StChris Posted May 20, 2015 at 09:10 AM Author Report Posted May 20, 2015 at 09:10 AM It took me a little while to work out, but 破吉尼斯 means to break a Guinness world record. Quote
Demonic_Duck Posted May 20, 2015 at 01:03 PM Report Posted May 20, 2015 at 01:03 PM And here was me thinking it meant to po[ur] oneself a Guinness. 1 Quote
stapler Posted May 20, 2015 at 01:14 PM Report Posted May 20, 2015 at 01:14 PM I watched 10 minutes of the first episode. I could follow along with pausing. But Jesus Christ, a guy with a red shirt appeared, and I swear he wasn't even speaking Mandarin. Ugh. I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to understand crazy northern accents. I have no idea how you guys do it! Anyway, this is the first drama I've watched. Already I'm cringing non-stop. Good thing I'm watching it for more than entertainment value. I guess I have to get use to this kind of absurd stuff eventually if I wanna keep using TV to practice! Quote
Demonic_Duck Posted May 20, 2015 at 01:39 PM Report Posted May 20, 2015 at 01:39 PM It's set in Shanghai, pretty sure it'd most likely be a southern accent/dialect. Quote
stapler Posted May 20, 2015 at 02:11 PM Report Posted May 20, 2015 at 02:11 PM Definitely not a southern accent or dialect! Luckily it appears he was only a minor character. Hopefully wont see him again. Quote
stapler Posted May 21, 2015 at 05:30 AM Report Posted May 21, 2015 at 05:30 AM 拎 lin1 maybe this is 上海话 too, as here the meaning doesn't seem to match with the dictionary So I asked a friend. It is Shanghainese. The sentence 我拎得清的 means "I understand your meaning" or I "understand the rules". In the context of the show the guy is trying to explain his relationship with his boss and the taxi driver says jokingly "ahh I see how it is" - 我拎得清的. You can also use it in another context. For example say you're violating some kind of social rules, your friend can say "你要拎得清" - obey the social conventions。 etc. 卡座 ??? This a noun, "booth seating". Just do an image search. 一贴药 obedient (上海话,sounds like "yi ti ye") This is very old Shanghainese not used much any more. But you got it right. It means obedient. 0开头 ??? She's referring to the taxi drivers license number (which he later makes clear to the guy: it starts with lots of zeros because he's a 老司机 2 Quote
StChris Posted May 21, 2015 at 10:48 AM Author Report Posted May 21, 2015 at 10:48 AM Epsode 7: 条子 痞子 铐子 Local ne'er-do-well 胡超 is arrested by police officer/old school classmate/unrequited love of his life 梅婷. At the police station we get to meet a gallery of other lovable rogues. 胡超 is up to something dodgy (ticket scalping, pimping, forging illegal documents?). 梅婷 tries to get to the bottom of it. http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTMwMzEyMDky.html?from=y1.6-97.3.1.bb0fc2de810e11e4abda 理直气壮 li3zhi2qi4zhuang4 sure, certain that one s rght 身不由己 shen1bu4you2ji3 involuntarily, in spite of oneself 不待见 bu2dai4jian4 dislike 分道扬镳 fen1dao4yang2biao1 to part company, each go their different ways 截然不同 jie2ran2bu4tong2 completely different 一心 yi1xin1 wholeheartedly 向善 xiang4shan4 inclined to goodness or charity 辜负 gu1fu4 let down, disappoint 期盼 qi1pan4 expectations 年华 nan2hua2 time, years 拉皮条 la1p2tiao2 act as a pimp 严惩不怠/贷 ren2cheng2bu2dai4 punish without leniency 古董 gu3dong3 antique 世道 shi4dao4 the manners and morals of the time 拷 kao3 the dict says to flog or beat, but unless the modern police are more brutal than I imagne, this probably means to queston/interrogate 太师椅 tai4shi1yi3 old-fashioned wooden chair 格里 忧伤 you1shang1 weighed down with sorrow 谗言 chan2yan2 to slander, false charge, give a false account 凄美 qi1mei3 poignant, sad and beautiful 毛片 mao2pian4 porno 油条 you2tiao2 a dodgy character, sly person 塞满 sai1man3 to fill up 兢兢业业 jing1jing1ye4ye4 cautious and conscientious 勤勤恳恳 qin2qin2ken3ken3 industrious and conscientious 审 shen3 interrogate 猜忌 cai1ji4 jealous and suspicious 敷衍 fu1yan0 just go through the motions, do something