Word of the Day project 每日一词计划 (Day 12 updated)

[malanting]

Michaelyus

For 偏不, for me the idiomatically closest English is "just" + [auxiliary verb] + "not". E.g. "but this time I just wouldn't [comfort her]" (the main verb and object is usually repeated, but not always).

anonymoose

Well, you could say something like "He tried to make me leave, but I wouldn't", which kind of has a feeling of defiance. If you want to make it stronger, you could say "He tried to make me leave, but I absolutely wouldn't". However, I don't know if that really is the same as 他让我出去，我却偏不走。 I think it is maybe more like 他让我出去，我却死活不走。

Thank you both. "I wouldn't" sounds close enough. To me, 偏不 and 死活不 mean the same, except that 死活不 seems a bit stronger still than 偏不。

[malanting]

Day 4

Today we'll learn three words related to online shopping. First 团购 tuan2 gou4 . The word 团购 didn't catch on in China until one or two years ago. I believe it has something to do with Groupon. The entire fad may have been a copycat. Anyway, 团购 as the word suggests means a lot of people buy things at the same time(group purchasing). There're many 团购 websites in China. Usually, these websites provide "deal of the day" in which a product can be bought at a low price. However, only when enough people sign up and order it will the deal become valid. Some examples: 这块表是我团购买的，很便宜。刚网上团购了一个手机，但去超市一看，价格差不多，根本没打折。

One thing about online shopping is that bargains sell fast. So much so that many people keep refreshing the screen only to get a deal. This is called 秒杀 miao3 sha1. You can tell from the name that everything happens in a second. (Is it second killing or seckilling?) Example: (from a news title) 慈善演唱会门票秒杀完售 The word is very popular and has a derived meaning which is "to outperform sb./sth. or to surprise sb." Another headline: 范冰冰秒杀章子怡 It's a news article comparing their dresses. In other words 范冰冰's dress is much better than 章子怡's. The latter pales into insignificance. Another example: 之前几个面试者还在侃侃而谈，他一来，那些人被瞬间秒杀。（瞬间 and 秒杀 are often used together). 南方选手妖娆新奇，秒杀全场粉丝。In this case, it means to surprise the fans at the scene.

OK, today's last word 包邮 bao1 you2. It means "free shipping". If you see 全场包邮 on a website. Then, congratulations, you don't have to pay the shipping fee whatever you buy. There's also 满……包邮 , like 满68元包邮. In this case you can enjoy free shipping only if the subtotal is more than 68 yuan.

That's it. You can tell me how 团购 works in your country and whether there's an expression similar to 秒杀 in English. What about 全场包邮 and 满……包邮？

[icebear]

You can tell me how 团购 works in your country and whether there's an expression similar to 秒杀 in English. What about 全场包邮 and 满……包邮？

I've never used Groupon but my understanding is that it works as you've described 团购. 满。。。包邮 would be phrased like "Free shipping on orders over $XX" and is pretty common to see on sites like Amazon. I don't use eBay or other similar sites enough to know if there is a slang term in English for 秒杀, although the concept translates pretty easily (and I know that that sort of behavior does take place).

[malanting]

icebear

满。。。包邮 would be phrased like "Free shipping on orders over $XX" and is pretty common to see on sites like Amazon.

Thank you. In fact, I learned "free shipping" from Amazon. How do you say 全场包邮？

[malanting]

Day 5

The two words for today might be just Internet language first, but now everybody knows what they mean. Even my mother sometimes call me 宅男.

宅男/宅女 (zhai2 nan2/zhai2 nv3) refers to a boy or a girl who doesn't like go outside and always stays inside(like home or dorm). 宅 itself can be used as a adjective or verb. The closest equivalent I can think of is "indoorsy". Some examples: 他是一个标准的宅男，从来不出门。/ 我平时很宅，节假日也不爱出去。/ 她是个宅女，每天都宅在家里。

剩男/剩女 (sheng4 nan2/sheng4 nv3）.These two words are often translated as "left-over men" and "left-over women". They are people who have difficult finding a partner. Examples: 我总找不到女朋友，再下去都快成剩男了。/ 她学历高，工作也不错，也许正因如此没有男人敢娶她。现在周围的人都说她是剩女。

Sometimes, in a humorous way, 剩女 is intentionally misspelled as 圣女(圣 means holy) because they have the same pronunciation.

