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A strange old 听力 from a bygone era it seems, but this 通过让座者时 is holding me up, I can't get a handle on it. How is it meant?

到电影院看电影，观众应尽早入座。如果自己的作为在中间，应当有礼貌地向已就座者示意，请其让自己通过。通过让座者时要与之正面相对，切勿让自己的臀部正对着人家的脸，这是很失礼的。

请其让自己通过。 ask him let self/one pass

This next bit, I can't quite fathom how it is meant in Chinese. Is 让 here 'let' or 'by' or both? Is the 座者 the person seated, or the one who wants to get to his seat? The more I listen, the more confused I get! Help!

通过让座者时 = pass let seated (person) time =

OR

通过让座者时 = pass by seated person time = as you pass by the seated people, (show 'em your face and not your arse,)

Maybe this '通过让座者时' can be written '通过让的座者的时‘？？

Could one of you perhaps rewrite it in a clearer fashion?

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  • 让座to give up one's seat for sb，让座着，person giving up his/her seat, -> when passing a person giving up his/her/their seat (just getting up to let one pass?)
    – user6065
    Aug 26, 2015 at 0:38
  • Wrong 着 should be 者。Trouble is, they are not giving up their seat, I think, just letting you past. '通过让座者时' is maybe not very good Chinese, although it is direct from my book. 时 is when, agreed?
    – Pedroski
    Aug 26, 2015 at 0:46
  • On a side note, this is supposed to be a cinema etiquette guide. However, the second part is plainly wrong. Of course you need to be polite to ask for passage. But when passing, always face away (opposite to what the sentence suggests)! If I'm still seated, I'm happier to look into your buttocks than the other side of it. If I stand up, I'm happier to inspect your back of head than kiss you
    – jf328
    Aug 26, 2015 at 12:49
  • as you pass by the seated people, (show 'em your face and not your arse,) -- this is correct
    – jf328
    Aug 26, 2015 at 12:51

3 Answers 3

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I believe this usage of 让座者 is very inaccurate. It is referring to the people who lets you past.

However I couldn't think of a clear and succinct phrase for the same meaning. None of 让位, 让路, etc. sounds right. If rewrite the phrase I would simply go with 其他观众.

通过其他观众时要与之正面相对，……

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  • I‘m glad you said that, I thought I was going mad!
    – Pedroski
    Aug 26, 2015 at 3:36
  • 1
    让行者 sounds ok. Although 让座者 is not very accurate, the meaning is immediately clear to me, given the previous sentence
    – jf328
    Aug 26, 2015 at 12:38
  • @jf328 Agreed. However I would say the meaning of 让行者 is also contextual and ambiguous without the previous sentence.
    – NS.X.
    Aug 26, 2015 at 18:27
  • how about replacing 让座者 by 让路者?
    – user6065
    Sep 29, 2015 at 4:18
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That hearing is simply wrong.

It actually meant to mean that you shall go ahead with your front (not your butt) facing the already seated people when you have to pass by them.

The hearing, however, described them as

让座者

the people who give the seat to you.

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让座者, if we put these characters in English order, it should be “者 who 让座”， the person who give you his seat for kindness.

so “让座” is a very considerate, polite, decent behavior in China, especially on the bus or any other public transportations, or in other public places like movie theater, restaurant, if you find someone who needs a seat, such as the woman pregnant, parents with their 3-year old child on shoulders, the elder people who have trouble with their moves of legs.

Usually, as a Chinese, though "XX者" is not pretty well aligned with the grammar, however, we create such word just for convenience, to name those people who did "XX", for example, 肇事者 means someone who caused an traffic accident, 旁观者 means someone who stand around some business and only watch the business on-going for fun or curiosity without any desire to get inferred with this business. 开发者 means the one who develop something(usually a software).

so, verb+者/商/人 means the guy/company or cooperation/person who carry out the action described by this verb.

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