What are China's most popular online slang terms as we approach the end of the decade? One popular choice could be “Life is a cup, it's up to you to decide whether it's a drinking cup or a toothbrush cup.
“杯具”是中文中“悲剧”一词的谐音，而与“喜剧”相对应的则是“洗具”。八零后及九零后的聊天记录中也出现了各式各样的，关于“杯具，洗具”的讨论。但在走红背后，却蕴含着严肃的考虑。
Drinking cup is a homophone for “tragedy” in Chinese, while toothbrush cup is homophone for “comedy”. There's a whole range of beiju vs xiju debates running across the post-80s and post-90s' online talk. In the background, however, lurks something that's far less funny.
过去十年期间，中国进步显著，也衍生出海量的机会。但随之而来，青年们却要顶着重压，苦苦奋斗。
While the remarkable development in China over the past 10 years has brought a range of opportunities, young people are struggling with pressures that came with them.
当他们首次审视生活时，想来多数人会觉察到教育变革所带来的影响。
Some of their first observations on life are influenced by changes in education.
与十年之初相比，目前上大学要容易得多。截止2009年，各大专院校在校学生人数由2000年的约500万人增长到2700多万人。
Compared with the beginning of the decade, getting into a university now is much easier. The number of college students went from about 5 million in 2000 to over 27 million in 2009.
但他们在毕业后的遭遇则是另一番景象。教育部统计数据显示，同期内各高校毕业生就业率由2002年的80%跌至2009年的74%。虽然1999推行的高校扩招政策为很多人铺设了通向理想的坦途，但就业的道路却成了千军万马要过的独木桥。
What they do after graduating is another story. The employment rate of college grads has fallen from 80 percent in 2002 to 74 percent in 2009 in the same period. The increased enrolment policy that took effect in 1999 opened the path of dreams for many, but the bridge to employment led to a narrower path for more.
互联网，至少还有你
Looking to the Internet
个人收入增加了——这是“洗具”;但大家的房屋却变小了——这是“杯具”。
Individual incomes are growing – that's the xiju; but our houses are getting smaller – that's the beiju.
在近十年初，大家告诉爸爸妈妈，“不要操心我的学习，我会获得好成绩，努力赚大钱，将来给你们买大大的别墅!”目前，大家马上挥别十年，大家对爸爸妈妈说的话也变成了，“对不起，父母，假如没人帮忙，我甚至连一个厕所都买不起。”
At the beginning of the decade, we told our parents, “Don't worry about my scores, I'll be good and make a fortune and buy you a big villa!”. Now, at the end, it's, “Sorry, Mom and Dad, I can't even get a bathroom without some help.”
依据Mycosplay 的调查显示，2008北京高校毕业生的平均月薪达到2700元，差不多是10年前的两倍。同时，北京住房每平方米均价达到13100元，差不多是10年的三倍。这就好比你骑着一辆自行车去追赶一辆法拉利。
The average monthly income of Beijing college grads in 2008, according to Mycosplay, has 2,700 yuan, or about double what it was 10 years ago. A square meter of Beijing housing now cosplayts 13,100 yuan on average, or about triple the cosplayt a decade ago. It's like trying to ride a motorbike to catch a Ferrari.
为了避开人山人海的就业市场与小得可怜的居住环境，大家将目光投向了互联网——一个更广阔的虚幻世界。那也就意味着一个充满电影与游戏的世界就在那，在大家面前。所以，“杯具”又变成了“洗具”。
To get a break from the overcrowded job market and the shoe-box housing, we look to the Internet and the much bigger virtual world. That means a world of movies and games just lying there, out in front of us. So, a beiju becomes a xiju.
让暴风雨来得更猛烈些吧
More competition
在教育、工作、旅游，娱乐与信息方面，经济与社会的进步使它们变得愈加多样化，但同时大家得到的机会越多，角逐也就变得越激烈。当一些青年目睹这一近况时，他们也理所当然地将它视为社会改良的催化剂。
The economic and social development have given people greater variety in education, work, travel, entertainment and information, but the more opportunities people have access to, the fiercer the competition. When some young people look at that, they also see it as catalyst for social improvement.
譬如，20岁的徐乐，正就读于北京外国语大学柬埔寨语专业。同时，她还辅修二外英语并借助空闲时间学日语课程。
For example, Xu Yue, 20, is majoring in Cambodian at Beijing Foreign Studies University. She's also studying English as a second major and taking Japanese courses in her spare time.
她提笔写道：10年前，大家或许会易如反掌地考入大学，下面他们将会同意分配，在我们的家乡工作。但目前，迫于重压，大家需要要学习更多的常识。
Ten years ago, she notes, people might have felt relieved to get admitted to college, and they went on to settle down with a job in their hometown. Now, however, we're pressed to learn more.
“没角逐，可能大家更想安于近况，无怨无悔地做一个普通人，”徐乐说。
“Without the competition, maybe we'd be satisfied with the status quo, and willing to be ordinary,” says Xu.
所以，生活到底是“杯具”还是“洗具”?有时，这好像要取决于你如何看待它与怎么样处置重压。
So, is life a beiju or xiju? In some cases, it appears to be a matter of choice in how you view it and how you deal with the pressure.
无论怎么样，在下面的十年里，更多的进步马上发生。难道大家只不过坐在那儿，抱怨并叹息?或者，大家也可以充分借助更丰富的资源和更一流的科技，来享受一个更多彩的生活?这都将取决于你。
In any case, there's more progress in store for the next decade. Do we just sit there, sighing and complaining about it? Or, do we make full use of the richer resources and advanced technology to enjoy a more colorful life? It's still up to you.
