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我真佩服
I know that "佩服" means admiration/respect, but would there be any direct word for "佩服"?
Given "我真佩服", I understand that it could be something like "I have a lot of admiration", but more or less, it sounds a bit off.
I also know that there may not be any direct English translation, but would there be any word better than "admiration"?
I think "appreciate" should be the right word.
I'd say the first meaning, "to be grateful or thankful for", of the word is not related. But 2nd and 4th meanings are good matches. See http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/appreciate for the meanings that I mentioned.
I am not sure if one can apply it to somebody. Correct me if I were wrong.
How about these words from a thesaurus?
我真的佩服他。 I really adore/glorify/idolize/venerate/worship/esteem him.
In fact, "佩服" is showing one person respects somebody or worship somebody. It is a humble expression while is not equal to "admire". Well, you know it is Chinese instead of English.
Admiration works well but you can also use respect, so in the context of what you earlier stated: 我真佩服, you can see it as "I have a lot of respect" which could also work
"Admire" is very off here. 佩服 has an interpersonal aspect; "admire" is uni-directional, often explicitly so.
In the context that you're describing, there is no direct equivalent, but "bowled over by [person]" is very similar in meaning; and "I take my hat off [to you]" is also a possible expression depending on the context.
