Guess these literal Chinese translations

:) Smiley · September 5, 2003, 02:27

Those who know the language, don't spoil it, make it better! Post some more for people to guess.

While nowadays it is common for English words to be translated literally into Chinese or simply phoneticized, up until the 1950's or so, words for new inventions were given new descriptive names. This practice still continues today but is fairly rare now.

The following are all common Chinese phrases that have been literally translated. Try to guess what they mean in plain English.

Hand device
Fire cart
Bat ball
Iron road
Ground iron
Gas cart
Machine field
Atom pen
Gas water
Hundred products company
Powder pen
Sound recieving machine

And now some having to do with electricity:

Electric platform
Electric mail
Electric voice
Electric pressure
Electric cart
Electric stair
Electric pool

and here's something that wasnt a translation, simply a case of different names.

Guess what these planets are:
Fire planet
Gold planet
Water planet
Earth planet
Wood planet

FrustratedPoet · September 5, 2003, 06:55

Quote:

Electric mail

Isn't this one exactly the same as the english term?

Q Classic · September 5, 2003, 07:30

Fire planet
Gold planet
Water planet
Earth planet
Wood planet

i don't remember all of these. it's not just a chinese thing; the days of the week also (in chinese) were once named for the elements. because of china's influence, you now see those names for planets and days of the week (the names have since changed, as i understand in red china) in korea and japan.

Maniac · September 5, 2003, 08:28

Quote:

Originally posted by

Smiley
Fire cart

A car (with combustion engine)?

Quote:

Iron road

Railroad seems logical.

Quote:

Ground iron

Steel?

Quote:

Gas cart

Something with a stean engine?

Quote:

Machine field

Factory?

Quote:

Gas water

Spuitwater? Eau pétillante? Spruddelwasser? (No idea what it's called in English)

Quote:

Hundred products company

Supermarket?

Quote:

Sound recieving machine

Telephone?

Urban Ranger · September 5, 2003, 10:49

Quote:

Originally posted by

Smiley
Those who know the language, don't spoil it, make it better! Post some more for people to guess.

Could have put the answers in a "spoilers" field

:) Smiley · September 5, 2003, 21:00

So far, Maniac has gotten one correct.

Iron road = Railroad.

Soul Survivor · September 5, 2003, 21:22

fire cart = firetruck

iron road = railroad

gas cart = gas truck?

atom pen = ball point pen

powder pen = pencil?

not even going to attempt the other ones

Soul Survivor · September 5, 2003, 21:23

gas water = seltzer?

powder pen = pencil?

sound recieving machine = recorder? answering machine?

Bosh · September 5, 2003, 23:43

Hand device = cell phone
Fire cart = fire engine
Bat ball = baseball
Iron road = railroad
Ground iron = pavement
Gas cart = gas station
Machine field = factory
Atom pen = ballpoint
Gas water = petroleum
Hundred products company = comglomerate
Powder pen = pencil
Sound recieving machine = radio

here's some konglish, while we're at it:

oil banku
handu poon
pishi
ladiyo
pahlidu chikunu
cider (not what you think it is)
stahru claptu
golden pants
pierrot (had thise one as p on an english alphabet teaching aid, which really confused me)
pop song (not what you think it is, Anarchy in the UK is officially a pop song

)
pama
pija
golden ball
hacking (not what you think it is)

(some written as pronounced some as written because I'm lazy)

Urban Ranger · September 5, 2003, 23:47

Quote:

Originally posted by Boshko
Ground iron = pavement
Machine field = factory
Gas water = petroleum
Hundred products company = comglomerate

These are not right

Nubclear · September 6, 2003, 00:18

UR, put the answers in a spoiler tag!!!

Urban Ranger · September 6, 2003, 01:02

Okay, as per Tass' request, the answers are

Hand device

Spoiler:

Fire cart

Spoiler:

Bat ball

Spoiler:

Iron road

Spoiler:

Ground iron

Spoiler:

Gas cart

Spoiler:

Machine field

Spoiler:

Atom pen

Spoiler:

Gas water

Spoiler:

Hundred products company

Spoiler:

Powder pen

Spoiler:

Sound recieving machine

Spoiler:

Nubclear · September 6, 2003, 01:17

Gas water...

Kuciwalker · September 6, 2003, 01:18

some people have come very close

:) Smiley · September 6, 2003, 12:49

UR, you're not entirely correct on two of them:

Fire cart

Spoiler:

Hundred products company

Spoiler:

now let's see some guesses at the electrical categories:

Electric platform
Electric mail
Electric voice
Electric pressure
Electric cart
Electric stair
Electric pool

The Andy-Man · September 6, 2003, 14:44

hend device:

Penis

Boris Godunov · September 6, 2003, 14:47

Quote:

Originally posted by FrustratedPoet

Quote:

Electric mail

Isn't this one exactly the same as the english term?

No, in English it's Electronic Mail.

:) Smiley · September 6, 2003, 18:38

In Chinese it goes by that name as well.

Alinestra Covelia · September 6, 2003, 22:38

Some more Chinese slang terms for the brave of heart to guess at. Included are the pinyin to allow for greater clarity.

Small white face Xiao bai lian

Small organed ghost Xiao dan guei

Small younger brother Xiao didi

Small younger sister Xiao meimei

Eat tofu Chi doufu

Doesn't go through with me Gen wo guobuqu

Further points awarded to those who can get these!

