纵横 Say Hi

Hi everyone. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm David… Man.. it feels like I haven't said that intro for a very, very long time!
First of all — super belated Happy New Year. I know it's already a bit late to say that, but honestly… the past couple of months were kind of a blur for me.
If you've been listening for a while, you probably guessed it already — yes, it was MBA application season.
Deadlines, essays, revisions, last-minute changes, time zones… the whole thing.
Now that most of that is finally done, and other than a few family travel plans coming up, I'm pretty much back.
That also means the podcast is coming back with me.
Not all at once, not overnight — but I'll slowly ramp things up and get back to a more regular rhythm, similar to what we had before.

� 扫描下方二维码，关注公众号【纵横Say Hi】，获取节目文字版知识卡片 / 全英文故事双语文稿，加入听友群，随时互动哦~

最近在共读群里，有群友提到说自己总是喜欢一直自律、工作、学习，而不会主动去放松自己，穿插娱乐，以至于总是会在一段时间后突然崩盘，比如一周的努力之后陷入两天的游戏中。他说很想改变，但改变的最大心理阻碍在他觉得放松和娱乐是一种“浪费时间”，“没在干正事”。
在纵横四海《情绪》那一期里，我们正好提到过，不同语言对待情绪表达的颗粒度是很不一样的，英文正好就是一门情绪表达颗粒度非常细的语言，所有我们日常的感受几乎都能找到对应的精准生动的表达，能表达的就能理解，能理解的就会顺其自然，而不会违背自然规律。
中文主要是普通话的问题，太正式和严肃，缺少了非常多颗粒度很细的情绪表达，导致我们对很多其实是生物学规律的东西，产生了不正确的解读，那应对方式自然也就不太正确。
我们就以要适时放松为例，来学习一下相应的英文表达，看看为什么精准生动的表达能帮助我们“放过自己”，更好地去科学管理我们的精力账户。

� 本期的知识卡片我们整理在下面啦：
① Blow off some steam / Let off some steam
� 关键词：持续累积的压力，需要定期释放
意象：高压锅放蒸汽
含义：压力不是“忍过去就没了”，而是必须定期放掉
心态转变： 放松 = 浪费时间 不放松 = 高风险行为
例句
I’ve been working nonstop all week. I need to blow off some steam.
Gaming helps me blow off steam after work.

② Get it out of your system
� 关键词：长期压抑的情绪 / 执念，需要清理
system = 大脑 + 身体
像是系统清缓存 / 房间大扫除
特点：多半是一次性的；不评判“该不该有”，只承认“它已经在了”
例句
I needed to get it out of my system.
He traveled for a year to get the wanderlust out of his system.
� 和 blow off steam 的区别
steam：会反复产生 → 定期放
system：清掉一次 → 心智腾空

③ Vent / Get it off your chest
� 关键词：健康的倾诉与吐槽
vent = 通风孔 / 排泄口
吐槽 ≠ 负能量
而是系统正常运行的一部分
常见搭配
vent to someone
vent about something
例句
Can I vent for a minute?
I feel much better now that I’ve vented.
� Vent session = 吐槽大会（朋友 / 同事间的情绪排气）

④ Rant vs. Whine
� 关键词：吐槽也有健康与否的区别
Rant（激烈控诉）
情绪强烈、火力大
通常是阶段性的爆发
He went on a ten-minute rant.
Whine（哼唧式抱怨）
像小孩或狗的哀鸣
无建设性、反复、消耗他人
Stop whining.
� 重点不是“不准有负面情绪”，而是分清你在 vent、rant，还是 whine。

⑤ Unwind / Decompress
� 关键词：纯粹的放松与恢复
Unwind：把上紧的发条松下来
Decompress：减压（像潜水后减压）
例句
I need to unwind after work.
I need time to decompress.
� 没有情绪宣泄，也没有执念清理，只是身体和神经系统需要休息。

⑥ 压力临界信号（️ 很重要）
I’m about to lose it.
I’m about to snap.
� 含义非常明确：如果你现在不调节，系统将“突然失控”。

� 扫描下方二维码，关注公众号【纵横Say Hi】，获取节目文字版知识卡片 / 全英文故事双语文稿，加入听友群，随时互动哦~

不知道你有没有发现，一进入 12 月，整个世界的节奏都变了。就像我上周在Do Westerners even work at the end of the year?那集里面讲到的，
从12月开始，商场开始放圣诞歌、街上挂满灯饰，公司里的人，尤其是在外企的人，开始变得有点心不在焉，email 回得比较慢，
meeting 开始被一句话结束：
"Let's pick this up after the holidays."
但今天我们要来聊的不是交换礼物、不是圣诞大餐，
而是一个很多人其实从小听到大、但从来没仔细想过的问题：
� 圣诞节到底是什么？
� 它真的是耶稣的生日吗？
� 如果不是，那为什么全世界都在 12 月 25 号庆祝？
� 而这个节日，是怎么一路演变成今天这个样子的？

� 扫描下方二维码，关注公众号【纵横Say Hi】，获取节目文字版知识卡片 / 全英文故事双语文稿，加入听友群，随时互动哦~

最近纵横四海开启了读书小组，大家一起来读一本书。其中有一个共读群里大家一起看了《黑客帝国》，大家纷纷感慨说这部片子实在太经典了，十二多年前拍的但放到现在仍然很超前，而电影中的一切现在似乎也正在变成现实。
这部电影其实也贡献了一句非常非常著名的台词，著名到什么程度呢？就是现在已经是英文世界的常用语，一说出来大家都明白是什么意思的程度。这句台词其实我也在纵横四海的播客里用过，那就是：你要选择红色药丸，还是蓝色药丸？red pill or blue pill?
我们今天就来讲讲这句台词在日常英文中的使用。

