Last year, four of Japan's top 10 best-sellers were about how blood type determines personality, selling more than 5 million copies altogether.

去年，日本10大畅销图书中有4本与血型决定性格有关，四本书的总销量超过500万册。

Taku Kabeya, chief editor at Bungeisha, the publisher of one of the books, told The Huffington Post that he thought the appeal of these books comes from having one's self-image confirmed. Readers discover the definition of their blood type and "It's like 'Yes, that's me!'"

作为其中一本图书的发行人、文芸社主编Taku Kabeya在接受《郝芬顿邮报》采访时称，他认为这类图书的魅力源自人们对自我形象的认知。读者看到书中对自己血型所下的定义时便会觉得“太对了，这就是我！”。

As defined by the books, type As are sensitive perfectionists and good team players, but they tend to be over-anxious. Type Os are curious and generous but stubborn, while ABs are artistic¹ but also mysterious and unpredictable. Type Bs are cheerful, but have eccentric, individualistic and selfish traits.

按照书中定义，A型血的人是敏感的完美主义者以及优秀的团队领导者，但同时往往过于焦虑。O型血的人好奇心强，慷慨大方，但十分固执；而AB型血的人很有艺术气质，但太过神秘莫测。B型血的人性格开朗，却性格古怪，崇尚利己主义且十分自私。

About 40 percent of the Japanese population are type A and 30 percent are type O, while only 20 percent are type B, with AB accounting² for the remaining 10 percent, according to the BBC.

BBC报道称，日本人口中大约有40%的人是A型血，30%是O型血，而B型和AB型血的人数仅占20%和10%。

Morning television shows, newspapers and magazines often publish blood type horoscopes and discuss relationship compatibility based on blood types. Popular comics and video games often mention a character's blood type.

早间新闻节目、报纸以及杂志常常会发布一些类似于占星术的血型分析，并探讨恋人间的血型相容性。热门喜剧以及电子游戏也常常会提到某个人物的血型。

You can even buy soft drinks, chewing gum, and bath salts catering³ to different blood groups.

你甚至可以买到根据不同血型人群所定制的软饮、口香糖以及浴盐。

Blood types, however, are simply determined⁴ by proteins in the blood. Why is it such a popular belief that they determine one's character? One reason often given about the craze is that in a relatively⁵ uniform and homogenous⁶ society, it provides a simple framework to divide people up into easily recognizable groups.

然而，简单来说血型是由血液中蛋白质决定的。为何“血型决定性格”这种说法会如此受到人们的欢迎呢？导致这股热潮的原因之一便是：在相对制式、趋同的社会里，血型理论提供了一种简单的框架将人分为不同的类型。

"Being the same is considered a good thing here in Japanese society," translator Chie Kobayashi told the BBC. "But we enjoy finding little differences that distinguish people."

译者千绘小林在接受BBC采访时表示：“在日本社会，‘从众'被视为一种美德。但我们也喜欢找到这些区别人们的小差异。”

The beliefs surrounding blood groups have been used in unusual ways.

血型理论还被应用到许多不同寻常的事物中去。

The women's softball team that won gold for Japan at the Beijing Olympics is reported to have used blood type theories to design training for each player. Major companies reportedly make decisions about assignments based on employees' blood types.

北京奥运会上夺取冠军的日本女子垒球队便针对每个队员的不同血型进行训练。据说，大多数公司会参考血型来为员工安排任务。

In 1990 the Asahi Daily newspaper reported that Mitsubishi Electronics had announced the creation of a team made up entirely⁷ of AB workers, because of "their ability to make plans".

1990年，《朝日新闻》的一篇报道称，日本三菱电器组建了一个完全由AB型血员工组成的团队，认为“他们企划能力强”。

These beliefs even affect politics. Last year, the country's Minister for Reconstruction⁸ Ryu Matsumoto was forced to resign after only a week in office, after a bad-tempered⁹ encounter with local officials was televised. In his resignation speech he blamed his failings on his blood type.

血型学说甚至波及到政坛。去年，日本复兴担当大臣松本龙由于脾气暴躁而与日本地方官员发生冲突，该事件被电视报道后，上任仅一周的松本龙就被迫辞职。在辞职演说中，他将自己的过失归咎于血型。

"My blood is type B, which means I can be irritable¹⁰ and impetuous, and my intentions don't always come across," said a remorseful¹¹ Matsumoto.

松本龙十分懊悔地表示：“我是B型血，这意味着我容易烦躁和冲动，我的本意经常被误解。”

Not all see the craze about blood types as harmless fun, and the Japanese now have a term for it, "bura-hara," meaning blood-type harassment¹².

并非所有的人都将这股热潮视为无伤大雅的玩笑，现在在日本有一个专门术语叫“bura-hara”，意思就是血型骚扰。

People with blood B and AB are especially looked down upon because according to their blood types they are strange and can't get along with others. The negative images are so widely acknowledged that people with these blood types are reluctant to "come out". It even affects their willingness to become blood donors¹³.

B型和AB型的人尤其遭到人们的白眼，因为这些血型的人性格古怪，无法与他人相处。这些负面形象得到人们的广泛认同，使得这些血型的人十分抗拒站出来。这甚至还影响到他们想献血的意愿。