One Sip English. 一口英语。 Not a lesson—just a sip. 不是上课——就喝一口。 If you’ve been scrolling in China lately, you’ve probably seen the contrast. 如果你最近刷中国的内容，你大概率会看到一种反差。 On one side: Harbin—ice castles, glowing sculptures, everyone posting “this is unreal.” 一边是哈尔滨：冰雪城堡、发光的雕塑，大家都在说“太夸张了，像梦一样”。 On the other side: big headlines about the economy—new support plans, trade-in subsidies, import rules… a lot of “we will.” 另一边是各种经济大新闻：支持计划、以旧换新补贴、进口规则……很多“我们将会”。 And in the comments, there’s often the same two-word reaction: “Yeah… sure.” 而评论区经常会出现同一种两词反应：“呵呵……行吧。” That feeling has a word. 这种感觉其实有个词。 Today’s word is cynic. 今天的单词是 cynic。 A cynic is someone who doubts people’s good intentions. Cynic 指的是：总是怀疑别人“善意动机”的人。 When they hear something positive, they don’t think, “That’s nice.” 他们听到好消息，不会第一反应是“真不错”。 They think, “What’s the catch?” “Who benefits?” “What do you want from me?” 他们会想：“坑在哪？”“谁得利？”“你想从我这得到什么？” So it’s not just being negative. 所以它不只是“消极”。 It’s being suspicious about motives. 它是对“动机”保持怀疑。 You can say: 你可以这样用： Don’t be such a cynic. 别这么犬儒/别总这么怀疑。 He’s a cynic about politics. 他对政治很犬儒（很不信）。 She’s become cynical after getting burned too many times. 她被坑太多次之后，变得很 cynical（更不信任、更“呵呵”）。 Quick clarity—this is useful: 再给你一个很实用的区分： A skeptic doubts the claim and asks for evidence. Skeptic（怀疑论者）是怀疑“说法本身”，要证据。 A cynic doubts the motive and assumes it’s selfish. Cynic（犬儒者）是怀疑“动机”，默认对方自私。 So if your default reaction is “show me the proof,” you’re skeptical. 如果你的默认反应是“拿证据来”，你更偏 skeptical。 If your default reaction is “this is probably a trap,” you’re cynical. 如果你的默认反应是“这八成有坑”，你更偏 cynical。 Lock it in: 记住一句： Cynic = someone who expects bad motives behind good words. Cynic = 听到好话也先往坏动机想的人。 One word. One sip. 一个词，一口。 Now you’ve got a name for that quiet “yeah, sure” energy. 现在你就能给那种安静的“呵呵行吧”气场起名字了。 注：开头提到的“哈尔滨冰雪节热度”和“以旧换新补贴等政策新闻”参考近期报道。

One Sip English. 一口英语。 Not a lesson—just a sip. 不是上课——就喝一口。 It’s the second day of the year. 今天是新年的第二天。 The fireworks are gone, the group chats are quieter… 烟花散了，群聊也安静了一点…… and somehow, your brain is already bargaining with your “new year, new me.” 但不知怎么的，你的大脑已经在和“新年新我”讨价还价了。 So today, let’s keep it small. 所以今天，我们把事情做小一点。 Today’s word is whim. 今天的单词是 whim。 A whim is a sudden little desire— Whim 是一种突然冒出来的小念头—— an idea that pops up and you do it… just because. 一个想法蹦出来，你就去做了……没什么原因。 No plan. No big reason. 没有计划，也没有什么大道理。 Just: “I feel like it.” 就是一句：“我想这么干。” And the most natural way to use it is this: 而它最自然、最常见的用法是： on a whim. on a whim（一时兴起、临时起意）。 I bought it on a whim. 我一时兴起买了它。 Meaning: I didn’t plan it—I just did it. 意思是：我没计划，就是突然做了。 We went out on a whim. 我们临时起意就出门了。 No schedule, no strategy—just a quick impulse. 没有安排、没有策略——就是一个小冲动。 I messaged an old friend on a whim. 我一时兴起给老朋友发了条消息。 It wasn’t a big decision. 这不是一个“重大决定”。 Just a small moment of courage. 只是一个小小的勇敢瞬间。 And honestly, this is the perfect time of year for that phrase. 说真的，这个时间点特别适合用这个表达。 Because real change usually doesn’t start with a grand speech— 因为真正的改变，通常不是从一段豪言壮语开始的—— it starts with one tiny move. 而是从一个很小的动作开始。 On a whim, you go for a short walk. 你一时兴起，出去散个步。 On a whim, you delete one app that drains you. 你一时兴起，删掉一个特别消耗你的 app。 On a whim, you write down one goal—just one. 你一时兴起，写下一个目标——就一个。 Whim doesn’t mean reckless. Whim 不等于鲁莽。 It means human. 它更像是：很“人”的那部分。 A little spontaneous spark. 一点点随性的小火花。 So here’s my New Year wish for you: 所以送你一句新年祝愿： May your plans be gentle, 愿你的计划温柔一点， and may your whims lead you somewhere good. 也愿你的一时兴起，把你带去更好的地方。 Whim. Whim。 A small impulse—sometimes silly, sometimes magic. 一个小冲动——有时傻气，有时很浪漫。 One word. One sip. 一个词，一口。 Happy New Year. 新年快乐。

