America's economy contracted by 2.4% last year, and the number of millionaire households (defined as those with investible assets of $1 million or more) grew by 16%, to 7.8 million.

　　去年美国经济收缩了2.4%，而百万富翁家庭数量则增加了16%，至780万。百万富翁指的是可投资资产在100万美元及以上的人。

　　China's economy grew by 8.7% last year but the number of millionaires grew only 6%, to 875,000, according to the new Hurun Report.

　　据新公布的《胡润财富报告》说，去年中国经济增长8.7%，而百万富翁人数只增长了6%，至875,000人。

　　China is supposed to be the world's new millionaire machine, cranking out rich people like so many Happy Meal toys from a Guangdong factory. Its economy is growing much faster than America's and its millionaire growth is off of a much smaller base, so it's percentage growth rate should leap ahead.

　　中国应当是全球新的百万富翁生产国，它生产的百万富翁就像广东一工厂生产的“快乐儿童餐”玩具一样多。中国经济增速比美国要高的多，百万富翁的基数也要小的多，因此百万富翁的百分比增速应该是飞跃式前进的。

        Why then is the recession-wracked U.S. minting more millionaires than the Mighty Dragon?

　　既然如此，为何受到衰退严重冲击的美国比中国生产的百万富翁还要多？

　　There are two potential answers. First, the data is wrong. Estimates of millionaires are educated guesses, all using different definitions and standards. So maybe it's apples to oranges, or the numbers are off.

　　有两个可能的答案。首先，数据错了。对百万富翁的各种估计是有根据的猜测，使用的都是不同的定义和标准。所以，或许是在拿苹果和橘子比，或是数字不准确。

　　Second, millionaire wealth in the U.S. is now tied more to the stock market than the overall economy. The U.S. stock market bounce - up more than 60% from its bottom - created better conditions for minting millionaires than China, where the stock market grew half as fast and where wealth is more tied to real-estate and the broader economy.

　　其次，如今美国的百万富翁财富更多地与股市、而不是整体经济挂钩。美国股市较谷底涨了60%以上，比中国为生产百万富翁创造了更好的条件；在中国，股市的涨幅只有美国的一半，财富更多地是与房地产和整体经济挂钩。

       Whatever the reasons, the fact that the U.S. is outpacing China in millionaire growth will come as a huge surprise - and has both political and economic impacts. First, it will fan the populist flames here in the U.S., where the recession-wracked middle class is dumbfounded at the recovery of the wealthy.

　　无论原因是什么，事实是，美国百万富翁增速超过了中国，这不仅让人大吃一惊，还会带来政治和经济上的影响。首先，这会让民粹主义之火在美国蔓延开来，受到衰退严重冲击的美国中产阶级被富人的恢复能力震惊得目瞪口呆。

　　Second, it will (or should) cause luxury companies that are looking to China for salvation to shift their sights back to the U.S.

　　其次，这将（或应该）让那些指望中国来拯救它们的奢侈品公司重新把目光转向美国。

　　Why do you think America is making more millionaires than China?

　　你认为美国比中国生产的百万富翁要多的原因何在？