Questions tagged [translation]
Questions on specific points regarding translating Chinese to/from another language. Do your own research first!
1,894
questions
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Could you help me translate these comments about Messi leaving Barcelona?
There's this news. I'm reading comments, not quite understanding what the authors meant. I hope this kind of grouped questions are OK on Chinese Stack Exchange. I don't want to exaggerate, so I'll ...
0
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1answer
89 views
What's the meaning of 下来 in 把它写下来？
In the sentence "把它写下来", what's the meaning of “下来”？
Can I just say "把它写"?
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2answers
46 views
How to translate properly 还是 and 算了 in this sentence?
唉，以前挖门打洞，清苦死了，还是城市好，干脆留在这儿享福算了.
This is a sentence said by a village mouse which came to the city and realised how wonderful the life in the city is.
还是城市好 - how to translate 还是 here? I believe the ...
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4answers
444 views
Translate “Questions you cannot answer are usually far better for you than answers you cannot question.”
Reading Yuval Noah Harari's "21 Lessons for the 21st Century", I read, Chapter 14 "Secularism", pages 211-212 of my paperback version:
I write the whole paragraph to give the ...
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1answer
77 views
Unknown meaning on ring (Characters identified: 东京喰种) [closed]
need to know meaning on this ring, was given to me by someone and could have significant meaning in a personal matter!! Please help
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3answers
65 views
How to say “can/can’t use” in Chinese?
How can I say “my wechat is not working, I can only use alipay.”
Is this right?
我的微信坏了， 我只用支付宝。
I wanted to know what are the other ways to say can or can’t use?
2
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3answers
158 views
What is the fundamental difference between 大同世界 and Utopias
I wanted to add '大同世界' as an entry to a Chinese dictionary a group of editors and I are working at. At first, I thought 'Utopias' could be one of its definitions. But I searched 大同世界 on the net and ...
2
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4answers
123 views
How to say “free yourself” in Mandarin"?
I'm going to do a tattoo, so I'd like to know how to write "free yourself" in mandarin; I'd like to write it in mandarin, first because I'm a mandarin student, so I'll know how to read it ...
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2answers
78 views
How do I write my name in traditional Chinese characters (with pinyin)? [closed]
I'm starting my first Chinese class in a few days, and I was hoping someone could help me write name in Chinese (with a pinyin transliteration because I can't read Chinese characters yet)? My first ...
3
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2answers
90 views
Translating the phrase “I can't confirm nor deny etc.”
If someone were to ask something about you, what would be the most common way of saying "I can't confirm nor deny that".
I tried looking it up and my conclusion is "不能确认也不能否认". I ...
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1answer
143 views
How do I say the exercises “Bridges”, “Supermans”, “Scissor kicks”, “Wall sits”, “Lying lateral leg lifts”, and “Side planks” in Chinese?
I would like to know how to say the following exercises in Chinese:
Bridges
Supermans
Scissor kicks
Wall sits
Lying lateral leg lifts
Side planks
Google Translate gives: 1. 橋 2. 超人 3. 剪刀腳 4. 牆坐 ...
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1answer
44 views
What type of meanings/functions can/does 谁 have?
I had learnt some grammar points where 谁 seems to introduce a subordinated phrase (those people who （谁做谁） ... and who would be 谁, now I was wondering what other functions 谁 could have.
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126 views
How do we correctly translate the XKCD comic snippet “Good News: You recently had close contact with someone who has not tested positive for COVID”?
I feel this XKCD comic:
Good News: You recently had close contact with someone who has not tested positive for COVID.
cropped from XKCD comic 2342: Exposure Notification
is incorrectly translated:
...
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3answers
169 views
Meaning of “建一个国内的飞机场，也能翻回去” and “美国不会对标建墙的” [closed]
I'm confused by the statement "建一个国内的飞机场，也能翻回去" and "美国不会对标建墙的" in this short blog post from https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/fs2zbK1kGUJ1xirpDaEFNA. My translation would be "if you ...
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2answers
350 views
What does 我三谁了 mean in 我也不知道，我刷四绝朋友告诉我有人刷喇叭骂我小三，我不知道我怎么就小三了，我三谁了?
Could anyone explain to what 我三谁了 mean in
我也不知道，我刷四绝朋友告诉我有人刷喇叭骂我小三，我不知道我怎么就小三了，我三谁了?!
I know that the whole sentence more or less means "I don’t know, my best friend told me that someone used ...
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3answers
97 views
Both is correct? 你认为如何 and 如何你认为
你认为如何 - More like a Chinese guy would talk like that.
如何你认为 - Feels like the English sentence. *Like the sentence start with "What", "Which" etc.
So both is correct?
Especially to ...
