Joint Team! China-US Mixed Doubles Pairs Went Viral︱联合组队！“中美乒乓混双“登上热搜

Marking the 50th anniversary of Ping-Pong Diplomacy, top paddlers from China and the United States will pair up on two teams to compete at the mixed doubles competition this week at the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Houston, Texas.

为纪念“乒乓外交”50周年，来自中美两国的顶级乒乓球运动员将跨国配对，出战本周在德克萨斯州休斯顿举行的2021年世乒赛决赛的混双比赛。

Chinese star Lin Gaoyuan will pair with Lily Zhang from the US, while American Kanak Jha will play with Wang Manyu, who won a team gold for China at the Tokyo Summer Olympics this year.

中国明星选手林高远将搭档美国选手张安，而美国选手卡纳克·贾阿将与今年在东京夏奥会上为中国斩获团体金牌的王曼昱搭档。

Liu Guoliang, World Table Tennis Council chair and president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, believes the China-US pairs at the World Table Tennis Championships will usher in a new chapter of Ping-Pong Diplomacy between the two nations.

世界乒乓球职业大联盟理事会主席、中国乒协主席刘国梁认为，世乒赛上的中美跨国配对混双将开启两国“乒乓外交”的新篇章。

“We have been thinking about how we can build on the China-US friendship started by our predecessors 50 years ago, and further enhance this relationship through sports events, sports activities and community events,” said Liu.

刘国梁说：“我们一直在思考，‘乒乓外交’50年后的今天，我们如何在前辈夯实的中美友谊的基础上，再深一步地通过体育赛事、体育活动、民间活动来增进两国的友谊。”

“On this basis, the CTTA, alongside USA Table Tennis, proposed to the International Table Tennis Federation to have Chinese and American players paired up for the mixed doubles, so that these athletes can work together in the competition, and so that fans from both countries can cheer them on, opening a new chapter of Ping-Pong Diplomacy in this new era.”

“基于此，中国乒协联合美国乒协向国际乒联提出混双中美跨国配对的建议，让这几位原本就是朋友的运动员并肩上场，两个国家的球迷们共同为他们欢呼和呐喊，奏响新时期‘乒乓外交’新篇章，这也是我们最重要的目的。”

In April 1971, members of a US table tennis delegation visited China and played friendly matches. The trip paved the way for the reestablishment of Sino-US relations, which had been suspended for 22 years. Touted as one of the greatest diplomatic breakthroughs of that era, the event became known as Ping-Pong Diplomacy.

1971年4月，美国乒乓球代表团成员访问中国并开展友谊赛。此次访问为重建中断了22年的中美关系铺平了道路。该活动被誉为那个时代最伟大的外交突破之一，史称“乒乓外交”。

“Fifty years ago, a small exchange between players from the Chinese Table Tennis Association and USA Table Tennis has proved to be a moment of lasting significance,” said Virginia Sung, chief executive officer of USA Table Tennis.

美国乒协首席执行官沈伟妮表示：“50年前，中国乒协和美国乒协球员之间的一次小小交流，已成为一个具有深远意义的时刻。”

“As it did so many years ago, sports are once again showing us the power of unity, and ping-pong is once again changing the course of history.”

“正如多年前一样，体育再次向我们展示了团结的力量，乒乓球再次改变了历史的进程。”

Monday’s announcement instantly became a trending topic on Chinese social media, while the hashtag “Chinese and American players form pairs at World Table Tennis Championships” had been viewed over 60 million times on Weibo by Monday afternoon.

周一该消息一经宣布，立即成为中国社交媒体上的热门话题。截止至周一下午，#中美选手将跨国配对出战混双比赛#的标签在微博上的浏览量已超过6000万次。

Expectations are high for the two China-US pairs at the World Table Tennis Championships Finals.

对于世乒赛决赛中的两对中美选手，大家期望甚高。

“I’m really happy to be partnering with Lily Zhang for the mixed doubles event. She’s the top table tennis player in the US. I’m not China’s top player yet, but our goal is to come out on top for this event,” said Lin, who currently ranks as the world’s No 7 table tennis player.

目前排名世界第七的林高远表示：“很高兴能够与张安配对参加世乒赛的混双比赛。张安是美国最顶尖的乒乓球运动员。虽然我还不是中国最顶尖的乒乓球运动员，但我们的目标是在这次比赛中争第一。”

“The biggest advantage about pairing with her is that she speaks Mandarin. I hope we can get into the groove soon, develop good chemistry and work hard toward a great performance. And I hope fans from both China and the US will cheer on the China-US mixed doubles pairs.”

“我们配合最大的优势是她也会说中文，希望我们能够迅速进入状态，配合默契，通过努力取得好的成绩。希望两支球队的球迷们都能为我们这两对混双组合加油。”

重点词汇：

Ping-Pong Diplomacy

英[pɪŋ pɒŋ dɪˈpləʊməsi]；美[pɪŋ pɑːŋ dɪˈploʊməsi]

乒乓外交

paddler

美['pædlɚ]；英['pædlɚ]

n.桨手；乒乓球运动员

tout

英[taʊt]；美[taʊt]

v.吹牛；推销；（尤指在剧院、体育场等外）倒卖高价票，卖黑市票

n.（音乐会、体育比赛等的）卖高价票的人，票贩子

get into the groove

英[ɡetˈɪntə ðə ɡruːv]；美[ɡetˈɪntə ðə ɡruːv]

心情舒畅；处于最佳精神状态；精神焕发

develop good chemistry

英[dɪˈveləp ɡʊd ˈkemɪstri]；美[dɪˈveləp ɡʊd ˈkemɪstri]

配合默契

联合组队！“中美乒乓混双”登上热搜 03:12 Share

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联合组队！“中美乒乓混双”登上热搜