This is a love story Relationships make the world go round. Most people still like to use some sort of cultural signal to let others know they are ‘in a relationship.’ It is both helpful and fun. Another of my daughters is now “taken.” Before I tell you about it, here is some vocabulary that […]
Relationships make the world go round. Most people still like to use some sort of cultural signal to let others know they are ‘in a relationship.’ It is both helpful and fun. Another of my daughters is now “taken.”
Before I tell you about it, here is some vocabulary that will be used:
名花有主 ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄧㄡˇ ㄓㄨˇ (míng huā yǒu zhǔ) the girl is taken
熱戀 ㄖㄜˋ ㄌㄧㄢˋ (rè liàn) to fall head over heels in love
發展 ㄈㄚ ㄓㄢˇ (fā zhǎn) development, to grow, to expand
速度 ㄙㄨˋ ㄉㄨˋ (sù dù) speed, rate, velocity
戀愛 ㄌㄧㄢˋ ㄞˋ (liàn ài) romantic love
燃燒 ㄖㄢˊ ㄕㄠ (rán shǎo) to ignite, to combust, to burn
情侶 ㄑㄧㄥˊ ㄌㄩˇ (qíng lǚ) sweethearts, lovers
戒指 ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄓˇ (jiè zhǐ) ring (for the finger)
鑲著 ㄒㄧㄤ ㄓㄜ˙ (xiāng zhe.) embedded in
寶石 ㄅㄠˇ ㄕˊ (bǎo shí) precious stone, gemstone
打算 ㄉㄚˇ ㄙㄨㄢˋ (dǎ suàn) to plan, to intend
結婚 ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄏㄨㄣ (jiè hūn) to marry
美好幸福 ㄇㄟˇ ㄏㄠˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄈㄨˊ (měi hǎo xìng fú) beautiful and happy/blessed
婚姻 ㄏㄨㄣ ㄧㄣ (hūn yīn) wedding, marriage
(ㄨㄛˇ)(ㄋㄩˇ ㄦˊ)(ㄍㄣ)(ㄊㄚ ㄉㄜ˙)(ㄋㄢˊ)(ㄆㄥˊ ㄧㄡˇ)(ㄓㄥˋ ㄗㄞˋ)(ㄖㄜˋ ㄌㄧㄢˋ)(ㄓㄨㄥ)
(wǒ)(nǚ ér)(gēn)(tā de.)(nán)(péng yǒu)(zhèng zài)(rè liàn)(zhōng)
(my)(daughter)(with)(her)(male)(friend)(just at that time)(head over heels in love)(center, middle, in)
My daughter and her boyfriend are head over heels in love.
(ㄊㄚ ㄇㄣ˙)(ㄌㄧㄢˋ ㄞˋ)(ㄈㄚ ㄓㄢˇ)(ㄉㄜ˙)(ㄙㄨˋ ㄉㄨˋ)(ㄅㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄠˋ)(ㄎㄨㄞˋ)
(tā men.)(liàn ài)(fā zhǎn)(de.)(sù dù)(bǐ jiào)(kuài)
(they)(romantic love)(development)(adjective marker)(speed)(comparatively)(fast)
……(ㄒㄧㄤˋ)(ㄏㄨㄛˇ)(ㄖㄢˊ ㄕㄠ)(ㄧˊ ㄧㄤˋ)
……(xiàng)(huǒ)(rán shāo)(yí yàng)
……(to resemb
Relationships make the world go round. Most people still like to use some sort of cultural signal to let others know they are ‘in a relationship.’ It is both helpful and fun. Another of my daughters is now “taken.”
