Chat attack

release (animals) / 放生 / (fànɡshēnɡ)

A: Have you heard of it? Someone found a strange fish in a small community.     

你听说了吗？有人在小区里发现了一条怪鱼。

(nǐ tīnɡshuō lema? yǒurén zài xiǎoqū lǐ fāxiànle yītiáo ɡuàiyú.)

B: What kind of fish? I haven't seen it.

什么鱼呀？我没有看到。

(shénmeyú ya? wǒ méiyǒu kàndào.)

A: An alligator gar. It's an invasive species from the Americas.  

是一条雀鳄鳝。它是一种来自美洲的入侵物种。

(shì yītiáo quèèshàn。tāshì yīzhǒnɡ láizì měizhōu de rùqīn wùzhǒnɡ.)  

B: A fish from the Americas appeared in a small community in Beijing?  

美洲的鱼怎么会出现在北京的小区里呢？

(měizhōu de yú zěnme huì chūxiàn zài běijīnɡ de xiǎoqū lǐne?) 

A: Someone probably released it illegally. This fish is big and fierce. It is very damaging to local fish, so it is prohibited to release them in natural rivers. 

应该是有人非法放生的。这种鱼体型大且凶猛。对本地鱼类伤害很大,所以被禁止在野外河流放生。

(yīnɡɡāi shì yǒurén fēifǎ fànɡshēnɡ de.zhèzhǒnɡ yú tǐxínɡ dà qiě xiōnɡměnɡ.duì běndì yúlèi shānɡhài hěndà, suǒyǐ bèi jìnzhǐ zài yěwài héliú fànɡshēnɡ.)

B: Luckily this fish was found in time by people. I can't imagine the results if it had been able to reproduce in the waters there. 

还好这条鱼及时被人发现了。它万一在水里繁殖,后果将不堪设想。

(háihǎo zhètiáo yú jíshí bèirén fāxiàn le.tā wànyī zài shuǐlǐ fánzhí, hòuɡuǒ jiānɡ bùkān shèxiǎnɡ.)

A: Yup. People shouldn't carelessly release wild animals, especially invasive species. 

是呀,任何人都不应该随意放生野生动物,尤其是入侵物种。

(shìya, rènhérén dōu bù yīnɡɡāi suíyì fànɡshēnɡ yěshēnɡ dònɡwù, yóuqíshì rùqīn wùzhǒnɡ.)

Illustrations:Xia Qing/GT