meaning of very colloquial sentences

[y00nsk]

When I watch Chinese dramas, a lot of the phrases used are very 口语 and therefore can't be found in most dictionaries.

Here are two examples:

你用得着这样嘛？

I think the "用得着" means something to the effect of "what for?" or "why?" Correct me if I'm wrong, and what difference is there from "为什么” or "干嘛“?

你不要动不动就给我扣大帽子好不好。

I think 给我扣大帽子 means something like 给我找麻烦。Is that what it means? And what does 动不动 mean here?

Is there any dictionary or online resource where we can look up 口语?

[gougou]

See here for 动不动.

[semantic nuance]

I think 给我扣大帽子 means something like 给我找麻烦。Is that what it means?

The meaning of 扣帽子 is similar to 'put labels on' someone.

'用的著...嗎?' here means the same as '需要...嗎?' or '有必要...嗎'

Hope it helps!

[Annaliu]

Hello, as your queries, I would like to explain the "为什么" and "干嘛" with simple way.

In general,

“为什么”是问原因的，用法简单。find the reason.

for example, 你为什么来这？

“干嘛”通常有两种意义

1）干嘛=为什么， 干嘛+verb,

for example: 你干嘛说大话？=你为什么说大话？ Why did you talk big?

2）干嘛=干什么，单独使用，作谓语 It is used solely, as a predicate.

for example: 你干嘛呢？What are you doing?

3）干嘛=干什么， 干嘛+位移动词，情态动词（要，能，想等等）。

干嘛+displacement verb, modal verb, it means干什么。

for example, 你去干嘛？，你要干嘛?

Of course, Chinese is diverse language, it expresses different means when different conditions.

All of these are only my opinion.

[Oliver_CL]

dear y00nsk, chinese 口语 is very hard to learn, because the wide region of china, there are hundreds of thousands of 口语 in china, the two phrase you give are only belong to the 口语 of mandarin. As we come to speaking of 口语 here, let's have a look at the two phrases first.

1.你用得着这样嘛？

the apt meaning is : Are you sure you have to do like that?(means: you should not do like that.I am not support you do like that.)

the directe translation is : Is it necessary you do like that??你有必要这样做么？

the similiar sentences: 你犯得着这样么？你怎么这样呢？你怎么能这么做呢？你认为这样做合适么？

if you still wonder the explanation of 用得着 here, I will try my best to show you. I think the complete sentence is like this: 你用得着这样做么？maybe you can divide the sentence into two parts, one is 你用得着, and the other one is 这样做么？你用得着is mean: you will use something. and you can take the second part for "something" here. Of course you can say用得着here has the same meaning with 为什么 and 干嘛。

now, have you had a rough comprehension about it? Anyway, I hope so. lol

2.你不要动不动就给我扣大帽子好不好。

扣帽子is a word mean approximately convicte. So the phrase above mean....You should not always convicte me, OK??

扣帽子, in the past in china, we often force the criminals to take on a hat, on which the crime was written, and leted the criminals walk through street in public.

动不动 is mean : always. how does this happened? why 动不动 means "always"? Just think that you sit in your seat, you can't be freezen all the time, you will move your body a little to feel relaxed, and we called it 动, then after you feel good, you will stop move, that we called it 不动. you keepping your body alternated between 动 and 不动 all the morning, and this is something that always happen, so we can explain 动不动 as "always“ here.

Is there a wonderful dictionary about chinese 口语? I am not sure, you should asked your teacher.

chenlei815@hotmail.com

[bamboo]

I am not happy about the way some people in this thread have translated the 用得着 or

’verb+得+着‘ phrase.The first attempt by semantic nuance even includes a typo error!

'用的著...嗎?' here means the same as '需要...嗎?' or '有必要...嗎'

There is a common English word running through all the following examples in my opinion：

用得着; 来得起; 过得去; 打得过; 跨得过

用得著; 來得起; 過得去; 打得過; 跨得過

That English word must be: "able to". So I would translate 用得着 as able to use. Complete sentence: 你用得着这样嘛？ becomes: "Are you able to use it in (this state/ this way) ?"

