It seems like Firefly fans are frequently looking for Mandarin phrases. Since I'm a big fan of SF in general and basically fluent in Mandarin, and since I've seen some errors in the phrases I've seen around the Net, I thought I'd put up my own (hopefully more correct) versions.
Before I get to the phrases themselves, though, I have some additional resources spread around my site that you might also want to check out:
- Mandarin names for gamers. This includes a small guide to pronouncing Hanyu Pinyin.
- A small and incomplete lexicon of Mandarin words I've learned in Taiwan.
- A few general notes about China, Taiwan and East Asia in general.
- My general page about SF and RPG's.
The phrases below are in correct Hànyǔ Pīnyīn romanization, with correct tone diacritics. This means that, If you want to read this page correctly, you will need a browser set for Unicode. I got these Unicode characters through the Fool's Workshop page.
I have also used correct translations for terms/phrases. It seems that some of the phrases below were not used on the show to mean what they really mean.
| Hànyǔ Pīnyīn | Translation | Notes |
| Dǒngma? | Understand? Got it? | |
| Nǐ dàodǐ dǒngbùdǒng? | Do you get it or not? Can you get it through your skull? | |
| Wèi! | Hey! | Can be used in the "Hey, John, come here!" sense or the "Hey, shithead, what do you think you're doing?" sense. |
| Wǒde mā! | My mother! Mama mia! | Similar to "Oh my God!" in usage. |
| Zhēn dǎoméi! | Really terrible luck! What bad luck! | |
| Tiān xiǎode. | [Only] Heaven knows. | |
| Zāogāo. | Crap, nuts, crud. | Literally "Spoiled cake." Not nearly as strong as "Shit!" |
| Wǒde tiān! | My God! | Not really as strong as "Dear God in Heaven!" |
| Hùndàn! | Jerk, asshole. | Literally "mixed egg" -- Chinese insults are often variants on egg themes. |
| Gǒushí! | Dogshit! | Used like English "bullshit" -- "I don't believe you! What a crock!" |
| Shuài | Handsome | Also used for "Cool!"/"Well done!" sometimes. I think it can even be used sarcastically -- "Nice job, dumbfuck." |
| Shénme? | What? | Also sometimes sheme? |
| Xièxiè. | Thank you, thanks. | |
| Mǎshàng | Immediately, very soon, in a second. | Not usually used as a command, but as a declaration -- "Your hamburger will be ready in a second!" |
| Lìkè | Immediately, right away | Used in commands -- "Do it now!" "Stop playing with that dead cat this instant!" |
| Mèimei | Little sister | Used as a somewhat partonizing form of address for any woman younger than the speaker. |
| Guǎn nǐ zìjǐ de shì! | Mind your own business! | |
| Bǎobèi | Dear, precious, baby | |
| Nà méi guānxi. | Then that's no problem or That has nothing to do with it! | Meaning depends on mood/tonal inflection. |
| Méi guānxi. | That's okay, it doesn't matter. | Can be used in many of the same ways as the English -- "Would you like some cake?" "No, that's okay." "Where would you like to go?" "It doesn't matter." "Here, try my cockroach sandwich." "No, really, that's okay!" |
| Pìgu | Butt | Not really as strong as "ass" -- little kids say "Pigu" without being scolded too much. (This word is also why young Taiwanese kids love to say "Pig" in English.) |
| Tāmāde hùndàn! | Fucking asshole! | The literal meaning is completely different from the English, but the usage is the same. |
| Nǐhǎo. | Hello, how are you. | Does not expect a response, much like the English "How are you." |
| Nǐhǎo ma? | How are you? | Actually asks for a response. |
| Kāimén. | Open the doors. Door, open. | |
| Zhīmá kāimén. | Open sesame! | Literally means "open sesame." |
| Bìzuǐ! | Shut up! Shut your mouth! | |
| Xióngmāo niào | Panda piss | I've never heard anyone say this, but then, pandas aren't native to Taiwan. |
| Wǒ pìgǔ hěntòng. | My butt hurts. | |
| Gèpì! | Bullshit! My ass! | Mandarin speakers would never literally say "My ass!" (wode pigu) to express disbelief. |
| Hěnguài! | Weird! | |
| Cái guài! | Yeah, right! Like hell! As if! | Expressing disbelief. |
| Liumang | Gangster, rascal, soprano | |
| Qǐng zàilái yībēi hàge kāfēi. | Please bring another cup of that coffee. | |
| Hěnkù de lǎobán. | A very cruel boss. | Could also mean "a cool/fashionable boss" -- the same word is used to transliterate "cool" as means "cruel." |
| Zhēn shì tiāncái. | [He/she] really is a genius. | Mandarin, and Chinese languages in general, do not state subjects unless absolutely necessary. |
| Zhè shì shénme làn dōngxī? | What crap is this? What rotten thing is this? | Not just for food -- could be used for any physical object that the user is questioning the usefulness of. |
| Chòu mǎniào. | Stinking horse piss. | |
| Fèiwù | Junk | |
| Qù nǐde! | Fuck you! | Literally, "Go away!" or "Off with you!" Strangely, it's still just as strong as the English version. |
| Nǐ qù sǐ! | Fuck you! Go rot in hell! | Literally "You go die!" |
| Jiùshēng gōngjù gùzhàng. Qǐng jiǎnchá yángqì gōngyìng. | Emergency escape equipment failure. Please check oxygen supply. | |
| Shénme dōu shìdàng ma? | Is everything in order? Is this all appropriate? | |
| Lǎo péngyǒu, nǐ kànqǐlái hěnyǒu jīngshén. | Old friend, you look very well. You look in good spirits. | Jingshen is literally "spirit" or possibly "health." |
| Cái búshì! | Noteven close! Not even a little bit! No way! That's not it at all! | Can only be used to express disagreement. |
| Dà biànhuà | Big change | |
| Lèsè (Taiwan)/Lājī (Beijing) | Garbage, trash | |
| Fèihuà! | Bullshit, nonsense. | |
| Shǐ niào | Shit and piss | I can't think of a situation where a Mandarin speaker would ever actually say this phrase. It sounds very unnatural. |
| Shì. | It is so. | Literally "[it] is." |
| Qǐngjìn. | Please come in, come on in! | |
| Bàba | Dad, pops, daddy | |
| Fùqīn | Father | |
| Bèndàn! | Idiot! | |
| cāo! | Fuck! | Would never be used as a single word. If expressing exasperation ("Fuck! This thing just won't work!") the correct thing to say would be "Māde!" or "Gàn!" |
| Cāo nǐmā! | Fuck you! | Literally "Fuck your mother!" |
| Duìbùqǐ. | Sorry, I'm sorry. | |
| Bàoqiàn! | [I] apologize. | |
| Zhēn gāoxìng kàndào nǐ! | It's great to see you! | |
| Hǎojiǔ bújiàn! | Long time no see! | The Mandarin is literally "Long time no see" -- many people say the English phrase came from the Mandarin. |
Note that the phrases above are not necessarily those actually uttered by characters in Firefly. I have presented the actual, 21st century Mandarin phrases. Some phrases I've seen are also missing -- I've seen a few phrases that I couldn't figure out. Also, and I hate to say this -- some of the phrases I've seen posted on the Net are not accurate at all. For example, sishengzi doesn't mean "Bastard!" It means "illegimate child," without the strong negative connotations of the English. If you're in doubt about anything, please feel free to ask me.
Finally, I should note that I cannot be held responsible for any trouble you get into for misusing (or even just using) these phrases.
