Today's discussion in China about Xiaozi and their supposed flaws reminds me of nothing more than the debates about "hipsters" that circulated in New York City when I lived there. My former neighborhood was called the unofficial capital of hipster America. It's a place where even the hardware store lends its window to installations by conceptual video artists. Residents are widely mocked for the high price tag of their "countercultural" lifestyle.

今天在中国关于小资及其所谓缺陷的讨论，和我住在纽约时针对四处游荡的“嬉皮士”的辩论没什么两样。那时我住的街区被称为嬉皮士美国的非正式首都。在那个地方，连五金店都向概念视频艺术家出借窗口来展示其装置作品。这些居民“反文化”的高消费生活方式受到很多人的嘲笑。

Is Xiaozi translatable? "Hipster" doesn't quite work; Xiaozi aren't particularly countercultural (except that they often pursue an interest in things that are considered "un-Chinese"). "Yuppie," though dated, seems to be the most accurate English equivalent, but there's an important difference: the typical yuppie can afford the expensive things he buys, while Xiaozi are criticized for spending beyond their means. In the end, it seems the concept of Xiaozi is specific to China and we'll have to leave it at that.

小资可以翻译吗？“嬉皮士”不大准；小资并不特别反文化（但他们的兴趣往往是追求那些被认为“非中国”的东西）。“雅皮士”尽管陈旧，却似乎是最恰当的英文对等词，但是有一个重要的区别：典型的雅皮士买得起他想买的昂贵东西，而小资却被批评为入不敷出。归根到底，小资的概念似乎是中国特有的，对此我们不用太强求。

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