tvb chinese #4

TVB usually likes to create totally irrelevant English titles for their series, but in the case of Kevin Cheng and Niki Chow's Under The Canopy of Love, this is really not the case. The Chinese title of Canopy is literally translated to mean Lovers Under Sky Curtains. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I had absolutely no idea what a "canopy" was, so I had to look it up. It turns out that a canopy is a "curtain," "an overhanging covering." It can also mean "the sky." Thus, Canopy is a very appropriate English title and is a great match with the Chinese title.

Pronunciation: TIN; The word means sky, heaven, celestial things. It can also mean day (YAT is more commonly used for "day" though, especially in speech - but TIN is also used sometimes; MING TIN is tomorrow).

Pronunciation: MOK; This word means a curtain, a screen, a tent. TIN MOK are sky curtains. Usually, this phrase is used to mean a backdrop (as in a theater). A canopy is synonymous with that word.

Pronunciation: HA; This word basically means lower, under. In ancient times, HA YAN was the term given to servants. This word can also be used to mean next; HA CHI is next time.

Pronunciation: DIK; This word is used to form a possessive phrase/noun or an adjective, describing ownership or how something belongs or relates to another. However, you never use this word by itself (it doesn't mean anything unless it's used with another word). For example, NGOH DIK LUI YAU is "My girlfriend." In conversations, though, the word is pronounced as GEH (it's only when it's read that you would say DIK).

Pronunciation: LUEN; This is the word used for love between a man and a woman.

Pronunciation: YAN; LUEN YAN is a lover (or lovers).

tvb chinese #3

The Chinese title of Benny Chan and Linda Chung's The Biter Bitten is translated to mean Circus of Life. Literally, the title is Life Circus Group, but a group who performs a life circus is pretty much doing a Circus of Life, hence the translated title. I think this title sounds really cute, even though it's a bit "off" since the series focuses more on a treasure hunt rather than the circus. However, it's a very unique and fun title.

Pronunciation: YAN; You guys have seen this word so many times; if I explain it again, it would be redundant.

Pronunciation: SANG; This word means life. YAN SANG is human life, but generally taken to just be "life" as we are all human.

Pronunciation: MA; This word means horse. The way I remember this word is actually from a scene in Love Is Beautiful. The horse of Mariane Chan's character was sick, so she was out looking for a "horse doctor." She misunderstood that Evergreen Mak was a "horse doctor" because she saw the word MA and DAI FU (ancient term for "doctor") on his banner/stand. Her character is illiterate and she only recognized the word "horse" means the character MA has "four legs (strokes)" like a horse! If you look at the character, Mariane is right, it does look like a horse - and that's how I learned this word.

Pronunciation: HEI; This word denotes a play, game, toy. MA HEI is literally horse & game, but together it means a circus. In Linda's song Swear, she sings, "FAT SAAI CHUNG CHI JUET MO YI HEI"; YI HEI is literally translated as child play, but better put as childish games.

Pronunciation: TUEN; This word is a group, an organization.

tvb chinese #2

It's Hard to be a Woman declares the Chinese title of Sheren Tang and Melissa Ng's La Femme Desperado. Literally, though, the title means Woman, Not Easy To Do. Basically, the title wants to say that being a woman is difficult, which is a perfect title for this series as it reflects the struggles that women face as daughters, girlfriends, and unmarried mothers in today's society.

Pronunciation: NUI; This word is used to refer to females. It can mean girl, woman, or daughter.

Pronunciation: YAN; Combined with NUI, the phrase NUI YAN literally is a female person - a woman.

Pronunciation: MM; This word is used to negate things. For example, MM JEE means don't know. However, if you say, LEI JEE MM JEE AH? (literally it's "you know or not know"), this means Do you know?. Basically, if you put MM before a verb, the phrase would become not/don't (something) and if you stick it between two of the same verb, it will form a question. However, in writing, the word is different. Formally, the word that is used when you say something like HAI MM HAI ("Yes or no"), the MM is really the word BAT, but in modern conversations, people just use MM.

Pronunciation: YEE; This is actually short for YUNG YEE, which means easy. The MM before YEE negates it, so MM YEE is not easy or more simply put, difficult or hard.

Pronunciation: JO; This word means to make or do. Asking someone, LEI JO MUT YEAH? means What are you doing?. If you want to say, I can't do it, it's NGOH JO MM DOH.

tvb chinese #1

Introduction: TVB Chinese is a new feature at TVB Musings. It's my reply to the requests of several Vietnamese visitors of the site that want to learn Chinese. This feature isn't a full-fledged Chinese course though because my grasp on the language isn't all that strong either. I've just begun learning Cantonese three years ago due to passion sparked by Virtues of Harmony and I haven't stopped learning since. I've improved and my knowledge increases every day. I hope to share with you guys what I've learned and hopefully it will be useful and insightful. Basically, this feature is the counterpart of Fun With Titles. I will be dissecting and explaining the Chinese title of TVB series. I hope this feature will be beneficial to those who want to learn Chinese. Hopefully, I won't bore my Chinese readers too much with this feature.

Without ado, the first installment...

The Chinese title of newly released series War and Destiny with Myolie Wu and Ron Ng is literally translated as Turbulent Times of a Beauty. (It was actually me who translated the title at TVSF when news about its production was released. People were calling it Gone With The Wind, but when I saw the Chinese title, I immediately translated it to the real meaning and changed the thread's English title. TVSF was the source for information back then, so my translated title quickly and easily got picked up and adopted by other forums. To this day, when I see the translated title that I concocted, I get really happy.) The title can also be translated as Beauty from Turbulent Times, but Turbulent Times of a Beauty just sounds better. I love this title because it sounds very lovely.

Pronunciation: LUEN; This word means confusion, chaos. LUEN SAI is a chaotic period. To put it more eloquently, it means turbulent times.

Pronunciation: SAI; This word denotes an era, a time period, a lifetime. When you hear people say YAT SANG YAT SAI ("forever"; literally, it means "one birth, one life") this is the SAI that they are using. For example, NGOH NGOI LEI YAT SANG YAT SAI means I love you forever.

Pronunciation: GAI; This word denotes auspiciousness, fine quality, being the best. This is a rather "ancient" term, so it's rarely used in modern conversations.

Pronunciation: YAN; This word means person. GAI YAN literally means "best person," but it is used to compliment someone as being a belle, a beauty.