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pathetic coward

Chinese translation: 可憐的懦夫，可憐蟲

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:pathetic coward
Chinese translation:可憐的懦夫，可憐蟲
Entered by: Roddy Stegemann

11:48 Jul 25, 2006
English to Chinese translations [Non-PRO]
Social Sciences - History / Kollektive Benehmung
English term or phrase: pathetic coward
There they stood, able to help make their language and culture available to the world, even become a great nation inside a nation, but paralyzed by their greed, insecurity, and false national pride, they chose to stand on the sidelines and mock. Pathetic cowards they were.
Roddy Stegemann
United States
Local time: 12:34
可憐的懦夫，可憐蟲
Explanation:
see explanations and example

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Note added at 1 hr (2006-07-25 13:19:10 GMT)
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see previous explanations and example.
Selected response from:

pkchan
United States
Local time: 15:34
Grading comment
Acknowledgement: My thanks to pkchan, Sharlene, and Wenjer. I find the terms 懦夫 as 蟲 to be very satisfactory renderings of the word coward. Even the Mandarin and Cantonese pronunciations of 蟲 are very close.

Although pkchan's examples of the English use of the word pathetic were quite accurate his Chinese rendering of the word seems incomplete. The notion of pathetic includes an element of ridicule that is not captured in either the word pity or sympathy, as my online dictionary define the character 憐. Indeed, sympathy is a term very distant from the notion of pathetic, and it is apparently one of the meanings of 憐. Maybe when used in combination with the word coward the idea comes across.

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 +2可憐的懦夫，可憐蟲
pkchan


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


50 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
可憐的懦夫，可憐蟲


Explanation:
see explanations and example

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2006-07-25 13:19:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

see previous explanations and example.

pkchan
United States
Local time: 15:34
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in ChineseChinese
PRO pts in category: 14
Grading comment
Acknowledgement: My thanks to pkchan, Sharlene, and Wenjer. I find the terms 懦夫 as 蟲 to be very satisfactory renderings of the word coward. Even the Mandarin and Cantonese pronunciations of 蟲 are very close.

Although pkchan's examples of the English use of the word pathetic were quite accurate his Chinese rendering of the word seems incomplete. The notion of pathetic includes an element of ridicule that is not captured in either the word pity or sympathy, as my online dictionary define the character 憐. Indeed, sympathy is a term very distant from the notion of pathetic, and it is apparently one of the meanings of 憐. Maybe when used in combination with the word coward the idea comes across.

My very best from the land of no mountains surrounded by sea on many sides.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sharlene
15 mins
  -> thanks
agree  Wenjer Leuschel (X)
1 hr
  -> thanks
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