起源于中國(guó)的那些英語(yǔ)詞匯

English words from Chinese words are often denoted as being 'loanwords.' A loanword is one that does not share a literal translation of the word. Rather the word is based on the adopted language. Quite simply, the word is borrowed and then co-opted into the new language.

那些來(lái)自于中國(guó)的詞匯通常都被稱(chēng)之為“外來(lái)詞匯”。這種詞不是逐個(gè)字翻譯過(guò)來(lái)的，而是基于這種外來(lái)語(yǔ)言的。簡(jiǎn)單來(lái)說(shuō)就是，這個(gè)詞匯是從別處借過(guò)來(lái)的，然后用到一種新的語(yǔ)言之中。

1. Gung Ho

工合

Pronounced gōng hé in Mandarin. The literal translation is,"work together." The English use was popularized by Marines fighting in the Pacific in World War II. The phrase came to mean: "whole heartedly enthusiastic, and loyal, eager, and zealous."

在普通話里的發(fā)音為gōng hé，意思是“合作、同心協(xié)力”。在英語(yǔ)中廣泛被使用是二戰(zhàn)時(shí)期海軍陸戰(zhàn)隊(duì)在太平洋作戰(zhàn)時(shí)期。這個(gè)短語(yǔ)的意思是：“竭誠(chéng)熱情，忠誠(chéng)、愿望、熱心。”

2. Typhoon

臺(tái)風(fēng)

Pronounced dàfēng in Mandarin and tai fung in Cantonese. The literal translation is "strong wind." Experts say the term, typhon from the Greek and Arabic, was strengthened with the Chinese translation.

在普通話中的發(fā)音為：dàfēng，廣東話的發(fā)音為：tai fung。直譯過(guò)來(lái)就是：“強(qiáng)風(fēng)”。有專(zhuān)家表示這個(gè)詞匯源自于希臘語(yǔ)和阿拉伯語(yǔ)，中文翻譯后意思加強(qiáng)了。

3. China

中國(guó)

In Chinese, the name is pronounced zhōng guó and literally means "the middle country." The name was first used by the Italian explorer, Marco Polo.

在中文里的讀音為：zhōng guó，字面意思是“中間的國(guó)家。”最初使用這個(gè)詞匯的人是意大利探險(xiǎn)家馬可波羅。

4. Silk

絲綢

Pronounced si in Mandarin. The word was first introduced to Western culture by smugglers who took silk worms and mulberry leaves out of China in 552 Common Era (CE).

在中文里的讀音為：si。這個(gè)詞語(yǔ)第一次引入到西方是公元552年走私者將蠶、桑葉從中國(guó)帶到西方的時(shí)候。

5. Feng Shui

風(fēng)水

Literally wind and water. It is the Chinese belief in creating a spiritual balance in one's home and workplace. The word was first introduced to Westerners in 1757.

字面意思是：風(fēng)和水。風(fēng)水是中國(guó)人在家和工作場(chǎng)所創(chuàng)造精神平衡的一種信仰。這個(gè)詞最開(kāi)始進(jìn)入西方是1757年。

6. Kowtow

磕頭

Literally means "knock head." Pronounced e k'o-t'ou in Chinese. In China the word is a way of bowing and touching the forehead to the ground to indicate respect. In English the word means to "be servile: to behave in an extremely submissive way in order to please somebody in a position of authority."

字面意思就是“扣頭”，在中文中的發(fā)音為：e k’o-t’ou ，意思是：鞠躬，前額碰到地上以示尊重。在英語(yǔ)中的意思是“奴化：為了取悅別人，表現(xiàn)得非常順從。”

7. Junk

垃圾

The literal translation in Chinese is "boat." In 1884 the term came to mean "old refuse from boats and ships," and eventually came to mean trash in Western culture.

中文中的字面意思是“船”。這個(gè)詞語(yǔ)在1884年表示的是“船上的廢舊物”，在西方最終演變成垃圾的意思。

8. Lose Face

丟面子

The literal translation is "humiliation" and is pronounced tu lien in Chinese. The word is said to have been introduced to English speakers in 1876.

字面的意思是“丟臉、恥辱”，發(fā)音為tu lien。據(jù)說(shuō)這個(gè)詞匯是在1876引進(jìn)西方的。

9. Shanghai

上海

Shanghai is a Chinese seaport. The word in English came to mean, "to drug a man unconscious and ship him as a sailor." This was the practice of 'recruiting' sailors to the seaport of Shanghai.

上海是中國(guó)的一個(gè)港口城市。在英語(yǔ)中的意思是“給某人下毒使其失去意識(shí)，然后帶他去做船員。”這就是上海港口實(shí)際中“招募”的船員。

10. Tai Chi

太極

In Chinese, the word is literally translated to the "supreme ultimate." It is now used in American lingo to describe the martial art of tai chi. Some emphasize the slow movements as a form of exercise, while others practice it as a martial art.

按照中文譯過(guò)來(lái)就是“太極(最高極限)。”這也是現(xiàn)在美國(guó)武術(shù)館中描述的太極。一些人將其看做一種慢動(dòng)作的練習(xí)方式，但是另一些人將其當(dāng)做武術(shù)來(lái)練。

11. Oolong

烏龍茶

Literally "black dragon." First introduced to the English language in 1852 as a dark, black tea.

字面意思是“黑龍。”首次是1852年作為紅茶引入的。