1. Gung Ho
工合
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."
字面意思是“合作、同心協(xié)力”。在英語中廣泛被使用是二戰(zhàn)時期海軍陸戰(zhàn)隊在太平洋作戰(zhàn)時期。這個短語的意思是:“竭誠熱情,忠誠、渴望、熱心。”
2. Typhoon
臺風
The literal translation is "strong wind." Experts say the term, typhon from the Greek and Arabic, was strengthened with the Chinese translation.
直譯過來就是“強風”。有專家表示這個詞匯源自于希臘語和阿拉伯語的typhon,中文翻譯后意思加強了。
注:typhon是希臘神話中的百頭巨怪,他有一百個噴火的龍頭和由很多舌頭發(fā)出的咆哮之聲,他創(chuàng)造了旋風并和宙斯作戰(zhàn),后被宙斯拋到埃特納火山下。
3. China
中國
In Chinese, the word literally means "the middle country." The name was first used by the Italian explorer, Marco Polo.
漢語字面意思是“中間的國家”。最初使用這個詞匯的人是意大利探險家馬可波羅。
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。這個詞語第一次引入到西方是公元552年走私者將蠶、桑葉從中國帶到西方的時候。
5. Feng Shui
風水
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:風和水。風水是中國人在家和工作場所創(chuàng)造精神平衡的一種信仰。這個詞最開始進入西方是1757年。
6. Kowtow
磕頭
Literally means "knock head." 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”。在中國,鞠躬的同時,前額觸底,以示尊重。
在英語中的意思是“奴化:為了取悅有權威的人,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.
漢語的字面意思是“船”。1884年,這個詞語逐漸衍生出了“船上的廢舊物”之意,在西方最終演變成垃圾的意思。
注:junk也指中國式帆船。
8. Lose Face
丟面子
The literal translation is "humiliation". The word is said to have been introduced to English speakers in 1876.
字面的意思是“丟臉、恥辱”。據(jù)說這個詞匯是在1876年引進西方的。
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.
上海是中國的一個港口城市。英語中這個詞演變成“給某人下毒使其失去意識,然后帶他去做船員。”這就是上海港口“招募”船員的手段。
10. Tai Chi
太極
In Chinese, the word is literally translated to the "supreme ultimate." Some emphasize the slow movements as a form of exercise, while others practice it as a martial art.
漢語直譯過來就是“最高極限”。一些人將這種慢動作看成一種鍛煉方式,但是另一些人將其當做武術來練。
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”。1852年,作為紅茶首次引入英語。