Some people are born lucky. Parents in China, however, would rather not leave their kids' fate to chance。

有些人生來就是幸運兒，可是，中國父母不靠機遇來定奪孩子的命運。

For the past few weeks, many couples have been trying desperately to conceive, racing against time to have a baby in the fortuitous Year of the Horse. Their reasoning: No one wants a baby born in 2015, the dreaded Year of the Sheep。

數(shù)周來，許多夫妻都在拼命努力嘗試受孕，分秒必爭地想要在幸運的馬年生下馬寶寶。原因很簡單：誰都不想在可怕的羊年要孩子。

Sheep are meek creatures, raised for nothing more than slaughter. Babies born in the Year of the Sheep, therefore, will grow up to be followers rather than leaders, according to some superstitions. The children are destined for heartbreak and failed marriages, and they will be unlucky in business, many Chinese believe. One popular folk saying holds that only one out of 10 people born in the Year of the Sheep finds happiness。

羊生來就很溫順，養(yǎng)著就是為了養(yǎng)成后宰掉吃肉。據(jù)迷信說法，羊年出生的孩子長大后會像溫順的羊一樣，始終追隨著別人做不上領導者。中國很多人都認為，羊年出生的孩子命里注定要遭受心碎痛苦、婚姻失敗和生意失敗。民間有流傳甚廣的“十羊九不全”的說法，即十個羊年生人只有一人能尋找到幸福。

Health professionals say fertility consultations have spiked in recent months. Some doctors even have expressed worries that there may be a corresponding jump in abortions later this year, as couples realize they missed the horse-year cutoff。

健康專家表示，近幾個月的生育咨詢數(shù)量大增。有些醫(yī)生擔憂下半年會有大量夫婦因錯過馬年生育而選擇墮胎。

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Year of the Sheep (also called goat or ram) begins Feb. 19, 2015, so the window for conception closes around the end of this month。

按中國農(nóng)歷，羊年從2015年二月十九日開始，所以截止本月末是懷孕的最后時機。

Many patients have inquired about early delivery via Caesarean section to ensure a horse-year birth, said Li Jianjun, an obstetrician at Beijing's United Family Hospital。

北京和睦家醫(yī)院產(chǎn)科醫(yī)師李建軍表示，很多夫婦都詢問過可否通過剖腹產(chǎn)以提前在馬年產(chǎn)下孩子。

Some doubt the furor will have a significant effect on the Chinese birthrate this year. But the babymania is so widespread that the state-run China News Service issued a report trying to debunk the “unfounded” myth of bad luck for those born in Year of the Sheep。

有些人認為今年這種“馬寶寶”的狂熱會給中國的出生率帶來巨大影響。這種過度狂熱激增的嬰兒潮促使官方的中新社專門發(fā)表了一期報道：揭穿羊年生人命不好這種“毫無根據(jù)”的民間傳說。

It’s unclear how the Year of the Sheep came to acquire its bad reputation。

沒有人清楚羊年霉運的臭名是從哪里得來的。

Each of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac has it virtues and faults. The undisputed favorite is the dragon, often followed by the tiger and the horse — an energetic animal closely associated with success, according to Chinese sayings。

中國的十二生肖各有其優(yōu)缺點。龍、虎和馬的屬相最受歡迎，據(jù)中國民間說法，這三種力量型的動物往往都與成功密切相關。

Even rats (considered clever and agile) and snakes (which look like mini-dragons) are considered lucky. But sheep have fewer advantageous qualities, according to some interpretations。

就連屬鼠(常被認為機靈聰明)還有屬蛇(看著像小龍)都被認為是幸運的屬相。但就一些生肖的解讀，羊的優(yōu)點卻少之甚少。

Those born in sheep years are thought of as passive, loyal, generous and kind. Some of those virtues may be wonderful in an ideal world, but not so useful in the dog-eat-dog real world。

羊年生人消極被動、忠誠老實、善良大方。這些性格特質(zhì)生活在理想的世界里或許是美好的，但在競爭激烈的現(xiàn)實世界中卻沒什么用途。

“It’s an unfair and outdated superstition,” said Dong Mengzhi, 74, honorary president of Beijing's Folk Literature and Art Society. “But it's a convenient way for many to explain an unpredictable world。”

“這是個不公平的、古老的迷信說法，” 74歲的北京民間文藝家協(xié)會名譽主席董夢枝說，“但對很多人來說，這是一種便于解釋不可預知的神秘世界的方法。”