叫不出来 Help!

apetina
February 27, 2015, 11:44 AM posted in General Discussion

Hi everyone,

In my work I have contact with a chinese 12-year-old girl, and yesterday she wrote something I didn't understand. She had a drawing of a rooster, and wrote 叫不出来! inside a comic bubble, as  if the rooster was saying it. I asked her (she barely speaks my language) and said me something like that it was because the rooster sings very early in the morning. I just don't understand! Somebody could explain how this should be translated? Thanks!!

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cheeyau
February 27, 2015, 06:33 PM

to me it translates as 'not come out when called'..

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apetina
February 27, 2015, 06:45 PM

yes, that makes sense and was my guess too. But it seemed so funny for her that I thought that maybe was some kind of chinese joke that I just could no get :) Thanks!

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cheeyau
February 27, 2015, 08:40 PM

This is just my direct translation of the characters though. It may have some other colloquial meaning that I haven't encountered. Maybe a more advanced user on this site may know if this has some other meaning behind it :) 

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podster

Sounds like an illustration of the saying "the sun does not rise because the rooster crows"