请看《Sixth Tone》的详细报道：
Touch and Go: Will Alipay’s ‘Tap!’ Gamble Pay Off?
When it comes to mobile payments in China, the QR code is king. Alipay, one of the giants of the mobile payment sector, is attempting to change that with Tap!, a new contactless payment function. Yet, six months after its launch, the jury is still out on whether shoppers and merchants will make the switch.
在中国，谈到移动支付，二维码可谓一统天下。移动支付领域的巨头之一支付宝试图通过推出一项名为“探一下”的新非接触式支付功能来改变这一局面。然而，自 7 月推出以来，六个月过去了，消费者和商家是否会接受这一新功能仍无定论。
As opposed to having to scan a code, Tap! uses near-field communication (NFC) technology, allowing shoppers to pay at checkouts simply by placing their phone close to a specially installed reader. Such technology is common in many overseas markets, yet attempts in the past to introduce this and other alternative payment options in China — such as face-recognition systems and UnionPay’s QuickPass — have largely been unsuccessful.
与扫描二维码不同，“探一下”采用近场通信（NFC）技术，消费者只需将手机靠近专门安装的读卡器即可完成支付。这种技术在许多海外市场很常见，但过去在中国推广此类及其他替代支付方式（如人脸识别系统和银联的“云闪付”）的努力大多以失败告终。
Nothing has come close to challenging the dominance of QR codes, which are used for 93% of mobile payments nationwide, according to a 2023 report by the Payment & Clearing Association of China.
据中国支付清算协会 2023 年的一份报告，二维码在全国移动支付中的使用率高达 93%，没有任何技术能对其地位构成挑战。
第一，学习the jury is (still) out on sth的用法。这个词组表示used to say that something has not been finally decided，某事尚未最后决定，例：Is it good value? The jury is still out on that. 这样合算吗？现在还不好说。
第二，学习dominance的用法。这个词作名词，表示the fact of being more powerful, more important, or more noticeable than other people or things，优势，显要，突出，例：the continuing dominance of the army in Uganda 军队在乌干达继续保持的主导地位
To disrupt the status quo, Alipay has embarked on aggressive online and offline promotional campaigns since introducing Tap! in July, providing tech support and subsidies to stores as well as major discounts to consumers.
为打破这一局面，自推出“探一下”以来，支付宝展开了线上线下双管齐下的大规模推广活动，为商家提供技术支持和补贴，并为消费者提供大幅折扣。
Alipay’s parent company, Ant Group, said in early November that Tap! was already available in more than 1,000 shopping malls and other commercial centers in over 50 cities. Business news outlet Late Post also reported that a team of at least 1,000 people had been hired to install 1 million terminal devices in under half a year.
支付宝的母公司蚂蚁集团在 11 月初表示，探一下已在 50 多个城市的 1000 多家购物中心和其他商业中心投入使用。商业新闻媒体《晚点》也报道称，蚂蚁集团已雇佣至少 1000 人的团队，在不到半年的时间里安装了 100 万台终端设备。
Zhang Zhan, a member of Alipay’s outreach team, told Sixth Tone that the company not only provides NFC sensors to merchants but also subsidies of up to 1 yuan ($0.14) per transaction to cashiers who help promote the service, with a daily cap of 300 yuan.
支付宝拓展团队成员张展（音译）告诉《第六声》，公司不仅为商家提供 NFC 传感器，还为帮助推广该服务的收银员提供每笔交易最高 1 元（0.14 美元）的补贴，每日上限为 300 元。
第一，学习the status quo的用法。这个词组表示the state of a situation as it is，现状，常用搭配为maintain / preserve / defend the status quo (= not make any changes)，维持/保持/维护现状，例：Will the West use its influence to maintain the status quo and not disrupt the flow of oil? 西方会利用其影响来维持现状，而不切断石油运输吗？
第二，学习outreach的用法。这个词作名词，表示when help, advice, or other services are provided for people who would not otherwise get these services easily，外展服务，扩大范围的服务，常用搭配为outreach program / service / center etc，例：outreach centers for drug addicts 戒毒外展中心
第三，学习subsidy的用法。这个词作名词，表示money that is paid by a government or organization to make prices lower, reduce the cost of producing goods etc，〔政府或组织为平抑物价、降低生产成本等而提供的〕津贴，补贴，补助金，常用搭配为trade / agricultural etc subsidies，例：international disagreement over trade subsidies 有关贸易补贴的国际纠纷
Shanghai has been one of the first cities to adopt Tap!. Shan Luhui, who runs a community grocery store in the city’s outskirts, was intrigued when she was approached by a member of Alipay’s marketing team, and agreed to install the system. Now, checkout times are faster, “and my customers are happy because the platform is giving out random discounts to attract new users,” she said.
上海是最早采用探一下的城市之一。在上海郊区经营一家社区杂货店的单路慧（音译）被支付宝营销团队成员接触后颇感兴趣，于是同意安装该系统。现在结账时间更快了，“而且我的顾客也很高兴，因为平台会随机发放折扣来吸引新用户，”她说。
However, a significant drawback is the time it takes to withdraw money from the system. With QR code payments, the cash is instantly transferred to her account after each transaction, but with Tap!, Shan needs to wait overnight. “This puts significant pressure on cash flow, as I need high liquidity in order to purchase products and pay my rent,” she said, adding that if the issue isn’t resolved quickly, she might decide to remove the system.