in a perfunctory way 地痞 di4pi3 local riffraff 全力以赴 quan2li4yi3fu4 go all out, spare no effort 光线 guang1xian4 light 称兄道弟 cheng1xiong1dao4di4 call each other brothers 胡扯 hu2che3 talk nonsense 脚崴 jiao3wai3 to sprain one's ankle 荷包蛋 he2bao1dan4 fried/poached eggs 过意不去 guo4yi4bu2qu4 feel sorry/apologetic 洗心革面 xi3xin1ge2mian4 turn over a new leaf 影视圈 ying3shi4quan1 TV and movie circles (of friends) 前科 qian2ke1 have a previous record (of crime) 扛把子 kang2ba4zi0 mafia kingpin (江湖话) http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTMwMzEyMDky.html?from=y1.6-97.3.1.bb0fc2de810e11e4abda 2 Quote
StChris Posted May 21, 2015 at 11:09 AM Author Report Posted May 21, 2015 at 11:09 AM Thanks for the help with the vocab Stapler. I'm not in China right now, so can't ask any friends for help. Regarding the accents, despite being set in Shanghai, most of them definitely sound northern to me (hard "sh" sound, lots of "er" added on the end of words, even the choice of words used). Don't worry, keep on watching and you'll quickly get used to it. I remember the first time I came across northern accents watching the show 奋斗, I could hardly understand a word the boys said (the girls spoke more clearly), but I was fine be the end of the series. 加油！ 1 Quote
StChris Posted May 21, 2015 at 11:14 AM Author Report Posted May 21, 2015 at 11:14 AM Demonic_Duck, I thought it had something to do with the black stuff too at first, but then thought no way would they introduce a rival alcoholic beverage when they're pushing the 人头马CLUB so hard (they even managed to slip a reference into this episode too, despite being set in a police station. 1 Quote
imron Posted May 22, 2015 at 03:36 AM Report Posted May 22, 2015 at 03:36 AM but 破吉尼斯 means to break a Guinness world record. I guess you weren't around last time we discussed world records. Quote
StChris Posted May 22, 2015 at 11:16 AM Author Report Posted May 22, 2015 at 11:16 AM Episode 8: 阉不阉 Claire(梁怡) is pondering two questions: whether to 阉 (castrate) her philandering cat and whether or not to divorce her philandering husband 叶军. Meanwhile, 胡超 has arranged a meeting with a young lady at Claire's coffee shop. Is he really there to arrange a mate for her cat, or is it just an excuse for a 约炮 (hook up). http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTM1NTAyNDQ0.html?from=y1.6-97.3.1.bb0fc2de810e11e4abda 席卷 xi2juan3 to engulf (lit. roll up like a mat) 绝境 jue2jing4 hopeless situation 本分 ben3fen4 stay within bounds 吃奶的力气 chi1nai3de0li4qi4 all one's strength 有过之而无不及 even worse (than before) 高端 gao1duan1 high-end 柠檬 ning2meng2 lemon 比斯开 Bi3si1kai1 Biscay (Spain) 烘焙 hong1bei4 to cure (by drying over a low fire, like tea), here it seems to mean to bake (as in the biscuits) 心得 xin1de2 tips, insight, knowledge 冰清玉洁 bing1qing1yu4jie2 pure as jade and chaste as ice, pure and noble 金莲 jin1lian2 lily feet (mens laudatory term for women's bound feet) 潘金莲 Pan1jin1lian2 notorious femme fatale-like character from Chinese literature http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Jinlian 勾搭 gou1da0 to fool around with (sb.) 百无禁忌 bai3wu2jin4ji4 anything goes (no taboos) 打马虎眼 da3ma3hu0yan3 act dumb, pretend to be ignorant about something 穿一条裆裤 chuan1yi1tiao2dang1ku4 to collude, gang up together 你借我十个胆我也不敢这么干啊 借我十个胆 seems just to emphasise the 不敢 part of the sentence. 配种 pei4zhong3 breeding 拆穿 chai1chuan1 to expose, unmask 逆反心理 ni4fan3xin1li3 reverse psychology 不分青红皂白 bu4fen1qing1hong2zao4bai2 make no distinction between right and wrong 发情期 fa1qing2qi1 heat/breading period 窜 cuan4 flee, scurry 碍眼 ai4yan3 be an eyesore 布朗尼 bu4lang3ni2 brownie 搅 jiao3 disturb, annoy 心头肉 xin1tou2rou4 dearly loved person 伪装 wei3zhuang1 pretend, disguise 过夜 guo4ye4 from the previous night 贵族 gui4zu2 aristocrat 酸甜苦辣 suan1tian2ku3la4 the joys and sorrows of life 正宗 zheng4zong1 genuine 浪子回头金不换 lang4zi3hui2tou2jin1bu2huan4 a prodigal son who returns home is worth more than gold 核对 he2dui4 to check, verify Quote
