盲盒熱潮：牢牢抓住中國年輕群體，讓玩具制造商賺得盆滿缽滿
Tiny unicorns and cartoon girls in clown costumes line the shelves of Wang Zhaoxue's study in Beijing — tokens of China's mania for "blind boxes" that have made fortunes for toymakers and even caught the attention of those in power.
在王昭雪（音）位於北京的書房裏，展示架上擺著壹排排小獨角獸和身穿小醜服裝的卡通女孩——這是當下中國“盲盒熱”的縮影。“盲盒熱”給玩具制造商帶來了巨大的財富，甚至受到了政府的關註。
The 18-year-old music student is one of the legions of young Chinese hooked on snaffling up the toys to complete whole "ranges" through endless purchases.
中國有大批年輕人都癡迷於搶購各種玩具，並為了集齊整個“系列”而不停地購買，那位學習音樂的 18 歲女生王昭雪就是其中的壹員。
The blind box market was worth 7.4 billion yuan ($1.14 billion) in 2019, according to market research firm Qianzhan Intelligence, which added that could soar to 30 billion yuan by 2024.
市場研究機構前瞻產業研究院的數據顯示，2019 年，中國盲盒行業市場規模達 74 億元人民幣（約 11.4 億美元）；報告還顯示，到 2024 年預計將飆升至 300 億元人民幣。
The craze has not escaped criticism, with state media earlier this year comparing the trend to gambling and warning that the products bred addiction.
“盲盒熱”並沒有逃過批評的聲音。今年早些時候，官媒曾把“盲盒熱”與賭博相提並論，並警告稱盲盒會讓人上癮。
In a commentary in January, Xinhua called for more regulation of the sector and said the boxes should not be sold "blindly" to consumers, accusing some brands of "persuading consumers to keep buying and even hyping up a speculative second-hand market".
在壹月份的評論文章中，新華社呼籲對該行業加強監管，並表示“盲”盒不能“瞎”賣，指責某些品牌“誘導消費者壹直買下去，甚至炒作投機二手交易市場”。
"One of the reasons behind the success of blind boxes is that they divide their products into different categories of rarity," Steffi Noel, a consumer analyst told AFP. "They set a barrier, expressing the idea that not everyone can get the most special boxes. It generates a sense of competition."
消費分析師施特菲·諾埃爾（音）告訴法新社：“盲盒成功背後的壹大原因是，商家把盲盒分門別類成不同的稀有程度。他們設置了壹道屏障，釋放了不是每個人都能得到最特別的盲盒的概念，這就產生了壹種競爭意識。”
主編：木子
品控：木子
審核：桃子
Photo credit:
WANG ZHAO / AFP
China Daily
Photo by Chen Yuyu / For China Daily
重點詞匯
craze
/kre?z/
n. 瘋狂，狂熱；風行壹時的東西
相關詞匯：crazy（adj. 瘋狂的，狂熱的）
例句：She started a craze for the little black dress.
搭配短語：the fitness craze
搭配短語：the jogging craze
grip
/ɡr?p/
v. 使入迷，吸引……的註意力；緊握，緊抓
詞義辨析：grip, grasp, grab
grab 表示粗暴而急迫地抓住，比如 I grabbed a cake from the plate.（我從盤子中抓過壹塊蛋糕）。而 grasp 和 grip 意思相近，但 grip 抓的力氣更大，強調用手的最大力量緊緊抓住，詞典的英文釋義中也有體現——grip 的意思是 to grasp tightly，抓得更緊、語氣也更強。
英文釋義：to hold someone's attention and interest
搭配短語：It's a story that really grips you.（吸引……的註意力）
mint
/m?nt/
v. 鑄造（硬幣）
詞性拓展：mint（n. 薄荷；鑄幣廠）
口語表達：a mint（壹大筆錢）
例句：A friend of mine made a mint on the stock market last year.
line
/la?n/
v. 沿著……形成壹排
例句：Crowds of people lined the streets to watch the race.
token
/?to?.k?n/
n. 象征，標誌；代幣；禮券，代金券
搭配短語：token coin（代幣）
搭配短語：a token of one's gratitude or appreciation（象征）
mania
/?me?.ni.?/
n. 狂熱，癡迷
近義詞：craze
搭配短語：fitness mania
legion
/?li?.d?n/
n. 眾多，大量（人或物）；軍團
英文釋義：a large number of people or things
搭配短語：a legion of stories about six lovely friends
詞性拓展：legion（adj. 眾多的，大批的）
例句：His fans are legion.
(be) hooked on
對……上癮，對……著迷
相關詞匯：hook（n. 鉤子；吸引人的東西；v.（用鉤子）鉤住；吸引）
搭配短語：a fish hook（鉤子）
搭配短語：a coat hook（鉤子）
例句：Companies are looking for a sales hook.（吸引人的東西）
例句：What's the best way to hook customers? （吸引）
例句：She's really hooked on gardening.
snaffle up
貪婪地抓住
相關詞匯：snaffle（v.（尤指搶先）攫取，抓取（某物））
近義詞：grab
例句：I managed to snaffle a couple of biscuits.
英文釋義：to take possession of sth. for oneself very eagerly and greedily
soar
/s?r/
v. 猛增，驟升
英文釋義：to increase quickly to a high level
breed
/bri?d/
v. 招致，滋生；（動物）交配繁殖
英文釋義：to produce or lead to something, typically over a period of time
例句：Poor living conditions breed violence and despair.
搭配短語：born and bred（土生土長）
例句：Well, she was born and bred in Fujian province.
commentary
/?kɑ?.m?n.ter.i/
n. 評論文；（廣播或電視所播事件的）解說，實況報道
相關詞匯：comment（n. 評論）
詞根詞綴：-ary（表示“與……有關”，用於構成形容詞和名詞）
call for
公開提倡，呼籲
英文釋義：to say publicly that something must happen
regulation
/?reɡ.j?le?.?n/
n. 規章，規則
搭配短語：to comply with the regulations
搭配短語：rules and regulations
sector
/?sek.t?/
n. 領域，行業
hype up
大肆宣傳，炒作
相關詞匯：hype（n. & v. 大肆宣傳，炒作）
搭配短語：media hype
例句：The director is just using the controversy to hype his new movie.
speculative
/?spek.j?.l?.t?v/
adj. 投機的
英文釋義：done in the hope of making a profit but involving the risk of losing money
rarity
/?rer.?.t?i/
n. 稀有，罕見；罕見的東西
相關詞匯：rare（adj. 稀少的，罕見的）
例句：The value of antiques will depend on their condition and rarity.