新加坡：公务员们或许不必再继续“左右滑动”了，因为周二（9月29日）推出的一款全新约会应用程序可能正好能为他们找到心仪的对象。
SINGAPORE: Public officers can choose to swipe no further, for a new dating application launched on Tuesday (Sep 29) may just find a match for them instead.
这款名为“FirstDate”的应用由政府科技局（GovTech）的官员在一次黑客马拉松活动中推出。它根据用户的偏好进行匹配，面向21至35岁且未婚的公务员开放。
Introduced at a hackathon by officers at the Government Technology Agency (GovTech), FirstDate pairs users based on their preferences and is open to public officers aged 21 to 35 who are not married.
此次试验是在新加坡结婚率下降、总和生育率创历史新低的背景下进行的。
The experiment comes amid a decline in marriages and a record-low total fertility rate in Singapore.
FirstDate的网站将这一试点计划描述为一种“不同的约会方式”，用户根据问卷调查结果，一次只会收到一位匹配对象的推荐。
FirstDate’s website describes the pilot initiative as taking “a different approach to dating”, with users introduced to one person at a time based on a questionnaire.
政府科技局周四向亚洲新闻台（CNA）表示，该团队希望测试通过更加强调共同价值观和偏好，同时减少单次匹配数量，是否能鼓励用户对每一次介绍给予更多考量。
GovTech told CNA on Thursday that the team wanted to test whether placing greater emphasis on shared values and preferences, while offering fewer matches at a time, could encourage users to give each introduction more consideration.
支撑这些匹配的是盖尔-沙普利（Gale-Shapley）稳定婚姻算法。
Powering those matches is the Gale-Shapley stable marriage algorithm.
亚洲新闻台将带您了解这一算法，以及它可能为新加坡的在线约会带来什么。什么是该算法及其运作原理？
CNA takes a look at the algorithm and what it might bring to online dating in Singapore. What is the algorithm and how does it work?
盖尔-沙普利算法以美国数学家大卫·盖尔（David Gale）和劳埃德·沙普利（Lloyd Shapley）的名字命名，他们在1962年发表的一篇题为《大学录取与婚姻稳定性》的论文中描述了该算法。它旨在根据两组参与者的偏好，在他们之间找到“稳定”的匹配。
The Gale-Shapley algorithm takes its name from American mathematicians David Gale and Lloyd Shapley, who described it in a 1962 paper titled College Admissions and the Stability of Marriage. It is designed to find “stable” matches between two groups of participants based on their preferences.
据求职平台Built In介绍，该算法大致分为三个阶段：提议、评估和迭代。
According to jobs platform Built In, the algorithm has three broad stages: proposal, evaluation and iteration.
每个人最初都处于未匹配状态，其中一方的参与者担任“提议者”。每位提议者向对方阵营中自己最心仪的对象发出提议，如果对方处于未匹配状态，则会暂时接受该提议。
Everyone starts unmatched, with participants on one side acting as “proposers”. Each proposer approaches their most preferred participant on the other side, who, if they are unmatched, tentatively accepts the proposal.
如果参与者收到的提议来自比当前暂定对象更心仪的提议者，他们可以转而选择新提议者，并拒绝之前的对象。被拒绝的人则会继续向其偏好列表中的下一位参与者发出提议。这个过程会一直持续下去，直到再也无法提出新的配对建议为止。
If a participant receives a proposal from a proposer they prefer over their current tentative match, they can switch to the new proposer and reject the previous one. Those who are rejected then move on to the next participant on their preference list. This continues until no further proposals can be made.
以 Built In 的示例来说：实验中使用了三名男性和三名女性，每个人都需要按照自己的偏好对另一组的成员进行排序。男性的偏好顺序如下：
An example illustrated by Built In used three men and three women, with each ranking the members of the other group in order of preference. The men’s preferences are:
男性 1：女性 1、女性 2、女性 3
男性 2：女性 2、男性 1、男性 3
Man 1: Woman 1, Woman 2, Woman 3 Woman 1: Man 2, Man 1, Man 3 Under the algorithm, each man first approaches his top choice.
