The Mary Sue, perhaps the most notorious cliché ever, has been criticized widely because the very existence of a Mary Sue character usually ruins the story.
“玛丽苏”可能是有史以来最恶名在外的陈词滥调了，这一现象也受到了广泛的批判，因为往往一个玛丽苏角色的存在就会毁掉整个故事。
Mary Sue is a generic name for a character in a story that is absurdly popular and perfect. Mary Sue is not only the author inserted into the story, but also how the author wishes to be seen. They are often perfect to a ridiculous degree.
玛丽苏是一个通用的名字，指的是一个故事中某个受欢迎和完美到让人感觉荒谬的角色。玛丽苏不仅仅只是作者嵌入故事中的一个角色，也是作者所希望看到的东西。他们往往完美到了一个荒谬的程度。
The concept and the name Mary Sue first came out of fandom and fan-fiction, but there are also plenty of Mary Sues to be found in original fiction and media.
玛丽苏这个概念和名字最先出现在影迷和同人小说中，但是在原著小说和影视剧中也可以发现很多玛丽苏角色。
I've noticed a trend of frenzy for Mary Sue stories in China recently. Whenever I turn on the TV, what's playing is always some fantasy where the main female character has it all, and they are all similar in plot, despite various settings and characters.
我注意到近年来中国有一种狂热追捧玛丽苏故事的趋势。每当我打开电视，播放的总是一些非常奇幻的剧——女主角任何东西都应有尽有，而且不管设定和人物有什么不同，故事剧情总是千篇一律。
For example, a popular show called Glory of Tang Dynasty talks about how a woman falls in love with a prince, how they conquer obstacles (family disagreement, evil characters and war) and get together.
比如说，一部名为《大唐荣耀》的热播剧，讲述了一位平民女子如何和一位皇子相爱，如何克服重重障碍（包括家庭反对、反派人物的阻挠、甚至还有战争）最终在一起的故事。
Another show that's on TV is called To the Sky Kingdom, a fantasy story in a totally different setting, but to me it seems similar.
另一部电视热播剧叫《三生三世十里桃花》，这个奇幻故事的背景设定完全不同，但是在我看来和其他玛丽苏电视剧却如出一辙。

But why do people fall in love with such ridiculous fantasies, especially in China? When my colleagues and I discuss the reasons behind such creations, they all immediately agree that this has something to do with people's desire of becoming someone they cannot be in real life.
但是为什么人们，尤其是中国人，就是喜欢看这些可笑的幻想故事呢？当我和同事讨论这些作品背后的原因时，他们立即同意了这样一个观点--那是因为人们其实都想成为他们在现实生活中无法成为的人。
This type of fantasy is dependent on people, especially young people, and their ideal vision of love or life. People want to be concerned, and these stories offer the stage for them to imagine and to believe, at least for a while, that they are under the very spotlight of the entire world. Prince charming and successful career can just be taken by the hand.
这种幻想依赖于人（尤其是年轻人），以及他们对爱情和生活的理想憧憬。人们渴望得到关注，而这些故事为他们提供了舞台，让他们可以想象和相信--至少在一段时间内，他们处在整个世界的聚光灯下。白马王子和成功的事业就在他们触手可及的对方。
It has brought the public an unprecedented level of satisfaction and psychological fulfillment, something which has only been secretly written in diaries before. It is the best form of daydreaming.
这些东西给公众带来了前所未有的满足感和心理充实感，而这是他们以前只能在日记里偷偷摸摸写的东西。玛丽苏以一种最好的形式实现了他们的白日梦。
It is also the reflection of narcissism, which is deeply rooted in human nature. Everyone needs to be sure of their own value; everyone wants to be able to embark on the peak of life.
同时这也反映出了深深根植人类天性里的自恋。每个人都需要确定自己的价值，每个人都想走上人生巅峰。
I think that's rather fitting in today's China, where the pressure is too huge, real estate prices are soaring, education and other social resources limited, so everybody's wondering about how to live their lives.
我认为这和目前中国的现状非常贴切，中国现在压力很大、房地产价格疯涨、教育和其他社会资源有限，所以大家都在思考如何过自己的生活。
On a final note, creating or enjoying a Mary Sue character or story is not that embarrassing; it is an experience many people can relate to.
最后一点，创作或沉醉于玛丽苏角色和故事并不总是那么尴尬，这是一个很多人都能体会到的经历。