结婚不再看户口簿，美国《新闻周刊》英文用词妙！
民政部日前就《婚姻登记条例（修订草案征求意见稿）》公开征求社会公众意见。引起海内外舆论热议的是草案中的一条规定：结婚登记和离婚登记都不再需要户口簿，也取消了过去对登记的地域管辖的规定。
（图源：视觉中国）
新华网报道如下：
Marriage registration in China is expected to require fewer documents and offer more flexibility in registration locations, according to a new draft revision.
近日公布的一项修订草案取消了婚姻登记的地域管辖限制，让结婚登记手续变得更加简便快捷。
Under the new draft, mainland couples will only need their identification cards and a signed declaration stating that they are not currently married and have no blood relationship within three generations with the other party to register their marriage.
按照修订草案，办理结婚登记的内地居民只需出具本人的居民身份证，并签署本人无配偶以及与对方当事人没有直系血亲和三代以内旁系血亲关系的声明。
Currently, individuals also need to bring their resident household registration books for marriage registration.
目前，办理婚姻登记仍需提供户口簿。
This will be the first revision to the marriage registration ordinance since it was enacted in 2003. The public is invited to offer their opinions on the draft via the Ministry of Civil Affairs' official website, email, or by mail until Sept. 11.
这是现行《婚姻登记条例》2003年正式施行以来的首次修改。日前，民政部在其官网公布了该草案，征求社会各界意见。意见反馈截止时间为2024年9月11日。
澎湃新闻评论文章《结婚登记不再需要户口簿：重申婚姻自由原则》指出，现在拿了身份证就能登记，父母就少了一个“拿捏”子女的手段。自然地，子女在婚姻中的自主权大增，家长对天价彩礼的要求不再有“强制力”，天价彩礼现象，也可能在一定程度上得到缓解。
美国《新闻周刊》（Newsweek）敏锐地注意到新规与“彩礼（bride price）”的关系，在报道中写道：
One netizen noted that the updated marriage registration law could save money and take some agency back from in-laws: "Doesn't [the proposed update] just avoid having to pay a bride price to get the account book out of the woman's parents?" （Aug 16, Newsweek）
名词“agency”用得精炼地道。对很多读者而言，这个词可谓“熟悉的陌生人”。“agency”表达“机构（organization）”早已司空见惯，而此处的意思是 “自主权/能动性”，在哲学领域常见，一般英文词典未必收录这条释义。
“agency”内含“不受外力控制”“独立决断”（the power to make independent choices and to have control over one's own life and decisions）之意，用来表达子女在婚姻中的自主权，可谓言简义丰。
《新闻周刊》这句“take some agency back from in-laws”中的“in-laws”更多指“女方父母（the woman's parents）”，正如微博网民所说，准丈母娘的话语权可能会减少。
如此一来，子女在领证问题上的确可以发挥更大的能动性（agency）。
