身在曹营，心在汉
English translation: While I may physically be here, my heart belongs elsewhere.
| 01:57 Apr 27, 2009 |
| Chinese to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings | |||||||
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|  Selected response from: Sze Kwan Chan (X) Local time: 14:21 | ||||||
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| Translation depends |
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Answers
23 mins confidence: 
seeking shelter at the Cao camp with the heart in the Han camp Explanation: What does this say in chinese? - Yahoo! AnswersSecond bubble: (This is a Chinese saying, but was written in an odd way... should be 我身在曹营心在汉, it means:) My body's in the enemy camp, but my soul's ... answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090413072330AA0URe6 - 27k - Cached - Similar pages - 谁能帮我翻译英语作文_百度知道 - [ Translate this page ]我可是“身在曹营心在汉”呀，虽然我正做着题，却目不转睛地望着电脑，不一会儿便发起呆来。 ... sometimes is a pair of absolutely irreconcilable personal enemy. said me and the ... But I “live in the Cao camp with the heart in the Han camp”, ... zhidao.baidu.com/question/47088439.html - 43k - Cached - Similar pages - |
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3 hrs confidence:
not belong somewhere at heart Explanation: Can be different depending on circumstances. Examples: I'm dating with A, but am actually in love with B. I'm working for A, but am actually longing to work for B. I'm physically at place A, but am actually longing for place B, etc. FYI. |
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3 hrs confidence:
physically present but mentally absent Explanation: 身在曹营，心在汉 can be used to descrive 不忠心 or 不专心。 which could either be disloyalty/unfaithfulness or lack of concentration. The closest I can think of are ... my body is here but my heart is somewhere else. physically present but mentally absent. |
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22 hrs confidence:
body is in one place, while heart is in another Explanation: Though it really depends on the context, this phrase usually refers to a person is at a place where he or she does not wish to be, so I think "body is in one place, while heart is in another" could be a close translation to it. Reference: http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/618/?... |
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1 day 2 hrs confidence:
While I may physically be here, my heart belongs elsewhere. Explanation: My two cents: Several issues with translating classical Chinese. 1) Pronouns are ofttimes missing, so for clarity's sake (for non Classical speakers), I usually put them back in. 2) Historical references are difficult to place because it would cause endless confusion. So in this case, I chose to translate the meaning instead of trying to cram the historical references in. Of course, there are instances where the historical reference is more important and should be left in, but that's up to the discretion of the translator and the needs of the translation. (see Aaron's reference) |
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1 day 21 hrs confidence:
You may have my person, but you cannot capture my heart. Explanation: This terms suggests a person is physically present at location A, but his mind and thoughts is elsewhere-location B. |
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Reference comments
24 mins |
| Reference: Translation depends Reference information: This is from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Below is a telling of the phrase's origin (from http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/20308476.html) 刘备在请出孔明前先遇到一位叫“徐庶（字元直，为人非常孝顺）”的谋士，并在出山后即帮助刘备破了曹仁的八门金锁阵，击退来犯曹军。事后曹操因爱慕徐庶的才华，便听取程昱的计策，以徐庶好友的身份将其母骗至许昌（曹据点），并假其母笔记修书于庶，诱其降曹。当徐庶母子相见后，其母却认为庶的行为是愚蠢（被曹操骗了）以及不忠（刘备被认为是当时皇室）的，遂自杀；此后虽然身在曹营的庶便因记恨于曹操而从不给予正面的帮助。 这就是“身在曹营心在汉”的典故。 关羽的确有这样的经历，但这句话说的不是关羽。 As far as translation, it would depend on what/who you are translating for. Is it an audience interested in Chinese culture and history or some organization that wants all colloquialisms watered down to their basic meanings? |
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