Figure 16.1 Heart of cognac心中干邑 xīnzhōng gānyì | heart mid cognac干邑中心 gānyì zhōngxīn | cognac mid heartThis ad plays on the reversal of 心中 ‘in heart’ and 中心 ‘center’. The two parts look like mirror images but for 干邑, and still manage to make sense.

Figure 16.2 Wanda万达所至 wàndá suǒ zhì | Wanda arrive中心所在 zhōngxīn suǒ zài | center be(Wherever Wanda goes, that’s where the center will be.)This ad employs formal symmetry, with four characters in each line and 所__ in both lines. 所 is a classical particle. 至 is classical for 到. The Wanda Group is a major multinational conglomerate.

Figure 16.3 I choose my taste我选我味 wǒ xuǎn wǒ wèiThis is a fast-food ad. Both Chinese and English are four syllables long, broken into two disyllabic parts. 我 is shared by both lines. The symmetry lies between Chinese and English, as well as within Chinese.

Figure 16.4 Quit smoke quit alcohol quit lover戒烟戒酒戒情人 jièyān jièjiǔ jiè qíngrénQuitting lover!

Figure 16.5 Add alcohol station加酒站 jiājiǔ zhànThis is from 加油站 ‘gas station’. 酒 and 油 also rhyme.

Figure 16.6 Luzhi drink alcohol training base甪直喝酒培训基地 lùzhí hējiǔ péixùn jīdì欢迎光临 huānyíng guānglín | welcome presence可以喝酒 kěyǐ hējiǔ | can drink alcohol可以发呆 kěyǐ fādāi | can stare into space可以蹭网 kěyǐ cèngwǎng | can freeload on Wi-FiWe are so accustomed to 不可以 ‘not allowed’!

Figure 16.7 This place forbids talking price此地禁止讲价 cǐdì jìnzhǐ jiǎngjiàThis is at a bazaar. Not to bargain here is almost a crime! 此地 is classical for 这个地方. Traditional characters are used even though it is in mainland China.

Figure 16.8 Friendly guest appearance友情客串 yǒuqíng kèchuànThe allusion is to cameo appearance in movie making. 串 ‘skewer’ is a favorite street food.

Figure 16.9 Happy little lamb快乐小羊 kuàilè xiǎoyángOne can hardly avoid the association with one of the most famous hotpot chains 小肥羊 ‘little fat lamb’.

Figure 16.10 Helen Keller海伦凯勒 hǎilún kǎillè眼镜 yǎnjìng | eyeglassesWhether or not it is advisable, the allusion to the inspirational blind author is unmistakable.

Figure 16.11 Old Shanghai scallion oil pancake老上海葱油饼 lǎo shànghǎi cōngyóu bǐng顾寿刚 gù shòugāng | Shougang Gu创始于 1983 chuàngshǐ yú | founded in 1983This is the oil-stained wrapper of a local favorite.于 is classical Chinese for ‘in’.

Figure 16.12 Ceremoniously push out (introduce)隆重推出 lóngzhòng tuīchū纯手工老面包子 chún shǒugōng lǎomiàn bāozipure hand work old dough steamed bun让你找到小时候的味道ràngnǐ zhǎodào xiǎoshíhoude wèidàolet you find small time (childhood) flavor

Figure 16.13 Hunan west grandma vegetable rice湘西外婆菜饭 xiāngxī wàipó càifànThis tries to appeal to nostalgia for family and hometown.

Figure 16.14 Authentic Japanese food甘醇味美 gānchún wèiměi | sweet delicious正宗日本料理 zhèngzōng rìběn liàolǐauthentic Japanese cookingPart of the authenticity is in the use of 料理, the Japanese word for cooking.

Figure 16.15 Popular new product人气新品 rénqì xīnpǐn酸汤莜面鱼鱼 suāntāng yóumiàn yúyusour soup oat fish fish (spaetzle)蘑菇汤莜面鱼鱼 mógūtāng yóumiàn yúyumushroom soup oat fish fish (spaetzle)人气 ‘popular’ is from Japanese人気 (ninki).

Figure 16.16 Sales champion销量冠军 xiāoliàng guànjūn辣黄牛炒莜面 là huángniú chǎo yóumiànspicy yellow cow stir-fry oat noodle葱油虾仁拌莜面 cōngyóu xiārén bàn yóumiànscallion oil shrimp mix oat noodle

Figure 16.17 Non-alcoholic drink非酒精饮品 fēi jiǔjīng yǐnpǐn免费续杯 miǎnfèi xùbēi | no fee continue cup (free refill)(限同款) xiàn tóngkuǎn | limit to same styleThe operative word is 免费 ‘free’!

Figure 16.18 Super value一杯咖啡的价格 yìbēi kāfēi de jiàgéa cup coffee price在这里搞定一套 zài zhèlǐ gǎodìng yítàohere get a set货真价实好超值 hùozhēnjiàshí hǎo chāozhístuff real price solid so super value‘Great value’ is conveyed by both 货真价实 and 超值.

