皮皮虾号?! 国防部就首艘航母命名做出回应

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，中国国防部谴责了称首艘国产航母将取名为“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）。该部门表示，航母的名字目前还没有选定。

"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、大校杨宇军在一场新闻发布会上对媒体表示：“互联网上给我国首艘国产航母取名的投票只不过是网民的自发行为。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 , a well-known video-streaming site, held an online poll about the name of China's new carrier.

杨宇军的发言是针对中国著名视频流媒体网站爱奇艺举行的一场有关中国新航母名字的网络投票活动。

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.

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，而“台湾号”则获得了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、口头禅。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.

一位网民写道：“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.

另一位网民在新浪微博上写道：“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。”