StChris Posted May 22, 2015 at 11:23 AM Author Report Posted May 22, 2015 at 11:23 AM Note that there's a bit of Sichuanese in here, principally when Claire and her dad are talking. I think Sichuannese is the coolest dialect. Most of the words seem similar to standard mandarin, only with completely messed up tones. If I ever move back to China and get to choose where to live, I'm definitely choosing Chengdu! Here's a classic short scene from 爱情公寓 with more sichuanese: http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/44202-short-scene-18-sichuan-accent/ Quote
陳德聰 Posted May 23, 2015 at 06:23 AM Report Posted May 23, 2015 at 06:23 AM I don't think 紀亞文 is speaking slowly like that for any sort of acting reason. At first I thought it might be because he is trying to hide his Taiwanese accent by deliberately forcing out a more "mainland" accent, but then I watched some interviews of him and he actually just talks slowly. Maybe he has a learning disability or something. I just find the way he talks takes a lot of patience to pay attention to... Quote
StChris Posted May 23, 2015 at 08:26 AM Author Report Posted May 23, 2015 at 08:26 AM Was he speaking English in the interview or Chinese? Quote
StChris Posted May 23, 2015 at 08:34 AM Author Report Posted May 23, 2015 at 08:34 AM I think the whole 人头马CLUB plugging got a bit out of hand the last episode. It was funny how Claire (the coffee shop owner) was trying to sell cognac to the customer. What kind of young Chinese girl would go to a coffee shop in the middle of the afternoon to drink hard liquor!?!?! Quote
StChris Posted May 23, 2015 at 10:30 AM Author Report Posted May 23, 2015 at 10:30 AM Episode 9: 双保险 I'm sure all of us at chinese-forums have been through this situation countless times before, right? You're an incredibly talented foreigner living and working in China. Unfortunately, due to your mesmerizing good looks you never get the credit you deserve for your hard work. Well you'll sympathize with 安东尼 then when he goes to a company party to celebrate his first successful case. Ling had better be careful though, because 安东尼 has become the object of the affections of a beautiful young French girl. Episode 9 is unavailable on the main 男人不醉 youku page for some reason. I've found this alternative link, hopefully it's working for everyone: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTQxMzk4MTQw.html?from=y1.7-2 好比 hao3bi3 just like, may be likened to 顺从 shun4cong2 to comply 力求 li4qiu2 make every effort to, strive to 提案 ti2an4 proposal 反馈 fan3kui4 feedback, response 公关 gong1guan1 public relations 布置 bu4zhi4 assign 挖墙脚 wa1qiang2jiao3 sap the wall, to undermine 土生土长 tu3sheng1tu3zhang3 locally born and bred 好伐 ??? 上阵 shang4zhen4 go into battle 实打实 shi2da3shi2 honest, genuine 老相识 lao3xiang1shi2 people who have known each other for a long time 假纯 jia3chun2 ??? 情不自禁 qing2bu2zi4jin4 can't refrain from 憎恶 zeng1wu4 abhore, loathe (but Ling seems to pronounce it as zeng4wu4) 擅自 shan4zi4 do something without permission 默认 mo4ren4 acquiesce in 说一不二 shuo1yi1bu2er4 keep one's word 剥夺 bo1duo2 to expropriate 以此为 yi3ci3wei2 regard as, treat as 丘比特 qiu1bi3te4 Cupid 千瓦 qian1wa3 kilowatt I don't really get that last little conversation just before the end credits. Hopefully someone can explain. 1 Quote
StChris Posted May 23, 2015 at 10:39 AM Author Report Posted May 23, 2015 at 10:39 AM A couple of thoughts about this episode: 1. Tony (who turned up as the man-for-hire in the first episode) has the most 欠抽的 face ever. 2. The cute little french girl's Chinese is pretty good. If I were to make a guess I'd say she probably came to China a year or two ago with her expat parents. Although still far from native level, her pronunciation seems much more natural an less affected than most adult learners of Chinese (a benefit of being a kid I suppose). I particularly like the way she slurs 法国人. Quote
