ART OF TRANSLATING THE UNTARNSLATABLE
--OR A LESSON ON THE CHINESE WORD “GUANXI” (关系)
BACKGROUND
The following excerpt from the National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” on January 19, 2005 serves as the background information for the essay:
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Linguist Christopher J. Moore has made a career of searching out some of the world's most "untranslatable" expressions -- words from around the globe that defy an easy translation into English. Moore shares a few of his linguistic favorites from his new book "In Other Words: A Language Lover's Guide to the Most Intriguing Words Around the World" with Renee Montagne.
From "In Other Words":
Chinese
guanxi (Mandarin) [gwan-shee] (noun)
This is one of the essential ways of getting things done in traditional Chinese society. To build up good guanxi, you do things for people such as give them gifts, take them to dinner, or grant favors. Conversely, you can also "use up" your guanxi with someone by calling in favors owed. Once a favor is done, an unspoken obligation exists. Maybe because of this, people often try to refuse gifts, because, sooner or later, they may have to repay the debt. However the bond of guanxi is rarely acquitted, because once the relationship exists, it sets up an endless process that can last a lifetime.
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Lao Shang’S ADDITIONS TO MOOR’S INCOMPLETE RENDITION
As “intriguing” as Moore’s rendition is of the Chinese word “guanxi”, his is disappointingly incomplete. “Guanxi” consists of two Chineses characters: “guan” (关), meaning “related” and “xi” (系), meaning, “link” or “lineage”. Therefore, the root of the word is of biological import in general and phylogenetic in particular. Moore’s rendition represents only one of the word’s many meanings in its social context.
1.Biological Aspects:
a.Phylogenetic:
I have two daughters. I am their father (父亲), and they are my daughters (女儿)—We have a “father/daughter” “guanxi” (父女 关系).
The same applies to sibling relationship, as in “brother/sister” “guanxi”, for example.
Therefore, it comes to no surprise that the Chinese biologists (paleontologists included) often talk about the phylogenetic “guanxi” between, for example, the dinosaur and the bird.
b.Sexual (marital and extramarital):
Lao Shang has been married to Mrs. Shang since 1979, and they have maintained a legal marital relationship, or “husband (夫)/wife (妻)” “guanxi”.
If, and only if, during that time span, Lao Shang, like his beloved ex-president Bill Clinton, had had a “field excursion” with another woman, Shang, again like Bill, would have been accused of having an inappropriate “man/woman” “guanxi” ( 男女关系). However, had Shang outsmarted that invincibly smart Bill in this “pursuit of happiness” (or should I say “ecstasy”, as Lord Bertrand Russell put it)—meaning: having not been caught “dress-stained”--but had been suspected having a sexual “guanxi” “with that woman” (in question, of course), we Chinese have a clever way in describing the situation: Shang and “that woman” had an “aimei” (暧昧) “guanxi” (关系): an opaque relationship!
2.Social Aspects:
a.Moore’s rendition with modification by Shang：
“This is the only way of getting things done in today’s Chinese society (thanks to its capitalism with the Chinese characteristics!). To build up good guanxi, you do things for people such as give them gifts, take them to dinner, or grant favors (including sexual ones). Conversely, you can also "use up" your guanxi with someone by calling in favors owed. Once a favor is done, an unspoken obligation exists. Maybe because of this, people often try to refuse gifts, because, sooner or later, they may have to repay the debt. However the bond of guanxi is rarely acquitted, because once the relationship exists, it sets up an endless process that can last a lifetime, so long as you still can lift your dirty fingers to scrub my back.”
However, “guanxi” in this sense of networking or building connections is nothing new to any society, thus not unique to the Chinese. Therefore, it is the least “untranslatable” part of the word--in English, we call it "connections." You don’t really expect to be able to spend a cozy night in the Lincoln’s Bedroom at the White House unless you can show some real cash or else you are Julia Roberts or Cindy Crawford, do you?
b.A term for social relations:
Dr. John Doe was Lao Shang’s major professor during Shang’s PhD student tenure at the Creighton University (《围城》中的克雷顿大学）—they had, and hopefully still have, a mentor/student “guanxi” (师生关系).
Mary Smith and Lao Shang have known each other since 1981 and remained friends to each other to this day, a miracle indeed! Hence, They have a friendly “guanxi”(朋友关系)。
Lao Shang and his immediate family have settled in the US and in fact, all have become the US citizens. Now all their relatives and friends left behind in China have so-called overseas “guanxi” (海外关系). God forbid, if another political upheaval, such as “the Cultural Revolution”, might happen in China in the future, those relatives and friends of ours could be purged for simply having us as their “overseas ‘guanxi’”! No kidding…
The term “guanxi” in the social context is like an octopus whose tentacles reach every corner of one’s social life. When one joins an organization (either the Chinese Communist Party or the Society of American Comedians), one establishes an organizational “guanxi” with it. You and the folks who live in the same block have a neighbor “guanxi”. If you and somebody are in good terms, you two then have a good “guanxi”. Contrariwise, you have a bad “guanxi” with the guy. The list is endless.
3.The Other Aspects:
a.When somebody does a favor for you, you’d say “thank you”; if he/she
were a Chinese, the reply would likely be: “mei (i.e., no) guanxi” (没关系), meaning “don’t mention it” or “you are welcome.”
b.The same “mei guanxi” could be your alibi if you were in the hot water. As in the case that you were accused of committing a crime (murder or rape, you choose it), someone came to your rescue by testifying that you were fooling around with her in a nightclub somewhere thousands of miles away from the crime scene at the time: you have no “guanxi” with the crime.
c.If that is not confusing enough, “mei guanxi” also can be used to brush aside an issue or trivialize an unpleasant experience (or intensify a pleasurable one) as the following dialogues would illustrate (please refrain from imagining):
“Shouldn’t you tell this to your folks (that you’re pregnant)?” He said.
“Mei guanxi, they could not care less.” She said.
“Ouch, I’ve got a paper cut.” Said the son.
“No, honey, does it hurt really bad?” Asked the mother.
“Mei guanxi, Mom…”
“You are killing me!” She said.
“I’m sorry. Are you OK?” He said.
“Mei guanxi, mmmm…” She said.
(cf. ee cummings)
d.This can go on to a book’s length, but because of the time’s “guanxi”, I’d
better stop right here.
祝大家周末愉快！
（这篇小文是我去年为本校东亚系的中文师生写的，颇受欢迎。）作者: 杜欣欣 时间: 2006-8-4 14:42 BIG WARNING! DO NOT READ THE PART 'B' IN THE CHAPTER ONE DURING YOUR LUNCH TIME, OTHERWISE, YOUR FOOD IN YOUR MOUTH AND YOUR MOUTH WILL BREAK THEIR 'GUAN XI'.作者: rong 时间: 2006-8-8 09:43 拿着饭碗来饭堂排队打饭来了，鉴于很快就步上大家的后尘，这文章就对我尤其管用。我会好好琢磨的。
