xuechengfeng Posted July 12, 2004 at 05:17 AM Report Posted July 12, 2004 at 05:17 AM maybe someone could daily post a sentence and i can look up the characters to try to translate it into english. maybe this could help me? Quote
UC_nostradamus Posted July 12, 2004 at 05:57 AM Report Posted July 12, 2004 at 05:57 AM Okay....how about: 道可道 非常道 名可名 非常名 ....taking a lesson from the Dao De Jing.....If you can do that, you don't need to take any Chinese courses at all....Actually, I think that that's one of the most controversial lines in Chinese literature (correct me if I'm wrong?) in that it can be translated in so many different ways.... Quote
roddy Posted July 12, 2004 at 02:45 PM Report Posted July 12, 2004 at 02:45 PM Here's an easy one to start with: 我爱国，可国不爱我呀 From 茶馆 by 老舍. Roddy Quote
shibo77 Posted July 12, 2004 at 02:51 PM Report Posted July 12, 2004 at 02:51 PM Here is a follow-up. ------------------- 道可道 非常道 名可名 非常名 ------------------- 無名天地之始 有名萬物之母 ------------------- 道dao4 名ming2 可ke3 非fei1 常chang2 --------------------- 無wu2 有you3 天地tian1 di4 萬物wan4 wu4 之zhi1 始shi3 母mu3 ---------------------- ------------------- (道)(可)(道) (非)(常道) (名)(可)(名) (非)(常名) (noun)(verb)(noun) (negative)(adjective noun) ------------------- (無)(名)(天地-之)(始) (有)(名)(萬物-之)(母) (noun)(verb)(noun's)(noun) ------------------- How one interprets it is their problem. -Shibo Quote
Quest Posted July 12, 2004 at 05:15 PM Report Posted July 12, 2004 at 05:15 PM 你们是帮他还是弄他。薛兄，听Roddy的就行。 Quote
xuechengfeng Posted July 13, 2004 at 12:09 AM Author Report Posted July 13, 2004 at 12:09 AM roddy I love my country, but it doesn't love me? Quote
zackzhou Posted July 13, 2004 at 08:57 AM Report Posted July 13, 2004 at 08:57 AM hi 薛兄 I'm gonna give u A sentence: 让一个初学者去翻译道德经简直是揠苗助长 Quote
shibo77 Posted July 14, 2004 at 07:12 AM Report Posted July 14, 2004 at 07:12 AM hehehe... Your translation of roddy's sentence is correct. -Shibo Quote
skylee Posted July 14, 2004 at 09:19 AM Report Posted July 14, 2004 at 09:19 AM Indeed it is correct. But what do you think if "it" is replaced by "my country"? And xuechangfeng, would you like to try this one? 綠蔭樹下，蟬鳴聲中，我們最好讀書。 (绿荫树下，蝉鸣声中，我们最好读书。) This is the beginning of one my Chinese lessons when I was 12/13. I always remember it. Whenever I see a big tree, it always comes up. Quote
roddy Posted July 14, 2004 at 02:31 PM Report Posted July 14, 2004 at 02:31 PM That's how I'd translate it, though I would probably repeat 'my country' and maybe make it 'love me back'. Here's one (a headline really) I found trying to figure out how to use 颠 路颠车门掉,毫无防备的女售票员坠地亡 I still don't know how to use 颠 though. Roddy Quote
Quest Posted July 14, 2004 at 02:46 PM Report Posted July 14, 2004 at 02:46 PM usually 颠覆，颠倒，颠峰 using 颠 by itself in your sentence is semi-classical. Quote
xuechengfeng Posted July 14, 2004 at 08:02 PM Author Report Posted July 14, 2004 at 08:02 PM skylee: you did this when you were 12/13? this was tough for me Under the shade of the green tree, amidst the insect sings, it's best we read aloud I had trouble with the meaning of 中 and finding out exactly what 蟬 means Quote
xuechengfeng Posted July 15, 2004 at 01:27 AM Author Report Posted July 15, 2004 at 01:27 AM roddy: i give up. i can look up most of the words, but most have a few meanings to them and i can't piece it together. the only thing i could come up with is something like You fall behind on the path to the top of the mountain, there's nothing to prevent the ticketseller's fall to earth. this is tougher than thought Quote
skylee Posted July 15, 2004 at 01:29 AM Report Posted July 15, 2004 at 01:29 AM snowie, I am chinese so it was not difficult for me. 蟬 is cicada. When you 讀書, you don't necessarily read it aloud. You can just read it. roddy, I think 颠 in that case means 颠簸. Quote
skylee Posted July 15, 2004 at 01:35 AM Report Posted July 15, 2004 at 01:35 AM It means the door of a bus running on an uneven road dropped off and the unprepared female conductor fell on the road and died. Quote
xuechengfeng Posted July 15, 2004 at 02:02 AM Author Report Posted July 15, 2004 at 02:02 AM so then is it Under the shade of the green tree, the cicada sings, it's best we read Quote
skylee Posted July 15, 2004 at 02:15 AM Report Posted July 15, 2004 at 02:15 AM I think I like "amidst". Anyway, well done. It has always been "it is best that we read" to me. But it has just occured to me that "好" can be pronounced as "hao4" to mean "like/love", changing the meaning of the sentence to "we like reading best (under these circumstances)". Quote
xuechengfeng Posted July 17, 2004 at 01:55 AM Author Report Posted July 17, 2004 at 01:55 AM thank u , thank u anymore? Quote
roddy Posted July 17, 2004 at 01:59 AM Report Posted July 17, 2004 at 01:59 AM 一个人要是不努力， 他就将一事无成 A little bit of motivation for you . . . Roddy Quote
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