Ian_Lee Posted January 6, 2004 at 11:45 PM Report Posted January 6, 2004 at 11:45 PM "Husband" should be the funniest word in Chinese. Literally it is composed of two Chinese characters: 10-feet and man. According to my wife and her mahjong friends' interpretation, it does not mean that husband should be 10-ft tall. Rather it means that a husband should be always within 10-ft perimeter of the wife. So no matter it is shopping mall or mahjong table, the husband should always stay within 10-ft of the wife. He should engage in activity to serve the wife like carrying shopping bags (at mall) or fix drinks and snacks (at mahjong table). The fate of these two characters is not that disastrous in Chinese. If you add the word Dai (Great) as a prefix which means "great husband" in Chinese, somehow these three Kanji means "no big deal" or "no concern" in Japanese! Quote
skylee Posted January 7, 2004 at 02:15 AM Report Posted January 7, 2004 at 02:15 AM Hey This webpage says - 我 國 有 這 樣 一 個 傳 說 ： 大 禹 把 自 己 身 高 定 為 一 丈 ， 然 後 把 一 丈 均 分 為 十 份 ， 每 份 叫 做 一 尺 。 從 此 ， 我 們 有 了 「 丈 夫 」 這 個 名 稱 ， 又 有 了 標 準 尺 度 ， 大 禹 可 謂 「 以 身 作 則 」 了 。 This webpage also talks briefly about the term - 现代汉语中，很多词语已经和它们最初的意思发生了很多的变化。很多中国人都很少知道这些词在古代汉语中的意思了。由于日本隋唐时就大量从中国吸收汉字，于是，这些字、词的汉字原意也原封不动得引进到日本。所以，今天我们仍然能够在一些日语单词中找到古汉语的影子。如“丈夫”（じょ お ぶ）古汉语中把成年男子成为“丈夫”，而现在“丈夫”已经转义为女子的配偶，与原意相比，今意已经缩小了所指的范围。而日语中“丈夫”一词仍然是指健壮、结实的意思。又如“孃”，古汉语中，将“女儿”和“未婚女子”称作“娘”，但现代汉语已演变为母亲的意思了。而在我们所学习的课文中，田中さん仍把自己女儿称作“孃” And my dictionary says that 丈夫 means both "man" and "husband" (it also says that 丈 is three metres and a third long). Quote
confucius Posted January 7, 2004 at 05:04 AM Report Posted January 7, 2004 at 05:04 AM Oh yeah? Well, the character for "wife" (qi) depicts a woman holding a broom. Tell that one to your wife (...from a distance of 10 feet, depending on the length of the broom.) Quote
pazu Posted January 7, 2004 at 05:11 PM Report Posted January 7, 2004 at 05:11 PM 男人大丈夫, 流血不流淚! (Nanren Dazhangfu, Liu Xue bu Liu Lei!) A great man bleed, but not cry! Have you seen the movie "大丈夫日記"? Note that Zhangfu should be pronounced as "zhang4 fu", "fu" is "toneless", or sometimes written as "fu5". Quote
confucius Posted January 7, 2004 at 07:23 PM Report Posted January 7, 2004 at 07:23 PM "大丈夫日記"? Yes, I actually own that movie on VHS! It is one of my favorite Hong Kong films of all time. I also bought the soundtrack because it has a couple funny songs that I still enjoy listening to. Quote
smithsgj Posted January 8, 2004 at 02:00 AM Report Posted January 8, 2004 at 02:00 AM Zhangfu (and qizi) are not used in Taiwan. I wonder why this difference? Quote
Quest Posted January 8, 2004 at 02:04 AM Report Posted January 8, 2004 at 02:04 AM Zhangfu (and qizi) are not used in Taiwan. I wonder why this difference? They are not used anywhere now. Quote
smithsgj Posted January 8, 2004 at 02:25 AM Report Posted January 8, 2004 at 02:25 AM What, not in China itself? Quote
skylee Posted January 8, 2004 at 02:35 AM Report Posted January 8, 2004 at 02:35 AM What?? Big news to me. What are husband and wife called then? 老公 and 老婆? (As in HK?) But surely people use 丈夫 and 妻子 on more formal occasions? Quote
Quest Posted January 8, 2004 at 02:35 AM Report Posted January 8, 2004 at 02:35 AM Hmm, let me think about it.. maybe written but not spoken. Many people say 爱人。Yea, you can't write lao gong lao po in formal documents in Taiwan either. Quote
roddy Posted January 8, 2004 at 02:37 AM Report Posted January 8, 2004 at 02:37 AM Zhangfu and Qizi are definitely used here in Beijing. I'd say airen is maybe a bit more common than laogong / laopo as well (then talking to third parties, anyway. Not sure what they call each other in private.) Roddy Quote
smithsgj Posted January 8, 2004 at 03:05 AM Report Posted January 8, 2004 at 03:05 AM Quest absolutely and I qualify what *I* said: zhang and qi are the formal document forms in Taiwan too. Also Roddy mentioned in private. My mother-in-law used to *address* her husband as Zhang. I think he used to call her Zi or sth cos it was the last bit of her given name. All women of her age have Zi as the last bit of their middle name: it's a Japanese thing. Airen?!?! pmsl... Do they still use 'neiren' ever -- like "her indoors"? Quote
Quest Posted January 8, 2004 at 03:08 AM Report Posted January 8, 2004 at 03:08 AM 内子？That used to mean wife. 爱人is used often to mention your spouse to other people. Quote
skylee Posted January 8, 2004 at 03:35 AM Report Posted January 8, 2004 at 03:35 AM 內子/外子 are only used when the conversation has to be very polite. Some older folks still use "我(的)女人" to refer to their wives. I think 愛人 is never used in HK to mention one's spouse to other people (unless when joking). We say 老公/老婆 (informally) or 先生/太太 (less informally). Quote
pazu Posted January 8, 2004 at 06:59 AM Report Posted January 8, 2004 at 06:59 AM I used to know a guy who would prefer to call her wife as, "我個乞衣婆", and his sons as "我班乞衣仔". so lit it means "my beggar wife" and "my beggar sons"... I know it would be a custom for some people to diminish oneself for introduction, e.g. (小的草字上建下華, little one like me, has a "grass" name of Jian followed by Hua.), but it was weired to my ears to hear somebody calling his family "beggars". Quote
skylee Posted January 8, 2004 at 07:11 AM Report Posted January 8, 2004 at 07:11 AM To give an even humbler feel, one could call his wife "拙荊" or even "賤內". I wonder if there are similar terms to refer to one's husband. Quote
smithsgj Posted January 8, 2004 at 07:42 AM Report Posted January 8, 2004 at 07:42 AM Somehow I doubt it. Quote
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