xiaocai Posted January 10, 2009 at 10:29 AM Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 at 10:29 AM "and that 家伙 can also mean a weapon...as in 兄弟们，朝家伙！" I think it is supposed to be “抄家伙” here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddy Posted January 10, 2009 at 04:37 PM Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 at 04:37 PM Just realized this thread's over a year old. 号外, hàowài, extra, as in extra, extra, readallabouit extra edition of a newspaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yersi Posted January 10, 2009 at 05:56 PM Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 at 05:56 PM 斡旋 wòxuán - mediate From 德国之声, apparently the German foreign minister went to Gaza yesterday to mediate in the conflict. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddy Posted January 14, 2009 at 02:12 PM Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 at 02:12 PM (edited) 讨伐 - tǎofá -send out a punitive expedition. Can't see me getting a chance to drop that into conversation, but never mind . . . Edit: here's a more useful one 剧透, jùtòu, or 剧情透露 - plot leaks, or more commonly online, spoilers. Edited January 14, 2009 at 05:05 PM by roddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymoose Posted January 14, 2009 at 08:37 PM Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 at 08:37 PM I haven't paid much attention to this thread since it started, but as I happened to open it just now, I thought I'd contribute with a fun word I learnt today: 倒贴 dàotiē It's difficult to provide a good translation, but hopefully its use will be clear with an example. Meaning: pay instead of getting paid 这个东西倒贴给我，我也不要。 I wouldn't want this thing even if you paid me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddy Posted January 15, 2009 at 02:59 AM Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 at 02:59 AM Here's a lovely one: 尸蜡 shīlà - waxy stuff that leaks out of dead bodies. Or something like that. Adipocere in English. Only found that thanks to a typo while using Sogou Pinyin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yersi Posted January 15, 2009 at 03:20 AM Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 at 03:20 AM Yuck, that one's gross (and added to my anki library ). Here's a slightly more useful one: 水刑 shuǐxíng, waterboarding Usage: 美國政府對俘虜進行水刑 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gougou Posted January 23, 2009 at 01:46 AM Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 at 01:46 AM 打鸡血 - apparently means to suddenly get excited about something Somebody on 百度知道 gives the following explanation: 在80年代，有一种保健方法，叫做“鸡血疗法”，就是把一年生的大公鸡的血，抽出来给人注射。在老干部人群里曾经风靡一时。注射了鸡血的人，面色发红，据说精神亢奋，也不知到底效果如何。主要是讽刺别人突然情绪亢奋. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randall_flagg Posted January 23, 2009 at 08:44 AM Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 at 08:44 AM 水刑 shuǐxíng, waterboarding Interestingly, this makes it look as if waterboarding is a punishment, not a means of torture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddy Posted January 23, 2009 at 09:25 AM Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 at 09:25 AM Randall's post made me look up the character 刑, causing me to find: 膑刑, bìnxíng - punishment of removing kneecaps I thought corpse wax was bad. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yersi Posted January 23, 2009 at 11:36 AM Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 at 11:36 AM 對口型 duì kǒuxíng - lipsynch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gougou Posted January 24, 2009 at 11:57 AM Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 at 11:57 AM Staying with funny uses for animals, today: squid. 炒（老板的）鱿鱼 - to quit/be fired Apparently stems from the way squid rolls up when being cooked, which is similar to a laid-off worker in the old days rolling up his bed sheet to leave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randall_flagg Posted January 24, 2009 at 12:58 PM Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 at 12:58 PM OK, staying with the animal theme: 哈巴狗 which can either be a Pekinese dog or someone who toadies up to people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylee Posted January 30, 2009 at 02:39 PM Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 at 02:39 PM 炒（老板的）鱿鱼 - to quit/be firedApparently stems from the way squid rolls up when being cooked, which is similar to a laid-off worker in the old days rolling up his bed sheet to leave. Didn't seem so apparent to me. I know it is Cantonese, though. Not sure why it means what it does, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddy Posted January 31, 2009 at 10:17 AM Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 at 10:17 AM 查夜, cháyè - to patrol at night, although I just heard it in the context of police raiding a nightclub* *On the TV! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yersi Posted February 1, 2009 at 06:25 AM Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 at 06:25 AM Finally found one for the animal theme: 导盲犬 dǎomángquǎn - guide dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imron Posted February 1, 2009 at 12:54 PM Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 at 12:54 PM (edited) 羊水 yángshuǐ - amniotic fluid Edited February 4, 2009 at 04:47 AM by imron tones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddy Posted February 2, 2009 at 03:08 PM Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 at 03:08 PM 底， de, same as 的 but common in 白话 around the time of the May 4th Movement (my dictionary sez). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imron Posted February 4, 2009 at 04:45 AM Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 at 04:45 AM 反馈 - fǎnkuì - feedback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yersi Posted February 4, 2009 at 08:07 AM Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 at 08:07 AM 奶頭 nǎitóu - nipple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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