid I would feel unfit or sick.别人向我敬酒,我要是不喝吧,不好,但是我要是一杯一杯不停地喝,我会感到很不舒服,甚至恶心.
A：You lose face by refusing to drink, and the host might think you refuse to give him face. The right thing to do seems to be drinking yourself into incoherence until you throw up. This will endear you to your friends.拒绝喝酒时很丢面子的,主人可能会觉得你是不给面子.看起来,唯一的做法是喝它个神魂颠倒,知道呕吐.这反倒会拉近你和朋友们之间的距离.
B：A few guys even threw a drunken fit last night, crying hoarsely and bawling whole heaps of nonsense that I never understood.昨晚有几个人还发酒疯,嘶声竭力,不知道在吼什么.
A：Then he must be opening his heart to the friends. In a word, as long as you demonstrate a rediness to drink more in spite of already suffering extreme discomfort, no one will jeer at you.他说的一定是推心置腹的话.总之,在酒席上,只要表明你不顾自己已经喝得浑身不舒服,还准备再喝,没人会笑话你的.
B：I got you. Next time. I'll preface a toast with a statement like 'I can't drink any more' and then drink anyway.明白了.下次,我会在敬酒之前加上一句\'其实我已经喝不下了',然后不管三七二十一,一饮而尽.
