bossidy Posted February 25, 2006 at 05:11 AM Report Share Posted February 25, 2006 at 05:11 AM 路上衣服叫雨给淋湿了， 样布就到一个朋友那里去借了一身衣服换上了。 I'm pretty sure this means that YangBu got drenched in the rain and went to a friend's where he borrowed and changed into some dry clothes, but I dont understand the use of 叫 in 衣服叫雨给淋湿了 and also the use of 身 in 一身衣服换上了. Can someone explain? Thanks very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddy Posted February 25, 2006 at 05:23 AM Report Share Posted February 25, 2006 at 05:23 AM 叫 can be used as passive marker, like 被. 身 is the measure words for a set of clothes, an outfit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterluo Posted February 25, 2006 at 05:26 AM Report Share Posted February 25, 2006 at 05:26 AM 叫in chinese could be"让,被"and so on. 一身could be called "一件" we call them "Lingci" just appearing in chinese YangBu got drenched in the rain and went to a friend's for borrowing a set of clothes and put on and we can translate it for short YangBut went to a friend's for clothes to change because of drenching in the rain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudra Posted February 25, 2006 at 05:30 AM Report Share Posted February 25, 2006 at 05:30 AM In this case does 一身衣服 convey the meaning of *completely all* the clothes, i.e. anything he was wearing (on his body)? Or am I reading too much into this, and 一身 is an standard unremarkable Number Measure for a set of clothes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
semantic nuance Posted February 25, 2006 at 06:45 AM Report Share Posted February 25, 2006 at 06:45 AM 叫 sb + V---to make sb V/adj. ex: 叫人感動 to make people touched Here 叫can be replace by 讓, and means the same. 讓sb + V/adj ㄧ身 here means 'all over your body', ex: 穿了ㄧ身潔白的衣服 to wear the white dress. a saying in Chinese is 沒吃到羊肉, 倒惹了一身騷. (literally translated: haven't eaten mutton, and got oneself smell like mutton. It is used when you try to help solve the problems which aren't caused by you, but you end up becoming the target. Hope it helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HashiriKata Posted February 25, 2006 at 08:47 AM Report Share Posted February 25, 2006 at 08:47 AM The auxiliary verb 叫 in Chinese can be troublesome. It can be both a passive or causative marker (which are the opposites in English!), depending on the context: Passive: 我的书叫人借走了。 Causative: 他让我去/不让我去。 I think Roddy is right here, as 被 can be replaced by 叫 or 让 in informal, colloquial speech (such as in the sentence quoted： 路上衣服被雨给淋湿了/ 路上衣服叫雨给淋湿了) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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