I still remember the way grandma said goodbye to me when I packed my bags and got ready to return to London after spending a summer holiday at home in Sichuan.
那年我在四川老家過完暑假，收拾行李準(zhǔn)備回倫敦時(shí)，奶奶跟我告別的場景依然歷歷在目。

“Work hard, do well and don’t miss home,” she told me at the front door, trying hard to hold back her own tears.
奶奶站在門口，強(qiáng)忍著眼淚對(duì)我說：“好好工作，不必掛念家里?！?/p>

Then, she walked back into the house before I even got into dad’s car. I saw grandma’s frail and lonely figure slowly disappearing from sight. A sudden feeling of guilt overwhelmed me. I longed to call out to grandma, to see her one more time, but in that moment, I found myself helplessly silent.
而后，在我坐上爸爸的車前，她便轉(zhuǎn)身回屋。我看著奶奶瘦小孤單身影漸漸消失在視線中。那一瞬間，我的內(nèi)心突然充滿內(nèi)疚感。我多想叫住她，再看她一眼，但那一刻，我卻無可奈何地沉默了。

What I wanted was not just to spend a few more minutes, or even days with grandma. Instead, I longed to make up to her for the times we could have spent together over the 16 years I have lived abroad. And that, I knew, is never possible.
我想要的不僅僅是和奶奶一起多待幾分鐘，或是多陪她幾天。我想要的是彌補(bǔ)我旅居國外的16年光陰，那本該是我陪伴奶奶的時(shí)光。但是我知道，這永遠(yuǎn)也不可能。

Grandma was a guardian and an angel in my happy childhood. She knitted my first jumper, picked me up from kindergarten every day, and put me to bed with my favorite stories. On days when I felt full of energy, grandma was there to play hide and seek with me all day long. But whenever I got ill, she sat next to my bed, holding my hand long into the night.
在我快樂的童年時(shí)光里，奶奶是我的守護(hù)神，是天使。奶奶為我織了第一件套頭衫，每天到幼兒園接我，讀我最喜歡的故事哄我入睡。在我充滿活力的時(shí)，奶奶整日陪我玩捉迷藏。而我生病的時(shí)候，她又緊緊握著我的手，陪在床前直到深夜。

She has always encouraged her grandchildren to study hard, chase after their dreams and not miss home. But with that, she was also saying goodbye to her grandchildren. One by one, all three of her grandchildren have left, for good universities, good jobs in big cities, and eventually a settled life in the West.
奶奶總是鼓勵(lì)她的兒孫們好好讀書，追尋自己的夢想，不要掛念家鄉(xiāng)。但是這就意味著，她要和兒孫們分離。奶奶的三個(gè)兒孫接連離開了家鄉(xiāng)，他們考上了名校，在大城市有了體面的工作，最終在西方定居。

She gave us all her energy, love and physical strength, and never sought anything in return.
奶奶在我們身上傾注了她所有的精力、愛和體力，卻從不求回報(bào)。

Filial piety, otherwise known as xiao, is at the core of Chinese culture. Originating from Confucian philosophy, filial piety means love and respect for one’s elders and obeying their wishes. But there is something else too. To fulfill filial piety, you have to be there for them physically, and look after them in their old age.
孝是中華文化的核心。孝道起源于儒家思想，意在敬愛尊重長輩，聽從長輩的話。但孝道的意義不止于此。兒孫要盡孝，須得切切實(shí)實(shí)地陪伴、照料年邁的長輩。

Working abroad, I have always lived with the guilt of not truly being filial. I was not there to take grandma to the hospital for treatment for her knee injury. I was not there to help her renovate her flat after it was badly flooded last year. And now, I hate to admit the unspeakable truth that every goodbye could be our last.
在國外工作的我一直因沒能盡到孝心而愧疚。奶奶膝蓋受傷時(shí)，我沒能送她去醫(yī)院治療。去年家里遭遇洪水時(shí)，我沒能幫奶奶翻新房子。而如今，每次和奶奶的分別都可能是最后一面，我不想承認(rèn)這可怕的現(xiàn)實(shí)。

This year is China’s 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up. The reforms, which changed China from a planned economy to a market-driven one, have inspired many Chinese people to have a dream. The opening-up allowed them to venture abroad and pursue their dreams on a global stage.
今年是改革開放40周年。改革開放讓中國從計(jì)劃經(jīng)濟(jì)走上了市場經(jīng)濟(jì)，激勵(lì)很多中國人擁抱夢想。改革開放政策讓中國人走出國門，在世界舞臺(tái)上追求夢想。

That, of course, comes at the cost of being away from our families and ancestral homes.
當(dāng)然，隨之付出的代價(jià)就是遠(yuǎn)離家人故土。

In our modern 21st century, global migration has long become a norm. Many of my Western friends say they feel very little connection to their birth country, after a few significant moves across regions.
在21世紀(jì)的現(xiàn)代，全球移民早已成為一種常態(tài)。我許多西方的朋友稱，經(jīng)過幾次移居后，他們感覺自己與出生國的聯(lián)系少之又少了。

But China’s case is a little different. Although young generations of Chinese people have embraced their new lives all around the world, the unparalleled strength of our family ties and filial piety deeply bonds us to our cultural roots. Like kites flying high in the sky, we will always be connected to the land and the people who have shaped us into who we are.
但是中國有所不同。盡管中國的年輕一代在世界各地有了新生活，但家庭紐帶的強(qiáng)大力量和孝道之心卻是植根于中國文化中的。就像高飛的風(fēng)箏，我們將永遠(yuǎn)與塑造了我們的那片土地和人民相連在一起。

英文來源：“CHINA DAILY”微信公眾號(hào)
翻譯：儲(chǔ)鑫（實(shí)習(xí)）
編審：董靜 丹妮
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About the author & broadcaster

Cecily Liu is a London correspondent for China Daily, covering mainly financial news. She was born in Chengdu, grew up in New Zealand, and graduated from University College London with a BA in English Literature.
Contact the writer at Cecily.liu@mail.chinadailyuk.com