Before I tell you about it, here is some vocabulary that will be used:
名花有主 ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄧㄡˇ ㄓㄨˇ (míng huā yǒu zhǔ) the girl is taken
熱戀 ㄖㄜˋ ㄌㄧㄢˋ (rè liàn) to fall head over heels in love
發展 ㄈㄚ ㄓㄢˇ (fā zhǎn) development, to grow, to expand
速度 ㄙㄨˋ ㄉㄨˋ (sù dù) speed, rate, velocity
戀愛 ㄌㄧㄢˋ ㄞˋ (liàn ài) romantic love
燃燒 ㄖㄢˊ ㄕㄠ (rán shǎo) to ignite, to combust, to burn
情侶 ㄑㄧㄥˊ ㄌㄩˇ (qíng lǚ) sweethearts, lovers
戒指 ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄓˇ (jiè zhǐ) ring (for the finger)
鑲著 ㄒㄧㄤ ㄓㄜ˙ (xiāng zhe.) embedded in
寶石 ㄅㄠˇ ㄕˊ (bǎo shí) precious stone, gemstone
打算 ㄉㄚˇ ㄙㄨㄢˋ (dǎ suàn) to plan, to intend
結婚 ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄏㄨㄣ (jiè hūn) to marry
美好幸福 ㄇㄟˇ ㄏㄠˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄈㄨˊ (měi hǎo xìng fú) beautiful and happy/blessed
婚姻 ㄏㄨㄣ ㄧㄣ (hūn yīn) wedding, marriage
(ㄨㄛˇ)(ㄋㄩˇ ㄦˊ)(ㄍㄣ)(ㄊㄚ ㄉㄜ˙)(ㄋㄢˊ)(ㄆㄥˊ ㄧㄡˇ)(ㄓㄥˋ ㄗㄞˋ)(ㄖㄜˋ ㄌㄧㄢˋ)(ㄓㄨㄥ)
(wǒ)(nǚ ér)(gēn)(tā de.)(nán)(péng yǒu)(zhèng zài)(rè liàn)(zhōng)
(my)(daughter)(with)(her)(male)(friend)(just at that time)(head over heels in love)(center, middle, in)
My daughter and her boyfriend are head over heels in love.
(ㄊㄚ ㄇㄣ˙)(ㄌㄧㄢˋ ㄞˋ)(ㄈㄚ ㄓㄢˇ)(ㄉㄜ˙)(ㄙㄨˋ ㄉㄨˋ)(ㄅㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄠˋ)(ㄎㄨㄞˋ)
(tā men.)(liàn ài)(fā zhǎn)(de.)(sù dù)(bǐ jiào)(kuài)
(they)(romantic love)(development)(adjective marker)(speed)(comparatively)(fast)
……(ㄒㄧㄤˋ)(ㄏㄨㄛˇ)(ㄖㄢˊ ㄕㄠ)(ㄧˊ ㄧㄤˋ)
……(xiàng)(huǒ)(rán shāo)(yí yàng)
……(to resemble)(fire)(to ignite)(same, like)
The speed they fell in love was like fire igniting.
(ㄊㄚ ㄇㄣ˙)(ㄉㄤ ㄖㄢˊ)(ㄉㄡ)(ㄏㄣˇ)(ㄎㄨㄞˋ ㄌㄜˋ)
(tā men.)(dāng rán)(dōu)(hěn)(kuài lè)
(they)(only natural, as it should be, certainly, of course)(both, all)(very)(happy)
Of course, they are both very happy!
(ㄗㄨㄛˊ ㄊㄧㄢ)(ㄊㄚ)(ㄍㄟˇ)(ㄨㄛˇ)(ㄎㄢˋ)(ㄊㄚ ㄉㄜ˙)(ㄑㄧㄥˊ ㄌㄩˇ)(ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄓˇ)
(zuó tiān)(tā)(gěi)(wǒ)(kàn)(tā de.)(qíng lǚ)(jiè zhǐ)
(yesterday)(she)(to give)(me)(to see)(her)(sweethearts, lovers)(ring)
Yesterday she showed me her sweethearts’ ring.
