Texting an emoji to a loved one or riding astride a galloping horse. Both are skills that, apparently, should come with ease to the modern gentleman.
發短信時給你愛的人發個表情符號，或是策馬奔騰，對現代紳士來說，這些都應該是信手拈來的事情。

Or at least that is the message in the latest edition of Country Life.
至少，最新版《鄉村生活》雜志是這么說的。

The weekly magazine has published its '39 steps' reflecting what it deems to be the ground rules for male manners in today's bewildering world of social media, high-tech gadgets and constantly shifting trends.
該周刊雜志發布了在今天這個社交媒體和高科技小玩意兒充斥的世界，以及不斷變換的潮流之中，男性應該具有的39項基本禮儀規則。

It comprises a range of topics, including male grooming, technology use and competency in the great outdoors.
這一套禮儀規則包括不同的話題，包括男性美容、技術使用和戶外運動能力。

The inclusion of pursuits like sailing and horse-riding are listed and chime with historic gentlemanly conventions, while other suggestions firmly reflect 21st century trends.
其中，劃船和騎馬等技能也被列出，這與傳統上的紳士形象倒也一直。其余的建議則明確反映了21世紀的潮流趨勢。

One rule drawn up by Rupert Uloth, the magazine's deputy editor, is that a gentleman should 'know when to use an emoji', the smiley faces that can be copied into text messages and emails.
《鄉村生活》雜志副主編魯伯特?尤羅思提出一個規則：紳士應該“知道什么時候使用表情符號”，表情符號指可以復制到短信和電子郵件中的笑臉表情。

He insists they should never be used in professional life.
魯伯特?尤羅思堅持認為，表情符號不應該用于職業生活中。

'The point about that one is that it's good to be able to communicate with one's children, godchildren, nephews and nieces, and to show that you know what an emoji is,' said Mr Uloth.
“使用表情符號好處在于能跟孩子們、教子教女、侄子侄女們交流，讓他們知道你了解這件事。”尤羅思先生說道。

The magazine also says a gentleman 'never blow dries his hair', never wears sandals, 'can tie his own bow tie' and polishes his shoes. Lilac socks, it says, are poor taste.
該雜志還列出一些，紳士“從不吹干頭發”，從不穿涼鞋，“可以自己打領結”，會自己擦鞋。雜志表示，淡紫色的襪子，并不是好品味的體現。

As for the opposite sex, the magazine insists that a gentleman always 'breaks a relationship face to face' but while he is in that relationship he should be able to 'undo a bra with one hand'.
至于如何對待女性，雜志堅持認為，一名紳士總是“當面說分手”，而如果他處在戀愛中，他也應該能“單手解內衣”。

The modern gentleman should also have read Pride and Prejudice and 'cooks an omelette to die for.'
現代紳士也應該讀過《傲慢與偏見》，也能“做出特別好吃的煎蛋”。

And another point that perhaps comes from a woman's point of view: he 'demonstrates that making love is neither a race nor a competition.'
另外還有一條規則或許是來自女性：他應該“表現出做愛既不是比賽也不是競爭。”

Perhaps surprisingly the magazine takes a relaxed view on tattoos, though it urges men to remember 'facial hair is temporary, but a tattoo is permanent'.
令人驚訝的是，該雜志對于紋身的態度較為寬松，不過還是對男性提出了警告：要記得“面部毛發是暫時的，而紋身確實永久的”。

Mr Uloth said: 'We mean don't be stuffy about it, but it's about remembering that it's pretty difficult to get rid of tattoos. We're not saying that you shouldn't have one.'
尤羅思先生說：“我們的意思是，對待紋身不要太刻板了。我們只是要你明白，一旦有紋身，再想去掉就相當困難了。我們并沒有說，不應該有紋身。”

Mark Hedges, the magazine's editor, said: 'There is no higher accolade than to call a man a gentleman.'
雜志主編馬克?赫奇斯說：“把一個男人稱為紳士是一項至高榮耀。”

What constitutes gentlemanliness is a topic touched upon by great British writers throughout history.
紳士素質的構成一直是英國的大作家們熱衷于討論的一個話題。

Oscar Wilde said a gentleman was one 'who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally', while George Bernard Shaw said a gentleman always 'puts more into the world than he takes out'.
奧斯卡?王爾德說，紳士“從不會無意之間傷害別人的感情”，而蕭伯納說，紳士總是“向世界貢獻的多，索取的少。”

Paula Lester, features editor of Country Life, said the most important points on the the magazine's list were the ones that revolved around being kind and caring.
《鄉村生活》的特刊主編寶拉?萊斯特說，該雜志列出的清單中，紳士素質最重要的是友善和體貼。

These include rules such as that a gentleman 'carries house guests' luggage to their rooms', 'wears his learning lightly', 'never lets a door slam in someone's face' and 'turns his mobile phone to silent at dinner'.
反映這兩項素質的禮儀包括：紳士“會幫客人把行李拿進他們的房間”、“不隨意顯擺自己的學問”、“從不在別人前面摔門”以及“吃飯時把手機靜音”。

Ms Lester said: 'Our magazine has been going for 120 years, so we've got a pretty good idea about what makes a gentleman.
萊斯特女士說：“我們的雜志已經有120年歷史，所以，我們非常明白如何造就一名紳士。”

'It's almost the ones that you don't have to think about that are the most important: being kind and in control, having courtesy and charm, and being able to put people at their ease in any kind of social situation.'
“最重要的素質是那些你想都不用想就能列出來的：待人隨和，脾氣溫和，有禮貌、有魅力，無論在何種社交情況下都能讓人們感到舒適。”

Vocabulary

chime with: 與……一致
emoji: 表情符號
omelette: 煎蛋卷，煎蛋餅，炒蛋
accolade: 榮譽

英文來源：每日郵報
譯者：王琳
審校&編輯：馬文英、丹妮