No more "comrades" on Beijing buses 北京公車「同志」不再

 ◎張沛元
China’s bus drivers and ticket sellers have been urged to leave communism behind, with a new training manual instructing them to call travelers "sir" or "madam" instead of "comrade," state media reported on Monday.
中國國營媒體週一報導，中國的公車司機與售票員被籲請把共產主義拋諸腦後，因為一份新的訓練手冊指示他們稱呼乘客為「先生」或「女士」，而非「同志」。
Older Beijingers, a few of whom still wear "Mao suits" that were once a virtual uniform for China’s hundreds of millions of citizens, will be exempt from the new ruling.
老一輩北京人──其中少數如今仍身著一度儼然是數億中國公民制服的「毛裝」──豁免適用這項新規定。
"Old comrade" is listed as the final possible choice of address for elderly travelers, but it comes after "elder master" and "elder sir," the Beijing Youth Daily reported.
北京青年報報導，「老同志」被列為稱呼年長乘客的最後一個可能選項，排在「老師傅」與「老先生」之後。
A newly released manual for Beijing bus staff suggests forms of address ranging from "student" to the plain "passenger" for younger travelers, for whom comrade has a different gloss, as a slang term for gay.
專為北京公車的工作人員所頒布的一份新手冊建議，稱謂從稱呼年輕乘客為「同學」到簡單稱之為「乘客」不一而足；對這些年輕乘客來說，同志具有不同意義，是同性戀者的俗稱。
China’s communists picked up the habit of calling each other comrade from the Soviet Union, as it was considered a more egalitarian, friendly form of address than traditional titles.
中國共產黨員以同志互稱的習慣來自於前蘇聯，此一稱謂過去被視為比傳統頭銜更為平等與友善。
新聞辭典
leave someone or something behind：片語，遺忘了某人或某物。例句：Oh, I left my wallet behind.（唉呀，我忘了帶皮夾了。）
exempt someone from something：片語，讓某人豁免某責任或義務。例句：The members of Congress exempted themselves from the wage freeze.（國會議員讓自己免於凍薪。）
pick up：片語，學到，獲得。例句：Can adults pick up a language just by listening to it?（成年人能光靠聽就學會一種語言嗎？）