Welcome to One Sip English,
欢迎来到「一口英语 One Sip English」，
the tiny show where we take one English word or phrase,
这是一个每次只讲一个英文单词或短语的迷你节目，
slow it down,
我们把节奏放慢一点，
and sip it together
一口一口地一起品这个表达，
until it really stays in your mind.
直到它真正留在你的脑海里。
Today’s phrase is:
今天我们要讲的表达是：
rip off.
rip off。
You walk into a little shop on vacation.
你在度假时走进一家小店。
The lights are warm.
灯光很温暖。
The music is soft.
音乐很轻柔。
The seller is smiling.
老板正冲你微笑。
You see a T-shirt you like.
你看到一件挺喜欢的 T 恤。
It looks simple and nice.
看起来简单又好看。
You ask the price.
你问了一下价格。
They say, “Eighty dollars.”
老板说：“80 美金。”
You smile on the outside.
你表面上还在微笑。
But inside, you’re like,
但你心里在想：
“Wait… what? For this?”
“啥？就这东西，要这么多钱？”
If you still pay that crazy price,
如果你最后还是付了这离谱的价格，
you can say:
你就可以说：
“I got ripped off.”
“我被宰了 / 我被坑了（I got ripped off）。”
“Rip off” is simple,
“rip off” 这个表达很简单，
but very useful.
但是非常好用。
Most of the time,
大多数时候，
it means someone takes too much money from you.
它的意思是：有人从你这儿多要了很多钱。
They charge way too high.
他们要的价钱远远太高。
The thing is not worth the price.
这个东西根本不值这个价。
You feel cheated.
你会觉得被坑了、被骗了。
So if a taxi driver takes a long, stupid route
所以如果一个出租车司机故意绕很远很蠢的一大圈路，
just to make more money,
就只是为了多收你钱，
you can say:
你就可以说：
“The taxi driver ripped us off.”
“那个出租车司机宰我们了（The taxi driver ripped us off）。”
You didn’t just pay.
你不只是“正常付钱”，
You got cheated on the price.
而是被价格狠狠坑了一把。
Or you go to a tourist market.
或者你去旅游景点的小商品市场。
A tiny magnet costs ten dollars.
一个小小的冰箱贴要你 10 美金。
You buy it.
你还是买了。
Then you walk three minutes,
然后你又走了三分钟，
and see the same magnet for one dollar.
发现同样一个冰箱贴只要 1 美金。
You can say:
这时候你就可以说：
“That first shop really ripped me off.”
“第一家店真是狠宰了我。（That first shop really ripped me off）”
We also use a rip-off as a noun.
我们也会把 rip-off 当名词用。
You look at your bill and say:
你看看账单，会说：
“This gym membership is such a rip-off.”
“这家健身房的会员费也太坑了。（This gym membership is such a rip-off）”
It means:
这意思就是：
The price is crazy.
价格离谱，
The value is low.
价值很低，
You feel tricked.
你觉得自己被套路了。
There is a second meaning too.
这个词还有第二层意思。
“Rip-off” can also mean a bad copy.
“rip-off” 还可以指 山寨货、抄袭品。
Imagine a movie
想象有一部电影，
that feels exactly like another movie.
看起来跟另一部电影几乎一模一样。
Same story.
故事差不多，
Same style.
风格也差不多，
Just worse.
只是更难看。
You can say:
你就可以说：
“This movie is just a rip-off of Inception.”
“这电影就是《盗梦空间》的一个山寨版。（This movie is just a rip-off of Inception）”
Or you see a bag
或者你看到一个包，
that looks like a famous luxury brand,
长得特别像某个奢侈品牌，
but the quality is cheap.
但做工和材质很廉价。
You can call it:
你就可以叫它：
“A cheap rip-off.”
“一个便宜山寨货（A cheap rip-off）。”
So, two main ideas to remember:
所以你只要记住两个主意就行：
First,
第一，
money:
关于 钱：
They ask too much.
别人要价太离谱，
You get cheated.
你被坑了，
You get ripped off.
你就可以说 you got ripped off。
Second,
第二，
copy:
关于 抄袭 / 山寨：
Something feels stolen.
东西看起来像是抄来的，
It looks like another thing.
长得像别人的，
It’s a rip-off of the original.
就是原作的一个 rip-off，一个山寨翻版。
Now compare it quickly:
现在我们快速对比一下：
“Cheat” is general.
“cheat” 是比较泛的“欺骗”。
He cheated on the exam.
He cheated on the exam. 他考试作弊。
She cheated in the game.
She cheated in the game. 她在游戏里耍赖作弊。
“Overcharge” is formal.
“overcharge” 听起来比较正式。
The hotel overcharged us.
The hotel overcharged us. 这家酒店多收了我们钱。
But rip off feels emotional and real.
但 rip off 更口语、更有情绪。
You can hear the pain inside it.
你一听就能听出里面那种“心在滴血”的感觉。
It’s perfect for those moments
它非常适合用在那种时刻——
when you think,
当你心里在想：
“Wow, they really took advantage of me.”
“我靠，他们真是把我当肥羊宰了。”
So next time you pay for something,
所以下次你付完钱，
and later you think,
事后又觉得：
“This is way too much,”
“这也太贵了、不值啊”，
you know what to say:
你就知道要怎么说了：
“I got ripped off.
“I got ripped off，
And I don’t want to be ripped off again.”
以后我可不想再被 ripped off 了。”