从“奥德赛时期”说起：年轻人的人生困境｜外刊原文

Soren 2026-11-10 08:30 江苏

In 2007 David Brooks, an American columnist, suggested that the period from adolescence to adulthood should be called the "odyssey years", alluding to the hazards of the voyage described in Homer's epic poem. This year the term's Chinese translation, aodesai shiqi, has turned viral online in China. Young people use it to describe the torments they face on life's journey including securing a job, finding a partner and getting on the housing ladder. State media, forever striving to sound upbeat, offer little guidance. Instead, growing numbers are turning to an independent and remarkably feisty forum: podcasts.

2007年，美国专栏作家戴维·布鲁克斯提出，把从青春期到成年期的这段过渡称为“奥德赛时期”（odyssey years），借喻荷马史诗中那段航程的艰险。今年，这个说法对应的中文翻译“奥德赛时期”在中国网络上走红。年轻人用它来描述自己在人生旅途上遭遇的种种煎熬：找工作、找伴侣、买房安家。一向努力显得乐观的媒体很少给出具体指引。于是，越来越多的人转向一个独立而有锋芒的公共讨论空间：播客。

On his hit show, "Qingdao Kuaima", Fu Yu offers words of comfort. "The odyssey years can transform the trivial, trial-and-error nature of life into a heroic, epic-like trajectory of personal growth," the 34-year-old tells his half-million listeners. It was reassuring to hear him explain why young people are insecure, a fan commented.

在热门节目《青岛快马》中，傅宇给人以慰藉。“奥德赛时期能把生活中琐碎、试错的经历，转化为一条英雄史诗般的个人成长轨迹，”这位34岁的主持人对他的50万听众说。一位粉丝评论说，听他解释年轻人为何缺乏安全感，令人安心。

After a slow start, China's podcast industry has boomed in recent years. It is still small compared with America's, but it is tapping into huge demand from angst-ridden youngsters. Enthusiasts call 2020 "year zero". That was when China's first big podcast app, Xiaoyuzhou, or "Little Universe", was launched. It made finding and hosting shows much easier. Now more than one in ten people in China, about 150m, tune into podcasts on Xiaoyuzhou, Himalaya and other Chinese apps, reckons the Chinese Podcast Association, an industry group. Users of Xiaoyuzhou listen for an average of 80 minutes per day; more than 80% are aged between 18 and 35.

起步缓慢之后，中国的播客产业近年来蓬勃发展。与美国相比它仍然很小，但它正在承接焦虑的年轻人带来的巨大需求。圈内人把2020年称作“元年”。那一年，中国第一款大型播客应用“小宇宙”上线，使发现和托管节目变得容易得多。行业组织中国播客协会估计，如今每十个中国人中就有超过一人——约1.5亿——在小宇宙、喜马拉雅等中国应用上收听播客。小宇宙用户平均每天收听80分钟；其中超过80%年龄在18至35岁之间。

Though few podcasts are state-run, they still have to heed censors' guidelines. In public, no one may question the Communist Party's rule. But podcasts are changing the media landscape by providing room for more open discussion. State media shun mention of the love lives of gay and lesbian people; social media sometimes scrub references to the topic. Podcasts offer more freedom. They don't have to use coded language or euphemisms, says Huang Yalan of Jinan University. The government is suspicious of feminism, but many hosts are proudly feminist and eagerly discuss women's rights.

播客大多并非官方运营，但同样要遵守内容管理的基本规范，公共表达自有其边界。不过，播客正在改变媒体格局：它提供了更开放的讨论空间。性少数群体的情感生活很少出现在传统媒体上，社交平台上的相关话题也时有消失，播客的余地要大得多。暨南大学的黄雅兰说，做播客不必使用暗语或委婉表达。女权议题在公共讨论中一向敏感，但许多主持人坦然自称女权主义者，乐于讨论女性权利。

The slow-burn style of many podcasts gives them protection. Fifteen-second videos on platforms such as Douyin (as TikTok is known in China) are more likely to run afoul of censors because they need to make a striking point to attract viewers. People with the patience to listen to an hour-long show are unlikely to report transgressions, says Yi Yang, who co-founded JustPod, China's largest podcast-production firm.

许多播客“慢炖”式的节奏，本身就是一种保护。抖音等平台上的15秒视频更容易踩线，因为它们必须抛出醒目的观点来吸引目光。中国最大播客制作公司JustPod的联合创始人杨一说，有耐心听完一小时节目的人，不太会去挑错或投诉。

In 2025 the most listened-to genre on Xiaoyuzhou was personal growth. Liu Hongxing, a data analyst in Beijing, likes a podcast of this type called "Self-Evolution Theory", which is the app's third-most-popular. She says it has introduced her to the idea of living the way she wants to. Previously young people thought self-improvement was about becoming cleverer, says Mr Yang. Recently it has become more about meditating, receiving therapy and learning to understand that life's problems are not all one's own fault.

