tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5263183685364131312.post3025491616499303828..comments2023-09-16T10:53:49.712-05:00Comments on Round and Square: Primary Sources 1A.02—Good Morning, Mother 媽媽早Round and Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12034747929658750371noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5263183685364131312.post-72554199029771756932012-08-29T22:48:38.152-05:002012-08-29T22:48:38.152-05:00I thought I had replied to this comment, but just ...I thought I had replied to this comment, but just noticed it today. William has a great point here, and we discussed this over e-mail. I wish I had time to put it all down again, but suffice (it) to say that something interesting is going on. William is right. The funny thing is, ever since I first learned the phrase (and this has never gone away, even after a quarter century of reading Chinese) I "hear" it as a rhetorical question. Daniel Youd and I have discussed this at length, too, and it has been fun. Short answer: the "rhetorical question" (what I hear) "fits," and can be defended. Even having said that, though, I am more surprised by my own personal response. I tend to agree (except somewhere deep in my soul?) with William. This is very interesting stuff. Maybe it is all personal idiosyncrasy...or not? Hmmm.Round and Squarehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12034747929658750371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5263183685364131312.post-69088504754293769292012-04-25T02:17:50.794-05:002012-04-25T02:17:50.794-05:00I have to admit, I either never learned or (more l...I have to admit, I either never learned or (more likely) forgot the phrase 比不了. <br /><br />Following this, I have a question about your translation -- why do you translate it as a question?<br /><br />Aside from the original punctuation, my first inclination would be to translate "谁也" not as the interrogative "who (also)" but as the exclusive "nobody." The last line would therefore read:<br /><br />"My wonderful mother--no one can compare."<br /><br />Is it a stylistic choice in the English (I fidgeted for awhile on whether to add "to her" at the end), or is there something I'm missing in the Chinese?IVhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15759405810032275213noreply@blogger.com