你知道“矮子功”吗？

Have you heard about ai zi gong?

它是戏曲艺术中非常独特的一项表演技巧，也是文武丑行演员必须自幼习练的基本功，

It’s a very unique performing skill of traditional Chinese opera that actors playing the roles of chou(clown) must keep practicing since childhood.

通常用来表演身量矮小的人物或者表现蹑足潜踪或嬉戏玩耍的状态。

 The skill is often used to portray characters of a short height or a character’s stealthy movements and playful actions.

表演时，演员要在很长的一段时间里半蹲着，用小腿走路，身子保持直立的同时还要挂一个好几斤重的“肚子”来掩盖弯曲的腿。

During the performance, the actor has to squat down and keep his upper body upright while walking for no short time, carrying a look-like "belly" weighing several pounds to hide from sight his bent legs.

矮子功修炼不易，从灌铅般的酸麻到举重若轻的从容，演员们要用数载光阴练出千斤腿力与铁板腰功，一个踢腿要带出罡风，一个翻身需旋出弧光。

Mastering ai zi gong is arduous. To achieve effortless grace, actors need to spend years training their leg and waist strength until a kick brings out a strong wind, and a somersault seems to spin out an arc of light.

矮子功描摹芸芸众生相，而正是那些十年如一日的努力，才使得矮小的人物在戏曲舞台上迸发出惊人的艺术生命力。

Ai zi gong captures the essence of ordinary lives. And it is those unremitting efforts that make the insignificant characters burst with astonishing artistic vitality on the opera stage.