江西寧都禁止官員打麻將引發爭議

Local officials in Ningdu, in China's Jiangxi Province, have been banned from playing Mahjong in order to help clamp down on gambling.

江西省寧都縣當地政府爲了幫助打擊賭博，已於日前下令禁止幹部打麻將。

The ban was contained in a circular sent to local deputy county-level officials by the Ningdu County Committee of Communist Party of China (CPC).

中共寧都縣委向當地副處級以上幹部發佈了該通知禁令。

According to the circular, the officials may not play Mahjong at any time, either while on or off duty, on any occasion, whether at an entertainment venue or at home, in any form, whether it be for fun or for gambling.

根據該通知，這些幹部嚴禁在任何時間（不管是工作上班時間還是休息放假時間），任何場合（不論在娛樂休閒場合還是在自己家裏），以任何形式（不管是娛樂還是賭博），參與打麻將。

If they are caught, they face losing their job.

一經發現查實，將面臨免職處理。

Mahjong is a traditional Chinese tile-based game with a very long history. It is said to be one of the most popular games ever devised in China, and involves skill, strategy, calculation.

麻將是中國歷史長遠的傳統棋牌類遊戲。據說，她是中國有史以來最受喜愛的遊戲之一，涉及技巧、策略、推算。

The circular has sparked an intense discussion on Chinese social media.

該通知在中國社交媒體上引發了激烈的討論。

Some netizens have said it is overcorrecting, arguing that normal entertainment should not be included in the ban.

一些網民表示，這是矯枉過正，認爲正常娛樂不應該被列入禁令。

Supporters, however, see the measure as "an iron fist" against unhealthy social trends. They hope to have academic cheating, lavish funeral customs, and other activities tackled in a similar way.

但是支持者卻看到了對不健康社會風貌的"鐵拳"措施。他們希望對學術造假、厚葬習俗和其他活動也以類似方式處理。