DaShi · September 7, 2003, 00:08

Quote:

Originally posted by Comrade Tassadar

Gas water...

I prefer Fire Water, myself.

mindseye · September 7, 2003, 04:41

Great thread idea! I also collect these! Here are my favorites so far:

dragon shrimp

Spoiler:

mouth bag

Spoiler:

electric shadow

Spoiler:

flood all over

Spoiler:

ice flower

Spoiler:

on horseback

Spoiler:

bag mouse

Spoiler:

cat-headed eagle

Spoiler:

high tide

Spoiler:

left-right

Spoiler:

big-little

Spoiler:

thread-rope

Spoiler:

spear-shield

Spoiler:

Some favorite expressions:
turtle egg

Spoiler:

duck

Spoiler:

daddy duck

Spoiler:

blow into an ox vagina

Spoiler:

three hands

Spoiler:

cream cake

Spoiler:

Some phrases with the same meaning in Chinese and English:
- second-hand
- bad egg

...and finally, the only Chinese words I've found that have the nearly same meaning and pronounciation in English (if anyone knows some more, please post!):
tuo - to pull, as in "tuo che", or tow truck
pei - compensate, as in pay money
... and a close one:
er - as in "erdou", or ear

Urban Ranger · September 7, 2003, 06:55

Quote:

Originally posted by

Smiley
UR, you're not entirely correct on two of them:
Fire cart

In Cantonse it is

Quote:

Originally posted by

Smiley
Hundred products company

Same meaning, yours is a more Americanised version.

Urban Ranger · September 7, 2003, 07:15

Quote:

Originally posted by mindseye
flood all over

Never heard of it

Quote:

Originally posted by mindseye
ice flower

Thought it's nore like "snow flower?"

Quote:

Originally posted by mindseye
spear-shield

Thought it's more like

Spoiler:

This seems to be this

Hanging intrigue

Spoiler:

There are always:

east-west

Spoiler:

field chicken

Spoiler:

eye net film

Spoiler:

gas oil

Spoiler:

beneath the sky

Spoiler:

long worm

Spoiler:

big worm

Spoiler:

star seat

Spoiler:

star period

Spoiler:

public road/national road

Spoiler:

son noon line

Spoiler:

Buck Birdseed · September 7, 2003, 08:51

"eye net film"

What's strange about that? It's more or less what it's called in all languages where the term has been "nationalised", e.g. "näthinna" in Swedish (net membrane) and "recehártya" in Hungarian (knotted membrane).

DaShi · September 7, 2003, 10:03

Flood all over is certainly amusing.

mindseye · September 7, 2003, 10:27

I can't believe I overlooked "thing", probably the most overworked word in my vocabulary-impoverished Chinese!

What does "small white face / xiao bai lia" mean?
(isn't face "liaN"?)

Quote:

Thought it's more like "contradiction"

My Oxford lists mao dun as the meaning of "paradox", for "contradict" they list fan(3)bo(2), fou(3)ren(4), and ba(2)chi(4). However, in the second half, they define mao dun as "contradict"! Hey, that's a contradiction!

Oxford is sometimes wrong, and I would be inclined to go with you on this if it weren't for the extraordinary coincidence of a conversation concerning this very word. One day my boss overheard me use mao dun as "contradiction". He's originally from Hunan, lived in Canada for a couple of years, and has a masterful vocabulary. He stopped me and carefully explained to me that mao dun did not mean "contradiction", it meant "paradox". So ... why don't you two decide and get back to me?

mindseye · September 7, 2003, 11:26

Quote:

flood all over (romantic) Never heard of it

lang(4)man(4). Learned this from my electronic Oxford's, maybe "waves all over" or "billowing flood" would be better. I asked a friend, who confirmed that lang man meant "romantic".

Now that I check my printed Oxfords, I see that my electonic Oxfords has another error(

!), it used the wrong man(4) in it's translation (wrong radical, the three dots instead of the one that looks like an "i").

The printed Oxfords says that, besides "romantic", lang man can also mean "sluttish or rakish", with a literal translation closer to either "waves of disrespect" or "dissolute rudeness"! I better verify this one before I use it on a date - could be a disaster!

Too bad, "flood all over"/"billowing waves" (romantic) went better with my favorite, "high tide" (orgasm).

"Tide's coming in, Honey! Surf's up!!"

Sorry afterthought: after experiencing firsthand how singularly unromantic many Chinese men are, maybe it's not surprising that "romantic" is associated with "dissolute rudeness".

Urban Ranger · September 7, 2003, 12:29

Quote:

Originally posted by mindseye
What does "small white face / xiao bai lia" mean?
(isn't face "liaN"?)

Close enough.

Suffice to say that's what Ali likes

Quote:

Originally posted by mindseye
So ... why don't you two decide and get back to me?

Okay, I'll have a word with him, then

Quote:

Originally posted by mindseye
lang(4)man(4). Learned this from my electronic Oxford's, maybe "waves all over" or "billowing flood" would be better.

Oh, that. Yeah, "waves everywhere" to me

Quote:

Originally posted by mindseye
The printed Oxfords says that, besides "romantic", lang man can also mean "sluttish or rakish", with a literal translation closer to either "waves of disrespect" or "dissolute rudeness"!

Nah, don't worry about that, I have only seen the term used positively.