ChinesePod

tāmen shuō ，dānshēn de gūniang men ，huángjīnzhōu zhè jǐ tiān kěyǐ qù gāosù shàng xiàngqīn ，cóng chē kàn cáichǎn ，cóng tàidu kàn rénpǐn ，cóng biēniào kàn shèn gōngnéng 。

They say, single girls can go on to the motorway to go on family-arranged dates. That way they can judge the guy's material weatth from the car, judge his character from his attitude and judge his kidney function from how long he can hold his bladder.

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现在他们开始请人帮我介绍结婚对象，让我去相亲了。

xiànzài tāmen kāishǐ qǐng rén bāng wǒ jièshào jiéhūn duìxiàng ，ràng wǒ qù xiàngqīn le 。

Now they've started to ask people to introduce marriage prospects for me, to get me to go on family-arranged dates.

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哇，相亲，听起来好有年代感，这是十几二十年前的做法了吧？现在除非真的很不擅长交友，否则不会走到相亲这一步。

wā ，xiàngqīn ，tīng qǐlai hǎo yǒu niándàigǎn ，zhè shì shíjǐ èrshí nián qián de zuòfǎ le ba ？xiànzài chúfēi zhēnde hěnbù shàncháng jiāoyǒu ，fǒuzé bùhuì zǒudào xiāngqīn zhè yībù 。

Wow, family-arranged dates, it sounds like something from a bygone era. Isn't this way of doing things from over a decade or two decades ago? Now, unless you're really not very good at making friends, you wouldn't normally have to go on arranged dates.

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那也不见得，有些大户人家还是会先用这样的方式给子女找对象，中国传统的婚姻就是主张“门当户对”的，只不过古代的相亲是说了媒，让双方的家人见面，现在的相亲是男女双方和家人一块儿见面。

nà yě bùjiànde ，yǒuxiē dàhù rénjiā háishì huì xiān yòng zhèyàng de fāngshì gěi zǐnǚ zhǎo duìxiàng ，Zhōngguó chuántǒng de hūnyīn jiùshì zhǔzhāng “méndānghùduì ”de ，zhǐ bùguò gǔdài de xiàngqīn shì shuō le méi ，ràng shuāngfāng de jiārén jiànmiàn ，xiàn zài de xiàngqīn shì nánnǚ shuāngfāng hé jiārén yīkuàir jiànmiàn 。

Not necessarily, some wealthy families still resort to this kind of thing first to find partners for their sons and daughters. Traditional Chinese marriages advocated unions between families of similar social stature, it's just that in ancient times the arranged dates involved letting the families of the two parties meet after a match was made, now the arranged blind dates involve the two parties and their families meeting together.

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没错，不但要条件相当，相亲的话，还一定需要一个媒人，古时候呢，这个媒人也有要求，得是一个儿女双全有福气的老太太才可以。

méicuò ，bùdàn yào tiáojiàn xiāngdāng ，xiàngqīn dehuà ，hái yīdìng xūyào yī gè méirén ，gǔshíhou ne ，zhè ge méirén yě yǒu yāoqiú ，děi shì yī gè érnǚ shuāngquán yǒu fúqì de lǎotàitai cái kěyǐ 。

That's right, you don't just need to meet the right conditions, if you're arranging a date, you still need a matchmaker. In ancient times, the matchmaker would also have to meet certain standards, she had to be an elderly woman blessed with both a son and a daughter.

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现代的媒人不那么讲究了吧，不过现在的相亲主要是让男女双方见个面看喜不喜欢对方吧。

xiàndài de méirén bù nàme jiǎngjiu le ba ，bùguò xiàn zài de xiàngqīn zhǔyào shì ràng nánnǚ shuāngfāng jiàngèmiàn kàn xǐbùxǐhuān duìfāng ba 。

Now there aren't so many requirements for matchmakers, but family-arranged dates are now more about letting the man and woman meet to see if they like one another.

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当然还要看看男方有没有养家的能力，所以啊，相亲地点还随便不得呢，得要有点档次，但又不能显得财大气粗。

dāngrán hái yào kàn kan nánfāng yǒumeiyǒu yǎngjiā de nénglì ，suǒyǐ ā ，xiàngqīn dìdiǎn hái suíbiàn bùdé ne ，děi yàoyǒu diǎnr dàngcì ，dàn yòu bùnéng xiǎnde cáidàqìcū 。

Of course one also has to see if the male party has the means to raise a family, so, the place chosen for the arranged date can't just be anywhere, it should reflect a little of his social status, but it also can't be too vulgar a display of wealth.

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那你去相亲感觉怎么样？

nà nǐ qù xiàngqīn gǎnjué zěnmeyàng ？

So what was your impression of going on these family-arranged dates?

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那么网络呢？现在科技那么发达。我听说还有电视相亲节目呢，比如最近很火的《非诚勿扰》，还有外国朋友上节目去找女朋友呢。

nàme wǎngluò ne ？xiànzài kējì nàme fādá 。wǒ tīngshuō háiyǒu diànshì xiàngqīn jiémù ne ，bǐrú zuìjìn hěn huǒ de fēichéngwùrǎo ，háiyǒu wàiguó péngyou shàng jiémù qù zhǎo nǚpéngyou ne 。

What about the internet? Now technology is so developed. I heard that there are also dating programs, like the recent popular program 'If You Are the One'. Even foreigners have gone on it to try and find a girlfriend.

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