2
votes
3answers
106 views
What is the Chinese equivalent of “time to [A]”?
In English, we have a "time to [A]" phrase that indicates something like "now is the appropriate moment to [A]" or "now is the moment at which [A] will happen".
Examples ...
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2answers
61 views
What is the meaning of the Taihang Mountains (太行山)?
The translation is not present on the Wikipedia article about the mountains, nor anywhere else that I've looked. My best guess is that it's something like "Much movement" or "Long ...
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1answer
80 views
Where can I find a digital copy of 黄继忠's translation of 论语?
I'm looking for a digital copy of Chichung Huang (黄继忠)'s translation of The Analects of Confucius (论语).
Amazon's blurb mentions what they believe are the advantages of the translation:
Far more ...
2
votes
1answer
184 views
What is the original Mandarin translation for this proverb: “The wise man and the tortoise travel but never leave their home.”
I've seen the proverb "the wise man and the tortoise travel but never leave their home" online on quite a few websites:
https://www.kalimaquotes.com/quotes/10008/the-wise-man-and-the
https:/...
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6answers
2k views
How to understand “你怎么了？”
I understand 怎么 generally means "how".
However, I came across the following translated example:
你怎么了？ 说话声音这么小!
Nǐ zěnme le ？ Shuōhuà shēnɡyīn zhème xiǎo!
What happened to you? You are ...
3
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7answers
548 views
How do you say “we only have one carrot left”?
I'm practicing sentence writing and want to say
We only have one carrot left.
Imagine looking in the cupboard, and seeing there is only one carrot (although lots of other vegetables).
I'm fairly ...
7
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6answers
1k views
Why in Chinese Bible (和合本), “you” was translated as “你” instead of “您”?
For example, in 詩 篇 Psalms:
102:1 〔 困 苦 人 發 昏 的 時 候 、 在 耶 和 華 面 前 吐 露 苦 情 的 禱 告 。 〕 耶 和 華 阿 、 求 你 聽 我 的 禱 告 、 容 我 的 呼 求 達 到 你 面 前 。
102:2 我 在 急 難 的 日 子 、 求 你 向 我 側 耳 、 不 要 向 我 掩 面 ． 我 呼 求 ...
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3answers
60 views
How to translate that a financial asset has “priced in” an event or news?
I'd guess "計入", as in 事件已計入. 金融資產有已經計入事件.
What Is ‘Priced In’? - WSJ
What do investors mean when they use the phrase “It’s priced in”? They’re talking about the way investors’ expectations ...
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117 views
What is the English translation of the artist and title of this artwork? (Characters identified: 吳山作)
I would like to know who the artist is and what the title of the piece is.
4
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1answer
60 views
Is my interpretation of “向右往后勾提。至甲势已背时” correct in the context of Tai Chi?
I'm translating a two-person push hands sequence from a Yang-Style Taiji Quan manual.
In the description of the 62nd form, "Right Cloud Hands" (右云手)， there's a sentence that reads: "...
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2answers
931 views
How would you say: “This is my family photo taken two years ago of my younger brother's 10th birthday party.”
I want to say
This is a family photo taken two years ago of my younger brother's 10th birthday party.
I think I can break it up in separate sentences, e.g.
这是我全家的合影，是两年前拍了。我弟弟的十岁生日的时候。
But is there ...
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2answers
150 views
Other meaning of 一顿 besides relating to meals
I have the following sentence:
老师把学生批评了一顿
Google's only translation of 一顿 on its own returns 'A meal' or 'a spanking' which is the meaning discussed in other posts.
Here it seems like it means a ...
3
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4answers
179 views
How to parse 单反穷三代, 摄影毁一生 in a humorous photo?
I was told that the caption of this photo, "单反穷三代, 摄影毁一生..."
states how costly photography is as a hobby, but I am unsure how to parse it. Google Translate gave "SLR poor three ...
3
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1answer
137 views
How can I ask “which one is your favorite/do you like more”?
I want to ask "which one is your favorite?", like between A and B, which one do you like more.
Can I say "哪一个你最喜欢?" or "哪个你更喜欢?"? Is there a better way to ask? At this ...
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2answers
296 views
What is the meaning of 会 in 你们太会了 and the sentence's connotation?
Context:
There was a photo of a Chinese celebrity sitting down and some fans cropped and pasted that photo on different photos, so it looked the person was sitting on a horse or bicycle etc. The ...
2
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4answers
352 views
“Home” translation in “hate has no home here”?
I'd like to translate a common sign I've seen around, which says "hate has no home here". My initial thought would be "这里恼恨没有家", confirmed by dictionaries/etc. However, the ...
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2answers
395 views
What is 要 doing in 每天她要慢跑?
