The humble watermelon. The epitome of summer. But how do you know if it's perfectly ripe? Well, one theory is that if you knock hard on the outside, the sound you hear will help determine if it's ready to eat.
其貌不揚的西瓜象征著夏季。但你怎么確定西瓜是否熟透？有種理論是，用力敲敲西瓜皮，聽聽聲音，這能幫你確定它們是否完全熟了。

That theory lead to a huge online debate in China about what kind of people engaged in the art of 'watermelon knocking'?
這種做法近期在中國的網絡上引發(fā)熱議，大家爭相討論哪些人愛“敲西瓜”。

The discussion, which thousands of people contributed to on the Chinese micro blogging site Sina Weibo, was kicked off by an obscure event thousands of miles away in Italy.
數千人參與了新浪微博上的這次大討論，而引發(fā)這次討論的是遙遠的意大利的一件小事。

It all began when a Chinese social media user posted the picture below of a sign in an Italian supermarket asking customers not to knock on the watermelons. The sign was stuck in a crate full of watermelons which read: "please stop knocking on the watermelons, they will not respond to it!"
一位中國社交網站用戶發(fā)布了下面這張照片，照片上，這家意大利超市掛出一則標識，要求顧客不要敲西瓜。這則標識插在裝滿西瓜的板條箱里，其上寫道：“請不要再敲西瓜了，西瓜不會回應你。”

There is no indication that the supermarket was targeting this message at customers with Chinese heritage. The sign was in Italian not Mandarin. But somehow it was taken as an attack on a practice which some Chinese observers regarded as being unique to their national customs.
沒有跡象表明超市掛出這則標識是針對中國顧客。標識是用意大利語寫的，而不是漢語普通話。但不知為何這被當成了對敲西瓜這種行為的攻擊，而一些中國評論者認為敲西瓜是中國人獨有的習慣。

According to What's On Weibo, the photo was widely shared after Chinese media outlets reported that the notice was aimed directly at Chinese customers. But some social media users were quick to establish that the art of knocking watermelons is not exclusive to China and is in fact universal. The viral photo was originally posted by a user on Weibo who calls himself 'Isolated Guardian'. He is allegedly a Chinese man living in Milan. The photo has since been removed from his page.
根據微博上的信息，在中國媒體報道稱這則標識針對的是中國顧客后，這張照片迅速火遍中國網絡。但一些社交媒體用戶很快發(fā)現敲西瓜并非中國獨有的現象，其實在全球都非常普遍。最初上傳這張照片的是一位名為@孤島守護者的微博網友，據說是一位居住在米蘭的中國人。后來他將照片在其個人主頁刪除。

Many shared jokes aimed at the supermarket sign.
很多網友分享了有關這則超市標識的笑話。

Some people shared photos of themselves listening for a response from watermelons.
一些人分享了自己聽西瓜“回應”的照片。

The topic of watermelons is another example of how some people in China are concerned about how they are perceived around the world.
敲西瓜這一熱門話題是一些中國人關心外國人如何看待他們的又一例證。

Online users are keen to show they know better, especially on the subject of watermelons.
網友們熱衷于表現出自己知道的更多，特別是關于西瓜這件事。

Others pointed out that the concept of watermelon knocking has been passed down from their parents.
還有人指出敲西瓜是爸爸媽媽傳下來的方法。

A quick online search will reveal that Chinese social media users are not alone in their thinking. Watermelon knocking and listening for a hollow sound is indeed a near universal concept. A vast array of videos and blogs provide with advice on how to pick a good watermelon. It even appears in film and animation. Popular Russian cartoon, 'Nu, pogodi!' included watermelon knocking as part of an episode.
在網上快速搜索一下就會發(fā)現，不僅僅是中國的社交媒體用戶這樣想。敲西瓜、聽回聲其實是一種普遍現象。有很多視頻和博客都給大家提供了如何挑選好吃的西瓜的建議。敲西瓜這種行為甚至還出現在電影和動畫片里。流行的俄語卡通片《兔子，等著瞧！》中也有敲西瓜的情節(jié)。

One video comically claimed to have a magic formula but the end result was not very convincing. There's even a smart phone app designed by Chinese university students to you help you in your endeavour to find the ideal watermelon.
一段視頻中滑稽地說，有個挑選好西瓜的魔法公式，但其結論并沒那么有說服力。幾位中國大學生還發(fā)明了一個幫人挑選好西瓜的智能手機應用。

There are no absolute guarantees about what to do when it comes to choosing fruit. But at the risk of causing an international diplomatic incident we would suggest there some common ground about what to look for to choose the perfect watermelon.
在挑選水果的時候，沒有什么萬全之策。但冒著引發(fā)國際外交事件的風險，我們給您提幾條關于挑選好西瓜的建議。

Feel the weight of the melon. The heavier the better
感受一下西瓜有多重，越重越好。

Press on the watermelon. It should feel firm and if it springs back, it's ready to eat
在西瓜皮上按一按，應該很硬實，如果按下去后能恢復原狀，就熟透了。

Look at the markings on the melon. A yellow patch on one end indicates it's ready
看下西瓜上的條帶。如果一端發(fā)黃就是熟了。

Of course if that all that fails, you could always, knock and wait for a reply.
當然如果這些都沒用，你就可以敲敲西瓜，等它回應。

英文來源：BBC
翻譯&編審：yaning