� 本期的知识卡片我们整理在下面啦：
卡片1：来源 – 电影《黑客帝国》
概念：
Neo 发现现实被人工智能控制，人类生活在虚拟矩阵中
红药丸 = 面对真相 / 觉醒
蓝药丸 = 安逸幻觉 / 回避现实
经典台词：
"You take the blue pill — the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe."
你选择蓝色药丸——故事结束，你醒来在床上，相信你想相信的一切。
"You take the red pill — you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes."
你选择红色药丸——你留在仙境，我会告诉你兔子洞有多深。

卡片2：日常觉醒 / 看清真相
概念：
意识到隐藏的真相或事实
可用于社交、团队、行业认知等
例句：
"I took the red pill about social media."
我终于看清了社交媒体如何操纵我们的注意力。
"I took the red pill about elite education and meritocracy."
我终于明白了精英教育和绩优主义的真相。
"Reading that book red-pilled me about the food industry."
读了那本书后，我才明白食品行业的真相。
"She gave me the red pill about our team culture."
她让我看清了我们团队文化中的问题。

卡片3：个人成长 / 心理觉醒
概念：
面对心理问题、童年创伤、逃避行为
红药丸 = 自我认知 / 觉醒
例句：
"Reading 'The Second Sex' was my red pill moment about feminism."
读《第二性》后，我对女性主义有了觉醒。
"I got red-pilled about the mental load women carry in relationships."
我终于看清女性在关系中承担的精神负担。
"She's been red-pilled about beauty standards and body image."
她对美貌标准和身材焦虑有了新的认知。
"After I quit my stable job, I realized comfort isn't the only path to happiness — that was my red pill moment."
我辞掉了稳定工作后，才明白安逸不是唯一的幸福——那是我的红药丸时刻。
"Taking the red pill about my anxiety was hard, but getting help changed my life."
承认自己有焦虑症很难，但寻求帮助改变了我的生活。
"Therapy red-pilled me about how my childhood shaped my relationships."
心理咨询让我看清童年经历如何影响我的亲密关系。
"I took the red pill and realized I'd been avoiding dealing with my grief for years."
我终于面对现实，意识到自己多年来一直在逃避悲伤。
"Getting red-pilled about my people-pleasing was painful but necessary."
看清自己总是讨好别人的模式很痛苦，但很必要。
"She took the red pill about her codependent relationship and finally left."
她终于看清了自己共依存的关系，并选择离开。

卡片4：选择 / 面对现实
概念：
红药丸 = 直面真相
蓝药丸 = 保持舒适幻想
例句：
"Are you ready to take the red pill?"
你准备好面对真相了吗？
"She chose the blue pill and stayed in her comfort zone."
她选择了蓝药丸，继续待在舒适区。
"Taking the red pill about our product."
看清我们产品的真正问题。
"Getting red-pilled about my one-sided love was painful — I realized they never felt the same way."
看清我的单相思很痛苦——我意识到对方从未有过同样的感受。
"She took the red pill and accepted that the relationship had been over for months."
她终于面对现实，承认这段关系早在几个月前就结束了。

卡片5：幽默 / 讽刺用法
概念：
红药丸 / 蓝药丸也可用于开玩笑或讽刺
例句：
"Don't red-pill me on coffee, I need my illusions."
别告诉我咖啡的真相，让我保持幻想吧。
"The red pill is that cats actually rule the world."
真相是：猫才是统治世界的。
"He thinks he's red-pilled, but he's just conspiracy-pilled."
他以为自己看清了真相，其实只是陷入阴谋论。
"This is your red pill or blue pill moment my friend."
这是你的红蓝药丸时刻，朋友——鼓起勇气，面对现实。
"Blue pill or red pill, what'll it be, sis/bro?"
蓝药丸还是红药丸，你选哪个，兄弟/姐妹？
"Hey Samantha don't take the red pill."
嘿，Samantha，别吃红药丸。（别去面对真相，会不舒服）
"Fine, take the blue pill."
好吧，那就吃蓝药丸吧。（讽刺 / 无奈）

� 扫描下方二维码，关注公众号【纵横Say Hi】，获取节目文字版知识卡片 / 全英文故事双语文稿，加入听友群，随时互动哦~

� 插曲：
Sugar - Maroon 5
Animals - Maroon 5
Payphone - Maroon 5
One More Night - Maroon 5
Don't Wanna Know - Maroon 5
Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5,Christina Aguilera
Memories - Maroon 5

Let me ask you something.
Have you ever noticed that foreigners — or people working in Western companies — seem to slowly disappear at the end of the year?
Starting from late November, emails become shorter, meetings get postponed, projects suddenly get “pushed to January,” and no one really looks like they’re giving one hundred percent anymore.
And if you’ve ever worked in a multinational company, you probably know exactly what I’m talking about.
It almost feels like… from Thanksgiving all the way to New Year’s, the Western world is mentally half on vacation.
Now here’s the funny part. For me personally, the end of the year is actually the most terrifying season of all. As an MBA admissions consultant, this is peak chaos. Most major MBA application deadlines are packed into December and early to mid-January. Right now, I’m completely in the trenches — essays, deadlines, interviews, last-minute edits.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a battlefield. And yes — that’s also why the Say Hi podcast has been updating a tad more slowly as of late.
But here’s the irony. While people like me are drowning, for most people — especially Westerners — this is actually the happiest, warmest, and most anticipated time of the year.
They call it the holiday season.
So today, I want to explain what this holiday season really is — not just the holidays themselves, but the cultural rhythm, the emotional flow, and why it changes how people think, work, and live.

� 扫描下方二维码，关注公众号【纵横Say Hi】，获取节目文字版知识卡片 / 全英文故事双语文稿，加入听友群，随时互动哦~