One thing that baffles me for a long time is why the English translation for the country that we known as China is “China” and not Zhōngguó (as in the hanyupinyin for 中国) or something similar or names related to other known names of China like Huáxià (华夏), Shénzhōu (神州) […]
Language
Unlike English, where we separate each word with a space (like what you see here), spaces are used sparingly in Asian languages like Chinese and Japanese. This sometimes pose an issue when it comes to interpretation. Like this Chinese idiom 船到桥头自然直 (chuán dào qiáo tóu zìrán zhí) Where 船 refers […]
船到桥头自然直
I was reviewing classical chinese text and this phrase is very common. Again, it is challenging to keep the original rhythm but nonetheless here is my proposed English translation with the word “order”. Source: 修身、齐家、治国、平天下。 Translate: Discipline yourself to conduct your life orderly, so that you may then put your house in […]
Order and discipline – 修身、齐家、治国、平天下
More emerging terms that were popular among the Chinese Internet digerati in 2014. I added my comments and proposed translations. 且行且珍惜 As you journey through life, cherish what you have The above phrase was probably first quoted by Lin Yutang, a famous Chinese writer and later used in a Taiwanese […]
Emerging Terms 2
Some Chinese terms that emerged in 2014, still trending and my proposed translations. Note that many of these may have alternative meanings as the language evolves. 顶层设计 High-level design/Top tier design In its usual engineering concept, 《顶层设计》refers to a “top-tier design” but when transplanted to politics and economics in China, it […]
Emerging Terms
Did you know that the word “supersede” is the ONLY word in the entire English language that ends in -sede? There is truly no other word that supersedes “supersede” in its unique ending:)
supersede
天才与蠢才， 只差一个字。 How would you translate the above? 1. The genius and the fool, a word of difference. The first phrase is probably closer to 天才与傻瓜. 2. Brain vs brawn, a letter makes the difference. 3. The brainy and brainless, only the end differ. The third one is my favourite […]
A word of difference
This is yet another challenging Chinese phrase, often used in the Internet to describe a person’s style or persona. This is how Baidu Zhidao interpret this phrase(http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/222462624.html), that it is actually of two parts. The first half is “邪魅(xié mèi)”, which can be used to 1. describe someone who is […]
邪魅狷狂
“带你装逼带你飞(Dài nǐ zhuāng bī dài nǐ fēi)” is another interesting phrase I came across recently. It originates from the Internet. Its alternate version is “带你装B带你飞”. If you googled this phrase, you can see some interesting images. Of all the references I have checked, this one from baidu.com offers a clearer […]
带你装逼带你飞
Working on translation of any living languages that continuously evolve like English and Chinese often offers interesting, sometimes challenging, phrases. One of these is “当红炸子鸡(Dānghóng zhà zǐjī)“. If you googled this phrase, you will receive many results on a popular dish otherwise known as “fried chicken”. Only a few results […]