What does SB stand for in Chinese?

xiaophil

Thanks Pretzel, but I'm not talking about that. It is an acronym for two characters that are often blocked on Chinese websites, i.e. a way around a filter.

pretzellogic

oops, nevermind!

bababardwan

hehe,where's bodawei?..he loves these acronyms. Looks like context is even more important when it comes to acronyms.....after your recent discussion about facebook I noticed that a common use of sb on facebook was apparently single blonde [along with the more common..somebody].

xiaophil

Baba

I'm not sure if I made myself clear. I now know the meaning, but it is a bit more vulgar than I imagined. If you don't mind a little adult Chinese, click on the link above and look at the first reply. And why did I think of this? A Chinese person called Obama an SB on a comment section I looked at. Grrrrrr...

bababardwan

xiaophil,

Actually you were perfectly clear and I knew exactly which version of sb you were referring to [so it was I who was not clear]. Even on the thread you linked to though there were other postulations and it did remind me of our mate bodawei and his penchant for acronyms,hehe ;)

bodawei

Yeh, acronyms are a pet hate (and I may have given Jenny Zhu a hard time on occasions because she seems to love them) - but acronyms in Chinese are beyond the pale. The language is already abbreviated enough. But this one, sb - I'll pay that. Just have to think of a situation in which I can use it. I'm on my best behaviour in China.

xiaophil

Bodawei

O, thx for the FYI. SRY, I had no idea some ppl, i.e. u, don't appreciate it. NOM.

886

(Okay, I admit that I'm not funny.)

bababardwan

hehe,well it made me laugh anyway so thanks mate ;)

bodawei

Xiaophil

Damn, you've nearly given me the excuse I've been waiting for. (I don't have to be polite to foreigners here.) ;)

bababardwan

hehe,don't use it on him mate..use it on his president..it upsets 'em more you'll find ;)

bodawei

I noticed that, :)

I don't think I could be drawn into defending Ruddy, even if he is a Queenslander, and needs protection. Anyway, Big Kev has got a dog to look after him apparently. Can tell 10 minutes before the Prime Ministerial phone call announcing imminent arrival. Ah, you gotta love a dog.

bababardwan

I was going to say we're a weird mob...which reminded me of the book/film of the same name..by john o'grady ..which reminded me of other aussie authors...steele rudd..wonder if he's related? [and if so ,what dad ..hey..I suddenly like baba more,hehe..would have had to say]

changye

Looks like the Chinese authorities are now trying to reduce the use of English acronym, such as MBA, GDP, and WTO, in Chinese, which I think is not a bad thing for you western guys who study Chinese diligently.

《电视节目禁用外语缩略词 "NBA""GDP"央视禁用》

http://news.xinhuanet.com/ent/2010-04/07/content_13311961.htm

xiaophil

Chanye

I have heard of this from two of my Chinese teachers. One thought it was foolish; the other seemed to support it. The guy who supported it said to me, "But those acronyms are not Chinese." I told him that English is loaded with borrowed words, and it doesn't bother anyone. Acronyms are simply very convenient in some cases. (Sorry Bodawei :-) .) I then added that most Chinese people are familiar with pinyin, so the acronyms should be no big deal.

I figure it will be just an excuse to easily filter out such acronyms such as 'SB'.

But you are right, it will benefit those of us who want to really learn Chinese. I have been trying to say 自动取款机 instead of ATM lately, 啊啊.

changye

Personally I don't hate to see English acronyms used both in Chinese and in Japanese, partly because they are noticeable/conspicuous, but probably my parents don't like them. To my parents, most English acronyms are completely foreign words. They know BCG, but never know what BCC/BBC are.

Chinese is a language that is very good at making acronyms of their own. For example, NBA can be translated as “美职篮” (= 美国职业篮球联赛), and “中共” is the acronym of “中国共产党”. Therefore I don't think that "purging" English acronyms is difficult for Chinese people.

bodawei

BCG is a useful acronym, even for me, because I think that hardly anyone would know its derivation!

BCC - Brisbane City Council??

BBC - Brisbane Boys College??

Actually, your Chinese examples are close to being acronyms but not quite; the Chinese tend to use abbreviations more than actual acronyms, agreed? Strangely I don't object to Chinese abbreviations as much as English acronyms - both Chinese and English acronyms/abbreviations are often used as jargon, which intentionally or unintentionally exclude people who are not 'in the know'. But Chinese abbreviations are a learning experience for me, so it is fun trying to work them out.

Eg. Seen at the bus station yesterday, a column on the board 车型 - the various brands, types of buses (very important in China). Fun trying to work out what they mean.

changye

Hi bodawei

> the Chinese tend to use abbreviations more than actual acronyms, agreed?

Do you mean that “美职篮”, for example, is not an acronym but an abbreviation? If so, I agree with you. I confused acronym with abbreviation.

Chinese characters are logograms. Therefore acronyms/abbreviations in Chinese are much easier to infer their meanings than those in languages that employ phonograms are.

It's very obvious if you compare “美职篮” with NBA. I wonder how many people can tell the exact meaning of NBA without context when they see the acronym for the first time.

In this sense, Chinese abbreviations can't be good jargons since they are relatively easy to "decipher", hehe. I would use completely different words as jargons.