每日英語 #116: Gang Signs 街頭幫派符號

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街頭幫派符號

A “street gang” is a group of young people who spend a lot of time together and often “get into trouble” (behave badly and create problems) and fight with other gangs. In larger cities, gangs can be very dangerous, with members killing members of other gangs. Many gangs have “gang signs” (things that they do or use to show which gang they belong to). These gang signs can include clothing, “tattoos,” “graffiti,” and hand signs.

「街頭幫派」是一群年輕人經常聚在一起，經常「惹麻煩」（行為不端並引發問題），並與其他幫派鬥爭。在大城市裡，幫派可能非常危險，成員之間甚至會互相殺害。許多幫派會使用「幫派符號」來展示他們隸屬於哪個幫派。這些符號可能包括衣著、「刺青」（在皮膚上永久畫畫）、「塗鴉」（在公共牆壁上畫畫或寫字）和手勢符號。

Typical gang clothing includes “leather jackets” (coats made from cow skin), “chains” (metal rings that are connected together), and colored “bandanas” (a square piece of colored fabric that is usually worn on one’s neck or head).

典型的幫派衣著可能包括**「皮夾克」（由牛皮製成的外套）、「鍊條」（金屬環相連在一起）以及「頭巾」（通常繫在脖子或頭上的彩色方形布料）。

Another common gang sign is a “tattoo” (a permanent drawing on one’s skin, made by using a needle to put colored ink under the skin). Normally all the members of one gang will have the same tattoo design.

另一個常見的幫派符號是「刺青」，也就是使用針將顏料注入皮膚下形成的永久圖案。通常，一個幫派的所有成員會有相同的刺青設計。

Other gangs like to use “graffiti” (text or drawings painted onto public walls, where they shouldn’t be) to “mark their territory” (show which areas belong to a particular gang). Sometimes the graffiti is very “elaborate” (detailed), but other times it is just a “tag” (a simple symbol for the gang that can be painted quickly). Gangs often paint their graffiti over other gangs’ graffiti, and this is known as “mark out” graffiti.

一些幫派喜歡使用「塗鴉」來「標記領地」（顯示某個區域屬於特定幫派）。有時候，這些塗鴉非常「精緻」（細緻的），但有時只是簡單的「標籤」（可以迅速畫出的簡單符號）。幫派經常會在其他幫派的塗鴉上再畫，這被稱為「塗掉」塗鴉。

Finally, hand signs are a common gang sign. Many gang members put their fingers in the shape of a letter that identifies their gang. Other gangs use special gang “handshakes” (ways to touch another person’s hand, usually to say hello, goodbye, or to show agreement). Some gangs prefer hand signs over other types of gang signs because they aren’t always “visible” (able to be seen), like tattoos are.

最後，「手勢」是另一種常見的幫派符號。許多幫派成員會用手指做出代表他們幫派的字母形狀。其他幫派會使用特別的「幫派握手」（用手接觸的方式，通常表示打招呼、告別或達成共識）。有些幫派喜歡使用手勢符號，因為這些手勢不像刺青那樣總是「可見的」（可以被看到的）。

重要單字

• 1. gang /ɡæŋ/ — 幫派
• 2. tattoo /tæˈtuː/ — 刺青
• 3. graffiti /ɡrəˈfiːti/ — 塗鴉
• 4. bandana /bænˈdænə/ — 頭巾
• 5. handshake /ˈhændʃeɪk/ — 握手