HSK 6 · Article · 569 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/chinese-family-wechat-groups

家族群里都有什么？

Chinese family WeChat groups: red packets, good-morning pictures and health rumours

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早上zǎoshang六点半liùdiǎnbàn，手机shǒujī响xiǎng了le一声yìshēng。不用búyòng看kàn也yě知道zhīdào，是shì家族jiāzú群qún。姑姑gūgu在zài群qún里分享fēnxiǎng了le一yì张zhāng图片túpiàn：一yì朵duǒ大大dàdà的de荷花héhuā，上面shàngmiàn有yǒu四sì个gè闪闪shánshǎn发光fāguāng的de金色jīnsè大字dàzì：“早上好zǎoshànghǎo！”

几乎jīhū每个měigè中国zhōngguó家庭jiātíng都dōu有yǒu一个yígè这样zhèyàng的de微信wēixìn群qún。爷爷yéye奶奶nǎinai、爸爸bàba妈妈māma、叔叔shūshu阿姨āyí、表哥biǎogē表妹biǎomèi，几十jǐshí个gè人rén都dōu在zài一个yígè群qún里。平时píngshí群qún里最zuì活跃huóyuè的de人rén，常常chángcháng是shì家里jiālǐ的de长辈zhǎngbèi。

家族jiāzú群qún里的de东西dōngxī，大概dàgài可以kéyǐ分成fēnchéng三sān种zhǒng。

第一dìyī种zhǒng是shì“早上好zǎoshànghǎo”图片túpiàn。鲜花xiānhuā、风景fēngjǐng、可爱kě’ài的de小猫xiǎomāo，再zài配pèi上shàng大大dàdà的de字zì和hé闪光shǎnguāng的de效果xiàoguǒ。这样zhèyàng的de图片túpiàn，年轻人niánqīngrén叫jiào它们tāmen“中老年zhōnglǎonián表情包biǎoqíngbāo”。很hěn多duō长辈zhǎngbèi每天měitiān早上zǎoshang都dōu会huì准时zhǔnshí分享fēnxiǎng一yì张zhāng，从来不cóngláibú会huì忘记wàngjì。

第二dì’èr种zhǒng是shì红包hóngbāo。2014年nián1月yuè，春节chūnjié快kuài到dào的de时候shíhou，微信wēixìn推出tuīchū了le红包hóngbāo功能gōngnéng。在zài群qún里发fā红包hóngbāo，红包hóngbāo里的de钱qián会huì随机suíjī分给fēngěi抢qiǎng到dào的de人rén，有人yǒurén抢qiǎng到dào几jǐ毛máo，有人yǒurén抢qiǎng到dào十几shíjǐ块kuài，全quán看kàn手气shǒuqì。过年guònián的de时候shíhou，一yí个gè红包hóngbāo发出fāchū来lái，几jǐ秒钟miǎozhōng就jiù被bèi抢qiǎng光guāng了le。在zài很hěn多duō家族jiāzú群qún里，还有háiyǒu一个yígè不成文bùchéngwén的de规矩guīju：手气shǒuqì最好zuìhǎo的de人rén，要yào接着jiēzhe发fā红包hóngbāo。

第dì三sān种zhǒng让ràng年轻人niánqīngrén最zuì头疼tóuténg：养生yǎngshēng文章wénzhāng。“这zhè种zhǒng水果shuíguǒ千万qiānwàn不能bùnéng和hé那个nàge一起yìqǐ吃chī！”“每天měitiān这样zhèyàng做zuò，能néng多duō活huó十shí年nián！”这样zhèyàng的de文章wénzhāng，标题biāotí常常chángcháng很hěn吓人xiàrén，还hái带dài着zhe好几háojǐ个gè感叹号gǎntànhào。可是kěshì其中qízhōng不少bùshǎo内容nèiróng，其实qíshí是shì谣言yáoyán。

