See how many of these random words you can guess the English and Chinese for!
1. A girl who acts or dresses like a boy. (noun)
2. The person you blame when something goes wrong, even if it’s not their fault. (noun)
3. A word used to describe food which makes you feel full quickly. (adjective)
4. Someone who knows a lot about China, its languages, culture, etc. (noun)
5. When you are the third person on a date you are a…? (noun)
6. Instead of doing your work you are being lazy and taking a nap. (verb)
7. You can’t walk well because you’ve damaged your leg or foot. (verb)
8. Your cheeks go red. (verb)
9. Without you knowing, someone has put a little microphone in your room to record your conversations. (verb)
10. You get food and money off your friends for free. (verb)
11. “Oh, my darling, my love for you will last forever and ever!” You hear this phrase in an overly romantic movie. What word would you use to describe it? (adjective)
12. You attend a class but you’re not actually enrolled in it. (verb)
13. The zipper of your trousers. (noun)
14. You can’t tell if that person is male or female. (adjective)
15. A man puts a knife to your throat and takes your wallet. (verb)
16. An ugly old woman. (noun)
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Answers:
1. English: tomboy. Chinese: 假小子 jiǎxiǎozi
2. English: scapegoat. Chinese: 替罪羊 tìzuìyáng
3. English: filling. Chinese: 很撑 hěn chēng
4. English: Sinologist; China hand; China watcher. Chinese: 中国通 Zhōngguótōng
5. English: third-wheel. Chinese: 灯泡 dēngpào
6. English: to slack off. Chinese: 偷懒 tōulǎn
7. English: to limp. Chinese: 走路一拐一拐 zǒulù yī guǎi yī guǎi
8. English: to blush. Chinese: 脸红 liǎnhóng
9. English: to bug (of a room or telephone line); to tap (of a telephone line). Chinese: 窃听 qiètīng
10. English: to mooch. Chinese: 白吃 báichī (of food); 讨钱花 tǎo qián huā (of money)
11. English: corny. Chinese: 肉麻 ròumá
12. English: to sit in a class; to audit a class (formal). Chinese: 旁听 pángtīng
13. English: fly. Chinese: 裤子的拉链 kùzi de lāliàn; 裤门儿 kùménr
14. English: androgynous. Chinese: 中性的 zhōngxìng de
15. English: to rob sb; to mug sb. Chinese: 抢劫 qiǎngjié
16. English: hag. Chinese: 黄脸婆 huángliǎnpó; 老太婆 lǎotàipó
For #5, I think most Americans would say fifth wheel. Most Taiwanese would say 電燈泡.
For #16, to American ears at least, “hag” is a lot more perjorative than 老太婆 would be.
#11
schmaltzy, melodramatic, mushy
#16
Crone? I think hag is the most common, although it is indeed offensive.
For 2 I have also seen 替死鬼 (reading). For 7 I think 瘸 would work too (something like 瘸着走 maybe).
灯泡 is a good one – it has always stuck with me since someone explained why it means what it means.
@郝先生 In Canada, definitely the third wheel — to me fifth wheel just sounds like a trailer.
According to urbandictionary, fifth wheel is the odd man out on a double date; third wheel clearly is the odd one out with one couple.
As for #11, my friend (non-Chinese speaker) and I were trying to figure this out the other day. I don’t feel like corny works for the specific romantic situation you’re describing. Chad’s suggestion of ‘mushy’ isn’t bad. However, we decided on “sappy”.
If we’re coining new words: 肉麻ntic.
‘Mooch’ isn’t in my active vocabulary. I think I would use ‘cadge’.
As a native speaker of Chinese, 一瘸一拐 sounds better than 一拐一拐 to me.
third-wheel would be more commonly referred to as 电灯泡
#10 can also be 蹭吃蹭喝 (better than 白吃, I’ve never heard of 讨钱花 as an expression in itself)
#14 In a derogatory way, we would say someone looks 不男不女
We also express “fly” in an interesting way (fly itself is an interesting expression in English) 校门 , the same word for “school gate”.
#13. In Taiwan a colloquialism to say “your fly is undone” is “你的石門水庫沒有關” (simpl. “你的石门水库没有关”) , in reference to the Shimen Dam – if you say this in front of any Taiwanese people you will get BIG brownie points
#3. “Filling” I also know as “很有飽足感” – the one you wrote seems more slang, I haven’t heard it before.
#11. Can also be “陳腔濫調” – which translates more as “cliche”