“结婚搭子”：中国年轻人开始流行‌友情婚‌

Holy mate-trimony: the rise of 'friendship marriages'

For many singles in China, a friendship marriage helps escape family pressure and societal prejudice

China's marriage rate may have plunged to a record low last year, but at least some of the country's singles are saying yes – albeit to a different type of arrangement.

A small but growing number of young people are "marrying their best friends", said the South China Morning Post. The so-called "friendship marriage" trend involves two people becoming legal spouses, often living together in a relationship based on "shared values and interests" – but without ties of romantic love or sex.

翻译

中国去年的结婚率可能已跌至历史新低，但至少仍有部分单身人士愿意步入婚姻——尽管是以另一种形式的结合。

《南华早报》称，有一小部分年轻人选择“和最好的朋友结婚”，并且这种情况越来越多。这种被称为“友情婚姻”的关系，是指双方成为合法夫妻，基于共同价值观和兴趣一起生活，但既不追求爱情，也不发生亲密关系。

Friends with platonic benefits

Faced with a "plummeting birth rate and an ageing population", the Chinese government is overtly encouraging its record number of single people to get married, said The Associated Press. In a speech in 2023, China's leader called for a "new type of marriage and childbearing culture". So for many singles wanting to "escape family pressure and societal prejudice", said the SCMP, a friendship marriage helps. "Women my age are all getting married and having kids," 33-year-old, Chloe, told the publication. "A friendship marriage helps avoid gossip."

笔记

platonic

a relationship that is platonic is just friendly and is not a sexual relationship〔关系〕亲密而无性爱的，柏拉图式的，纯精神恋爱的，纯友谊的:

a platonic friendship 柏拉图式的友谊

overtly

not hidden or secret 公开的

an overtly religious reference

明显的宗教关联

翻译

无爱无性的“柏拉图式婚姻”  

美联社指出，面对“生育率骤降与人口老龄化”的双重压力，中国政府正公开鼓励其规模空前的单身群体步入婚姻。2023年，中国领导人曾公开倡导构建“新型婚育文化”。《南华早报》认为，对许多单身人士来说，友情婚能有效帮助他们“摆脱家庭压力与社会偏见”。33岁的克洛伊坦言，“我这个年纪的女性都结婚生娃了。和好朋友结婚可以避免别人在背后说三道四。”

Sexless marriages are also on the rise in Japan and are "among the reasons cited for the low birth rate", said The Times. But for a growing number of people, that sexlessness is "an integral part of a marital union". They appeal to those who "want the benefits of marriage" – legal and financial, or perhaps to raise a child – without intimacy.

That's especially true of gay and asexual people, for whom traditional marriage might be "at odds" with their sexual orientation. Like China, Japan does not recognise same-sex marriage, and remains socially conservative in attitudes towards non-traditional families. Friendship marriages have "filled the gap to some extent".

笔记

asexual

not interested in sex 无性欲的，对性不感兴趣的

at odds

if things are at odds with each other , they are different or opposite when they should be the same （与某物）不一致，相矛盾

This statement is completely at odds with what was said last week.

这一说法跟上星期所说的完全不一样。

翻译

无性婚姻在日本也呈上升趋势，《泰晤士报》指出这"是低生育率的原因之一"。但对越来越多的人而言，这种无性状态恰恰是"婚姻关系的核心要素"。这种婚姻模式正受到部分人群的青睐——他们追求的只是婚姻带来的法律保障和经济利益（例如共同育儿），而非情感联结。

这一现象在同性恋和无性恋群体中尤为常见，因为他们的性取向与传统婚姻“格格不入”。与中国情况相似，日本至今未将同性婚姻合法化，社会对多元化家庭形态的接受度仍然有限。“友情婚姻”这种新型形式在某种程度上为他们提供了解决方法。

Colorus, one of many matchmaking agencies specialising in friendship marriages, claims 80% of its male clients are gay and 90% of women on its books identify as asexual. "We offer an option to those who cannot fall in love or have sex with the opposite gender," Arisa Nakamura, the director, told the newspaper.

