如果用两个字来定义国家的未来，你会选什么？
最近，日本政府就面临同一个问题：天皇皇位交接，该选年号了。
据日本东京放送（TBS）、日本广播协会（NHK）4月1日报道，日本时间当日上午11点40分左右，日本内阁官房长官菅义伟公布新年号为“令和”。
现在的“平成”年号将于4月30日随着明仁天皇的退位停止使用，5月1日起，正式使用新年号。
初春令月，
气淑风和，
梅披镜前之粉，
兰薰佩后之香。
有没有浓浓的古风韵味袭来？
“令和”二字大有来意，取自日本最古老的诗经《万叶集》卷五“梅花之歌”，梅花篇有梅花香自苦寒来的寓意，从某种意义上说“令和”的开启将引来百花争艳。
而自645年日本启用首个年号“大化”以来，过去247个年号中辨明出处的均出自中国古籍，多数是《四书五经》等唐代之前的古典文献。
比如“昭和”出自《尚书》的“百姓昭明，协和万邦”；“平成”出自《史记》的“内平外成”和《书经》的“地平天成”。
因为此前负责选择年号的专家多由通晓中国古典文化的学者担任。
在这次新年号的评选阶段，有呼声认为，应该站在日本传统文化的立场上，从日本古籍中选取。日本政府对此回应称，此次正式委托提案的专家包括日本文化、中国文学、日本史学、东洋史学等领域的有识之士。
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那么，年号有什么用？又是如何选出来的呢？一起来了解一下。
年号有什么作用？
There's a practical answer, and a philosophical one.
在日本，年号既是一个关乎日常生活的实际问题，也是一个哲学问题。
The gengo name appears on coins, newspapers, driving licences and official paperwork as a way of marking time. But it also represents the spirit of a period - just as saying "the 90s" or "the Victorian era" conjures up the culture and events of those times.
年号将出现在日本的硬币、报纸、驾照以及官方文件中，用以纪年。同时，它也是一段时间的日本精神象征，就像我们说“90年代”或者“维多利亚时代”一样，这些词蕴含着那个时代的文化深意。
The current monarch is 85-year-old Emperor Akihito, and his era is known as "Heisei". It started in 1989, so 2019 is Heisei 31. The name means "achieving peace" and was chosen mindfully, reflecting a desire for good relations at home and overseas.
目前在位的明仁天皇今年85岁了，他的年号为“平成”，从1989年开始算起，所以2019年是“平成31年”。“平成”有“达成和平”的意思，日本当年选择它，反映了在国内和国外维系良好关系的愿望。
日本明仁天皇
The era before that was "Showa" ("enlightened harmony"), presided over by Japan's wartime emperor, Hirohito. Spanning 64 years, it encompassed both World War Two and Japan's post-conflict boom.
“平成”之前的年号是“昭和”，有“昭示和谐”之意，其间在位的是裕仁天皇，“昭和”时期长达64年，包括二战和日本的战后复兴。
日本裕仁天皇
The new name is expected to embody Japanese ideals and aspirations, while also being easy to read and write. It's a lot to ask of two small characters.
新年号需要包含日本国民的理想和愿望，同时必须容易读和写。对于区区两个汉字而言，并不容易。
如何选择年号？
Japan's cabinet will pick the name from a shortlist drawn up by scholars, after experts have weighed in on which is best.
日本的内阁将从专家和学者们制定的候选名单中选择新的年号。
To guard against leaks, cabinet members will reportedly hand over their phones and smartwatches before meeting, and must stay in the decision-making room until the official proclamation is made.
为了防止泄密，内阁成员在参与决定前必须交出手机和智能手表，并一直留在决策室中，直到正式宣布为止。
Era names typically come from Chinese classical texts, and are usually only revealed when one emperor has died and another has taken the Chrysanthemum Throne.
年号一般取自中国古典书籍，通常在一位天皇去世，下一任继承皇位时揭晓。
Things are different this time because Emperor Akihito is abdicating in favour of his son, Crown Prince Naruhito - whose reign will start on 1 May.
然而这次却有些特殊，明仁天皇宣布退位，由德仁皇太子继任。德仁的统治将从5月1日开始。
Companies and government agencies whose computer systems use gengo have taken steps to "era-proof" themselves against Japan's personal version of the Millennium Bug, but it is hoped releasing the name a month early will smooth the transition.
一些企业和政府机构的电脑系统使用年号纪年，为了防止改变年号带来的混乱，因此提前一个月宣布新年号，使日本社会的方方面面有时间实现平稳过渡。
According to news outlet Nikkei, the name-picking process has been rehearsed at least once a year for over 30 years, so officials are always primed for "The Day".
据日经社称，遴选新年号的流程在过去30年至少每年彩排一次，所以官员们早就为这天做好准备。
日本有多少人使用年号纪年？
Its use is said to be declining as Japan opens up to global influence.
日本不断融入全球化的进程，造成使用年号纪年的越来越少。
A third of people mostly used the gengo system, compared to 82% in 1975, while 25% preferred the Western calendar, according to a recent survey in the Mainichi newspaper.
据日本媒体一项近期调查显示，三分之一的人在大多数时候使用年号纪年，1975年这一数字为82%，而偏好使用公元纪年的比例为25%。
Since both calendars use Western months, many people simply use them alongside each other.
不过，由于两种纪年方法都使用西方的月份，大部分人同时使用两种方法。
One man will be tied to the gengo model for the rest of his days and beyond, however: the outgoing emperor, Akihito.
然而，有一个人将与年号绑在一起，不仅是他的余生，还有他身后的岁月。那就是即将退位的明仁天皇。
At the end of their reigns, Japan's emperors are renamed after their eras. So Akihito can expect to be known as Emperor Heisei, just as his father, Hirohito, was posthumously named Emperor Showa.
在天皇结束统治后将用其年号重新命名，因此明仁天皇以后将被成为平成天皇，就像他的父亲裕仁天皇死后成为昭和天皇一样。
