A little game…?

[presumenothing]

It's already TGIF where I am, so 我们来玩玩游戏吧！

Since languages are all about connections, and everyone sees different patterns in the chaos:

Post a bit of vocab below, and I (plus anyone else who wants to play!) will reply with other bits of vocab that feel related to it!

Any shape or size of vocab goes – whether a single character or an idiom, your favourite word or one you just learned.

If you're responding, feel free to add why these words seem related to you! "They're the same shape/sound", or "it's a valid answer to 接龙ing the above", or "it came up together in one line of this show"… anything goes! 放飞创意吧！

Comments

[presumenothing]

My word: 江湖!

(because Zhou Shen's 江湖觅知音 is currently set as my alarm, heh)

[nnozomi]

I went to 东京 this week and realized that China has the 江湖 while Japan had 江户...

[grayswandir]

A longer phrase with 江湖 as part of it: 人在江湖，身不由己.

[presumenothing]

Went to look up more 谚语s and heh: 人在江湖漂，哪有不挨刀

Definitely checks out against every wuxia plot ever. Also to derail completely into non-ZS music for once, 江湖笑! Such a good song.

[presumenothing]

江湖川柯南 would, safe to say, be a very different manga XD

Tangent: kinda interesting that while most/all(?) CN speakers probably know what 江 means, it's one of those words that's generally fallen out of modern use aside from a truly impressive number of names – 黄江、长江、浙江、江南、江苏…

[nnozomi]

柯南，我的天。
while most/all(?) CN speakers probably know what 江 means, it's one of those words that's generally fallen out of modern use aside from a truly impressive number of names – 黄江、长江、浙江、江南、江苏…
When I think of it, same in Japanese? 江东区, 江户川 and so on, but you wouldn't actually use it just to mean "river." Funny that Chinese went for 河 (I think?) and Japanese for 川 in general. (Why we need three different characters for "river" in the first place is beyond me...)

[presumenothing]

川 is pleasingly pictorial, though! So that's nice.

Utter tangent: all this river talk made me recall 井水不犯河水, which is a weirdly specific idiom if I've ever seen one…

[petrea_mitchell]

Here's something to do with why I'm learning Chinese: 科幻大会

世界科幻大会！

[sam_gardener]

成都市。你要去吗？

I always think of this song

Re: 世界科幻大会！

[petrea_mitchell]

我会用电脑参加。

I'd love to go in person, but I'm not optimistic about it happening.

[reshiel]

!! Chinese sci-fi, by any chance? ♥ I have only scraped the surface but I've loved what I've read and watched so far.

In that theme, I'll go with 恒星, a more scientific term for 'star'. (+1: 冥王星 our dearly departed (from planetary status) Pluto.)


* Edited to add: I have since learned where worldcon is happening next year *facepalm* If you go, safe travels!

[grayswandir]

Oh, I just recently learned a bunch of 天文学 vocab from a sci-fi show. :D (Didn't learn Pluto, though!)

I really like the word for nebula, 星云.

[trobadora]

What show, if you don't mind me asking?

星云 is lovely. :D

[grayswandir]

A very old Hong Kong show with no English subs, which I'm afraid I wouldn't recommend even if you were into any of those things. XD It's called 天降财神 | The Superpower. Chow Yun-Fat as a very earnest and confused alien was great, but sadly even he and Tony Leung together could not save the plot...

I enjoyed all the sci-fi vocab, though! Another one I loved was meteor shower: 流星雨. Also, alien babies came from test tubes: 试管!

[trobadora]

Oh, Chow Yun-Fat AND Tony Leung? A shame they couldn't save the plot, but it sounds like you had fun with it anyway. And yay sci-fi terminology! :D

(What I really want is a Chinese space show set IN space, on a spaceship or something ...)

[grayswandir]

(What I really want is a Chinese space show set IN space, on a spaceship or something ...)

Same, I would love that! For movies there's The Wandering Earth, which apparently was hugely popular, but I watched it and really wanted to like it and... did not. :P

There's supposed to be a sequel out in January, though, so maybe its popularity will eventually lead to some shows with IN SPACE settings...

[trobadora]

Oh, that reminds me that I've been wanting to watch The Wandering Earth for literal years! I was looking forward to it before it became available here, because the trailer looked super relevant to my interests - and then when it did, somehow I totally failed to actually watch it, LOL. *puts it at the top of the list*

Fingers crossed for IN SPACE as a new trend!

[grayswandir]

I'd love to hear your thoughts about it if you watch it! To be fair I did see it under less than ideal circumstances, so I may have been too hard on it. ;D It at least definitely has a lot of IN SPACE in it, and I did find the premise interesting even if wildly implausible. XD And the CGI is great!

