anonymoose Posted December 22, 2004 at 03:36 PM Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 at 03:36 PM If you saw someone greedily eating peanuts, how would you say in Chinese: The last time I saw peanuts being eaten like that, I was in a zoo! (Implying the person is eating like an animal) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutty Posted December 22, 2004 at 04:04 PM Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 at 04:04 PM 狼吞虎咽??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylee Posted December 22, 2004 at 04:06 PM Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 at 04:06 PM 欲罷不能??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymoose Posted December 22, 2004 at 05:21 PM Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 at 05:21 PM Thanks for the responses. However, I would appreciate a more direct translation, as I am interested in this sentence from a gramatical point of view, rather than just its general meaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymoose Posted December 24, 2004 at 02:46 AM Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 at 02:46 AM Any takers? My attempt would be something like: 上次我看见花生被吃得那样，我是在动物园。 However, this sentence doesn't sound natural to me in chinese, (not that I have an ear for what is and what isn't natural in chinese). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gato Posted December 24, 2004 at 02:53 AM Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 at 02:53 AM 这人吃花生怎么像只狗熊一样？真可爱！ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
闲聊33 Posted December 24, 2004 at 07:09 AM Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 at 07:09 AM 他怎么这样吃花生？像个... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seagate Posted December 24, 2004 at 10:52 AM Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 at 10:52 AM 花生吃成你这样，快赶上动物园的猴子了！ or using my hometown's 土话： 花生吃成你这样，动物园的猴子都比你有成色（here 色 reads shai, neutral tone）。 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymoose Posted December 24, 2004 at 03:09 PM Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 at 03:09 PM OK, I think I have it now: 我上次看到把花生吃成这样的是在动物园。 But, could someone please explain the use of 成 in this sentence, and its relation with the verb (perhaps give some other examples), as I don't quite understand this. Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylee Posted December 24, 2004 at 03:20 PM Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 at 03:20 PM 我上次看到把花生吃成这样的是在动物园。 吃 = eat 成 = like 这样 = this 把花生吃成这样 = peanuts being eaten like this / in this way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xuezhongwen Posted December 24, 2004 at 11:11 PM Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 at 11:11 PM I think "The last time I saw peanuts being eaten like that, I was in a zoo! " is an idiomatic way of describing the greediness, so it should NOT be translated. 狼吞虎咽 would be a very good match, but in spoken language, one could use "像牲口一样", meaning 'like a cattle' haha, it's not that elegant, but I guess that matches what are in the zoo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiaomawang Posted December 25, 2004 at 03:55 AM Report Share Posted December 25, 2004 at 03:55 AM 吃花生的这副德性，和我上次在动物园里看见的一模一样。 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymoose Posted December 26, 2004 at 01:48 PM Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2004 at 01:48 PM I checked out my dictionary and there's no mention of the use of 成 in this way. Anyway, is there any difference between saying 把花生吃成这样 and 把花生吃得这样 ? That is of course if the latter of these two even makes sense! Thanks for all the replies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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