StChris Posted May 24, 2015 at 03:28 PM Author Report Posted May 24, 2015 at 03:28 PM Episode 10: 情兽 The boys are all out at a nightclub to celebrate 叶军's divorce. 安东尼 learns about 叶军's 三眼法搭讪理论. Tune in for a Chinese masterclass in picking up girls. http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTQ1NDUwMDgw.html?from=y1.6-97.3.1.bb0fc2de810e11e4abda 责无旁贷 ze2wu2pang2dai4 to be one's responsibility, be duty bound 一蹶不振 yi1jue2bu2zhen4 collapse after a single setback 定时炸弹 ding4shi2zha4dan4 time bomb 精辟 jing1pi4 penetrating (analysis), insightful 柳下惠 liu3xia4hui4 a man from the 春秋 period who acted in a very gentlemanly way and didn't take advantage of a woman when he had the chance 傻叉 sha3cha1 fool 菲佣 fei1yong1 Filipino maid 净身出户 jing4shen1chu1hu4 leave a marriage with nothing (no possessions or property) 二郎神 er4lang2shen2 figure in Chinese mythology http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlang_Shen 屌 diao3 penis (but here it probably means "cool" or something, as I don't think he's insulting 叶军) 牵牛花 qian1niu2hua1 white-edged morning glory (I don't understand the joke that 叶军 is making here) 烟熏妆 yan1xun1zhuang1 smoky-effect make-up around the eyes 斗志 dou4zhi4 fighting spirit 打头阵 da3tou2zhen4 spearhead the attack 捣江湖 dao3jiang1hu2 毛线 mao2xian4 from baidu: 现代网络用语，表示强烈的感叹，近似于英文里的“Fucking” 豁出去 huo1chu0qu0 go ahead regardless of risk 为所欲为 wei2suo3yu4wei2 do whatever one likes 以不变应万变 yi3bu2bian4ying4wan4bian4 cope with a contantly changing situation by sticking to a fixed principle or policy 单刀直入 dan1dao1zhi2ru4 come straight to the point 光说不练 guang1shuo1bu2lian4 all talk no action 下身 xia4shen1 genitals 杰尼亚 jie2ni2ya4 Ermenegildo Zegna (Italian clothing brand) 宵夜 xiao1ye4 late-night snack 肾 shen4 kidney 虚 xu1 weak (of health) 脂肪肝 zhi1fang2gan1 fatty liver 头破血流 tou2po4xue4liu2 badly bruised and beaten 脑震荡 nao3zhen4dang4 cerebral concussion 档次 dang4ci4 grade, level 殡仪馆 bin4yi2guan3 funeral parlour 迟钝 chi2dun4 slow witted, obtuse Quote
StChris Posted May 24, 2015 at 03:58 PM Author Report Posted May 24, 2015 at 03:58 PM I think I've worked out what NP means. From the conversion they have it seems that P means to have sex, and NP means to have a threesome or orgy (from the way Chinese use "n" to mean a certain number) Quote
StChris Posted May 25, 2015 at 11:10 AM Author Report Posted May 25, 2015 at 11:10 AM Episode 11: 六合拳与白眼狼 There's a lot of talk about Harbin having the most standard mandarin in China. Well now you can listen for yourself what a 东北纯爷们儿 sounds like as 皓子's friend 六合拳 comes to pay him a visit in Shanghai. 六合拳 has been a good friend to 皓子, financially supporting him through uni by working as a KTV boy (an experience which he amusingly describes as 喝了吐，吐了喝，喝了再吐，吐了再喝，喝了接着吐，吐了接着还喝). Has the time come for 皓子 to return the favour? http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTUwNTc1MzEy.html?from=y1.6-97.3.1.bb0fc2de810e11e4abda 六合 liu4he2 the six directions, the whole world 扯 che3 talk nonsense 东北话 犊子 du2zi0 calf (small cow) 削 xiao1 to peel 传单 chuan2dan1 leaflet 伸手不见五指 shen1shou3bu2jian4wu3zhi3 pitch dark 壮胆 zhuang4dan3 build up somebody's courage 跳贴面 tiao4tie1mian4 dance cheek to cheek 褶子 zhe3zi0 wrinkle, crease 麻痹 ma2bi4 benumb, numbness 尽然 jin4ran2 entirely so (used here for extra emphasis 吃低保 di1bao3 to be on welfare 杨浦 yang2pu3 Yangpu district, Shanghai 两万户/二万户 a series of housing estates built to house workers in Shanghai in the 1950s 阁楼 ge2lou2 loft, attic 小家碧玉 xiao3jia1bi4yu4 pretty girl of humble birth 垫 dian4 to pad out 当断则断 dang1duan4ze2duan4 to make a decision when it's time to decide 大家闺秀 da4jia1gui1xiu4 a girl from a wealthy family 次要 ci4yao4 secondary, less important 嘎达 ga1da place, 地方 （东北华） 天妇罗 tian1fu4luo2 tempura 接济 jie1ji4 give financial assistance 身价 shen1jia4 social status 保镖 bao3biao1 bodyguard 碧池 bi4chi2 bitch (loanword) 垫背 dian4bei4 act as a cushion, act as the fall guy for other's misdemeanors 讹 e2 to swindle 奖励 jiang3li4 reward 总裁 zong3cai2 director, president 赤手空拳 chi4shou3kong1quan2 bare-handed 1 Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.