最近，“斩杀线”这个源于游戏世界的词在网上迅速破圈。
所谓“斩杀线”，其实描绘了一种现象：很多美国人即便收入还算体面，扣除房租房贷、保险等必要支出后，账户里也所剩无几；一旦遭遇意外、疾病或是失业，他们很快就难以在美国社会生存，只能被迫流浪。
A gaming term, "斩杀线", has recently spread across Chinese social media to describe a growing reality in the United States: although many Americans appear to earn decent incomes, once they pay for housing, healthcare, insurance and other essentials, they have almost no savings left. Any sudden illness, accident or job loss can quickly push them to the brink of homelessness.
图源： Getty Images
这个词如何翻译呢？
“英文悦读”公众号作者魏剑峰指出，在美国公共政策与社会学研究中，已有一个与“斩杀线”较为接近的概念——“the ALICE threshold”。其中“ALICE”是“Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed”（资产有限、收入受限、但有工作）的缩写，用来描述那些有工作，但是存不下钱，遇到意外情况很容易破产的群体。
A closer established concept in US sociology is "the ALICE threshold" — short for "Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed". It refers to people who have jobs but cannot save, living just one unexpected crisis away from financial collapse.
外媒文章也出现过这一表达，比如美国媒体The Maui News之前有一篇报道，标题是：52% of Maui County homes live below ALICE threshold。
这里的Maui County是美国夏威夷州的茂宜县。文章的副标题对the ALICE threshold做了进一步的解释说明：More Hawaii families falling below basic cost of living, federal poverty lines（夏威夷有越来越多的家庭收入跌破基本生活成本线与联邦贫困线）。
那么，美国社会为什么会存在“斩杀线”？“大白话讲新闻”是这样解释的：
这和美国社会运行的规律有关。以前大家总说美国是一个橄榄型社会，中产阶级占了绝大多数，但现在美国经济已经变成了K型：头脚重、中间轻，富的越富、穷的越穷，而原本中间这部分正在被“斩杀”。
Behind this "斩杀线" phenomenon lies a broader shift in American society. Once described as an "olive-shaped" society dominated by the middle class, the United States has increasingly become a "K-shaped" economy — where the wealthy continue to grow richer, the poor struggle, and the traditional middle class is being "killed" in between.
在美国的一线城市，中产家庭即便收入十几万到二十万美元，也难抵医疗急诊、房租房贷等刚性支出。一笔几千美元的医疗账单，就可能令本已捉襟见肘的家庭陷入财务危机。通胀下日常成本上升，生病请假可能导致收入中断；缺乏现金储备，很快可能信用受损、失去车辆，甚至失去住址。失去住址又会影响银行往来、就业与租房资格，形成恶性循环。
一旦陷入这种状态，很多人最终只能选择流浪，尊严与心理防线遭到摧毁，只有依靠毒品与酒精自我麻痹。毒品怎么获取？最简单的办法就是买阿片类止疼药，也就是特朗普常说的美国的芬太尼问题。
In major US cities, even families earning $100,000 to $200,000 a year can face heavy financial strain from soaring housing, childcare and healthcare costs. A medical bill of just a few thousand dollars may trigger crisis, while inflation and income disruptions leave many with little or no savings. Damaged credit, loss of housing and restricted access to employment and financial services can quickly trap families in a vicious cycle.
Many eventually fall into homelessness, experiencing severe psychological stress and a profound loss of dignity. Some turn to alcohol or drugs to cope, often linked to the broader opioid and fentanyl crisis.
既然都被“斩杀”了，为什么不能求父母帮忙？或者社会上没有救济吗？
美国文化强调个人独立，许多年轻人背负学贷和信用债务；父母与朋友在现实成本与法律限制下难以长期接济。
社会救济体系则更偏向“事后兜底”而非“事前缓冲”，门槛高、流程慢。再加上部分政策削减社会保障（如“大而美法案”），进一步扩大了这一群体的生存压力。
Why can't people simply rely on family support or government assistance? A culture of individual independence, coupled with heavy student loans and high personal debt, means many families cannot provide sustained help.
Meanwhile, the US welfare system largely functions after a crisis rather than preventing one, with strict eligibility requirements and slow procedures. Cuts to certain social programs have further increased pressure on vulnerable groups.
诺贝尔经济学奖得主安格斯·迪顿与美国国家科学院院士安妮·凯斯的著作《美国怎么了：绝望的死亡与资本主义的未来》描述的正是真实存在、由数据支撑的“斩杀线”。
以医疗体系为例，美国医疗支出占GDP约18%，远超国防与教育开支，却被认为是富裕国家中效率最差的体系之一。
制新药、新仪器和新的治疗手段不断涌现，很多并没有什么效果，但它们依然被推给病人并收取费用。同时，医院提高价格并不是因为成本上升，而是因为它们正在进行整合，从而减少或消除了竞争，并利用强大的市场势力提高价格。
医院集团、保险公司、药厂、医疗设备商形成了强大的利益联盟，通过游说政治力量，维持有利于自身的政策，比如阻止价格谈判。
这些都导致了医疗资源更多用于滋养行业利润而非改善公众健康，不仅拖累经济与工资增长，也进一步加剧社会不平等。
图源：Homeless No More
最后，来看看一些与“斩杀线”概念相关的短语吧。
▌on a financial knife-edge财务状况岌岌可危
Many low-income families are living on a financial knife-edge.
许多低收入家庭的财务状况如履薄冰，随时都有可能出问题。
▌live paycheck to paycheck月光族生活
Millions of households are living paycheck to paycheck, with no savings to absorb a shock.
数以百万计的家庭过着月光族的生活，几乎没有任何积蓄来应对突发状况。
▌financial cliff 财务悬崖
As housing and healthcare costs rise, an increasing number of middle-income earners are at risk of falling off a financial cliff.
随着住房和医疗费用不断上涨，越来越多中产正被推向财务崩溃的边缘。
编辑：裴禧盈
来源：英文悦读 大白话讲新闻
跟着China Daily
精读英语新闻
“无痛”学英语，每天20分钟就够！
热门跟贴