More and more young Chinese are declining to tie the knot these days, opting instead to focus on their careers or even cohabit without ever going through the nuptials. 如今，越來越多的中國年輕人選擇不再步入婚姻殿堂，轉(zhuǎn)而專注于自己的事業(yè)，甚至未婚同居。 A survey conducted this summer by the Center for Population and Development Policy Studies in Shanghai found that nearly one in five men and one in eight women born between 1980-89 have never married. 今年夏天，人口與發(fā)展政策中心在上海進(jìn)行的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查顯示，在1980至1989年出生的人群中，幾乎五分之一的男性和八分之一的女性從未結(jié)過婚。 Figures released recently by the Ministry of Civil Affairs reflect this, with marriage rates trending downward from a peak of 9.92 per 1,000 people in 2012, while the number of divorces per 1,000 doubled in the decade through to last year. 民政部最近公布的數(shù)據(jù)也印證了這一點(diǎn)，結(jié)婚率從2012年達(dá)到峰值后開始下滑，每1000人中有9.92人已婚，同時(shí)到去年為止每1000人的離婚率在過去十年翻了一倍。 With a rapidly aging population, the thought of a younger generation unwilling or unable to walk along the traditional path of courtship toward marriage and procreation is obviously a cause for concern. 在老年人口急劇增長的同時(shí)，年輕一代在婚姻和生育面前不愿或不能沿著傳統(tǒng)的婚姻道路走下去很明顯是一個(gè)影響因素。 It could be a money issue. Weddings are expensive things, after all. I'm due to get married myself later this month so I know this fact all too well. Or maybe it’s a lack of time among a youth that is increasingly getting swept up in fast-paced, urbanized lifestyles. 這可能是金錢問題。畢竟，舉辦婚禮十分昂貴。我自己再過一個(gè)月就要結(jié)婚了，所以我深知這一點(diǎn)?；蛟S持續(xù)快節(jié)奏的都市生活讓年輕人沒有時(shí)間考慮婚姻。 Though I’d hazard a guess that no small part of the reason is that marriage in today's world can seem like something of an anachronism. 盡管我無把握的猜測還有一個(gè)原因就是結(jié)婚在如今的世界似乎是一件趕不上潮流的事。 As a society, we attach special significance to it and, depending on your religious beliefs, it may hold much greater meaning for you than a simple piece of paper. But in the eyes of the law, that's all it is really - a contract between two people that can either be honored, or broken. 社會(huì)讓我們賦予婚姻特殊的意義，并且取決于你的宗教信仰，對(duì)于你來說它遠(yuǎn)比簡單的一紙結(jié)婚證擁有更大的含義。但在法律層面，無論結(jié)婚雙方感到榮幸或者婚姻最終破裂，這的確也就只是兩個(gè)人之間的一紙合約。 There was a time when, even if you reneged on the terms of that contract (or no longer wished to be bound by it) you would find it exceedingly difficult to release yourself from its constraints. 曾經(jīng)有這樣一個(gè)階段，就算你不想再繼續(xù)這紙約定（或不想被它束縛）也會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己從約束中解脫出來極其困難。 Fortunately, most of us no longer live in a world where the law, or social mores, keep us locked in unhappy marriages. But this gradual change in society has led to a consequent increase in divorce. 幸運(yùn)的是，我們絕大部分人都不再生活在這樣一個(gè)世界，在這里法律和社會(huì)把我們鎖在不幸福的婚姻中。但是社會(huì)這種漸進(jìn)的改變也導(dǎo)致了隨之發(fā)生的離婚率的上升。 Which makes it easy to be cynical. And I get it, I really do. Marriage is a scary thing. 這件事很容易人被冷嘲熱諷。不過我能理解，真的可以?；橐龅拇_是件讓人害怕的事。 It’s a bet you make on another person. A risk you take despite the odds. 這是你在另一個(gè)人身上下的賭注。盡管勝算未明，你還是愿意去冒險(xiǎn)。 That leap of faith can be too great for some to want to attempt it. Certainly, for the longest time, I thought it would be for me. 對(duì)于某些人來說，這信念的飛躍程度太高了，他們不愿去嘗試。當(dāng)然，有很長一段時(shí)間，我想我就是這樣的。 But then I met the person who makes me truly happy, and who I do my darndest to make happy in return. 但是很快我就遇到了讓我真正感到快樂的那個(gè)人，并且作為回報(bào)，我愿意盡我所能讓對(duì)方開心。 And all that apprehension, that fear and concern. It didn’t go away. It didn't just magically disappear. It just didn’t seem to matter so much anymore. 所有的那些憂慮、恐懼和擔(dān)心并沒有就此遠(yuǎn)離。它們不會(huì)神奇般地突然消失。它們只不過不再那么重要了。 Because maybe that’s what love is - finding a person who makes your world a better place and gives you a reason to be. 因?yàn)橐苍S這就是愛——找到一個(gè)讓你的世界變得更美好的人，或者給你一個(gè)理由讓它更美好。 The thought of committing your life to someone may terrify you, but it can also reveal a far greater truth about yourself than you might ever have otherwise known. 把你的生活交付給某個(gè)人的想法可能會(huì)讓你感到恐懼，但它也能挖掘出一個(gè)你從未想過的更美好的、真實(shí)的自己。