外国大妈搓麻将上瘾：爱你不是两三天丨The renaissance of Mahjong
春天到了，四处春意盎然，花枝招展，各位小仙女和帅的人儿，你们都如何消遣这短暂又浪漫的美好时光呢？
小区门口阿姨们的广场舞又换了一首曲子，各位大爷们把封存了一冬的围棋摊子也支起来了。
国外的朋友们在干什么呢？动手搜了一下，一则外媒的报道成功地引起了CD君的注意，先来看视频☟
https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=i1335siwwc4&width=500&height=375&auto=0
原来是美国大妈搓麻将上了瘾！近日，美国路易斯安那州地方电视台Knoe 8 News发布了一则贴文，记录了当地百姓热火朝天搓麻将的情景，并配文：
An old fashioned table game is getting more play than ever. Mahjong is no longer for the grandmas and it's sweeping the nation.
一项传统的桌游最近火了。麻将不再是大妈们的专属，这潮流已席卷全国。
"It's like no other game. And it's got such history, such beautiful tradition, that if your grandmother played it and then your mother played it, it's almost impossible not to want to pick up the tiles and start to play," says one mahjong addict in Louisiana.
“这游戏与众不同。如果你的奶奶打起麻将，那你妈妈也一定会打，人们几乎忍不住诱惑，都想摸起牌就玩，多么有历史感，这是完美的传承。”视频中一位路易斯安那州的麻友说道。
"They chat, they bring a bottle of wine, they, you know, they're just having a really, really good time. It's the camaraderie. It's changed people's lives," says one of the aunties.
“在麻将桌上，大家边喝酒边聊天，大家玩得很开心，变成了老铁。麻将真的改变了我们的生活。”其中一位阿姨说道。
Facebook users in the comment section shared their experience with the game, explaining how the game became a foundation for family bonding as well as to keep the mind active especially for the elderly.
脸书用户也在贴文的留言区分享了他们玩麻将的心得，认为麻将有利于巩固家人间的情感纽带，特别是能帮助年长的人锻炼脑力。
我都玩了57年了。是我妈教会我和两个姐姐玩的。所以每个周日午后，别人家孩子看球赛的时候我都是在玩麻将。上周还跟我94岁的老母亲一起搓了一把，她还很机灵，我们玩得超开心！
Not all players are women, though, as some men also learned to play Mahjong since they were young.
并非所有玩家都是女性，也有不少男性从年轻时就开始学习如何玩麻将了。
我老公9岁就玩麻将了。他现在76了，还玩个不停。我们从中国买了个自动麻将机，太值了！
美国人玩麻将的历史有多长
The fascinating, gin rummy-like game has evolved to become a popular American pastime since it was first introduced to the US in early 1920s.
20年代初，麻将传入美国，从那时起，这种类似金拉米牌的神奇棋牌游戏就逐渐成为美国人热衷的娱乐消遣之一。
According to the report, mahjong is now being played by at least half a million people in the US. That number come from the National Mahjong league, which claims to have 500,000 members.
据报道，美国有至少50万人会打麻将，这一数字来自国家麻将联盟的统计，据称，该协会有50万会员。
The league serves as the arbitrator for everything that relates to the American Mahjong.
麻将联盟管辖所有与美国麻将相关的事情。
▲ National Mahjong League
It started with just 32 members when it was founded in 1937 to standardize the game. Each year proceeds from sales of the league's official rules cards go directly to charitable organizations across the country.
1937年该联盟刚成立时，仅仅有32名成员，后来逐渐从一个销售行规卡片的经济组织蜕变成跨越全美的慈善机构。
In 1999, a second organization was formed, the American Mahjong Association. The AMJA currently hosts tournaments all across North America.
1999年，美国的第二个麻将组织——全美麻将协会成立，至今仍负责举办北美地区麻将锦标赛。
▲ American Mahjong Association
为啥外国人打麻将很厉害
答：因为他们爱！学！习！
在国外视频网站上搜索不难发现，学习麻将的视频有近一万条，最高点击量甚至高达60多万！
此外，教科书式的学习也着实令人目瞪狗呆，想想如果你每天钻研“麻将真经”，你的朋友们肯定会认为你只是纸上谈兵。
▲ “根据中国麻将规则，如何搓麻计分”
PS: 美式麻将比中式麻将多八张Joker小丑
什么？你说牌太多、规则太复杂，自己看书学不会？没关系，课外辅导了解一下！行业老手、经验丰富、集中授课、突击训练！
还是不会？没关系，可以打小抄啊！看着这个场景，你是否回忆起当年被英语考试、德州扑克支配的恐惧？
（小抄不可怕，赢不了才尴尬）
还有流程图帮你科学赢麻将局。
于是，无论是周末还是节假日，公园里、社区里、家里，处处可见女人们忙碌的身影。
她们不再为丈夫奉献自己的闲暇时光，而是三三两两凑在一起研究神秘的东方游戏。
近几年，随着麻将在国外的进一步发展，这一游戏在国际社会越来越受欢迎。年龄大的人认为麻将有助于预防阿尔兹海默症发病，年轻人则更愿意尝试新鲜的玩法。
麻将是如何传入西方的
In 1895, British sinologist William Henry Wilkinson wrote a paper which mentioned a set of cards known in central China by the name of ma chioh, literally, hemp sparrow, which he maintained was the origin of the term Mahjong.
1895年，英国汉学家威廉姆·亨利·温克森在论文中提到了一种在中国中部地区十分流行的卡牌游戏——“麻雀”，他认为“麻雀”就是麻将的起源。
The game was imported to the United States in the 1920s and became a success in Washington, D.C..
二十世纪二十年代，麻将传入美国，并成功地打入华盛顿特区。
Also in 1920, Joseph Park Babcock published his book Rules of Mahjong, also known as the "red book". This was the earliest version of Mahjong known in America.
1920年，约瑟夫·帕克·巴布科克出版了《麻雀守则》，也被称作麻将“红宝书”。这是最早出现在美国的麻将玩法。
Many variants of Mahjong developed during 1930s. The most common form, which eventually became "American Mahjong", was most popular among Jewish women.
到三十年代，麻将发展出很多分支，其中最常见的是犹太女人们流行的打法，这种打法就是当代“美国麻将”的前身。
In 1986, the National Mahjong League conducted their first Mahjong Cruise Tournament.
1986年，国家麻将联盟第一次举办了巡回锦标赛。
Users can find information of online-playing, companions matching, strategies learning, equipment purchasing and even participating the tournaments.
通过麻将联盟，麻友们可以在线打麻将、找麻友、学策略、买器材，甚至报名参加比赛。
麻将起源于中国，风靡全世界！
Editor: Jiao Jie
Interns: Li Lanyan, Lin Yuting
Sources: Medium, Xinhua, On The Road Store Wechat Account
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