Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Chinese term or phrase:
Often heard expression
English translation:
hoodwink; bamboozle; bluff
Added to glossary by
Wenjer Leuschel (X)
Nov 16, 2008 04:43
15 yrs ago
Chinese term
Often heard expression
Chinese to English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
忽悠
Many poeple ask me how many languages I have ever learned. My answer is always some questions like these:
What do you mean by having learned?
Do you mean in how many languages I can say "Hello!"?
Or, in how many languages I can read and/or write?
You see, I do make mistakes like anyone of you when I read or write I have ever learned, even in Chinese. So, I am not quite sure about the meaning of 忽悠 in Chinese.
For instance, if someone make a job post saying there are some big projects needing help and the word count of the initial project, say, 200 words, is this a 忽悠?
Though, for some reasons out of my experiences as a freelance PM/outsourcer, I don't regard it as a 忽悠, there are obviously some poeple who would take it as a 忽悠, especially when there comes no further projects. For this reason, I am not so sure of the meaning of 忽悠.
For another instance, if someone introduced his client to another person for a job and this person rejected the job because the client wouldn't pay a price this person expected, is this person 忽悠ed by someone?
It is a puzzle for me that such a simple language, like Chinese which is spoken and written by a huge population, can become so complicate that I, for one who grew up with it, don't understand the meaning of a seemingly simple word. Any suggestions for the translation of this word into English are welcome.
Thanks in advance!
What do you mean by having learned?
Do you mean in how many languages I can say "Hello!"?
Or, in how many languages I can read and/or write?
You see, I do make mistakes like anyone of you when I read or write I have ever learned, even in Chinese. So, I am not quite sure about the meaning of 忽悠 in Chinese.
For instance, if someone make a job post saying there are some big projects needing help and the word count of the initial project, say, 200 words, is this a 忽悠?
Though, for some reasons out of my experiences as a freelance PM/outsourcer, I don't regard it as a 忽悠, there are obviously some poeple who would take it as a 忽悠, especially when there comes no further projects. For this reason, I am not so sure of the meaning of 忽悠.
For another instance, if someone introduced his client to another person for a job and this person rejected the job because the client wouldn't pay a price this person expected, is this person 忽悠ed by someone?
It is a puzzle for me that such a simple language, like Chinese which is spoken and written by a huge population, can become so complicate that I, for one who grew up with it, don't understand the meaning of a seemingly simple word. Any suggestions for the translation of this word into English are welcome.
Thanks in advance!
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +1 | hoodwink; bamboozle; bluff |
orientalhorizon
|
| 3 | bluff |
Norman Li
|
Proposed translations
+1
1 hr
orientalhorizon
Native in Chinese
Banking,law,commerce,engineering
Native in: Chinese 
Works in: English to Chinese, Chinese to English, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
21
Chinese term (edited):
忽悠
Selected
hoodwink; bamboozle; bluff
这种用法的"忽悠"本为东北方言，只因近几年东北笑星赵本山在中央台春节联欢晚会上的“卖拐”系列节目，才使得该用语广为流行。在我们山东老家，"忽悠"是形容羽毛等东西在空中轻飘飘地忽左忽右、忽上忽下的样子。比如，老百姓平常会说“刚才起风了，把床单给刮跑了。就看那床单忽忽悠悠、忽忽悠悠飞到房子后面去了”。其实，东北人的祖先大多是山东人逃难、也就是“闯关东”过去的，所以很多用语是同源的。据说，现在东北人说的“忽悠”原本与山东那边的意思是一样的，现在人们耳熟能详的这种用法就是从那儿引申发展而来。当然，根据具体的语境，现在两地也都还保留着相同的原意。现在，一般情况下，就象老兄提问中所指，人们说“忽悠”其实就是说通过一系列手段来欺骗，或者引诱别人上钩。如通过甜言蜜语、假扮成专家，一通胡吹海侃，搞得云苫雾罩、玄之有玄，把人搞得正像东西在空中乱飘的样子。定力不强的人，最后晕头转向地就被骗了。你提供的例子中，如果一方确实只是以一种“钓鱼”的方式来引诱别人做事，那么就可以称之为“忽悠”。当然，日常使用中，“忽悠”一词并不都是非常恶劣的欺骗，有时也可能是一种小的恶作剧，让人上当。人们开玩笑中也会用到。所以，如果有同事告诉你，门外出大事了，快去看看吧。而你并不太相信，你可能会说，得了伙计，别在这儿忽悠我了。
总起来说，一般而言，这个词多数情况下更接近hoodwink、bamboozle之类意义，有时也接近bluff。
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-11-16 06:47:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
“忽悠” can be objective or subjective. If all the evidences turn out that someone indeed bamboozled you into doing something and your good expectations are battered, then you can say, just as everybody else can, that you "被某人忽悠了"；If someone indeed intended to cooperate with you and you have been well prepared for it, but after some time, you are told that the project has been cancelled, even if it's true and that promisor never intended to hoodwink and HAS NEVER hoodwinked you, you may still feel that he did, and think he "忽悠了你".
