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A red Tibetan mastiff has become the priciest dog in the world after being sold for 10 million Chinese yuan, or ?945,000. 6 S% ?3 ?0 o1 f! G/ O! U
一只红色藏獒售价一千万人民币(945,000英镑),成为世界上最昂贵的名犬。 ! x% V8 B+ ~# Q' G4 X7 ^: h Y# v$ y
Big Splash, or Hong Dong in Chinese, was bought by a coal baron from the north of China.
7 S: q9 J* p; z& C% p7 z7 f Big Splash(中文名叫轰动)被一位来自北方的煤矿大王买下。 6 V# _. S. L1 C: ]) L7 C# M
And it's lucky his new master is a multi-millionaire, because the hefty price tag doesn't factor in Big Splash's diet – enough chicken and beef to fill a growing 180lb dog, spiced up with Chinese delicacies such as sea cucumber and abalone. ) H$ u8 N' h3 k, P
幸运的是,轰动的新主人是个千万富翁,因为高昂的售价和它的口粮费用相比,简直是小巫见大巫。要喂养一条重180磅且正在发育的藏獒,你得准备好充足的鸡肉和牛肉,佐以美味的海参和鲍鱼。
5 v4 Q5 ]+ G' r1 C His owner will need a big house too, as adult Tibetan Mastiffs have been known to weigh as much as 286lb, or more than 20 stone – the same as a sizeable rugby player. However the typical weight for a fully grown Tibetan Mastiff is around 13 stone.
5 b$ Y, R8 L3 l% i 狗狗的主人还得准备一间大房子,因为成年藏獒体重可达286磅(20余石),和橄榄球运动员的体重不相上下。当然,一般来说成年藏獒的体重约13石。
1 M% k0 q/ y/ s& P: C8 ~: f5 d/ L$ r The high price paid for the dog is a sign that the red Tibetan mastiff has become a status symbol in China, replacing jewellery and cars as a way for the super-rich to show off their wealth. 6 x' n' s: i+ U) V7 O u
这次高价竞犬表明在中国红色藏獒已经取代珠宝名车,成为一种身份的象征,让富人得以炫耀自己的财富。
6 ?4 E4 N P) u$ @. _- \ Not only is red considered a lucky colour, but Tibetan mastiffs are thought to be holy animals, blessing their owners' health and security. Tibetans believe the dogs have the souls of monks and nuns who were not good enough to be reincarnated as humans or into Shambhala, the heavenly realm.
9 J5 P. W2 ^% ~) |2 M* O 不仅红色寓意吉祥,藏獒也被视为圣神不可侵犯的动物,可以保佑自己的主人健康平安。藏民笃信狗的体内住着僧侣的灵魂,他们无法转世投胎,也无法进入香巴拉天国。
) f/ Z! I8 X3 E$ e) j' X! N, u Owners of the breed have included Queen Victoria, King George IV and Genghis Khan – who supposedly took 30,000 of the dogs with his army in his bid to conquer Western Europe.
' }# J# c% [2 K$ J 维多利亚女王、乔治五世和成吉思汗都养过该品种。据说,当年成吉思汗征战西欧之时,还随队带了3万条狗。
% s' G9 h- P& c! |4 u; @" ` These days there are only around 300 Tibetan mastiffs in the UK, and puppies sell for a more reasonable ?850 to ?1,000. / t8 r2 I+ m4 E8 X1 ^
如今,英国仅存约300条藏獒,幼犬售价850—1000英镑。 |
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