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Thread: Learning wuxia vernacular

  1. #1
    Moderator Suet Seung's Avatar
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    Default Quotes, Expressions and Etc

    Can anyone list a few quotes, expressions or sayings said in Wuxia Novels...or series?

    Just for fun

    Name a few of your favorites( Chinese and English).

    Last edited by Suet Seung; 02-13-04 at 03:43 PM.
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    Member yeesian's Avatar
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    the ones that always stuck to my mind are:

    1. wen shi jian qing shi he wu

    2. he fang shen sheng - i thought this is quite amusing

    3. the 'poem' from HSDS about the sword and sabre
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    Senior Member rabadi's Avatar
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    "North Xiao Feng, South Murong"

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    Member Zhang San Feng's Avatar
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    - Fei Ye Fei Ye
    - shen xian jie jie (heheh so funny the way dy says it)
    - look on dy's face when he sees wyy naked ...dont think he knows how to blush
    -from roch 95 : its not that theres no rice, i just dont know how to cook it
    - how come u keep using the same move?...its the only one i know (loch)
    - dont worry my old masters used to get mad too but...|but what, u got smarter?| ...no they jsut got used to it...

  5. #5
    Moderator Suet Seung's Avatar
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    Hmm...I didn't mean facial expressions or quotes from tv series.

    More like stuff like :
    "Birds die for food, humans die for greed/money"? Not sure how that one goes..

    "Theres always one mountain taller than the other"

    ACk...I don't know how to translate it properly in english...

    Last edited by Suet Seung; 02-15-04 at 01:31 PM.
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    Moderator Ren Wo Xing's Avatar
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    How about translating it as,

    "Beyond a tall peak, there is a taller one yet; beyond a skilled person, there is always one even more skilled."

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    Member hermit's Avatar
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    Default Learning wuxia vernacular

    I would like to start a thread listing the common phrases you hear in wuxia novels. For example:

    Nan Zi Han Da Zhang Fu

    My Chinese sucks. What are the phrases they use when:

    making a promise
    praising someone's kungfu
    ....

    Help me develop my WuxiaSpeak!

  8. #8
    Member immakiku's Avatar
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    I think most of those are just comparing an item (say, your integrity) to some established idiom. Aside from those, there are not-as-famous idioms and just writer-created phrases/analogies that work.

    In other words, I suggest you get an idioms-dictionary.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Candide's Avatar
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    I can understand these phrases once they are written in pinyin (because they sound similar to Sino-Vietnamese) but I can't write them out myself If someone needs help translating them to Vietnamese, or English, I can give a hand. Just so that those who can't speak any of those except English can understand them.

    Making a promise: One word that is said, four horses cannot keep up with. (literal translation).

    Praising someone's kungfu: There are many of those, but one of the best one could expect is: "Too high and deep that nobody could measure" - again, literal translation.
    "Anything you can't say NO to is your MASTER, and you are its SLAVE."

    "I disapprove of what I say, but I will defend to the death my right to say it."

  10. #10
    Member immakiku's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Candide
    Making a promise: One word that is said, four horses cannot keep up with. (literal translation).
    I thought that was for when someone (person B) wants to point out to person A that person A had made a promise and that he should keep the promise. That's also used after person A made a promise: person A would say that to reinforce his promise, to rid anyone else of worries that he'd lose his promise.

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    Moderator CrazyT's Avatar
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    I'm not quite sure about this...

    "Head face the sky, feet on the ground"

    I can only vaguely remember the Vietnamese saying so translating a vague line would get a vague translation. Hehe.
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    "when I say something it is like spiting, and it can't be retrieved"

    "I say one is one, and two is two."

    both meaning he got to stick to his words and can't change it.

    being a bad translator here

  13. #13
    Senior Member rabadi's Avatar
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    "We have eyes, but we can't see Mount Tai (Taishan) in front of us" or something like that, to praise someone

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    "put down your sabre, and become buddha or enlightenment"
    I don't know one of them.

    how about that saying they say about the Mu Rong Family in DSGD. I can't really translate that one because I barely understand it.

    I guess this one is similar.

    "Take old man's stick, hit old man."



    "Sabres and Swords don't have eyes."

  15. #15
    Senior Member rabadi's Avatar
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    I just remember this one: Quotes, Expressions and Etc

  16. #16
    Senior Member rabadi's Avatar
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    Originally posted by -NSX-
    Subject to me and you will live; refuse me and you will die.
    Who said that? DFBB?

  17. #17
    Member immakiku's Avatar
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    "Respect wine not drink, drink punishment wine".

  18. #18
    Member immakiku's Avatar
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    Walls have ears

    Going into tiger's den to get tiger's cubs

  19. #19
    Member immakiku's Avatar
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    Flying goose to save fire

    Favor returned with revenge

    zhen ren bu lo mien

    Sky create misfortune, can be saved; self create misfortune, can't be saved.

  20. #20
    Member immakiku's Avatar
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    Bloodied mouth spits at people

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