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-11-16 06:54:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
If you just introduced someone to another, and they indeed get into contact with each other, then it would their own business whether successful or not. You are just helping both sides. So in this case I don't think you "在忽悠“ either of them. If either thinks so for their failure to get the business done smoothly, he is just over-reactiing and barking up the wrong tree.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-11-16 07:13:17 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------
Of course Bro, I have never thought you ever 忽悠 me. If somebody just said you 忽悠了 him, it's just his saying so, maybe he is just joking. In this case, your understanding is right. Don't be too serious about it. Everythings happens in this world, C'est La Vie! I just feel the phase "忽悠“ interesting and try to share some information about it, hope it helps.
总起来说，一般而言，这个词多数情况下更接近hoodwink、bamboozle之类意义，有时也接近bluff。
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-11-16 06:47:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
“忽悠” can be objective or subjective. If all the evidences turn out that someone indeed bamboozled you into doing something and your good expectations are battered, then you can say, just as everybody else can, that you "被某人忽悠了"；If someone indeed intended to cooperate with you and you have been well prepared for it, but after some time, you are told that the project has been cancelled, even if it's true and that promisor never intended to hoodwink and HAS NEVER hoodwinked you, you may still feel that he did, and think he "忽悠了你".
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-11-16 06:54:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
If you just introduced someone to another, and they indeed get into contact with each other, then it would their own business whether successful or not. You are just helping both sides. So in this case I don't think you "在忽悠“ either of them. If either thinks so for their failure to get the business done smoothly, he is just over-reactiing and barking up the wrong tree.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-11-16 07:13:17 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------
Of course Bro, I have never thought you ever 忽悠 me. If somebody just said you 忽悠了 him, it's just his saying so, maybe he is just joking. In this case, your understanding is right. Don't be too serious about it. Everythings happens in this world, C'est La Vie! I just feel the phase "忽悠“ interesting and try to share some information about it, hope it helps.
Note from asker:
| Thanks for the detailed linguistic and etymological explanation. Many problem has been in concrete situations. For instance, if someone notifies you that one of his clients is going to have a big project for him and he needs your help from such and such a date to such and such a date. Now, when the from date comes or shortly before that date, the client notifies him that he loses the bid. He notifies you in turn that the project is gone. Do you feel 忽悠ed? Or shall that someone feel 忽悠ed? If I were that someone, I wouldn't, because I have enough experiences to understand that a client may lose a project for some reasons on one hand and that I am free then to take on some other jobs from some other clients on the other hand. However, I am not sure that other people would take it as a matter of cource like I do. This is why I am not so sure about the meaning of 忽悠 in such concrete situations as this one. |
| To sum up what I was writing, 忽悠 seems to be a subjective impression of others' doing, not an objective evaluation. Do I interpret this word in a correct way? |
| For another concrete instance, if I introduced you to a client of mine for a certain project but you didn't come to terms with my client, would you feel 忽悠ed? I guess not. You came into terms with my Romanian client whose headquarter situated in Germany and has been doing business with me since 2004. Some other ones wouldn't be able to come to terms with the clients I introduce to them and might feel 忽悠ed. Should it be my fault when someone feels 忽悠ed in such a matter? |
| To be concrete, I am wondering why some colleagues are talking about 忽悠ing when there aren't any facts to prove their assertions. For instance, I do always have some projects ongoing. But I cannot take care of everyone and/or anyone, who collaborate with me, anytime. When my collaborators know that I have quite a few projects ongoing, but I don't ask some of them to help me. Would they feel 忽悠ed? Thank God! Not everyone is so 小鼻小眼! Especially those competent collaborators do have their own resources and wouldn't always look up to me for jobs. So, my collaborators do not feel 忽悠ed, because they are competent and established like I am. |
| Now, dear orientalhorizon, would you confirm my understanding of the word 忽悠? If I understand it right and you have confirmed it, the KudoZ points go to you. You can be sure that I am not 忽悠ing you! |
| Thank you for the expression "barking up the wrong tree" and the clarification of objective 忽悠 and subjective 忽悠. |
| Thank God and Allah that I have many competent collaborators like you than a few ones to whom I assigned only one job or to whom I never assigned any jobs and who are asserting that I am 忽悠ing here. I find ProZ.com is a nice place to find some reliable and competent collaborators. The competent ones have always projects to make their living. They don't feel being 忽悠ed by anyone who stays at this website. |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you very much for providing a balanced understanding of 忽悠."
19 mins
bluff
Not sure if this is the exact word for what you mean. It can be used as a noun and a verb in English as 忽悠 in Chinese.
Refer to: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bluff
Refer to: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bluff
Note from asker:
| Thanks! This is one of the possible usage. However, a bluff is an objective evaluation while 忽悠 seems to me a subjective impression of other people's doing. |
Discussion