One Sip English. 一口英语。 Not a lesson—just a sip. 不是上课——就喝一口。 Today’s word is philocalist. 今天的单词是 philocalist。 A philocalist is someone who loves beauty. Philocalist 指的是：热爱美的人 / 爱美之人。 Not just “likes pretty things.” 不只是“喜欢好看的东西”。 More like: they notice beauty, they look for it, they collect it— 更像是：他们会察觉美、寻找美、收集美—— in art, in nature, in small moments. 在艺术里、在自然里、在生活的小瞬间里。 It comes from two roots: 它来自两个词根： philo- means “love,” philo- 表示“爱”。 and -calist comes from a Greek root for “beauty.” -calist 来自希腊语词根，表示“美”。 So a philocalist is literally: 所以 philocalist 字面意思就是： a lover of beauty. 一个爱美的人。 And beauty here isn’t only perfect, expensive, or polished. 而这里的“美”，不只是完美的、昂贵的、精致的那种美。 A philocalist can find beauty in quiet things: Philocalist 能在很安静、很细小的东西里看到美： the way light hits a wall, 光落在墙上的那种角度， a simple line of typography, 一条干净的字体线条， steam rising from coffee, 咖啡冒起的热气， a stranger’s kindness, 陌生人的善意， a sentence that lands. 一句话刚好击中你的那一瞬间。 You can use it like this: 你可以这样用它： “She’s a philocalist—she sees beauty everywhere.” “她是个 philocalist——她到处都能看见美。” “I’m a philocalist. I collect beautiful moments.” “我是个 philocalist，我会收集那些美的瞬间。” “He’s not materialistic—he’s a philocalist.” “他不是物质主义——他只是很爱美、很懂美。” Quick nuance: 补充一个细微点： It’s not a super common everyday word. 这个词不算日常高频。 It sounds a bit poetic, a bit bookish. 听起来有点诗意，也有点书面。 But that’s part of its charm. 但这也正是它迷人的地方。 Lock it in: 记住一句话： Philocalist = a person who loves beauty—and notices it. Philocalist = 热爱美、并且善于发现美的人。 One word. One sip. 一个词，一口。 Now you’ve got a name for that kind of eye. 现在你终于能给“那种眼睛”起个名字了。

What if it’s Christmas Eve… 如果现在是圣诞前夜呢…… Outside, it’s dark and freezing. 外面又黑又冷。 Snow is falling. 雪慢慢地下着。 The street is quiet. 街道安静得有点不真实。 Inside, the house is warm. 屋子里却暖洋洋的。 There’s a fire in the living room. 客厅里烧着壁炉火。 Stockings are hanging. 壁炉上挂着圣诞袜。 The tree is glowing. 圣诞树在一闪一闪地发光。 The kids are in bed, 孩子们躺在床上， but they keep asking: 却还是忍不住一直问： “Will Santa really come down the chimney?” “圣诞老人真的会从烟囱里爬下来吗？” Welcome to One Sip English, 欢迎来到「一口英语 One Sip English」， where we take one English word or phrase, 在这里，我们每次只讲一个英文单词或短语， sip it slowly, 慢慢品， and make it stay in your mind. 让它真正留在你的脑子里。 Today’s word is chimney. 今天的单词是 chimney。 A chimney is the tall pipe chimney 指的是那根高高的“管子”， that goes from the fireplace 从壁炉的位置一路向上， up through the roof 穿过屋顶， and into the sky. 一直通到屋外的天空。 Fireplace at the bottom, 下面是壁炉， chimney going up. 上面是往上伸出去的烟囱。 The job of the chimney is simple: 烟囱的工作很简单： let the smoke go out, 让烟跑到外面去， so the room can stay warm and safe. 这样房间里就既温暖又安全。 So you can say: 所以你可以这么用： “Smoke was coming out of the chimney.” “烟正从烟囱里冒出来。（Smoke was coming out of the chimney.）” “We sat by the fireplace, “我们坐在壁炉旁边， with the chimney above us.” 头顶上就是通向屋顶的烟囱。（with the chimney above us.） And at Christmas, 一到圣诞节， there’s one classic sentence: 有一句非常经典的说法： “Santa comes down the chimney.” “圣诞老人会从烟囱里钻下来。（Santa comes down the chimney.）” Of course, we don’t really see him. 当然，现实里我们从来没见过他。 But in English stories and movies, 但在英文故事和电影里， he doesn’t use the door. 他一般不用门进来， He slides down the chimney 而是从烟囱里滑下来， into the living room, 滑进客厅， drops the presents, 放下礼物， and then goes back up. 然后再从烟囱爬回去。 There’s also a fun expression: 还有一个挺好玩的表达： “He smokes like a chimney.” “He smokes like a chimney.” That means he smokes a lot, 意思是他烟抽得特别多， like a chimney that is always full of smoke. 就像烟囱一样总是冒烟。 Quick check so you don’t mix words: 我们快速对一下这些词，别弄混了： The fireplace is inside the room. fireplace 是在房间里面的壁炉， You see the fire there. 你能直接看到火在那儿烧。 The chimney is the vertical tunnel chimney 是那条竖着的“通道”， that takes the smoke outside. 负责把烟送到屋外去。 And big factory pipes 而那种工厂上特别大的粗管子， are usually called smokestacks, 通常叫 smokestacks， not chimneys. 一般不会叫 chimneys。 So next time you see 所以下次当你看到 a cute drawing of a house in the snow, 一幅雪地里小房子的插画， with a little puff of smoke 屋顶上有一缕小小的烟， going up into the winter sky— 慢慢往冬天的天空里飘上去—— remember that tall piece on the roof, 记住：屋顶上那根细细长长的东西， the one Santa uses on Christmas Eve, 圣诞前夜里圣诞老人“专用”的那条通道， is called the chimney. 就叫做 chimney，烟囱。