Request for a phrase translation.

POSTED BY: Kurukami
UPDATED: Saturday, January 15, 2005 17:14
VIEWED: 4209
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KURUKAMI

Friday, January 7, 2005 5:41 AM

I'm working on a fic where a certain character mentions that a certain someone can [drown in panda urine] for all he cares.

I know that the phrase for [panda urine] is xiong mao niao, thanks to "Jaynestown". But how would the Mandarin be conjugated to say the phrase I've mentioned above?

"Sir, I would like to gingerly point out that it is difficult for someone to be gently reassuring when they're holding three and a half feet of sharpened steel."

KURUKAMI

Friday, January 7, 2005 5:18 PM

Hmmm. I found an article online which indicated that the Chinese word for "to choke" is qiang. If I chose to modify the phrase to [choke on panda urine], would that then be written as qiang xiong mao niao? Or is there some modifying word which should be interjected?

"Sir, I would like to gingerly point out that it is difficult for someone to be gently reassuring when they're holding three and a half feet of sharpened steel."

FFYING2

Tuesday, January 11, 2005 2:29 AM

It's probably not as colloquial as you'd want, but you could use:

He can bei4 xiong2mao1 niao4 yan1si3 (by panda urine drown) for all I care.

Since yan1si3 is a resultative verb (drown TO DEATH), I don't think you'd need le5 after it to indicate a "change" would occur.

The same thing would probably work with bei4 xiong2mao1 niao4 qiang1si3 (by panda urine choke to death), but different verbs have different properties, so perhaps that'd be a little different.

Ying
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KURUKAMI

Saturday, January 15, 2005 5:14 PM

OK. Thanks!

"Sir, I would like to gingerly point out that it is difficult for someone to be gently reassuring when they're holding three and a half feet of sharpened steel."