男性 3：女性 3、男性 1、女性 2根据该算法的规则，每位男性会首先向自己最心仪的女性提出请求。因此，男性 1 向女性 1 提出请求，男性 2 向女性 2 提出请求，男性 3 向女性 3 提出请求。每位女性都会暂时接受自己收到的请求。
Man 1 proposes to Woman 1, Man 2 to Woman 2, and Man 3 to Woman 3. Each woman tentatively accepts the proposal she receives.
最终，配对结果为：男性 1 与女性 2、男性 2 与女性 1、男性 3 与女性 3。
In Built In’s example, the final pairings are Man 1 with Woman 2, Man 2 with Woman 1 and Man 3 with Woman 3.
当不存在任何一方更倾向于自己的配对对象（即他们都不希望与当前伴侣分手）时，这种配对就被认为是“稳定的”。
A match is considered stable when there is no man or woman who would both prefer each other over the partners they have been assigned.
例如：如果男性 1 与女性 2 配对，但男性 1 实际上更喜欢另一位女性，而那位女性也更喜欢男性 1 而不是她的当前伴侣，那么这种配对就是不稳定的。那么，这个算法将如何应用于 FirstDate 呢？
For example, if Man 1 is paired with Woman 2, the matching would be unstable if Man 1 preferred another woman to Woman 2 and that woman also preferred Man 1 to her assigned partner. How will the algorithm be used in FirstDate?
当用户完成 FirstDate 的问卷调查后，Gale-Shapley 算法就会开始发挥作用。根据 FirstDate 的官方说明，该算法会评估用户的“核心兼容性偏好”，以找到“最佳的双向配对结果”。算法会通过多轮匹配来平衡双方的配对情况。
The Gale-Shapley algorithm comes into play after users submit their responses to FirstDate’s questionnaire. According to FirstDate’s website, its engine evaluates users’ “core compatibility preferences” to find “optimal, mutual pairings”. The algorithm will run through a series of rounds to balance both matching pools.
FirstDate 表示，他们的目标是实现用户之间的“相互匹配”——即让每位用户都能找到对方真正心仪的对象。不过，这并不意味着每位用户都能与自己的首选对象配对成功。
FirstDate said that it seeks a mutual pairing, where each user matches what the other is looking for. This does not mean that every user will be paired with their first choice, however.
Gale-Shapley 算法的目的是生成一组稳定的配对结果，而不是确保每个人都能得到自己最心仪的伴侣。配对结果还可能受到提出请求的顺序的影响。
Under the Gale-Shapley algorithm, the aim is to produce a stable set of matches, rather than ensure that everyone gets their most preferred partner. The outcome can also depend on which side makes the proposals.
该网站还提醒用户：虽然从理论上来看双方具有兼容性，但这并不能保证两人之间会产生化学反应（即彼此真正喜欢对方），也不能保证这段配对关系能够持续下去。算法只会优先考虑那些双方都“可能对配对结果感到满意”的组合。“接下来的发展就取决于你们自己了，”该网站这样写道。为什么这个算法可能对 FirstDate 有用？
The website cautions that compatibility on paper does not guarantee chemistry or that a match will lead to a relationship. It will simply prioritise pairings where both users are “likely to feel good about the match”. “Where it goes from there is up to you,” its website said. Why could the algorithm be useful for FirstDate?
在传统约会应用中，用户会滑动浏览一份份个人资料，而稳定匹配会考虑潜在配对双方的偏好。
Unlike traditional dating applications where users swipe through individual profiles, stable matching considers the preferences of both sides of a potential pairing.
GovTech 向 CNA 表示，用户每轮会收到一个推荐匹配对象，也就是大约每月一次。
Users receive one recommended match per cycle, or about once a month, GovTech told CNA.
这是 FirstDate 的一项关键功能：它每次只向用户提供一个匹配对象，而不是让用户从大量个人资料中挑选。
This is a key feature of FirstDate – it offers users one match at a time, instead of a large pool of profiles to pick.
用户首先填写一份问卷，涵盖其兴趣、习惯、价值观和偏好。其中包括一个关于“不可接受事项”的问题。
Users first complete a questionnaire on their interests, habits, values and preferences. This includes a question on “dealbreakers”.