然而，一个明显的缺点是，从系统中提现所需的时间。使用二维码支付时，每笔交易完成后现金会立即转入她的账户，但使用探一下时，单路慧需要等待一夜。这给现金流带来了巨大压力，因为我需要高流动性来购买产品和支付租金，”她说，并补充道，如果问题不能迅速解决，她可能会决定移除该系统。
For customers, convenience, reliability, and security are the chief concerns when making the switch from QR codes.
对于消费者来说，从二维码切换到新系统时，便利性、可靠性和安全性是首要考虑因素。
第一，学习drawback的用法。这个词作名词，表示a disadvantage of a situation, plan, product etc，不利因素；缺点，毛病，例：It’s a great city – the only drawback is the weather. 这是座很不错的城市，唯一的不足就是天气。
第二，学习liquidity的用法。这个词作名词，表示when a business or a person has money or goods that can be sold to pay debts，资产变现能力。
Zhu Yu, a 27-year-old lawyer, recently tried Tap! for the first time in a Shanghai store after being prompted by the cashier. She was impressed with the system’s simplicity, and the fact it waived the 84 yuan ($12) she’d spent on groceries, a perk for first-time users. Yet, she was also hesitant, as the system “allows password-free payments, which makes me worry about fraud and personal data leakage.”
27 岁的律师朱宇最近在上海一家商店首次尝试了“探一下”系统，当时是收银员提醒她可以使用。她对系统的简便性印象深刻，而且作为首次使用的新用户，她购买的 84 元（12 美元）商品费用被免除了。然而，她也有所顾虑，因为该系统“允许无密码支付，这让我担心欺诈和个人信息泄露。”
To prevent fraud, a phone must be unlocked to complete a transaction using the Tap! function, indicating it’s in the hands of an authorized user. And only shoppers who allow password-free payments for small amounts can “tap and go” at the checkout. If not, they will need to approve transactions manually.
为防止欺诈，使用“探一下”功能完成交易时，手机必须解锁，以表明手机在授权用户手中。而且只有允许小额无密码支付的购物者才能在结账时“一拍即付”。否则，他们需要手动批准交易。
Liu Yuanju, a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Finance and Law, told Sixth Tone that NFC technology is more secure than QR codes. For example, he says people maliciously swapping out QR codes to commit fraud has long been a major headache for merchants, but the data shared via NFC is encrypted, so the technical requirements and investment required to steal money are far higher.
上海金融与法律研究院研究员刘远举告诉 Sixth Tone，NFC 技术比二维码更安全。例如，他表示，恶意篡改二维码进行诈骗一直是商家的一大难题，但通过近场通信（NFC）技术共享的数据是加密的，因此窃取资金所需的技术要求和投入要高得多。
Debates over the pros and cons of QR codes and NFC technology have raged in China since the emergence of mobile payments. The combination of limited credit card usage, the rise of mobile internet, and the integrated business models of tech companies created the ideal conditions for the widespread success of QR code payments as an affordable and accessible solution for both consumers and merchants over the past decade.
自移动支付出现以来，有关二维码和近场通信技术优劣的争论在中国一直不绝于耳。过去十年间，信用卡使用有限、移动互联网兴起以及科技公司的综合商业模式，为二维码支付的广泛成功创造了理想条件，这种支付方式对消费者和商家来说都实惠且便捷。
According to Ant Group, although perceived as an NFC-powered service, Tap! is more of a variation on QR code transactions, as the function transforms a smartphone into an NFC tag reader, with the online transaction completed via the app. This differs from established NFC payments such as Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, which function as card emulators, with the customer’s bank card details stored directly in their phone’s NFC chip.
蚂蚁集团表示，尽管“探一下”被视为一种近场通信服务，但它更像是二维码交易的一种变体，因为该功能将智能手机变成了近场通信标签读取器，通过应用程序完成在线交易。这与苹果支付和三星支付等成熟的近场通信支付方式不同，后者作为银行卡模拟器，将客户的银行卡信息直接存储在手机的近场通信芯片中。
One reason the company chose the tag reader route rather than card emulation is to support iOS devices, as the card emulation mode on iPhones is exclusive to Apple Pay. However, while users of Android phones can tap and go, customers with iPhones still need to confirm their transactions in the Alipay app.
该公司选择标签读取器而非卡模拟模式的一个原因是支持 iOS 设备，因为 iPhone 上的卡模拟模式仅限于 Apple Pay。然而，尽管安卓手机用户可以轻触即付，但使用 iPhone 的顾客仍需在支付宝应用中确认交易。
Liu said that a major obstacle to NFC technology in China used to be the low penetration of NFC-enabled phones. Yet, reports suggest more than 80% of smartphones in China now support NFC hardware, paving the way for new, user-friendly payment solutions, potentially leading to market expansion.
刘表示，过去，NFC 技术在中国面临的一个主要障碍是支持 NFC 功能的手机普及率低。不过，有报道称，目前中国超过 80% 的智能手机支持 NFC 硬件，这为新的、用户友好的支付解决方案铺平了道路，有可能推动市场扩张。
Rather than serving as rivals, he ultimately expects NFC and QR codes to complement each other. “When paying at the exit of a parking lot, for example, QR codes are more convenient because they can be scanned from a distance, whereas NFC only works when the phone is close enough to a terminal,” Liu adds. “But it will still take time for people to upgrade their phones, as many older models don’t support NFC.”
他最终认为，NFC 和二维码并非竞争对手，而是相辅相成。“比如在停车场出口付款时，二维码更方便，因为可以从远处扫描，而 NFC 只有在手机靠近终端时才起作用，”刘补充道，“但人们升级手机仍需时间，因为许多旧款手机不支持 NFC。”
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