(ㄊㄚ ㄉㄜ˙)(ㄑㄥˊ ㄌㄩˇ)(ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄓˇ)(ㄕㄤˋ)(ㄒㄧㄤ)(ㄓㄜ˙)(ㄉㄜ˙)(ㄕˋ)
(tā de.)(qíng lǚ)(jiè zhǐ)(shàng)(xiāng)(zhe.)(de.)(shì)
(her)(sweethearts)(ring)(on)(to embed)(indicates ongoing action)(to be/is)
……(ㄊㄚ)(ㄍㄣ)(ㄊㄚ ㄉㄜ˙)(ㄋㄢˊ ㄆㄥˊ ㄧㄡˇ)(ㄉㄜ˙)(ㄕㄥ ㄖˋ)(ㄅㄠˇ ㄕˊ)
……(her)(with)(her)(boyfriend)(adjective marker)(birthday)(gemstone)
Her sweethearts ring has her and her boyfriend’s birthstones on it.
(ㄑㄧㄥˊ ㄌㄩˇ)(ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄓˇ)(ㄕˋ)(ㄍㄟˇ)(ㄖㄣˊ)(ㄎㄢˋ)(ㄊㄚ ㄇㄣ˙)
(qíng lǚ)(jiè zhǐ)(shì)(gěi)(rén)(kàn)(tā men.)
(sweethearts)(ring)(to be)(to give)(person/people)(to see, to look at)(they)
……(ㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄥ)(ㄕˋ)(ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄧㄡˇ ㄓㄨˇ)(ㄌㄜ˙)
……(yǐ jīng)(shì)(míng huā yǒu zhǔ)(le.)
……(already)(to be)(the girl is already taken)(emphasis completion)
The ring lets people see when a girl is already taken.
(ㄊㄚ ㄇㄣ˙)(ㄉㄚˇ ㄙㄨㄢˋ)(ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ)(ㄔㄨㄣ ㄊㄧㄢ)(ㄧㄠˋ)(ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄏㄨㄣ)
(tā men.)(dǎ suàn)(míng nián)(chūn tiān)(yào)(jié hūn)
(they)(to plan, to intend)(next year)(spring)(to want)(to marry, to get married)
They intend to get married next spring.
(ㄨㄛˇ ㄇㄣ˙)(ㄉㄡ)(ㄓㄨˋ ㄈㄨˊ)(ㄊㄚ ㄇㄣ˙)(ㄧㄡˇ)(ㄇㄟˇ ㄏㄠˇ)(ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄈㄨˊ)(ㄉㄜ˙)(ㄏㄨㄣ ㄧㄣ)
(wǒ men.)(dōu)(zhù fú)(tā men.)(yǒu)(měi hǎo)(xìng fú)(de)(hūn yīn)
(we)(all)(to wish well)(them)(to have)(wonderful, beautiful)(happy, blessed)(adjective marker)(marriage, matrimony)
We all wish them a wonderful and blessed marriage.
Notes:
❶ It is curious that the same character can mean either fast/soon or happy. Other definitions in the dictionary include ingenious, sharp, and honest, implying that the concept of fast is a happy one!
❷ It is fun to break down the meaning of both sets of characters here. First, 情侶 literally means “feeling or emotional companion.”
情 feeling, sentiment, emotion
侶 companion, associate with
❸ The characters in 戒指 can be translated “a warning on the finger.”
戒 warn, caution, admonish
指 finger, point, indicate
❹ 寶, which has treasure/precious/valuable listed as its first meaning in the dictionary, is commonly used double (寶寶) to refer to one’s infant (baby).
❺ The Chinese of this 4 words idiom is somewhat archaic, as the last character 主 means master or lord; but if you think about it, just to say someone is taken, as is common in English, is also very possessive and true to how people in love feel.
❻ 結婚 is the verb meaning to get married and 婚姻 is noun meaning a marriage, which begins at the point of the wedding. The common character between them is 婚。