当用户收到匹配结果时，平台会向其显示匹配度评分，并提供对方的信息以及对方留下的一条留言。双方都有三天时间决定是否愿意进一步联系。只有双方都同意，才会分享联系方式。加入 FirstDate 的申请预计将于周一截止。
When a user receives a match, they are shown a compatibility score and receive information about the other person, as well as a note from them. Both parties are given three days to decide whether they want to connect. Contact details are only shared if both say yes. Applications to join FirstDate are scheduled to close on Monday.
这并非 Gale-Shapley 算法首次被用于新加坡约会场景。
This is not the first time the Gale-Shapley algorithm has been used in the context of dating in Singapore.
由学生运营的 Aphrodite Project 于2019年在新加坡国立大学（NUS）和 Yale-NUS 推出，采用经过修改的 Gale-Shapley 算法，根据学生对兼容性问卷的回答为他们配对。后来，该项目扩展至南洋理工大学和新加坡管理大学。为什么这个算法如此著名？
The student-run Aphrodite Project, launched at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Yale-NUS in 2019, used a modified Gale-Shapley algorithm to match students based on their responses to a compatibility questionnaire. It later expanded to Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University. Why is the algorithm famous?
尽管 Gale 和 Shapley 是在高校招生背景下开发这套算法的，但后来它在解决其他现实世界问题方面也产生了影响，例如根据两个群体的偏好进行配对。
While Gale and Shapley developed their algorithm in the context of college admissions, it eventually became influential in solving other real-world problems where two groups need to be matched according to their preferences.
Shapley 在稳定匹配方面的工作，后来促成他于2012年与美国经济学家阿尔文·罗斯共同获得诺贝尔经济学奖。
Shapley’s work on stable matching would later contribute to his being awarded the 2012 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences alongside American economist Alvin Roth.
他们因“在稳定分配理论和市场设计实践方面的贡献”获奖。诺贝尔委员会称，夏普利对相关理论作出了早期贡献，而罗斯则研究并将匹配理论应用于现实市场。
They received the prize “for the theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design”. The Nobel committee credited Shapley with early contributions to the theory and Roth with investigating and applying matching theory to real-world markets.
盖尔于2008年去世，由于诺贝尔奖不会授予已故人士，他不符合获奖资格。夏普利于2016年去世。该算法的一项重要应用是将医生与培训项目进行匹配。
Gale, who died in 2008, was not eligible for the prize as Nobel prizes are not awarded posthumously. Shapley died in 2016. One prominent application of the algorithm is matching doctors with training programmes.
在美国，全国住院医师匹配计划（NRMP）采用数学算法，将申请者安排至住院医师培训或研究员职位，同时考虑申请者和培训项目的双方偏好。NRMP将其方法描述为“申请方主导”。
In the United States, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) uses a mathematical algorithm to place applicants into residency and fellowship positions, taking into account the preferences of both applicants and programmes. The NRMP describes its method as “applicant-proposing”.
该算法首先尝试将申请者安排至其最偏好的项目。如果无法实现，就沿申请者的选择名单依次向下调整，直至达成临时匹配，或其所有选择均已用尽。
It first tries to place an applicant in their most preferred programme. If this is not possible, it moves down the applicant's list of choices until a tentative match can be made or their choices are exhausted.
20世纪90年代，罗斯参与了NRMP匹配算法的重新设计，旨在解决该算法存在的缺陷。
In the 1990s, Roth was involved in a redesign of the NRMP matching algorithm aimed at addressing its shortcomings.
该算法所依据的原则也被应用于高中招生。罗斯及其他研究人员对公立高中学生分配系统进行了改革，其中包括纽约市的分配系统。
The principles behind the algorithm have also been applied to high school admissions, with Roth and other researchers reshaping the system for assigning students to public high schools, including in New York.
匹配理论还被应用于肾脏交换，在患者与愿意捐献者之间安排兼容的交换。
Matching theory has also been applied to kidney exchange, where compatible exchanges can be arranged between patients and willing donors.
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