In an exercise, I came across this sentence with the translation:
每天早上她都要慢跑一个小时。
Měi tiān zǎoshɑnɡ tā dōu yào màn pǎo yí ɡè xiǎoshí.
She goes to jog every morning for an hour.
What is the meaning of ...
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116 views
How would you translate the line 我在寻人启事上看见我身份证办好 from the movie 地久天长
I'm having trouble understanding what 我在寻人启事上看见我身份证办好 means in the following dialogue. Here is some context:
A young guy gets mad at his parents and decides to go away leaving no traces (he goes ...
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2answers
122 views
To make friends: 交朋友 vs 认识朋友?
I have come across some sentences where both 认识朋友 and 交朋友 were translated as to make friends (even though typically 认识 is translated in English as to know). Is there a difference between them?
...
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2answers
95 views
How to ask what personality traits do you like in Mandarin
How would one ask "What personality traits do you like?" in Mandarin? I've seen it translated as:
你喜欢什么个性特征 but isn't 性特征 sexual characteristics?
So I wasn't sure if it would be better to ...
2
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3answers
116 views
What is the meaning of 看场子?
"1997年，他到东莞打工，在一家木材厂给人看场子，在那里，他学会了汉族的生活方式，和朋友一起打台球，到歌厅唱歌。"
Hi everyone! I'm trying to translate this sentence, but I don't understand what 看场子 stands for in this sentence.
I know it could ...
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2answers
173 views
Translation and script type of Chinese calligraphy scroll (Characters identified: 高明配天 敬璧)
What is the translation of the text and seal on this scroll?
What is the script type of the large main text? Initially I thought it was seal script since the characters looked quite similar to those ...
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1answer
85 views
What do these wooden sticks mean? (Characters identified: 天然香樟木 防虫，防蛀，防臭) [closed]
A Chinese merchant sent me a parcel with an ordered item and unrelated five similar wooden sticks with white ropes attached:
I did not order those sticks and have no idea concerning the usage of ...
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7answers
208 views
How to translate “something separates me from other people” in Chinese?
I'm trying to translate a song lyric that reads "something separates me from other people".
My translation is " 我从别人点儿什么分开“.
Is this correct? Thanks in advance for your help!
2
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3answers
543 views
What is the literal translation of the first line of the Tao Te Ching?
You see this:
道可道非常道
dào kě dào fēicháng dào
Often translated as "The Dao that can be told is not the eternal and unchanging Dao". What is the literal translation?
What's missing is, we ...
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1answer
90 views
Unable to find matching script for this artifact inscription
I need help getting this translated. I think it's a lesser seal or even Hong Shan era. Attempts to translate by myself have failed to match the script.
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3answers
1k views
Does Chinese require more context to avoid ambiguities than English?
After some time learning Chinese, I feel Chinese language is more ambiguous than English or Spanish, in the sense that a single sentence without some context can easily have multiple distinct meanings,...
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2answers
131 views
Difference between 问 and 让 “to ask”
How do 问 and 让 differ in meaning and in what sort of situations would you use either of them?
In chinese.yabla.com there are a lot of different verbs with the meaning 'to ask'.
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2answers
100 views
In 有一只小鸟真可怜，它在树枝上冷得发抖 why is 有 at the start?
So I am studying this children´s story, and I can´t find a proper grammar explanation.
有一只小鸟真可怜，它在树枝上冷得发抖。
So here I assume 有 indicates the bird´s existence, however in every explanation about 有 ...
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2answers
247 views
If 冬 in itself means winter, why add 天?
If 冬 in itself means winter, do adding 天 Impact the meaning, or perhaps refer to winter time instead of the season itself? Or is it because 冬 is monosyllabic and 冬天 has two syllables?
2
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1answer
149 views
What did you think? 你觉得呢 vs 你觉得啥
What is the difference between the following translations?
你觉得呢？
你觉得啥？
你觉得怎么样 ?
Do they all roughly mean the same thing? Which one is most appropriate for spoken, written, and texting?
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2answers
97 views
How would I say 'what …' in Mandarin
I think the French ce qui/que says it better. This is what I mean:
I do what I want. (Je fais ce que je veux, in French)
How would the 'what' be translated?
3
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2answers
118 views
Meaning of 老掉牙的設定?
what is the meaning of 老掉牙的設定?
I want to say it means something like "overused archetype", but I'm not sure if that is correct. (This is in the context of describing common kinds of characters). ...
0
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2answers
104 views
What does 垃海 mean in Shanghainese?
I found this sentence on Tatoeba:
我会得垃海九点钟回来.
I will be back by nine.
What does ‘垃海’ mean in this sentence? My guess is ‘by [nine]’, but the phrase doesn’t show up on Wiktionary.
