Young people in China are becoming more rebellious, questioning their nation’s traditional expectations of career and family

  • whatwhatwutyut@midwest.socialEnglish
    1·
    2 years ago

    Would “just throw the whole thing away” (as in throw it into the trash) be a more fitting translation for the sentiment than “let it rot” then?

    • baseless_discourse@mander.xyzEnglish
      6·
      2 years ago

      Not exactly, 摆烂 is more mischievous noncompliance (like we typically think of a lazy cat), than confrontational sabotage.

      But “throw it all away” certainly conveys the message well enough. It is quite common to have word in one language that dont have a exact match in another language. Even in European languages, let along between Chinese and English, which are widely different.

      • whatwhatwutyut@midwest.socialEnglish
        2·
        2 years ago

        Interesting! Thank you for the insight, I’ve always loved the topic of direct translation vs contextual translation ever since I dove into it in a Contemporary Japanese Literature course in college