Firefly Chinese

On temporary hiatus until I finish a couple of research papers and this book I'm working on. Sorry! We hope to pick this up in April/May and finish over the summer. Thanks for checking in.

https://fireflychinese.com/post/42447101419

MAL CALLS THE COW BUYERS LIARS (EPISODE 5, “SAFE” 10:52) CHINESE: 废话 (fèihuà) TRANSLATION: Nonsense. CONTEXT: Mal and the crew go to Jiangyin to sell their smuggled cows. They mee...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/39107196549

SIMON’S FATHER SAYS SIMON WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO ANY ‘TIAN XIAO DE’ THAT FILTERED IN FROM THE CORTEX (EP5, “SAFE” 1:38) CHINESE: 天晓得 (tiānxiǎode) TRANSLATION: Heaven knows. ...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/38623504739

YOUNG SIMON TELLS RIVER TO GO SEE HER GHOST (EPISODE 5, “SAFE” 1:08) CHINESE: 见他的鬼 (jiàn tā de guǐ) TRANSLATION: “Damnit” or “Bloody hell” CONTEXT: In a flashback, a ...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/37722571932

SIMON AND RIVER’S FATHER SAYS “MEI GUANXI” (EPISODE 5, “SAFE” 1:18) CHINESE: 那，没关系 (nà, méi guānxi) TRANSLATION: In that case, don’t worry. CONTEXT: Young Simon an...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/37664684274

YOUNG SIMON TAM SAYS GETTING A NEW SOURCE BOX IS A BIG CHANGE (EP5, “SAFE” 1:58) CHINESE: 大变化 (dà biànhuà) TRANSLATION: big change CONTEXT: In a flashback, young Simon and hi...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/37411748676

RIVER CALLS MAL A SON OF A DROOLING WHORE AND A MONKEY (EP5, “SAFE” 2:54) CHINESE: 流口水的婊子和猴子的笨儿子。 (liú kǒushuǐ de biǎozǐ hé hóuzǐ de bèn érzǐ。) T...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/37202225902

KAYLEE TELLS INARA THAT SIMON IS JUST SO HANDSOME (EP5, “SAFE” 8:20) CHINESE: 帅 (shuài) TRANSLATION: handsome CONTEXT: The crew lands on the backwater colony of Jiangyin to sell the...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/37115972860

MAL CALLS THE DUEL WITH ATHERTON “STUPID” (EP4, “SHINDIG” 34:55) CHINESE: 愚笨的 (yúbèn de) TRANSLATION: foolish  CONTEXT: After Mal unintentionally challenges Atherton, a ma...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/36959875513

KAYLEE SAYS, “NO WAY!” IN A CONVERSATION ABOUT ENGINES (EP4, “SHINDIG” 25:20) CHINESE: 才不是 (cái bù shì) TRANSLATION: No way! CONTEXT: After getting rescued by an older gent...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/36810321486

KAYLEE ASKS, “WHAT?” (EP4, “SHINDIG” 20:40) CHINESE: 什么 (shénme) TRANSLATION: What? CONTEXT: Mal brings Kaylee along to a ballroom party on Persephone in order to meet a potent...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/36773743226

INARA SAYS “CRAP!” (EP4, “SHINDIG” 14:40) CHINESE: 狗屎 (gǒushǐ) TRANSLATION: shit CONTEXT: Inara accepts Atherton’s invitation to a ballroom party. At the party, after she ...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/36008026987

KAYLEE SAYS “THANK YOU” (EP4, “SHINDIG” 16:10) CHINESE: 谢谢 (xièxie) TRANSLATION: Thank you. CONTEXT: Mal brings Kaylee as his partner to the ballroom party that Inara and Ather...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/35914167956

BADGER SAYS MAL HAS A STICK UP HIS ASS (EP4, “SHINDIG” 10:50) CHINESE: 屁股 (pìgu) TRANSLATION: butt CONTEXT: Badger, an underworld crony who previously walked out on a deal with Ma...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/35873523217

ATHERTON CALLS SERENITY A FLYING PIECE OF DOG SHIT (EP4, “SHINDIG” 14:10) CHINESE: 狗屎 (gǒushǐ) TRANSLATION: dog shit CONTEXT: Atherton proposes to Inara that she should give up h...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/35844595839

INARA SAYS HELLO TO AN OLD FRIEND (EP4, “SHINDIG” 12:20) CHINESE: 老朋友，你看起来很有精神。 (Lǎo péngyǒu, nǐ kànqǐlái hěn yǒu jīngshén.) TRANSLATION: Dear friend...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/35839198505

BADGER SAYS “SMELLED A FART” (EP4, “SHINDIG” 10:20) CHINESE: 闻过屁 (wén guò pì) TRANSLATION: smelled a fart CONTEXT: Badger, an underworld crony who previously walked out on...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/35316868176

ATHERTON CALLS INARA “BAOBEI” (EP4, “SHINDIG” 5:30) CHINESE: 宝贝 (bǎobèi) TRANSLATION: baby CONTEXT: Serenity is about to land on the civilized world of Persephone, and Inara ...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/35229769598

SIGN ABOVE BARKEEPER’S HEAD SAYS “MANAGEMENT NOT RESPONSIBLE…” (EP4, “SHINDIG” 1:10) CHINESE: 如果台球坏了，那么管理就不负责的. (Rúguǒ táiqiú huài le，nàme g...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/35213780222

GUY IN BAR SAYS “WEI!” (EP4, “SHINDIG” 1:00) CHINESE: 喂 (wèi) TRANSLATION: Hey CONTEXT: The crew touches down on land to get a bit of R&R. Jayne and Mal play pool with a slave t...

https://fireflychinese.com/post/35213296250