Ed Jaggard's Chinese Words for Week of 03-02-98
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Sunday
ÂYÅß½L - zhi biao pan2
dart board
zhi2 - to throw, cast
biao1 - bit for a horse; dart-like projectile thrown by hand as a weapon
zhi2biao1 - darts (game)
pan2 - tray; plate; dish
Here are two words at once - darts (the game) and dart board.
I find the word for dart interesting because of the fairly complex characters. The character zhi2 is not that unusual, but it's not a character you see everyday. The word for dart, biao1, has a primary meaning of "bit for a horse", but it can also refer to a dart-like object. Pan2 is relatively common and in this context means "board" as in "game board". It is also used in the word for chessboard -
´Ñ½L - qi2pan2.
I'm giving you one link that seems to cover the whole subject. It has dart links, dart software, dart companies, etc.
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March 8, 1998
Dart Board - Dart Links
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Saturday
åÚ±H¥Í - hu2 ji4 sheng1
mistletoe (Viscum coloratum)
hu2 - a species of oak (Quercus dentata)
ji4 - depend on; attach oneself to
sheng1 - alive; living
ji4sheng1 - a parasite; parasitic; parasitism
Mistletoe conjures up images of Christmas and the custom of "kissing under the mistletoe" for many in the Western world. I've provided a link at the right that delves into the origin of the mistletoe custom.
The second link describes mistletoe as a parasite of trees. It has an extensive discussion of the plant(s) and makes for interesting reading.
The third link to the Mistletoe Center has a nice picture of mistletoe and some interesting links that you might want to check out. In particular, there is a link to Medicinal and Poisonous Plant Databases at the University of Maryland that discusses not only mistletoe, but other plants that have medicinal and/or poisonous properties.
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March 7, 1998
Kissing Under The Mistletoe
Possible origins of the custom
Forest Pathology - Parasitic Plants
The Mistletoe Center
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Friday
¸}½ñ±ì - jiao3 ta4 gan3
foot pegs (as on a motorcycle)
jiao3 - foot; the feet
ta4 - step upon; tread upon; trample
gan3 - wooden pole, cane, stick, club
This is definitely one of those words that you would hardly ever imagine someone asking you to translate. But if someone does, now you know!!
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March 6, 1998
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Thursday
·Àµ¾¹ - mie4 yin1 qi4
muffler (of an engine)
mie4 - to destroy; extinguish
yin1 - sound
qi4 - apparatus; device
Not that uncommon a word, but nice to have it handy when you need it.
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March 5, 1998
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Wednesday
·¼Ð - feng1 biao1
weather vane
feng1 - wind
biao1 - indicator; sign
A fairly common and useful word.
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March 4, 1998
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Tuesday
«D«e½u - fei1 qian2 xian4
don't pass line [craps]
fei1 - negative; not; non-
qian2 - front; forward
xian4 - line
qian2xian4 - pass line [craps]
Now here is an interesting game - craps. I live near Atlantic City, so once in a while I drive over, buy into a table and try to make a little money. I usually play the pass line, place the 5, 6 and 8 and make a small field bet, then wait for the numbers to roll. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.
I'm not going to explain the game because there are links out there that can do a much better job of that than I can. By the way, the day of this word, I hit a cold table at the Sands and lost. The following night, I played at the Trump Plaza and made up the loss plus $69. As you can see, this term is not just another pretty Chinese word for me.
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March 3, 1998
Craps
Explains the game
Craps
Harrah's Tahoe
Atlantic City Links
Casino Guide
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Monday
¼¹±ø si1 tiao2
pull tab (of a packaged product)
si1 - to tear; rip
tiao2 - strip; stripe; something long and narrow
Pull tabs on packaged products are definitely a part of our daily lives, but how do you say "pull tab" in Chinese?
Well, here you are ¼¹±ø - si1tiao2.
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March 2, 1998
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