[trobadora]

Will do, absolutely! No idea when, but hopefully still this year. *g*

[reshiel]

(What I really want is a Chinese space show set IN space, on a spaceship or something ...)

Seconding the mention of The Wandering Earth (including the caveats; I liked it, but there were things that didn't land for me too.) The Three-Body Problem is getting a TV adaptation too!

[trobadora]

Thanks muchly! Any particular warnings about The Wandering Earth?

I haven't read The Three-Body Problem - is it set in space after all? My impression was that it waas very much Earth-based ...

[reshiel]

Nothing that warrants a warning haha, just some character choices I personally didn't vibe with (little sister who exists mostly to be protected, main character is a hero with dad issues, people seem to die for the angst of it, things like that.) I did like it as a sci-fi story, especially the setting/premise, the central problem and how they fixed it, and the visuals/effects. And it's one of the first Chinese sci-fi films targeting a global audience on this scale so I respect it for taking that path and doing it well.

You're right 3BP is mostly on Earth, there are also a couple subplots that take place on spaceships and different planets, so I am keeping fingers crossed they keep those in!

[trobadora]

Thank youn for the details! Like I said in another comment, from the trailer it looked VERY relevant to my interests, so I'm not sure why it dropped out of my head and I haven't watched it yet, LOL. Definitely looking forward to it all over again now!

And I do hope they keep the spaceships and different planets in 3BP! More of that, please!

[reshiel]

星云 so elegantly describes what a nebula is! I love it.

天文学 is fascinating, isn't it? Apparently the historical Chinese constellations are quite different from the Greek ones, although there is some overlap too e.g. Big Dipper/Orion/Pleiades.

Following the 天文学 theme, 动如参商 - 'as Orion and Antares', eternal separation.

[presumenothing]

The funny thing about 科 is that you get a bunch of uses corresponding (roughly) to science/sci- in English: 科学、科技、科幻…

…but then you also have 理科/文科/商科 where it's a general suffix for subjects?

Also, another fun-to-me thing: the way certain uses of 大 don't actually mean to imply a size/extent comparison, but just function as a note that Hey This Is A Big Deal (i.e. it's not like there's a 小会 that you need to distinguish this 大会 from XD)

[trobadora]

i.e. it's not like there's a 小会 that you need to distinguish this 大会 from XD

Hee! A mini-gathering should absolutely be called a 小会. :D

[elwinfortuna]

I picked this bit out by ear in Love Between Fairy and Devil just now and it amused me: 可笑!

[grayswandir]

My first thought was 好笑, but that might be too obvious, so I'll go with one of my favorite 可 words, 可爱. :)

[reshiel]

Following the 可 pattern, 可口可乐！It was once brought up in class as an example of good brand localization: it sounds like the original name, and also evokes 'delicious' and 'enjoyable'.

[presumenothing]

宜家 for IKEA is a favourite of mine! I do like it when they get the jackpot of both sound and meaning.

[reshiel]

Ooh 宜家 is inspired and I love it!

On the topic of brand names, it took me way too long to figure out what 微软 was.

[presumenothing]

I feel like prior to a certain point and/or possibly in certain fields, less attention was paid to sound over meaning (see: 脸书 for literally Facebook) which is a bit of a shame! It's not like you actually think of it as micro+soft in English anyway.

ETA: Just got reminded that Carrefour as 家乐福 exists, which is also delightful.

[reshiel]

家乐福! That's wonderful.

I feel like prior to a certain point and/or possibly in certain fields, less attention was paid to sound over meaning
Yeah, I def think I've seen this happen. In more tech examples - 'computer' and 'software developer' have super literal equivalents 计算机 and 软件开发工程师 (though I think 电脑 and 程序员 are the more common parlance now?) I think it might also be more common for brands/names that are actual words/word compounds? e.g. 苹果 for Apple but 谷歌 for Google.

It's not like you actually think of it as micro+soft in English anyway.
Right??? I did not even notice it is micro+soft until I ran into this. (I went on an etymology hunt and apparently 'Microsoft' is from microcomputer + software, i.e. 微型计算机+软件， okay translators you win this round...)

[presumenothing]

though I think 电脑 and 程序员 are the more common parlance now?

Not sure about programmers, but definitely for 电脑 as computer – 计算机 is associated with actual calculators (or more realistically these days, calculator apps LOL)

Also, TIL that it's also micro- as in the SI prefix (e.g. micrometre = 微米) which does check out, yeah XD

[trobadora]

LOL! In German, "Miniweich" is a mocking/humorous way of referring to Microsoft. :D

[presumenothing]

Ha, I like this one!

