青年偶像艺人吸烟引"爆"网络 Youth icon apologizes for smoking indoors

Wang Yuan, a popular youth icon(偶像 ǒuxiàng), expressed regret and determination(决心 juéxīn) to behave himself on his social media account after getting a warning(警告 jǐnggào) from health authorities for smoking(吸烟 xīyān) indoors(室内 shìnèi) on Tuesday.

Wang Yuan attends the 69th Berlin International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 14, 2019. [Photo: IC]

Photos revealed Wang, 18, was smoking at a Beijing restaurant on Monday night. It is forbidden to smoke indoors according to municipal regulations on tobacco(烟草 yāncǎo) control(控制 kòngzhì).

Wang carries wide influence(影响 yǐngxiǎng) as a youth icon, and his violation of regulations has triggered heated discussion(讨论 tǎolùn) online.

The star apologized for the potential negative influence from his misbehavior via his official Weibo account on Tuesday, promising better behavior(行为 xíngwéi) in the future.

The Beijing Center of Health Supervision warned punishment(惩罚 chéngfá) would follow if they can confirm these violations, adding the matter has been under investigation in a post released on its official Sina Weibo account on Tuesday.

Based on these regulations, individuals who smoke indoors are fined 50 yuan ($7.20), which rises to 200 yuan if the culprits refuse to correct their violations. In 2016, another famous actor, Wen Zhang, was fined 50 yuan for smoking inside a restaurant.

重点词汇 Key Word:

偶像 idol; icon

• E.g. Tā shì yī wèi qīngshàonián ǒuxiàng.
  他是一位青少年偶像。
  He's a teen idol.

• Tā de ǒuxiàng shì Mǎlìlián.
  他的偶像是玛丽莲。
  His icon is Marilyn.