Grandma’s Crazy Phrasebook #4: I Like Toys [Updated]
February 23rd, 2009 | View Comments
For reasons too complex (and boring) to explain here, I am typing this week’s Grandma’s Crazy Phrasebook in the dark, with only my laptop for light. Thus I wanted to minimize the need to look words up in the dictionary. This almost resulted in me having to post an actual useful phrase! Horrors! However, I managed to find this:
“I’m really into toy collectibles.”
我很喜歡公仔.
Wo3 hen2 xi3 huan1 gong1 zai3.
人形遊びが好きです。
Ningyō asobi ga suki desu.
Let’s unpack the Japanese first. 人形 = doll, 遊び = game or play, が = subject marker, 好きです = like.
Not sure where the “collectibles” part comes in.
Chinese! 我 = I, 很喜歡 = like very much. As for 公仔, the phrase isn’t in my dictionary. The closest thing is 公子, which means “son of a feudal prince or high official.” Mmmm…nope. Though I note that 花花公子 means “playboy” (花花, hua1 hua1: flowery; flamboyant) and I’m guessing it’s a derogatory term.
Maybe 公仔 isn’t a compound? The dictionary gives these definitions for 公:
- public; state-owned
- fair; just
- metric
- male
For 仔 it says, “(of domestic animals or fowl) young: 仔豬 piglet. 仔鷄 chick.” It has just one other phrase listed in the entry. 仔細: careful; attentive.
Yeah, I have no idea, sorry. Going to check with a native speaker and get back to y’all. If you are a native speaker of either Japanese or Chinese, feel free to comment. 
Update: My dad confirms that 公仔 is “non-standard”. Heh.
Yvonne posted this on February 23rd, 2009 @ 12:00pm in Chinese, Grandma's Crazy Phrasebook, Japanese | Permalink to "Grandma’s Crazy Phrasebook #4: I Like Toys [Updated]"
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