你的搶很久沒用， 還用得著嗎？你的抢很久没用， 还用得着吗？

Your gun hasn't been used for so long, are you still able to use it?

I hope ‘用得著’ 永遠 不能是 ‘有必要’ or even 需要！ Where is the sense of must 必 and or necessity需要? good grief! 一定產生很多誤會的。 With '干嘛' and the way AnnaLiu has explained it I have no problems. Anna 我們彼此一定溝通得到

[creamyhorror]

bamboo: Literally, 用得着 means "able to use", but in an expression in a drama like "你用得着这样吗", translations like "Did you really have to do that?" or "Was that really necessary?" are perfectly acceptable IMO. Even in Chinese, the idea of "necessity" is very similar - I would say "你何必这么做" is a close equivalent to the original sentence.

A good compromise might be "Was there any use in doing that?", although that's a bit stiff/literal.

[bamboo]

滑腻 慘事 說： I would say "你何必这么做" is a close equivalent to the original sentence.--你用得着这样吗"

那么我們 彼此一定不能溝通！ I think your Chinese is already very good compared to the initial enquirer. It is a good thing I can avoid people who think the above two sentences are the same.

[HashiriKata]

How many months have you been studying Chinese Bamboo? From your posts in this thread you appear to have mastered the language already.

()

[creamyhorror]

How many months have you been studying Chinese Bamboo? From your posts in this thread you appear to have mastered the language already.

We're so lucky we have such a master here with us

[bamboo]

How many months have you been studying Chinese Bamboo? From your posts in this thread you appear to have mastered the language already.

I knew you would appreciate my greater wisdom. Japanese people tend to know when they are out-gunned so to speak!

We're so lucky we have such a master here with us

Thank you but one tries one's best to be humble...

[HashiriKata]

I knew you would appreciate my greater wisdom. Japanese people tend to know when they are out-gunned so to speak!

Now, what do Japanese people have to do with this thread? Or are you just barking like an injured mad dog? Is this your normal behaviour to resort to racism everytime you're put straight? And what kind of mud your brain is made of to think that anyone who bears a Japanese-sounding user-name is Japanese?

Do everyone a favour and get lost, please!

[bamboo]

Now, what do Japanese people have to do with this thread? Or are you just barking like an injured mad dog? Is this your normal behaviour to resort to racism everytime you're put straight? And what kind of mud your brain is made of to think that anyone who bears a Japanese-sounding user-name is Japanese?

Actually if you are not Japanese then I have made a genuine 100% mistake about assuming you were. Being a Japanese is not an insult.

Also if you are not Japanese then what I said does not apply to you since I meant it as a broad generalization about the some Japanese people I know.

What I said actually, if you read carefully is not racist at all. It is meant to say that they withdraw from a scene when they know they have no usable fire power. I would...Its a smart move.

Tell me if I said: the Chinese leave immediately when they see foreigners fighting each other. Is that a smart behavior or complete cowardice? Which part would you focus on? If you focus on the cowardice... then I am your racist Come and hang me with your samurai sword. Opps I forgot you are not Japanese...I got mud in my brain and in my arse!

Actually another thing surprised me. My post was about my not being happy about a certain Chinese phrase - not really any poster. What did you actually contribute towards my understanding of that phrase or the original questioner of this thread? Anything? Instead was your reaction meant to be a joke, a compliment, what? Or was it sarcasm?

[studentyoung]

:lol:Come and hang me with your samurai sword. Opps I forgot you are not Japanese...I got mud in my brain and in my arse!

Bamboo, I guess you understand that a bamboo in China symbolize a real gentlman 君子. 如此调笑于他人，岂君子之所为乎？

Cheers!

[Oliver_CL]

I think it's a topic about a little translation at first, and it should not turn into a thread full of adverse colloquial attack.

[semantic nuance]

I am not happy about the way some people in this thread have translated the 用得着 or ’verb+得+着‘ phrase.The first attempt by semantic nuance even includes a typo error!

你的搶很久沒用， 還用得著嗎？你的抢很久没用， 还用得着吗？

A typo error!! Yes' date=' my mistake, I admit. But I think it is forgivable, isn't it? as you yourself did the same mistake.那可更是天差地遠啊!! 要刮別人鬍子之前, 能不能先刮自己的?

