I'm Feifei.

我是 Feifei

Neil: And I'm Neil.

Neil：我是 Neil

Feifei: Where's... your beard?

Feifei：你的鬍子呢？

Neil: I, uh, shaved it off. I fancied a change.

Neil：我...刮掉了。我想做點改變

Beards are such a thing these days.

鬍子最近超流行的

Feifei: Yup, ever since beards became a thing,

Feifei：是啊！自從留鬍子變成一種流行後，

I've found them a bit boring.

我發現留鬍子就變成有點無聊了

Neil: 'A thing'. Of course, we know what the word

Neil：「A thing」。我們當然知道

'thing' normally means, but what does

「thing」通常是什麼意思，但是

'a thing' mean here?

「A thing」在這裡代表什麼？

Feifei: Our phrase for today means 'a trend'

Feifei：今天我們的用語是指「一種流行」，

or 'something recognisable in popular culture'.

或「流行文化中的象徵標誌」

If beards are 'a thing', it means they've become

如果鬍子是「一種流行」，這代表它已成為

fashionable: lots of people have them.

一種時尚：很多人都有鬍子

Neil: Yes. Cats on the internet - they're a thing.

Neil：沒錯！在網路上看貓的影片也是一種流行

Feifei: Oh, fidget spinners. They're definitely a thing.

Feifei：喔！「指尖陀螺」也絕對是一種流行

Neil: Fidget spinners?

Neil：指尖陀螺？

Feifei: Yes, those little metal or plastic toys

Feifei：沒錯，它們是小金屬或塑膠玩具，

that you spin on your finger. Know them?

可以在指尖旋轉，你聽過嗎？

Neil: Oh, those things that kids everywhere

Neil：喔，就是很多小孩

are playing with.

在玩的東西

Feifei: Not just kids. Anyway. What else is a thing?

Feifei：不只是小孩。總而言之，還有什麼嗎？

Listen to these examples.

聽聽這些例子，

Examples: Using funny GIFs in your message

傳訊息時，用搞笑 GIF 動圖

is such a thing.

是一種流行

You know parkour: the sport of running and jumping

你知道跑酷嗎？一種人在建築物間

across buildings? Why is that such a thing?

跑跳的運動。為什麼那是種流行？

Organic powdered food.

有機營養粉

Since when has that been a thing?

那何時變成一種流行了？

Feifei: A well-known use of this phrase was after

Feifei：自從美國名人金·卡達夏

American personality Kim Kardashian

發布一張她懷孕的照片

posted a picture of herself pregnant,

上面有「pregnancy lips」的文字後，

with the words "pregnancy lips".

那個字就變成有名的用語了

Neil: It's not a term that many people had heard of,

Neil：這不是人們常聽見的用語，

and prompted responses like this:

人們對這個詞的反應都是：

"Pregnancy lips? Is that even a thing?"

「pregnancy lips」？這也算流行嗎？

Feifei: Yes, when someone refers to a trend

Feifei：沒錯，當人有提到一種你沒聽過

you haven't heard of, or that you doubt exists,

的流行，或你懷疑它是否存在時，

feel free to respond with

你可以回他：

'is that even a thing?'

「這也算流行嗎？」

Neil: But there's little doubt the phrase 'a thing'

Neil：但毫無疑問的是「a thing」這個用語

is itself 'a thing' -

它本身就是「一種流行」

it's now been included in major dictionaries.

它現在已經被收錄在許多重要辭典中

Feifei: There we are. A thing.

Feifei：這就對了，一種流行

No plans to grow the beard back, then?

不打算再留鬍子了對吧？

Neil: Only when being clean-shaven

Neil：除非不留鬍子

becomes too much of a thing!

變成一種流行

Feifei and Neil: Bye.

Feifei 和 Neil：拜！