Uncle Sam
山姆大叔

Uncle Sam (initials U. S.) is a common national personification of the American government that, according to legend, came into use during the War of 1812. The first use of Uncle Sam in literature was in the 1816 allegorical book The Adventures of Uncle Sam in Search after His Lost Honor . It is mentioned as early as 1775, in the original “Yankee Doodle ” lyrics of the Revolutionary War. It is not clear whether this reference is to Uncle Sam as a metaphor for the United States or to an actual person named Sam.
“山姆大叔”，缩写为U. S.，是美国政府常见的拟人化形象，据说1812年战争时开始使用。这一称呼首次用于文学作品是在1816年一部叫作《山姆大叔重拾荣誉之旅》的寓言书中。它早在1775年美国独立战争期间《扬基歌》的歌词中便已出现。不过人们无法确定，歌词中提到的名称到底是对美国的隐喻，还是单纯指代一个叫山姆的真人。

The term Uncle Sam is reputedly derived from Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from New York, who supplied rations for the soldiers during the war between the U. S. and U.K. in 1812. There was a requirement at the time for contractors to stamp onto the food they were sending, their name and where the rations came from. Wilson's packages were labeled “E.A-US.”. When someone asked what that stood for, a coworker joked and said “Elbert Anderson (the contractor) and Uncle Sam”, referring to Sam Wilson, though it actually stood for United States. From then on, this nickname referring to the U. S. spread wide across the country, where people regard Uncle Sam's such outstanding personal qualities as honesty, reliability, endurance and patriotism as their national legacy and pride.
一般认为，“山姆大叔”一词源于1812年美英战争时期一位来自纽约名叫塞缪尔·威尔逊的肉类供应商，他在战争中向美国士兵供应肉食。当时，供应商必须在运送的食物上盖章以表明供应商的名字和食品的生产地。威尔逊的食品包装上标有“EA-US”(EA为公司名，US为生产地美国，而Uncle Samuel即山姆大叔的缩写恰好也是U. S.)。有人问U. S.的意思，一名工作人员开玩笑说“EA指供应商艾伯特·安德森，US指山姆大叔”，指的就是塞缪尔(简称山姆)·威尔逊。从那以后，美国的这一绰号便传遍全国。美国人将“山姆大叔”诚实可靠、吃苦耐劳及爱国主义的精神视为民族的遗产和骄傲。