[reshiel]

🤣🤣🤣 Omg hahahahaha I love it. (Microsoft brought this on itself, truly 🤣)

[presumenothing]

Literal parallel from the English construction! (laugh+able, 可+笑)

Related: 可喜可贺、可悲、可怜……

[elenothar]

I'm going with 龙飞凤舞, which I just came across because I was googling dragon chengyu for Reasons (TM) and I just really liked the mental image of applying that to calligraphy.

成语

[sam_gardener]

群龙无首 - because it's the only dragon chengyu I know （ 我真喜欢龙飞凤舞 ）

Re: 成语

[presumenothing]

Another one – 画龙点睛!

Re: 成语

[sam_gardener]

That one is also really nice, and reminds me of 画蛇添足.
(You guys know all the cool dragon chengyu and I just remember the ones with cows and snakes.;)

Re: 成语

[presumenothing]

Not cows, but 龙马精神 does also feature a horse? XD

Re: 成语

[elenothar]

群龙无首 is a good one! *makes notes*

[grayswandir]

Oh wow, that's really cool.

The word/term it makes me think of is 舞刀, I guess because of the similar use of 舞 to suggest sweeping movements and flourishes.

[presumenothing]

Conversely, you have 武术 with 武 to specify "this is an art that will Kick Your Ass" XD

[elenothar]

Ooh, yes, neat! Good mental images...

[presumenothing]

It's a satisfyingly dramatic image! Related-ish: 龙凤胎, purely because also 龙 and 凤.

Tangentially, calligraphy makes me think of 文房四宝 aka 笔墨纸砚, and also 永 containing all the strokes ever.

[elenothar]

Huh, so do 龙 and 凤 have different gender connotations?

I definitely already learned 永 but I didn't even notice it had all the strokes 😅

[grayswandir]

One of my favorites: 對牛彈琴.

我爱那个！

[sam_gardener]

九牛一毛 So many cow chengyu!

Re: 我爱那个！

[reshiel]

I will try 接龙，毛骨悚然

Re: 我爱那个！

[sam_gardener]

Further 接龙， 然而不然

Re: 我爱那个！

[reshiel]

#放弃 :') 这个字好难...

(I hadn't known of 然而不然 before this, so going off of that - it reminded me of 坐井观天, where one only sees a part instead of the full picture or the truth?)

Re: 我爱那个！

[sam_gardener]

坐井观天 I like the imagery of this!
坐 -> 座
对号入座 it sounds like take your seat according to your number / put things in their correct place - but also means to take a general comment as a personal attack, assume you are being criticized? I don't know what the story is behind that and I haven't found any explanation (that I understood) when I searched for it, so it sticks in my mind.

Re: 我爱那个！

[trobadora]

对号入座 is sort of "if the shoe fits", isn't it?

Re: 我爱那个！

[grayswandir]

I hadn't heard the second ("personal attack") meaning of 对号入座. Useful to know!

I learned the other meaning (for numbered seating) from a song, so following up with a word from the next line of the lyrics: 入魔.

[presumenothing]

Ha, this one comes along with 班门弄斧 in my head for some reason (and further on to 隔岸观火, in the vein of "doing this thing in this place" format)

[grayswandir]

Okay I have to reply to both of these. XD The first one was new to me, but when I looked it up what it reminded me of was 雕虫小技.

And for the second one, 远水不救近火.

[presumenothing]

On reflection I actually have no idea what the 雕 in 雕虫小技 is doing there… but I haven't got the patience to chew Baidu today and it's almost lunchtime, so 花雕酒 it is LOL (aka one of several things that you occasionally see just referred to in recipes as "Chinese cooking wine", thanks for that infuriatingly helpful description!!1!)

Also I had to cheat and look up the other half of that one because I only had a vague impression of it: 远亲不如近邻! Extra relatable in the age of online pocketfriends 🥲

[grayswandir]

Hah, yeah, I actually tried to look up 雕虫 before I posted but eventually gave up. XD It seems to have something to do with seal script, I think.

远亲不如近邻!

Oh, cool, I didn't even know that one had a second half! I wish dictionaries would include those more often...

ETA: Forgot to 接龙 something. I didn't know until I tried to look up 雕虫 that 雕 is also the simplified form of 鵰, so going from there, I just found 一箭双雕, which seems like 一石二鸟 but extra impressive!

[trobadora]

I can't play because the moment you said "post a bit of vocab" every single word or expression I've ever known instantly departed my brain. :p (Same thing happened with Wordle at one point - what do you mean five-letter words, I've never heard of any! *headdesk*) But I'm really enjoying reading all the comments on this post, so thank you a lot! ♥

[nnozomi]

I can't play because the moment you said "post a bit of vocab" every single word or expression I've ever known instantly departed my brain.
same here, on the whole. but likewise enjoying reading :)

[trobadora]

Haha, glad it's not just me!