点缀的如锦似缎

English translation: the green velvet carpet resembles silk brocade

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Chinese term or phrase:	把绿色的绒毯点缀的如锦似缎
English translation:	the green velvet carpet resembles silk brocade
Entered by:	Jason Ma

13:09 Jan 2, 2008

Chinese to English translations [PRO]
Tourism & Travel

Chinese term or phrase: 点缀的如锦似缎

辽阔起伏的草原，金黄的油菜花，把绿色的绒毯点缀的如锦似缎，数不尽的牛羊和膘肥体壮的骢马犹如五彩斑驳的珍珠洒满高原。

Thanks in advance.

Jason Ma KudoZ activity Questions: 216 (none open) (1 closed without grading) Answers: 507 China
Local time: 11:19

the green velvet carpet resembles silk brocade

Explanation:
My try:

辽阔起伏的草原，金黄的油菜花，把绿色的绒毯点缀的如锦似缎，数不尽的牛羊和膘肥体壮的骢马犹如五彩斑驳的珍珠洒满高原。

Across the wide spanse of the rolling green meadow, the green velvet carpet resembles silk brocade with the embellishment of golden yellow rape flowers, the countless number of cows and sheeps and healthy,strong piebald horses are like colourful pearls scattered all over the plateau.

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Note added at 3 days3 hrs (2008-01-05 16:33:03 GMT)
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oops, sorry for the typo. You're right, it should be span.

What I want to say is across the wideness of the meadow. (imagine: wind blowing across the meadow, the grasses bend with the wind plus the natural ups and downs of the meadow,it will be like a green carpet with waves).

I used carpet instead of blanket (w/ perspective from a bird's eyeview ) bec. the meadow is on the ground.

Thanks a lot for appreciating my rendition. I thought you might be translating Tibet, it sure is a wonderful place to visit.

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Note added at 7 days (2008-01-09 16:15:03 GMT) Post-grading
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Expanse, yeah! much much better!

Selected response from:

karcsy
Local time: 11:19

Grading comment

Thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +3

... dot the "green blanket", turning it into a brocade.

maxzhy

is decorated ....like ...brocade ...satin

lhcm

the green velvet carpet resembles silk brocade

karcsy

Discussion entries: 9

Jason Ma

China

ASKER

Good on you, hc_ha

11:32 Jan 10, 2008

I may quote your insighful ideas in my English class.
Thanks!

lhcm	14:58 Jan 9, 2008 希望在讨论中，我们都得到收益。追求知识，没有不好意思；追求真知，更要如此。谢谢！

lhcm	14:55 Jan 9, 2008 原文的两个比喻，可以图解如下：草原（起伏，绿色，茂盛）——〉绿色的绒毯；草原（绿色绒毯）+ （多彩的野花）-----〉象锦缎。不管是前面的绒毯，还是后面的锦缎，都是用来比喻草原的。只是前一个比喻，是先从“草”入手，然后，作者视野注意到了草间的野花，于是“绒毯”又成了“锦缎”。注意，是草原在比喻中的“本体”，喻词是“象”和后面的“如。。。如。。。”，喻体是两个，“绒毯”和后面的“锦缎”。

lhcm	14:43 Jan 9, 2008 正如我在帖子中解释过的，那个句子中，其实包含着两个比喻，把草原比喻成绒毯，然后，这张“草原”绒毯加上野花的点缀，成了锦缎。后一个比喻是前一个比喻基础上的递进性比喻。因此，这种“比喻“的效果，在译文中要表达出来，就要把英文中的simile用上。注意，A resembles B 中的“相似”，不是比喻的相似。而是两样东西有外观上的可以验证到的相似;这个句子不是在用比喻。而是指出两样事物确实“相似”（孩子象父亲的那种相似）。因此，为了达到用喻这种修辞手法，在译文中，我用了is like 这个明喻的结构。谢谢！

lhcm	14:32 Jan 9, 2008 we say" his smile is like a blooming flower". bearing this understanding in mind, let's come back to the sentence your in question.