Are there 宅男 or 剩女 in your country?

[skylee]

A while ago there was a controversial fake-reality show in Hong Kong called 盛女愛作戰. I think the term 盛女 is a quite well thought-out twist.

[icebear]

Thank you. In fact, I learned "free shipping" from Amazon. How do you say 全场包邮？

I think we would always assume "free shipping" implies 全场包邮; otherwise the website would specify something else.

For 宅男/宅女 we say "homebody", it's a fairly common term and has no inherent tone to it; a person may refer to themselves as such to simply describe their preferences, or others may say it making fun of them.

剩男/剩女 not sure about this one in English...

[malanting]

skylee

A while ago there was a controversial fake-reality show in Hong Kong called 盛女愛作戰. I think the term 盛女 is a quite well thought-out twist.

Interesting. Because they usually have a good career and are rich?

icebear

For 宅男/宅女 we say "homebody"

Thank you. I've never heard it before.

[Shelley]

Boys or girls who liked to stay at home or in their dorm here in the UK would probably not be called anything as nobody would see them to call them anything, or if describing that sort of person in general they may call them a lazy layabout.

Maybe they might be a couch potatoe.

If they stay in to work or study they may be called a bookworm, geek or nerd.

If they just stay in and hide in a darkened room listening to music and or playing on the computer they would usually be called a teenager

I would use "homebody to describe an adult male or female who spent their time at home doing DIY, preparing food, freezing foods, preserving foods, sewing, making things for the home, looking after the children and any pets.,

Homebody would be be like a houswife, it has positive feelings.They may also go to work everyday but return home to do these things and don't go out to bars, clubs etc after work or on weekends. Family is very important to them.

I am not sure about people making fun of them, I didn't know people did.

As to left over men or women, I would call them, spinsters, or bachelors. They may be drescribed as " being left on the shelf" this I think best fit your example. Women may also be called old maids.

[malanting]

Shelley

Homebody would be be like a houswife, it has positive feelings.They may also go to work everyday but return home to do these things and don't go out to bars, clubs etc after work or on weekends. Family is very important to them.

Yes, I've noticed that homebody and 宅男/宅女 don't mean exactly the same. Homebody is a man who centers on family while you can use 宅 in a negative context. What about "indoorsy", do you use it?

As to left over men or women, I would call them, spinsters, or bachelors.

Spinster has another equivalent in Chinese 老处女 lao3 chu4 nv3 (an old virgin). I think a 老处女 is older than a 剩女. Seems to me that someone needs to be over 50 to be called a spinster. Bachelor is called 单身汉 dan1 shen1 han4 ,which does not imply that he is past the usual age for marrying, I guess?

If they just stay in and hide in a darkened room listening to music and or playing on the computer they would usually be called a teenager

:mrgreen:

[icebear]

Yes, I've noticed that homebody and 宅男/宅女 don't mean exactly the same. Homebody is a man who centers on family while you can use 宅 in a negative context. What about "indoorsy", do you use it?

Homebody is more general than what you and Shelley are referring to, and I think approximates 宅男／女 quite well.

Google: define homebody

home·bod·y/ˈhōmˌbädē/

Noun: A person who likes to stay at home, esp. one who is perceived as unadventurous.

[anonymoose]

Homebody is more general than what you and Shelley are referring to, and I think approximates 宅男／女 quite well.

Google: define homebody

home·bod·y/ˈhōmˌbädē/

Noun: A person who likes to stay at home, esp. one who is perceived as unadventurous.