为了wèile解决jiějué这zhè个gè问题wèntí，2017年nián，微信wēixìn推出tuīchū了le“微信wēixìn辟谣pìyáo助手zhùshǒu”。在zài这个zhège小程序xiǎochéngxù里可以kéyǐ搜索sōusuǒ谣言yáoyán；你nǐ读dú过guò或者huòzhě转发zhuǎnfā过guò的de文章wénzhāng，如果rúguǒ后来hòulái被bèi认定rèndìng是shì谣言yáoyán，它tā还hái会huì提醒tíxǐng你nǐ。

那么nàme，年轻人niánqīngrén怎么办zěnmebàn呢ne？有人yǒurén在zài群qún里认真rènzhēn地de辟谣pìyáo，结果jiéguǒ跟gēn长辈zhǎngbèi吵chǎo了le起来qǐlai。有人yǒurén干脆gāncuì把bǎ群qún设置shèzhì成chéng“消息xiāoxi免miǎn打扰dárǎo”。但dàn也yě有人yǒurén慢慢mànmàn明白míngbai了le：长辈zhǎngbèi每天měitiān分享fēnxiǎng一yì张zhāng“早上好zǎoshànghǎo”，转发zhuǎnfā一yì篇piān养生yǎngshēng文章wénzhāng，其实qíshí想xiǎng说shuō的de只有zhíyǒu一句话yíjùhuà：“我wǒ在zài想xiǎng你们nǐmen，你们nǐmen要yào好好háohǎo照顾zhàogu自己zìjǐ。”

所以suóyǐ，下次xiàcì家族jiāzú群qún又yòu响xiǎng了le，你nǐ也yě可以kéyǐ回huí一yì张zhāng图tú：一yì朵duǒ更gèng大dà的de荷花héhuā，写xiě着zhe“早上好zǎoshànghǎo！”

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
分享	fēnxiǎng	to share
朵	duǒ	classifier for flowers and clouds
配	pèi	to match; to go with
功能	gōngnéng	function; feature; capability
群	qún	group; crowd; herd
抢	qiǎng	to snatch; to grab; to rob
标题	biāotí	title; headline; heading
搜索	sōusuǒ	to search; to look for; search
吵	chǎo	to quarrel; to argue
设置	shèzhì	to set up; to install
姑姑	gūgu	paternal aunt (father's sister)
发光	fāguāng	to shine; to emit light

English (for the teacher)

Six thirty in the morning, and the phone pings. You don't even need to look: it's the family group. Your aunt has shared a picture in the group: a huge lotus flower with four glittering golden characters on it: “Good morning!”

Almost every Chinese family has a WeChat group like this. Grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, cousins: dozens of people all in one group. Usually the most active people in it are the older generation.

What goes on in a family group falls roughly into three kinds.

The first is the “good morning” picture. Flowers, scenery, cute kittens, with big characters and sparkly effects on top. Young people call pictures like these “middle-aged and elderly stickers”. Many elders share one at the same time every morning and never forget.

The second is red packets. In January 2014, as Spring Festival drew near, WeChat launched its red packet feature. When you send a red packet in a group, the money inside is shared out at random among whoever grabs it: some get a few jiao, some get a dozen yuan or so, all down to luck. At New Year, a red packet is snapped up within seconds of being sent. Many family groups also have an unwritten rule: whoever got the luckiest share has to send the next red packet.

The third kind gives young people the biggest headache: health articles. “Never eat this fruit together with that one!” “Do this every day and live ten years longer!” Articles like these often have scary headlines, with a string of exclamation marks. But a lot of what's in them is actually rumour.

To deal with this, in 2017 WeChat launched the “WeChat Rumour-Busting Assistant”. In this mini-program you can search for rumours, and if an article you've read or forwarded is later found to be a rumour, it warns you.

So what do young people do? Some carefully debunk the rumours in the group, and end up arguing with their elders. Some simply set the group to “mute notifications”. But some slowly come to understand: when elders share a “good morning” every day or forward a health article, all they really want to say is one thing: “I'm thinking of you; take good care of yourselves.”

So next time the family group pings, you can reply with a picture too: an even bigger lotus that says “Good morning!”