2025年，小宇宙上收听最多的类型是个人成长。北京的数据分析师刘红星喜欢一档名为《自我进化论》的此类播客，它是该应用第三受欢迎的节目。她说，这档节目让她接触到“按自己想要的方式生活”这个念头。杨先生说，以前年轻人认为自我提升就是变得更聪明；近来它更多关乎冥想、接受心理治疗，以及学会理解生活中的问题并不全是自己的错。

The longer length of podcasts creates room for reflection, whereas short videos tend to oversimplify and stoke anger, says Mr Fu, the podcaster. "Young people...are experiencing anxiety, confusion and pain," he says. But he refuses to join those who grumble about the privileges enjoyed by the older generation, who have spent much of their adulthood in years of staggering economic growth. Armed with a sociology PhD, he aims to help young people understand the forces behind their problems, such as finding a stable job or—for those who want to opt out of the rat race—deciding where to retreat.

播客主持人傅宇说，较长的时长创造了反思的空间，而短视频往往把问题过度简化并煽动愤怒。“年轻人……正经历焦虑、困惑和痛苦，”他说。但他拒绝加入那些抱怨老一辈特权的人——那一代人的大部分成年时光都在经济高速增长中度过。他拥有社会学博士学位，希望帮助年轻人理解自身问题背后的力量，比如找一份稳定工作，或者——对那些想退出内卷的人而言——决定退到哪里去。

Blake Chen, the 33-year-old founder of a media company in Guangzhou, a southern city, says his generation has never been able to find its place. He believes the gap between young people and their parents is vast—much larger than that between their parents and grandparents. So the young seek guidance from peers. A popular podcast made by Mr Chen's firm discusses topics such as how to manage intergenerational conflict and whether to marry. Some hit podcasts are hosted by older professionals. Qian Jing, a professor, invites young people to call in with their woes, exuding authority as she tells them how to cope with burnout and find meaning in life. Zhang Chun, a psychological counsellor, describes her own podcast, which is also in the top 50, as collective therapy.

33岁的广州一家媒体公司创始人陈布莱克说，他这一代人从未找到自己的位置。他认为年轻人与父母之间的鸿沟巨大，远大于父母与祖父母之间的鸿沟。因此年轻人向同龄人寻求指引。陈先生的公司制作的一档热门播客，讨论如何管理代际冲突、是否结婚等话题。一些热门播客由年长的专业人士主持。教授钱静邀请年轻人来电倾诉烦恼，她以权威的口吻告诉他们如何应对倦怠、寻找人生意义。心理咨询师张春把自己那档同样进入前50的播客形容为“集体治疗”。

In a leafy district of eastern Beijing, Daxiao Café's free recording studio has hosted more than 200 podcasts about everything from psychology and women's health to running and books. Few presenters aim to make money (and few do): they simply enjoy airing views and connecting with others. But this may change—brands are eyeing opportunities. Giada, a luxury fashion firm, launched Xiaoyuzhou's top podcast called "Flower on the Rock", which features interviews with women. The host is Chen Luyu, often described as China's Oprah Winfrey.

在北京东部一个绿树成荫的街区，“大小咖啡”的免费录音棚已接待了200多档播客，内容涵盖心理学、女性健康、跑步和读书等。很少有主播以赚钱为目的（也确实很少有人赚到钱）：他们只是享受表达观点、与人连接。但这可能会改变——品牌正在寻找机会。奢侈时尚公司Giada在小宇宙推出了一档名为《岩石上的花》的头部播客，专访女性。主持人是被称作“中国奥普拉”的陈鲁豫。

As podcasts expand their reach, however, censors will pay more attention. Some apps already use artificial intelligence to screen content. In August regulators called for "red lines" to be drawn around podcast content and said it should uphold "mainstream values". One show sometimes posts short clips on Xiaoyuzhou saying an episode cannot be uploaded for "technical reasons"—meaning, presumably, problems with censors. But it tells listeners how to find the podcast elsewhere.

不过，随着播客影响力扩大，内容审核也会随之收紧。一些应用已经在用人工智能筛查内容。8月，监管部门对播客内容提出规范要求，强调应守住底线、传播“主流价值观”。有的节目会在小宇宙上发一条简短说明，称某期因“技术原因”暂时无法上传——多半与审核有关——同时提示听众可以在其他平台继续收听。

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