I wash my hands of your demolition.

Chinese translation: 你的毁灭与我无干

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

English term or phrase:	I wash my hands of your demolition.
Chinese translation:	你的毁灭与我无干
Entered by:	Wenjer Leuschel (X)

10:32 Nov 18, 2008

English to Chinese translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Usage of Prepositions

English term or phrase: I wash my hands of your demolition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwdr_st81qc

The Trial before Pilate contains the following passages.

PILATE: You're a fool Jesus Christ. How can I help you?

MOB: Pilate, Crucify him! Remember Caesar. You have a duty to keep the peace, so crucify him! Remember Caesar. You'll be demoted. You'll be deported. Crucify him! (Repeated several times)

PILATE: Don't let me stop your great self-destruction. Die if you want to, you misguided martyr. I wash my hands of your demolition. Die if you want to you innocent puppet!

Question: Although this story is well known, I am wondering why Pilate says "I wash my hands of your demolition" and not "I wash my hands on your demolition"? How to translate this sentence with the meaning of "of" in contrast to "on" into Chinese?

TIA!

Wenjer Leuschel (X) KudoZ activity Questions: 367 (3 open) (5 closed without grading) Answers: 4078 Taiwan
Local time: 21:10

你的毁灭与我无干/你自取灭亡王与我无干

Explanation:
wash one's hands of something: refuse to accept responsibility for something

"your demolition" is a different expression for "your great self-destruction" as in:

Don't let me stop your great self-destruction.

FYI

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Note added at 2 hrs (2008-11-18 13:28:18 GMT)
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In "wash my hands of your demolition", demolition is a metaphor for Jesus Christ's self-destructive behavior, rather than indication of a place. It means "I don't want to accept the responsiblity for your foolish action of destroying yourself".

However, if changed to "I wash my hands on your demolition" , it will express a totally different meaning, something like: I wash my hands on (the rubble of) your demolition. 我在你毁灭之瓦砾上洗手

I'm afraid in my limited experience I've never seen "wash one's hands on something" being used as an idiomatic expression, so I could only identify "on" as a regular preposition of place.

I'm not sure... Sorry if I've missed your point.

Selected response from:

ShelleyX
Australia
Local time: 23:10

Grading comment

谢谢所有的讨论者和讨论内容！
这样就清楚了使用系词of和on会造成的不同解读。
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +2

你的毁灭与我无干/你自取灭亡王与我无干

ShelleyX

我的手沒有沾染毀滅他的罪行

Gertrude Tsau

Discussion entries: 2

Answers

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

i wash my hands of your demolition.

你的毁灭与我无干/你自取灭亡王与我无干

ShelleyX
Australia
Local time: 23:10
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Chinese
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

谢谢所有的讨论者和讨论内容！
这样就清楚了使用系词of和on会造成的不同解读。

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you very much! Would you please do me a great favor by explaining the difference between "wash one's hands on something" and "wash one's hands of something"?

2 hrs confidence:

i wash my hands of your demolition. 我的手沒有沾染毀滅他的罪行

Explanation:
瑪竇福音 ch27:25~26
• 比拉多當著民眾洗手說：「對這義人的血，我是無罪的，你們自己負責吧!」
• 全體百姓回答說：「他的血歸在我們和我們的子孫身上!」

我猜的,也不知對不對(《淨書》pg34-#9)
on your demolition : I am only doing my job. ( 我沒有參與你們的demolition, ) 但是他罪有應得.
of your demolition : demolition 的是你們, 明知借刀殺人卻不得不做,所以洗手, 表示推卸責任.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2008-11-18 14:50:59 GMT)
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補充:....."的血腥."

Gertrude Tsau
United States
Local time: 08:10
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Chinese
PRO pts in category: 8

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Chinese translation: 你的毁灭与我无干

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