最近筷子很火啊！全球连锁快餐品牌“汉堡王”在新西兰投放的一则广告引起了众多亚裔的不满。
Chopsticks are frequently on the news recently! A recent advertisement from a global fast-food chain ‘Burger King’ was released in New Zealand. It sparked numerous debate and received lots of criticism from the Asian community.
视频中的“顾客”一手拿着一根巨型筷子，夸张地“夹”起新品“越南甜辣鸡肉堡”汉堡放到嘴边吃，可谓“画虎不成反类犬”，广告的情节和寓意都让人啼笑皆非。
In the video, a customer was holding an oversized chopstick in each hand trying to eat a new Vietnamese burger. The advertisement can be viewed as a lack of knowledge into Asian culture regarding chopsticks. The plot and hidden message in the ad are both culturally insensitive and awkward.
目前，该公司已删除广告并发表了道歉声明。
At this moment, the company has deleted the ad and released a statement of apology.
学习中文的你可能已经读过很多用筷子的禁忌了，不过我打赌，这些冷知识你一定不知道！
As a Chinese learner, you probably already googled the rules regarding the use of chopsticks, but I bet you do not know these trivia!
1. 如果你穿越到古代，去饭馆要一双“筷子”，没有人可以听得懂你。 If you travel back in time and ask for a pair of ‘kuai zi (chopsticks)’ in a restaurant, nobody can understand you.
“筷子”，早先叫做“箸”。这两根小竹棍大约从明代开始，中国部分地区开始给它改名成“筷子”，并逐渐蔓延到全国。不过直到今天，东南沿海地区的一些方言里还是用“箸”呢！
The birth name of ‘kuai zi’ was ‘zhu’. These two bamboo sticks have over three thousand years of history. From the Ming Dynasty, parts of China started to rename them from ‘zhu’ into ‘kuai zi’, which spread all over China. However, even today, some dialects in the south-eastern region still refer to them as ‘zhu’!
Keywords:
火（huǒ）adj. trendy, popular
全球连锁快餐品牌（quánqiú liánsuǒ kuàicān pǐnpài）n. global fast-food chain. 全球 – the whole globe / 连锁 – franchise / 快餐 – fast food / 品牌 – brand
广告（guǎnggào）n. advertisement
画虎不成反类犬（huàhǔ bùchéng fǎn lèiquǎn）want to draw a tiger but it turns out to look like dogs. This phrase describes a scenario of successful mimic which can lead to awkwardness or discomfort
啼笑皆非（tíxiàojiēfēi）[Idiom] do not know whether to cry or laugh. This idiom refers to something or a scenario which is awkward
道歉声明（dàoqiànshēngmíng）n. statement of apology. 道歉 – apologize / 声明 – statement
禁忌（jìnjì）n. prohibition, what-not-to-do
打赌（dǎdǔ）v. take a bet
冷知识（lěng zhīshi）n. cold knowledge, aka trivia
箸（zhù）n. chopsticks
明代（míngdài）n. Ming Dynasty