common english uses of 'be' that dictionaries don't explain.

[owen]

a simple translation of the following sentences would probably suffice in answering my question if anyone has the time.... seems like every dictionary i consult leaves out these very important constructions.

"Why are you being so cruel/kind/lazy?" **i realize you might just say 'ni wei shen me zhe me can ku/shan liang/lan duo?' but doesn't that mean that you are asking about the persons general personality as opposed to their current mood/state? i.e. 'Why are you so cruel/kind/lazy?'

"don't be silly/stupid/lazy!" is no verb necessary in imperative sentences with be? do we only have to say 'bu yao' or 'bie' and then the adjective?

[roddy]

I'd say just add the time, and also use zenme instead of weishenme - ie, use How come instead of why, to make it a bit more informal (unless you are in a job interview and you want to ask why the interviewer is so cruel. Then you should be formal and polite)

So Ni jintian zenme zheme adjective

for example

[ballbox1982]

你为什么这么懒惰?If you can give me a reasonable explanation,you are not allow to be lazy.So I think I can use "别/不要这么懒惰" too

[xiaoxiajenny]

Why are you being so cruel/kind/lazy?

你怎么这么残酷/无情/善良/懒?

"don't be silly/stupid/lazy!"

别傻了/别那么懒!

[owen]

thanks!

since that went so well perhaps i could trouble you with one more probem.

i know several words and combinations for 'try' (jin li, jin liang, shi, shi tu, li tu, chang shi) but none ot them seem satisfactory and i often get funny looks when trying to use them. could someone help me sort out the differences and when to use which.

ex. He tried to steal my wallet.

I am trying to help you.

Try harder next time.

[HashiriKata]

i know several words and combinations for 'try' (jin li, jin liang, shi, shi tu, li tu, chang shi) but none ot them seem satisfactory and i often get funny looks when trying to use them. could someone help me sort out the differences and when to use which.

From the group of words you gave, the best bet is to sort out the English "try" first because within it, there is a bunch of discrete meanings that confuses you. Have a look at my separation below, with all the Chinese words you cited:

1. Try something: do/ use/ experience something to find out more about it, try and see:

试 shi :

让我试一下 (let me try) / 试着给他打电话 (try ringing him) / 他试着用左手写字 (he tried using his left hand)

尝试 changshi: 这种办法我没尝试过，不知好不好 (I haven't tried this method, so I don't know if it's good)

2.1. Attempt / endeavour to do something (often unsuccessfully):

试图 shitu :

我们试图把这些废料利用起来，可是没成功 (We tried to re-use these discarded materials but without success)

2. 2. Try to do something: make a great effort to do something, strive to do something:

力图 litu : 她力图忘记那件事 (she tried to forget the event).

尽量jinliang : 我尽量早来 (I'll try to come early)

尽力 jinli : 尽力帮助 (try to help)/ 尽力解决 (try to find a solution)

Note that senses (1) and (2.2) have nothing to do with one another, where as sense (2.1) straddle between the other two.

ex. He tried to steal my wallet.

I am trying to help you.

Try harder next time.

For these examples, I'll leave them to more experienced speakers for more idiomatic translations but you may try for yourself using 2.1 and 2.2.

[Koneko]

改正 Correction

我们把这些废料利用起来，可是没成功 (We tried to re-use these discarded materials but without success)

我们试图把这些废料利用起来，可是没成功

[HashiriKata]

Thanks!

But how could that happen? The sentence was meant to be an axample of 试图 but this very word is left out! ( )

[Koneko]

亡羊补牢 ，未为迟也。

[HashiriKata]

亡羊补牢 ，未为迟也。

なおりました！

ところで、owen君が出した例文を中国語に訳してくれませんか？僕も一応やってみましたがもっといい、もっと自然な訳文を知りたいんです。

よろしく、

[Koneko]

"Why are you being so cruel/kind/lazy?"

なんでそんなに薄情/優しい/ぐうたら？

[HashiriKata]

いいえ、これ：

He tried to steal my wallet.

I am trying to help you.

Try harder next time.

中国語に、お願い！

[Koneko]

He tried to steal my wallet.

他企圖偷我的钱包.

I am trying to help you.

我尝试帮你.

Try harder next time.

下一次再努力.

[HashiriKata]

ご親切に、どうも！

Thanks, Koneko! owen 'll be pleased with your help.

[in_lab]

I sometimes have trouble with this. A sentence I made a few days ago was:

我們開會的時候我試著不抖腳.

I try not to shake my leg during our [office] meetings. Is this ok?

[skylee]

It's ok.

BTW, there is this Cantonese saying - "人搖福薄, 樹搖葉落".

[Koneko]

我們開會的時候我試著不抖腳.

I try not to shake my leg during our [office] meetings. Is this ok?

Although it is fine gramatically, a local native speaker of English would never do something like that. Thus, it sounds a bit weird to me.

那句子让我联想到你们好像在开神庙大会请神上身？！

[in_lab]

Skylee, thanks for the quotation. Now I know why I shouldn't do that. I'll have to be careful with the pronunciation of that phrase. I don't want to tell people 人妖福薄

Koneko, I'm a native speaker of English, and I realize that the English translation wasn't very natural. My question was about the Chinese sentence, but if you can think of a better way to say the sentence in English, then please go ahead and tell me. (I wouldn't use the word "nervous" as part of the description, because it doesn't really have anything to do with being nervous.) dou3jiao3 is one of the many short phrases that is hard to translate. Another phrase that gives me headaches is 異常處理. (And not in the context of programming, where it would be "exception handling.") "Abnormality handling" doesn't sound very good.