The Olympics and Their Ceremonies
A little bit of Paris, and a little bit of Beijing! 🏋🏿
One, two, three… go! 🏃
The 2024 Olympics in Paris 🥐 are now in a full swing! Let’s talk about its opening ceremony: and learn how to name the Greek god Dionysus in Mandarin! 💙🧔💙
2024年巴黎奥运会于7月26日揭幕，这项全球最大型的体育盛事，将有来自206个国家或地区共约10,500名运动员参赛。巴黎奥运首次实现了运动员性别平等，将有5250名男运动员和5250名女运动员参赛。
奥运会 (Àoyùnhuì) - Olympic Games
揭幕 (jiēmù) - to unveil, unveiling
盛事 (shèngshì) - a big event (shortcut from “盛大的事情”)
The 2024 Paris Olympics opened on July 26. This is the world's largest sporting event, with about 10,500 athletes from 206 countries and regions participating. For the first time, the Olympics in Paris achieved gender equality among athletes, with 5,250 male and 5,250 female participants.
上个周末，2024巴黎奥运会开幕式在惊叹与争议中落幕。据路透社报道，巴黎奥组委于当地时间7月28日向天主教徒致歉，他们被在奥运会开幕式上出现了一个看似对达·芬奇传世名作《最后的晚餐》滑稽模仿的画面激怒。这个表演片段中出现了变装皇后、跨性别模特和一位装扮成希腊酒神狄俄尼索斯（Dionysus，也被译为“狄奥尼索斯”）的裸体歌手。
惊叹 (jīng tàn) - wonder, awe
争议 (zhēngyì) - controversy
落幕 (luòmù) - an ending, to end
透社 (Tòu shè) - Reuters
天主教徒 (Tiānzhǔjiào tú) - Catholics
致歉 (zhìqiàn) - apologies
达·芬奇 (Dá·fēn qí) - da Vinci, Leonardo da Vinci: 列奥纳多·达·芬奇 (Liè ào nà duō·dá·fēn qí)
传世名作 (chuánshì míngzuò) - a masterpiece
滑稽模仿 (huájī mófǎng) - a parody
激怒 (jīnù) - outrage, anger
变装皇后 (biànzhuāng huánghòu) - a drag queen: see our post about Taiwan’s drag queen scene here!
跨性别模特 (kuà xìngbié mótè) - a transgender model
狄俄尼索斯 (Dí é ní suǒ sī) - Dionysus, Greek god of wine
裸体 (luǒtǐ) - naked
Last weekend, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics ended in amazement and controversy. According to Reuters, the Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympics apologized to Catholics on July 28, who were angered by a scene that appeared at the opening ceremony that seemed to be a parody of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece "The Last Supper". This performance clip featured drag queens, transgender models and a naked singer dressed as the Greek god of wine Dionysus.
批评者之一法国天主教会（Catholic Church in France）表示，开幕式突出了“嘲弄、蔑视基督教的场景”。开幕式艺术总监若利（Jiān Ruòlì, Thomas Jolly）表示，绝没有故意嘲弄或蔑视任何人，存在争议的场景是为了代表异教徒诸神。
嘲弄 (cháonòng) - to taunt, to mock
蔑视 (mièshì) - to disparage, to disdain
基督教 (Jīdūjiào) - Christianity
异教徒 (yì jiàotú) - pagans
诸神 (zhū shén) - gods
One of the critics, the Catholic Church in France, said the opening ceremony featured "scenes that mock and disparage Christianity." The opening ceremony's artistic director, Thomas Jolly, said there was no deliberate attempt to mock or disparage anyone and that the controversial scenes were meant to represent pagan gods.
Remember the 2008 Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing?
Have you watched the 2008 Olympics opening ceremony in Bejing? What did you think of it?
2008年8月8日晚20时，举世瞩目的北京第二十九届奥林匹克运动会开幕式在国家体育场（鸟巢）隆重举行。时任国家主席胡锦涛 (Hújǐntāo) 出席开幕式并宣布本届奥运会开幕。具有两千多年历史的奥林匹克运动与五千多年传承的灿烂中华文化交相辉映，共同谱写人类文明气势恢宏的新篇章。
举世瞩目 (jǔshì zhǔmù) - attracting worldwide attention
鸟巢 (Niǎocháo) - Bird’s Nest, the National Stadium in Beijing
隆重举行 (lóngzhòng jǔxíng) - to hold (an event) with grandeur
灿烂 (cànlàn) - splendid, brilliant
辉映 (huīyìng) - to shine, to reflect
谱写 (pǔxiě) - to compose, write (ex. music)
气势恢宏 (qìshì huīhóng) - magnificent
At 20:00 of August 8, 2008, the opening ceremony of the 29th Beijing Olympic Games, which attracted worldwide attention, was grandly held at the National Stadium (Bird's Nest). The then President Hu Jintao attended the ceremony and announced the opening of the games. The Olympic Games, with a history of more than 2,000 years, and the splendid Chinese culture, which has been passed down for more than 5,000 years, complemented each other and jointly wrote a new chapter of human civilization.
Have a lovely time watching your favourite athletes!
Antoine & Dorota