But how many people actually use this word? I'm a native English speaker and I've never used this word, and I don't really recall anyone else using it either. Maybe it's more common is the US?

[icebear]

It's not uncommon in the US.

"Do you like going out drinking on the weekends?"

"No, I'm more of a homebody."

[Shelley]

I have not heard people in the UK use homebody or indoorsy. I do think its something more common in the US.

Here if someone asked if you like to go out drinking on the wekends the answer would just be a simple yes or no.

They might say I am not much of a drinker.

They don't offer information about what they do instead, just that don't drink at weekends.

If a friend was describing someone to a third person he might say "He/She dosen't go out" and just leave it at that.

People who stay at home probably don't have any friends who go out and drink, it is two different worlds that don't cross over much, so there isn't much need to explain.

Old unmarried women are usually called spinsters, but for some reason I don't understand a bachelor can be any age.

People who don't have a partner may have chosen this, it is not just cos no one wants them. These people are usually called single people.

[艾紫茉]

In terms of 宅男/宅女, I live in the US and I have never called anyone a "homebody" or "indoorsy". Here we tend to say that someone who stays in their room/dorm a lot is "antisocial." If I have to put specific labels on it I would say that if the person is home all the time because they are watching TV we call them a "couch potato." If they are home and always on the computer we call them a "computer nerd/geek." If they are home always playing video games or computer games we call them "gamers." Otherwise if they just like doing nothing then we call them lazy.

For 剩男/剩女, being single later and later in life has become a very common occurrence in America. Some people are too picky about the partner they want (because a lot of Americans have unrealistic expectations) and they can never find someone good enough, so we just call them "picky" or "undateable." If someone has a major character flaw or hygiene problem and that is the reason they can't find a partner then we call them "undateable" also. We don't really use the term "spinster" or "old maid" for a 剩男／女 unless the person is getting later in life, probably in their 40s or 50s. But in general I don't think there is any word in English that means exactly the same thing here. We just call them "single" or "forever alone." We more like to talk about the specific problem why the person has difficulty finding a bf/gf.

[malanting]

icebear

It's not uncommon in the US.

Shelley

I have not heard people in the UK use homebody or indoorsy. I do think its something more common in the US.

People who stay at home probably don't have any friends who go out and drink, it is two different worlds that don't cross over much, so there isn't much need to explain.

"Indoorsy" once appeared in The Big Bang Theory. That's why I guess it is not uncommon.

艾紫茉

I live in the US and I have never called anyone a "homebody" or "indoorsy".

Regional difference.

We just call them "single" or "forever alone."

That's interesting. "Forever alone"

Thank you all! Learned a lot.

[malanting]

Day 6

Today, let's pay attention to things around us. I've picked three common things. But by the time I knew their English equivalents, I've learned English for a couple of years. I'd know "globalization" or even "Alzheimer's disease", but not plug, socket and extension (? still not sure about this one).

插头 cha1 tou2 is a plug. There's 两眼插头 liang2 yan3 cha1 tou2 and 三眼插头 san1 yan3 cha1 tou2 (respectively two- and three-pronged plugs)

两眼插头： 三眼插头：

That's how they look like in China. A plug differs from place to place.

插座 cha1 zuo4 is a socket. Of course there's 两眼插座 and 三眼插座.

接线板 jie1 xian4 ban3 is

Do you call it an extension?

Are there any things around you that you don't know how to say in Chinese? Post a picture or a word. What's the plug and socket like in your country?

[icebear]

Do you call it an extension?

We'd call it an extension cord if it was just the cord with a single or maybe double socket at the end. The picture you've posted would be described as a power strip.

[malanting]

We'd call it an extension cord if it was just the cord with a single or maybe double socket at the end. The picture you've posted would be described as a power strip.

Thank you. So an extension cord would be ?

Then that's 转换线 (zhuan3 huan4 xian4) or 连接线 (lian2 jie1 xian4) in Chinese.

[icebear]

#59 - Yup, that's it.