In the US, many platonic "couples" aren't "open about their situation", but anecdotal evidence from online messageboards suggests it could be "a larger portion of the marriage population than numbers portray", said The New York Times in 2021. It "probably happens a lot", said Nick Bognar, a marriage therapist.

笔记

anecdotal

based on someone’ s personal experience or information rather than on facts that can be checked 轶事的；传闻的

There is now anecdotal evidence that these chemicals are harmful.

现在据说有证据表明这些化学物有害。

翻译

友情婚婚介机构Colorus透露，其客户中80%的男会员为同性恋者，90%的女会员自称无性恋者。该机构负责人中村光沙（Arisa Nakamura）告诉媒体："我们为那些无法与异性相爱或发生关系的人提供了另一种选择。"

《纽约时报》2021年的报道显示，美国许多柏拉图式的“伴侣”并不愿意“公开他们的真实关系”。从网络论坛的数据来看，“这类婚姻可能比统计数据反映的要更多”。婚姻治疗师尼克·博格纳也认为，“这种情况应该不在少数”。

'An oddity in human history'

Platonic unions have been "prevalent since marriage became an institution", said the newspaper. Historically, marriages were an "economic proposition". It is marrying for love that is "more of an oddity in human history". Now spouses are expected to fulfil all of each other's needs: "social, psychological and economic".

Growing numbers of young people are realising that there are "other benefits to marriage other than romantic love," one woman told the daily. "I mean, isn't the point to marry your best friend? In other words, why can't it be your "literal best friend"?

翻译

“人类历史上的稀奇现象”

该报称，自婚姻制度诞生以来，柏拉图式的婚姻一直普遍存在。从历史上看，婚姻的本质是“经济契约”，基于爱情的婚姻才是稀奇现象。如今社会却要求配偶满足彼此的所有需求，包括社交需求、心理需求和经济需求。

一位女性在采访中表示，越来越多的年轻人开始意识到"婚姻除了浪漫爱情还有其他价值"。"婚姻的意义不正是与最好的朋友结为终身伴侣吗？"换言之，为何不能与"纯挚友"结婚呢？

But there are risks in saying "I do" to a friend, said law fellow Nausica Palazzo on The Conversation. In the US, for example, it's "pretty easy for two friends to get married" – as long as they don't admit they're only friends. "Legally speaking, it could be seen as a sham marriage", something akin to a green card union.

It would be extremely difficult to prove, but the couple could risk "criminal sanctions and civil penalties". They could end up being denied the very financial benefits, such as tax breaks, that attracted them to marriage in the first place.

笔记

sham

not real but claimed to be real 虚假的；假装的

a sham marriage

假结婚

tax breaks

a special reduction in taxes 减税优惠:

tax breaks for small businesses给小企业的减税优惠

翻译

然而法律学者诺西卡·帕拉佐在《对话》杂志上指出，与朋友结婚存在风险。以美国为例，“两个朋友结婚相当容易”，只要他们咬定两人并非纯友谊。“从法律角度而言，这可能被视为假结婚”，类似于为获得绿卡而结婚。

虽然取证极为困难，但这样的伴侣仍可能面临"刑事制裁与民事处罚"的风险。他们最终可能无法获得那些最初吸引他们结婚的经济利益，比如税收减免。

Friendship marriages don't work for everyone as an "escape from reality," Pan Lian, a family relationship consultant in China, told The Week. They are a "temporary solution to societal pressures" that may fade should "affordable housing and single benefits improve."

翻译

中国家庭关系咨询师潘涟（音）在《周刊》的采访中表示，友情婚无法成为所有人“逃离现实的避风港”。这种婚姻只是"应对社会压力的权宜之计"。随着保障性住房体系得到完善、单身人士社会福利得以提高，这种婚姻形式可能会逐渐消失。

原文来源：The Week

翻译：Deepseek大模型翻译+人工润色