I am not happy about the way some people in this thread have translated the 用得着 or ’verb+得+着‘ phrase.

語用不在於你高不高興("I am not happy about the way"...., 而是在於人們是不是這樣慣用或正確的使用. Your being happy or not happy is your own business and it has nothing to do with the usage itself at all. Your not being happy about the way some people have translated 用得著 or verb+得+著 may be your own misunderstanding of Chinese usage. Please read carefully that I typed "用的[sic]著....嗎", which meant that it is a phrase pattern used together, not separately. 中文字不是一個一個擺在一起就一定只是一種意思--be able to use, is just one of explanations and the meaning still depends on the context. When you're not happy about other's replies, have you ever tried to prove that what they contributed were totally wrong? Have you asked any other advice, or you're just running in your learning zone -- 'hmmm, never seen this before.., not in my dictionary...etc" and conclude that what these people offered were wrong? In this case, the original question 你用得著這樣嗎? is similar to 你有必要這樣嗎? 你需要這樣嗎? 你幹嘛這樣? 你犯不著這樣吧?!

I knew you would appreciate my greater wisdom. Japanese people tend to know when they are out-gunned so to speak!

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. Indeed!

My post was about my not being happy about a certain Chinese phrase - not really any poster. What did you actually contribute towards my understanding of that phrase or the original questioner of this thread?

If you truly respect and appreciate what people are doing here from the bottom of your heart, then people will do that to you in return. No one owes anyone else here. Just don't assume.

[skylee]

semantic nuance, I agree with you.

BTW, I've noted that in Taiwan, both 着 and 著 have been standardised into one form, i.e.著. Am I right?

[semantic nuance]

skylee, 關於着和著兩者是否合併為著, 我沒辦法告訴你答案. 不好意思. 我所知道的是, 我們在書寫上有時候會使用一些簡字. 比如說 體寫成体, 著寫成着, 會寫成会, 國寫成国, 等等.(我個人會這樣用的原因是繁體筆畫比較多, 所以在一般不是很正式的書信裡會因為偷懶而寫簡單筆畫的字). 但是是否有明訂成文將兩字合併, 這個我真的就不清楚了. 不好意思.

[skylee]

semantic nuance, thanks for your reply. I don't think 着 is a simplified form. I use 著 and 着 in different contexts, e.g. 著作 / 著名 / 着急 / 着涼 / 用得着 etc. For me, they are usually not interchangeable.

But I've found in the on-line dictionary of the Taiwan Ministry of Education entries such as 著涼 / 著急 / 用不著 etc, which is why I have conclued that the standardised form of both 著 and 着 in Taiwan is 著.

[bamboo]

semantic,

I'll try to stick to my original comments about the phrase 用得着 ; and avoid the later much regretted sarcasm that came later on. I really appreciate your much more expanded reply to clarify what you were doing, hence my posting a follow up.

"I am not happy" means I am not sure if the phrase in question can be understood by me in the given explanations. (Since my Chinese is not good), I was very reluctant to say anything/anybody is wrong. "I am not happy" has a way of pointing vaguely to myself. At least this is how I read this phrase and why I chose it in the first place. To me to say something is wrong is a lot more presumptuous than to say something is uncertain. And if you say something is wrong, you usually have to prove that you are on the other hand right. You had a typo error right in the middle of the phrase requiring explanation. I had a typo error on a noun of a minor example I tried to give as extra! Maybe my error can be regarded as lesser than yours (for purposes of understanding the main phrase obviously). Anyway this extra example (got corrupted mainly from machine translation) was an attempt or "encouragement" on my part for later posters to do the same (for my benefit) i.e give examples.

Anyway, now that I know it is not a typo error but something else, which no one else seem to have pointed out prior to your subsequent post but after mine....before all the Japanese incident took over... I don't know what to say to that really

The "equivalent phrases" you have suggested: 你有必要這樣嗎? 你需要這樣嗎? 你幹嘛這樣? 你犯不著這樣吧?! are not dissimilar but I still find it difficult to equate them to the first phrase. But anyway its all last Friday...