Translation challenge: 对联
henning
June 29, 2008, 07:28 PM posted in General DiscussionAnother fascinating example of the efficiency and brevity of the Chinese language can be found here.
Please note the inscriptions of the two columns of the entrance gate (对联).
Left: 今朝有酒今朝醉
Right: 明日没酒卖立柜
I wonder if somebody can come up with a worthy English translation. RJ? Changye?
sophie20461
June 30, 2008, 09:23 AM呵呵谢谢，我还没看过那个故事呢，不过看了之后感觉和我们小学时学的《寒号鸟》那篇课文意思差不多。
http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/24600835.html
pinkjeans
June 29, 2008, 07:57 PMI think it means, "Take advantage of the situation whilst it's still possible today...and when tomorrow comes don't dwell on the possibilities of the day before anymore". In short, "Live for today".
RJ
June 29, 2008, 08:09 PMI can see that way also, but I just cant see the Chinese saying this.
Henning - what did your wife say?
changye
June 30, 2008, 01:22 AMHi henning,
I've found a very nice phrase from an old poem in one of my textbooks.
为乐当及时，何能待来兹。
Gather roses while you may.
henning
June 29, 2008, 07:29 PMBazza, thanks for the correction.
RJ
June 30, 2008, 02:37 AMI guess it would be - take advantage of what is plentiful today and worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.
there is another Chinese expression that says something like- he who parties his youth away will suffer poverty in old age. I think there is wisdom in this as well.
Unfortunately I tend to live by the first one. :-)
changye
June 30, 2008, 03:16 AMI would rather be the grasshopper than the ant.
sushan
June 30, 2008, 05:29 AM不错, changye. clap, clap！
changye
June 30, 2008, 07:44 AMHi sophie,
蚂蚁和蚂蚱 (The Ant and the Grasshopper)
http://www.eol.cn/movie_recommand_4784/20061228/t20061228_212085.shtml
pinkjeans
June 30, 2008, 08:28 AMThanks for link to the story, changye. Maybe I'll be the grasshopper for a while, then the ant. Idea for a CPOD series...Chinese fables, meanings of poems or maybe a 成语 every few weeks. I know there was lesson on cheng2yu3 before, but that was just an introduction.
edithscc
June 30, 2008, 02:12 AMLeft: 今朝有酒今朝醉 It is means: Today I could drunk if I have any kind of alcohol.
Right: 明日愁来明日愁 It is means: Any suffering for tomorrow, not for this time.
The whole poem is : 得即高歌失即休(Dé jì gāo gē shī jì xiū) 多愁多恨亦悠悠 (duō chóu duō hèn yì yōu yōu)
今朝有酒今朝醉 (jīn zhāo yǒu jǐu jīn zhāo zuì) 明日愁来明日愁 (míng rì chóu laí míng rì chóu)
Please be advise that this poem not for entrance gate (对联). It is an peom, told us carpe diem.
bazza
June 29, 2008, 06:52 PMYou mistyped the last character on the left one:
今朝有酒今朝醉
That one is in the ABC dictionary, it says "enjoy while one can".
Literally "at present have wine, at present drunk."
The right one is literally "tomorrow no wine, sell cabinet". Which I'm guessing means something like "get rid of things you no longer need".