China’s Ministry of National Defense denounced on April 27 the rumor that the country’s newly launched aircraft carrier will be named after the mantis shrimp, an animal widely ridiculed by Chinese internet users for its bizarre appearance. The ministry clarified that no name has been chosen yet.

　　4月27日，中国国防部谴责了声称首艘国产航母将取名“皮皮虾号”的谣言(皮皮虾因其奇特的外观被中国网民们广为取笑)，表示说该艘航母的名字还没有选定。

　　“The online vote for the name of China’s new aircraft carrier will be determined by netizens themselves ... According to the Chinese military’s rules, the name of a new ship is only bestowed when the ship is delivered and commissioned,” Senior Colonel Yang Yujun, spokesperson for the ministry, told media during a briefing.

　　国防部发言人、大校杨宇军在新闻发布会上对媒体表示：“互联网上给首艘国产航母取名的投票只不过是网民的自嗨。按照中国军队的规定，一艘新舰只有在交付使用时才会命名。”

　　Yang’s remarks came after Iqiyi.com, a well-known video-streaming site, held an online poll about the name of China’s new carrier. The results of the poll were dominated by suggestions like “mantis shrimp” and “Taiwan.” As of press time, "mantis shrimp" had garnered over 890,000 votes, while Taiwan took second place with more than 830,000 votes.

　　杨宇军的发言并非无的放矢，在此之前中国著名视频流媒体网站爱奇艺举行了一场网络投票，为中国第一艘国产航母征名。投票结果全是“皮皮虾号”和“台湾号”等名字。截止发稿时为止，“皮皮虾号”获得了89万票，“台湾号”获得了83万票。

　　“Mantis shrimp, lets’ go!” has become a new internet meme and catchphrase in 2017, originating from online gaming. The term is generally understood to signify a carefree and capricious attitude, since the real animal is known as a strong creature that is capable of smashing aquariums with its strong claws.

　　“皮皮虾，我们走!”起源于网游，已经成为了2017年新晋网络流行语。这个词通常被理解为一种无忧无虑、反复无常的态度，因为皮皮虾本身是一种很强大的动物，它的螯甚至可以打碎水族箱的玻璃。

　　Many netizens ridiculed the ministry’s response, saying that the name is funny and entirely appropriate.

　　许多网民都取笑国防部的回应，表示这个名字很搞笑、完全适合。

　　“Mantis shrimps are creepy yet fearless animals, and they have hammer-like claws that can dig into your muscles. I think our new aircraft carrier should also possess such qualities, so that it can protect the country’s honor. Maybe the ministry can consider mantis shrimp as the ship’s nickname” one netizen wrote.

　　一网民写道：“皮皮虾是一种很怪异、却又无所畏惧的动物，它们的螯像铁锤一样可以直击到你的肉里。我认为我们的新航母也应该具备这样的品质，这样才能捍卫我们的国家荣誉。也许国防部可以考虑将皮皮虾作为新航母的小名。”

　　Others worried that the name was“too vulgar” to truly showcase China’s power.

　　而其他人则认为这个名字“太俗”，不能真正展示中国的实力。

　　“In case you guys haven’t noticed, mantis shrimp in Cantonese is ’pissing shrimp,’ and that is not a good name for our first homegrown aircraft carrier,” another netizen wrote on Sina Weibo.

　　另一位网民在微博上写道：“或许你们不知道，皮皮虾在粤语里叫‘撒尿虾’，对于我们第一艘国产航母来说并不是个好名字。”

（编辑：何莹莹）