Translation Challenges: Underpants vs. Undershorts

People like bird-nest more than they like 大裤衩, dakucha. Because the nest is a symbol of national pride while the CCTV tower is no more than a complacent toy of the upperclass. The tower's shape adds to people's dislike to it, obviously it is not a good experience to walk under one's underpants.

[...] | Trackbacks (0) | Email This As regular China Blog readers know, we miss no opportunity to write about underpants, especially big underpants. So when Dan Washburn of Shanghaiist posted some photos of plus-sized [...]

I have some “out of subject” and then some within subject to say about this post:
1. The first sight at it just made me say: wow, those posters DO take time to read what people said about their posts, no matter how few times. Although they don't reply directly as comments like all other blog readers HAVE to do. Thus they can make their words seen much more easily by all, instead of being buried deeply beneath the posts like ours which people just don't bother to dig and find. That is the great privilege over our readers, so do show it out anytime you have the chance.
2. Although covering each other as a group is the good behavior, make sure you have the ability first. So Mr. Selegant talked for a while and then concluded: it “most likely” should be “undershorts”, does that mean Mr. Austinramzy and me are both 50% right? You are so nice, Sr.! And do you really think Chinese people would ever go so far to refer to “good old fashioned boxer” to dig out a nickname? Don't show people your “Chinese knowledge” backpack anymore, because it looks like empty.

大裤衩 is underpant, but since a lot of Chinese go out wearing only their underpants, it is also a "short", with Chinese characteristics.

Yes we were wearing only underpants out more than 5000 years ago when your grand^100 father was still a red-ass tree-climber.

I do feel there are different meanings to the word 裤衩.

For me a southerner, it strictly means underpants (I would say a more appropriate translation would be panties). The word is a little vulgar and it's not really used in everyday conversations -- for that we use the word NeiKu 内裤 (or DuanKu 短裤 as a euphemism).

On the other hand, when I went to college, a northerner (Shangdong) classmate of mine had no inhibition about the word and used it freely. If I remember correctly, he referred to his football/soccer shorts as DaKuCha 大裤衩. I felt odd then but it kinda makes sense now.

So there you have it, my 2 cents.

I do feel there are different meanings to the word 裤衩.

For me a southerner, it strictly means underpants (I would say a more appropriate translation would be panties). The word is a little vulgar and it's not really used in everyday conversations -- for that we use the word NeiKu 内裤 (or DuanKu 短裤 as a euphemism).

On the other hand, when I went to college, a northerner (Shangdong) classmate of mine had no inhibition about the word and used it freely. If I remember correctly, he referred to his football/soccer shorts as DaKuCha 大裤衩. I felt odd then but it kinda makes sense now.

So there you have it, my 2 cents.

As to the CCTV situation, maybe they should just take it as good humour.

oops, my bad, one ctrl-v too many.