丹麦人民为何如此幸福？这个小词帮了大忙!

Danes, often hailed as some of the happiest people on Earth, love nothing more than to hygge. That could mean reading a book while snuggling in a blanket ， or a cosy night in with loved ones, laughing in the velvety candlelight with a cup of hot chocolate, gløgg (mulled wine) or coffee, depending on the time of day and year.

丹麦人常被誉为世界上幸福感最高的人之一，他们钟爱舒适惬意的环境胜于一切。比如舒适地蜷缩在毯子里读一本书，或与爱人度过一个惬意的夜晚，在柔和的烛光下捧着一杯应景的热饮开怀大笑。（热饮依不同的时间和年份而定，也许是热巧克力，也可能是热红酒或咖啡。）

【*①hygge（丹麦语）：舒适而令人满足的感觉或环境。②gløgg（丹麦语）：一种添加香料和葡萄干的红酒，常在圣诞节或万圣节前后饮用。】

But this picture is almost too idyllic. Too perfect. As a hygge-loving Dane, I can say for sure that even Danes have rainy days. So what do we do, then, when there isn’t any help to be had from these cosy accompaniments?

但这幅田园诗般的场景太过完美和理想化了。作为一个钟爱舒适环境的丹麦人，我敢肯定即使丹麦人也会经历“阴雨天气”。那么不具备这些舒适的外在条件时，我们该怎么办呢?

We say the magical word: ‘pyt’ . Or press ‘pyt-knappen’ (the ‘pyt’ button).

我们会说这个神奇的词：“pyt”。或者说按下“pyt-knappen”（意为按下开启“pyt”的按钮）。

Just like ‘hygge’, ‘pyt’ does not have a direct English translation. Some interpretations include ‘never mind’, ‘don’t worry’ or ‘forget about it’ – but these expressions don’t convey the positive aspect of the word. ‘Pyt’ is used to express that you accept a situation is out of your control, and even though you might be annoyed or frustrated, you decide not to waste unnecessary energy on thinking more about it. You accept it and move on. ‘Pyt’ is also used to comfort other people and diffuse unfortunate situations.

就像“hygge”一样，“pyt”也没有直接的英语翻译。一些解释为“别介意”、“别担心”或“没关系”——但这些表达并没有传达出这个词积极的一面。“Pyt”用来表示你接受了某个超出控制范围的状况。即使可能会生气或沮丧，你决定不再浪费不必要的精力去想它。你接受了它，然后继续前进。“Pyt”也用来安慰他人或缓和逆境。

Steen Bording Andersen, president of the Danish Library Association, sees the win as a reflection of our stressful lives – that Danes want to take it easy and relax. “I think it's a rebellion against a Danish cultural trait of being good at complaining and finding faults,” he explained. “It goes somewhat against the zeitgeist that ‘pyt’ was chosen. But it reminds us that things could be worse.”

丹麦图书馆协会主席Steen Bording Anderson认为”pyt”的当选反映出人们生活压力很大，而丹麦人想用一种轻松休闲的态度来面对它。“这种态度背后是对丹麦人擅长抱怨和挑刺的文化特质的一种叛逆，”他解释道。“‘pyt’当选似乎有悖时代精神，但它也提醒我们情况本可能会更糟。”

The popularity of the word doesn’t surprise Chris MacDonald, physiologist, writer and public speaker . In his article for Danish national newspaper Berlingske, What Denmark has taught me about happiness, he writes, “Pyt is one of my favourite words; it’s the most positive sound I have ever heard. And it has an enormous power when it comes to letting go of things we can’t change. There is so much relief in that word.”

生理学家，作家，兼演说家Chris MacDonald对这个词的广受欢迎并不感到惊讶。他在给丹麦全国性报刊贝林时报（Berlingske）的一篇文章《丹麦所教会我的幸福道理》中写道，“Pyt是我最喜欢的词之一，这是我听到过最积极的声音。当人们遇到无能为力的事情时，它有着强大的魔力可以让我们放手。这个词语背后蕴含着解脱。”

He came across ‘pyt’ when first learning Danish. “Danish is an exceptionally monotonous language. It’s like listening to a musician with a limited range. Then I started to notice this one word that stuck out; not only did it stick out from the Danish range, it also had a nice sound to it,” he said.

他是在最初学习丹麦语时遇见的 ‘pyt’ 。“丹麦语是一门格外单调的语言。就好像听受音域限制的音乐家在表演。然后我才开始注意到这个出众的词语。它不仅在丹麦语的音域中一枝独秀，而且发音也很好听。”

As Jonas Jensen, senior editor of Den Danske Ordbog (The Danish Dictionary) explained, “...within phonetics ‘i’ and ‘y’ are often considered lighter and more optimistic than the more rounded vocals such as ‘o’ and ‘u’… [Pyt] is a word that's nice to say.”

Jonas Jensen是Den Danske Ordbog（丹麦语词典）的资深编辑，对此，他解释道：“……从发音学角度来讲，‘i’和‘y’相较听起来更圆润的元音，比如‘o’和‘u’这种的，会给人更轻柔、更乐观的感觉…… [Pyt]这个词好说又好听。

The power of the word has been harnessed in other ways, too. It’s passed down to children at kindergarten and primary school through the introduction of a ‘pyt’ button. This is usually just a plastic lid with ‘PYT’ written on it, glued to a piece of cardboard and placed somewhere centrally in the classroom, to be used in situations where children feel upset about not coming first in a race or winning a game. Essentially, they learn from an early age that losing is OK, as this is also part of real life.

正因这样的魔力，Pyt也被应用在其他地方。“Pyt按钮”就出现在小学和幼儿园，将Pyt的理念传达给了孩子们。Pyt按钮通常就是将一个写着“PYT”的塑料瓶盖，粘到一张卡纸上，放置在教室中心的地方，孩子们因为没能赢得第一，游戏输了之类的原因感到难过的时候，就可以按下这个按钮。这一举动的本质，是让孩子从小就知道失败是可以接受的，失败也是人生的一部分。

Visitors to Denmark can even buy their own version of the ‘pyt’ button in local shops. These red-and-white plastic buttons resemble the ones that contestants in TV game shows press when they have the right answer. Press it and you’ll hear the word ‘pyt’, reminding you to step back from the situation and refocus. I even received a ‘deluxe’ version for Christmas that had a recorded sentence of encouragement: ‘Take a deep breath. Everything is going to be alright’.

去丹麦旅游的游客甚至可以在当地的商店买到自己定制的“pyt”按钮。这些塑料红白按钮类似于那些电视游戏秀的选手回答正确时按下的按钮。你按下这个按钮，就会听到“pyt”，提醒你从所处的境况中退后一步，再次集中注意力。我甚至在圣诞节收到了一个“豪华”版按钮，里面还录了一句激励人心的话：“深呼吸，一切都会变好的。”

The word seems especially appropriate in a country with incredibly unreliable weather. Over the years, I have been part of numerous last-minute changes of plans, when optimism once again took over reality. Picnics and barbecues have been moved inside, and beach trips turned into visits to indoor pools. Each time one or more ‘pyts’ have been uttered, deep breaths taken – and a plan B drawn up.

这个词也特别适合这个气候变化无常的国家。多年来，我经历过太多最后关头改变计划的情况，每当这时，我总能用乐观的心态战胜现实。野餐和烧烤移到了室内，海滨旅行又转移到了室内泳池。每当说出一个或多个“pyts”时，我们就会深吸一口气，然后制定出另一个方案。