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等Ａ以後才Ｂ

English translation: B only after waiting for A

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Chinese term or phrase:等Ａ才Ｂ
English translation:B only after waiting for A
Entered by: Roddy Stegemann

11:19 Nov 11, 2006
Chinese to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Linguistics / Grammatical Analysis
Chinese term or phrase: 等Ａ以後才Ｂ
Sentence: 這些衣服都是不乾淨的，現在不可以穿，等洗乾淨以後才穿吧。

First Attempt: "None of these clothes are clean and you cannot wear them. Wait until they have been washed and are clean before you put them on."

Question: Is 等Ａ以後才Ｂa standard pattern? If so, which of the following alternatives provides the best conceptual phrasing?

1) （等）（洗乾淨以後）（才穿吧）
2) （等洗乾淨以後）（才穿吧）

or have I missed the entire point, and 等 doesn't have the sense of wait at all.

3) （Ｃ，Ｄ，等）（洗乾淨以後才穿吧）

This question will be awarded PRO points based on your ability to parse the sentence meaningfully and provide examples of other sentences to support your argument.

As always you are welcome to comment on other parts of the translation and suggest other alternatives to the one's above

Please see http://homepage.mac.com/moogoonghwa/tsongkit/contents.html#p... for further reference.

Warning: In order to provide ProZ.com users with the best glossary entries possible, more than one question for the same entry will be asked from time to time. Please keep in mind when responding that you will be graded on your responses to ALL questions asked.
Roddy Stegemann
United States
Local time: 16:52
wait a minute Ａ, thenＢ
Explanation:
A few words to be added to make both 1 and 2 clearer:-
1) （等）（洗乾淨以後）（才穿吧）: （先等一等=wait a minute）（洗乾淨以後）（才可以穿）:
2) （等洗乾淨以後）（才穿吧）:（等洗乾淨之後=Wait until....）（才穿吧then wear it）:


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 hrs (2006-11-12 04:41:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

題外話﹕the land of no mountains surrounded by sea on many sides=無山多面環水，這是元朗，還是囤門呢？我曾住在獅子山下。
Selected response from:

pkchan
United States
Local time: 19:52
Grading comment
Final Rendering: None of these clothes are clean and you cannot wear them. Wait until they have been washed and are clean before you put them on.

Acknowledgment: There appears to be a lowest common denominator in everyone's response that agrees with Hai Yang's entry -- namely, 等Ａ才Ｂ. Unfortunately, everyone side-stepped the presence of 以後. This was disappointing.

I must state that I am not enthusiastic about the application of transitive grammar to any language. I do agree, however, that self-expression has a tendency to behave like a rising bubble in water -- increasing complexity with increasing proximity to the surface of final expression. Complexity also increases the longer one plays on the surface. This is what makes both writing and speaking so much fun, once you finally get moving!

In the end, I chose PK's entry because it was at least as instructive as everyone else's, and he incorporated elements of a previous entry about the proper use of 先!

No, PK, 獅子山 is not a mountain; it is a hill that bears the name of a mountain, as is true for every other Hong Kong geographical point bearing the name 山. Surely, Hong Kong tunnel diggers must have once thought 獅子 to be a mountain, but anyone who has climbed it knows differently....

Discussion: Please see http://homepage.mac.com/moogoonghwa/tsongkit/part3/III-3b-g.html#s12 for further discussion regarding the context of this question.

My very best from the land of no mountains surrounded by sea on many sides.
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1(等Ａ)([]才Ｂ)
chinesetrans
3(2)
Haiyang Ai (X)
3wait a minute Ａ, thenＢ
pkchan
2do B after A is done, B is to be done after A
randyzou


  

Answers


3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
(2)


Explanation:
(2) is my choice.
(3) is clearly not the case.
等....才... appears frequently and has a close association

Haiyang Ai (X)
United States
Local time: 18:52
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Chinese
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
wait a minute Ａ, thenＢ


Explanation:
A few words to be added to make both 1 and 2 clearer:-
1) （等）（洗乾淨以後）（才穿吧）: （先等一等=wait a minute）（洗乾淨以後）（才可以穿）:
2) （等洗乾淨以後）（才穿吧）:（等洗乾淨之後=Wait until....）（才穿吧then wear it）:


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 hrs (2006-11-12 04:41:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

題外話﹕the land of no mountains surrounded by sea on many sides=無山多面環水，這是元朗，還是囤門呢？我曾住在獅子山下。


pkchan
United States
Local time: 19:52
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in ChineseChinese
PRO pts in category: 11
Grading comment
Final Rendering: None of these clothes are clean and you cannot wear them. Wait until they have been washed and are clean before you put them on.

Acknowledgment: There appears to be a lowest common denominator in everyone's response that agrees with Hai Yang's entry -- namely, 等Ａ才Ｂ. Unfortunately, everyone side-stepped the presence of 以後. This was disappointing.

I must state that I am not enthusiastic about the application of transitive grammar to any language. I do agree, however, that self-expression has a tendency to behave like a rising bubble in water -- increasing complexity with increasing proximity to the surface of final expression. Complexity also increases the longer one plays on the surface. This is what makes both writing and speaking so much fun, once you finally get moving!

In the end, I chose PK's entry because it was at least as instructive as everyone else's, and he incorporated elements of a previous entry about the proper use of 先!

No, PK, 獅子山 is not a mountain; it is a hill that bears the name of a mountain, as is true for every other Hong Kong geographical point bearing the name 山. Surely, Hong Kong tunnel diggers must have once thought 獅子 to be a mountain, but anyone who has climbed it knows differently....

Discussion: Please see http://homepage.mac.com/moogoonghwa/tsongkit/part3/III-3b-g.html#s12 for further discussion regarding the context of this question.

My very best from the land of no mountains surrounded by sea on many sides.
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20 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
(等Ａ)([]才Ｂ)


Explanation:
Hamo, it would be followed by TG grammar by Chomsky of US. For this pattern, it would be in this way: (等Ａ)([]才/就Ｂ) and this pattern would be interpreted in two ways: when A is satisfied, then B is carried or to carry B till A is completed. Eg.（等你回来）（[我们]才/就开始吃饭）。Actually, A and B shall be a sentence like with its own full meaning. Your original sentence 等洗乾淨以後才穿吧 falls into it: A=[衣服]洗乾淨, B= [你在]穿吧. Another example is :.（等病好了）（才/就离开这里）。In fact, we can add a subject between (Ａ) and (才),e.g.:（等病好了）（[我们]才/就离开这里）。Hence, the pattern would be in this way:(等Ａ)([]才Ｂ)。

chinesetrans
Netherlands
Local time: 01:52
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in ChineseChinese

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Malcolm Mayfield: sounds good to me
18 hrs
  -> tks
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1 day 1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
do B after A is done, B is to be done after A


Explanation:
I am not very sure

randyzou
Local time: 07:52
Native speaker of: Native in ChineseChinese
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