lhcm	14:27 Jan 9, 2008 simile (明喻）or metaphor(暗喻）, they involving a comparison between two UNLIKE entities. say for example: "smile" and "flower" they are two entities with no autual similarity. however, we use "simile", then can create a similarity between them in context.

lhcm	14:18 Jan 9, 2008 the similarity between the child and his father is a "autual" similarity. we are not speaking with "analogy"/or "simile". why we say "he is brave as/like a lion", we are speaking with "simile".

lhcm	14:10 Jan 9, 2008 resemble---- it means" between A and B, they have autual similarity( not the abstract similarity we draw up in analogy). say for example, I see a child looks like his father, we say " he resembles his father".

lhcm	14:10 Jan 9, 2008 resemble---- it means" between A and B, they have autual similarity( not the abstract similarity we draw up in analogy). say for example, I see a child looks like his father, we say " he resemble his father".

Answers

51 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

... dot the "green blanket", turning it into a brocade.

Explanation:
FYI.

maxzhy
Local time: 11:19
Native speaker of:

Chinese

2 days 2 hrs confidence:

is decorated ....like ...brocade ...satin

Explanation:
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:F8SssR5XP6cJ:www.qhly.go...

辽阔起伏的千里草原就像是铺上一层厚厚的绿色的绒毯，那五彩缤纷的野花，把绿色的绒毯点缀得如锦似缎.

The vast and waving grassland is like a thick green velvet blanket; and this green velvet blanket is decorated by those colorful wildflowers like a piece of satin, like a piece of brocade.

问题中的句子，在以上的连接中，有非常类似的句子，不同的是，前面把草原首先比喻成绒毯，然后，绒毯有被野花点缀得如锦似缎。前后有两个比喻。
草原和绒毯之间形成的比喻，其中相似点如下
1. 草原的起伏，如绒毯的起伏（waving）
2. 草原的草，是绒毯的色彩---绿色
3. 草原的茂盛，成了“厚厚的”绒毯
绒毯和锦缎之间的比喻，相似点如下
1. 前面提到的草原之起伏，绒毯之起伏，成了这里“似缎”中缎子那质感的起伏(waving)。
2. 绒毯上野花的缤纷，成了这里“如锦”中锦子那种色彩的缤纷(colorful)。
3. ，后面的一匹缎子，一匹锦子是跟前面说的是一张绒毯，在量词相对应。“like a piece of”的反复，是对应中文里“如。。。似。。。”的结构，在语调上尽量表达出原文的节奏感。
为什么“绒毯”译成blanket，而不用carpet. 原因有两个，第一：草原那种柔和的起伏，地毯carpet是很难使人得到那种意味，因为地毯通常是平铺的，相反，毯子blanket通常是有波纹的，给人起伏的感觉；第二：后面提到的“如锦似缎”更强调了这种柔和性和起伏性。因此，把绒毯译成 velvet blanket.

关于“缎子”的起伏性，请参阅以下连接，看看连接中的图片，就会有很直观的感觉。
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satin
关于“锦子”的缤纷，请参阅以下连接，看看连接中的图片，就会有很直观的感觉，您应该可以看到上面那些草原的花朵。
http://www.answers.com/brocade

关于“点缀”译成 decorate ，请参考以下连接中decorate 的含义。然后，对比中文“点缀”的含义“加以衬托或装饰，使原有事物更加美好。”
Decorate：To furnish, provide, or adorn with something ornamental
http://www.answers.com/decorate

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Note added at 2 days2 hrs (2008-01-04 15:55:46 GMT)
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问题中的“点缀的”估计是打错，应该是“点缀得”。

lhcm
Local time: 11:19
Native speaker of:

Chinese
PRO pts in category: 4

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks for your detailed explanation.

6 hrs confidence:

把绿色的绒毯点缀的如锦似缎

the green velvet carpet resembles silk brocade

karcsy
Local time: 11:19
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Chinese
PRO pts in category: 20

Grading comment

Thanks!

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks, Karcsy. I like your rendering of the whole sentence. "spanse" is typo for "spans" ?

Asker: Hmm, I prefer "expanse".

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点缀的如锦似缎

English translation: the green velvet carpet resembles silk brocade

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