外國人喝酒之前為什么要碰杯

To get at the real reason for the clink of glass on glass, we have to first look at why and how we toast, and where the practice originated.

　　那么要找到喝酒碰杯的真正原因，我們首先應(yīng)該了解的是我們?yōu)槭裁春染?怎么喝酒?并會在什么樣的情況下碰杯?

　　The custom of sealing with booze expressions of good wishes for the health of others dates back so far that its origins are now lost to us, yet in numerous cultures such acts of camaraderie often involved shared drinking vessels. The clinking of individual cups or glasses as a proof of trust wouldn't have meant much when everyone drank from the same bowl. Indeed, in those cultures where shared drinking containers was the norm, to produce one's own vessel in such company was to communicate an unmistakable message of hostility and distrust; it would have been regarded as akin to bringing along a food taster to sample the repast.

　　"Toasting," our term for the pronouncement of benedictions followed by a swallowing of alcohol, is believed to have taken its name from a practice involving a shared drinking vessel. Floated in the "loving cup" passed among celebrants in Britain was a piece of (spiced) cooked bread that the host would consume along with the last few drops of liquid after the cup had made one round of the company. In modern times toasting has become a matter of imbibing from individual drinking vessels rather than from one shared flagon, so to compensate for the sense of unity lost in doing away with the sharing of the same cup we have evolved the practice of simultaneously drinking each from our own glass when a toast is made, thereby maintaining a communal connection to the kind words being spoken.

　　我們很難找到喝酒狂歡表達良好祝愿如身體健康等的起源。然而在眾多中，朋友之間的行為會經(jīng)常涉及到祝酒，每個人從同一個碗里喝酒，那么碰杯就不再是信任彼此的證明。實際上，在這樣一種文化里，公用同一個酒器成為一種規(guī)則，單獨用你自己的酒杯會帶來敵對和不信任的誤解信息，這將被認為同做餐后的食物品嘗家的品嘗行為來防毒相類似。

　　“干杯”，我們喝酒后緊隨祝福的一句，名字來源被認為是一個涉及公用的酒杯的行為。英國神父流傳來的流動的“愛情杯”是主人當酒杯走過一輪后在一塊烹制的面包滴幾滴酒吃掉的。現(xiàn)在祝酒，不再公用一個酒杯，而是用自己的杯子。為了彌補群體脫離感，拋棄了公用酒杯，我們開始用自個的杯子，因此祝酒才產(chǎn)生了。因此一種靠說友好祝福維系關(guān)系的方式產(chǎn)生了。

　　The clinking of glasses has been added to the practice of offering toasts for a few reasons, none having anything to do with poison. Prior to such augmentation, toasts pleased only four of the five senses; by adding the "clink," a pleasant sound was made part of the experience, and wine glasses have come to be prized not only for their appearance but also for the tones they produce when struck. Yet beyond mere aural pleasure, the act of touching your glass to that of others is a way of emphasizing that you are part of the good wishes being expressed, that you are making a physical connection to the toast. The practice also serves another purpose, that of uniting the individuals taking part in the benediction into a cohesive group: as the wine glasses are brought together, so symbolically are the people holding them. On a deeper level, the wine is also being recommuned with itself — that which had been one (when it had been in its own bottle) but was separated (when it was poured into a variety of glasses) is brought back into contact with the whole of itself, if only for a moment.

　　Etiquette mavens say one need not clink glasses with everyone present when participating in toasts among large assemblies. Rather than reach across vast expanses of wide tables (thereby risking losing your balance and ending up in the guacamole), simply raise your glass and make eye contact with the group.

　　碰杯因一些原因也被加進祝酒的行列，和毒藥沒有一絲關(guān)系。增加了這些，祝酒使氣氛好了五分之四。通過加碰杯這一環(huán)節(jié)，一種悅耳的聲音成為祝酒的一部分。并且不僅僅贊美杯的出現(xiàn)還贊美酒杯碰撞時發(fā)出的響聲。然而除了聽覺享受外，有人和你碰杯也是一種友好祝福的暗示。你通過祝酒與人發(fā)生了接觸。碰杯還有另一個意圖，就是通過人與人的祝酒使之參加到一個有關(guān)聯(lián)的大集體。當酒杯碰在一起的時候，人們也象征性地“擁抱”了。深層次的說，人也是(當用自己的杯子喝酒時)在一起的，(當酒在一起時)人其實是分開的，從某種意義上說，酒有了人回歸一個完整的聯(lián)系的含義。

　　禮節(jié)上在現(xiàn)在當一個人參加一個大聚會時不需要和每個人碰杯。相比較隔個大桌子(而冒著失去平衡的危險)碰杯而言，還不如舉起酒杯眼神交流感情來得真切。