Figure 16.19 Cow sheep meat牛羊肉 niúyángròu安全放心 ānquán fàngxīn | safe, be at ease

Figure 16.20 Our promise我们de承诺 wǒmen de chéngnuò面食不用洗衣粉 miànshí búyòng xǐyīfěnwheat food not use wash clothes powder调料不用防腐剂 tiáoliào búyòng fángfǔjìseasoning not use preservative做饭不用病死肉 zuòfàn búyòng bìngsǐ ròumake food not use sick dead meat炒菜不用地沟油 chǎocài búyòng dìgōu yóustir-fry not use earth ditch (recycled) oilAmazingly, the disturbing message is conveyed through neat formal symmetry, which includes the consistent use of the topic-comment structure (topic=as for).

Figure 16.21 Hiring招聘 zhāopìn | recruit hire服务员 fúwù yuán | server厨房工 chúfáng gōng | kitchen worker勤杂工 qínzá gōng | misc. worker (handy person)名 míng | measure for people包吃包住 bāochī bāozhù | include food include lodging工资待遇面议 gōngzī dàiyù miànyì | salary treatment face talk面议 ‘discuss face-to-face’ is a formulaic expression.

Figure 16.22 Hiring招聘 zhāopìn | recruit hire凉菜师 liángcài shī | cold dish master墩子 dūnzi | cutting board (prep cook)工资面议 gōngzī miànyì | salary face talk服务员 fúwùyuán | server工资 gōngzī | salary奖金 jiǎngjīn | award gold (bonus)开瓶费 kāipíng fèi | open bottle fee (corkage)男女不限 nánnǚ búxiàn | male female no restriction

Figure 16.23 Hiring掌柜小店 zhǎngguì xiǎodiànshopkeeper little shop掌柜招聘 zhǎngguì zhāopìnshopkeeper recruit hire招聘岗位 zhāopìn gǎngwèirecruit hire position店长 diànzhǎng | general manager主管 zhǔguǎn | kitchen manager服务员 fúwùyuán | server厨工 chúgōng | kitchen workerNote the old-style word 掌柜 ‘proprietor’.

Figure 16.24 For rent三居出租 sān jū chūzū | 3 room out rent附近小区楼房三居 fùjìn xiǎoqū lóufáng sānjūnearby sub-division building 3 room房间干净整洁 fángjiān gānjìng zhěngjié | rooms clean tidy家具家电齐全 jiājù jiādiàn qíquán | furniture home appliance complete能洗澡做饭上网 néng xǐzǎo zùofàn shàngwǎng | can take bath cook go online交通购物方便 jiāotōng gòuwù fāngbiàn | transportation shopping convenient无中介费 wú zhōngjiè fèi | no middle introduction (broker) fee三居 and 家电 are abbreviations for 三个居室 and 家用电器 respectively.

Figure 16.25 Hiring receptionist请全职/兼职前台一位 qǐng quánzhí/jiānzhí qiántái yíwèihire full time/part time receptionist 1 person有意者请电 yǒuyìzhě qǐngdiǎn | interested person please call(有)意者请电 is formulaic, meaning 有兴趣的人请打电话.

Figure 16.26 Restaurant hiring餐馆诚征 cānguǎn chéngzhēngrestaurant earnest seek诚征前台 chéngzhēng qiántái | earnest seek front desk服务生/帮厨 fúwùshēng/bāngchú |server/kitchen help和外送人员 hé wàisòng rényuán | and delivery person诚征 is a formulaic expression. El Cajon is in San Diego.

Figure 16.27 Store for rent商铺出租 shāngpù chūzūcommercial store for rent申先生 shēn xiānshengMr. Shen

Figure 16.28 Cleaning保洁 bǎojié | cleaning公司 gōngsī | company

Figure 16.29 Unclog drain专通下水道 zhuān tōng xiàshuǐdàospecialty unclog drain管道清洗 guǎndào qīngxǐpipe/duct cleaning

Figure 16.30 Certificate and seal办证 bànzhèng | do certificate刻章 kèzhāng | carve sealThe ethics of 办证 seems questionable.

Figure 16.31 Provide egg surrogate pregnancy供卵代孕 gōngluǎn dàiyùn包生男孩 bāoshēng nánháiguarantee birth male childThe guarantee is questionable.

Figure 17.1 Please save water请节约用水 qǐng jiéyuē yòngshuǐPlease save use water

Figure 17.2 Be frugal人人节约 rénrén jiéyuē | person person (everyone) frugal家家有余 jiājiā yǒuyú | household household (every household) have surplus福 fú | blessingBoth punning and parallelism are used. 余 is homophonous with 鱼 ‘fish’, which explains the image of fish. More often though, 鱼 is used to suggest 余 ‘surplus’. The first two characters of both four-character lines are repeated.

Figure 17.3 Save paper少用一片纸 shǎoyòng yípiàn zhǐ | less use one piece paper多留一片绿 duōliú yípiàn lǜ | more leave one piece greenNote the ample use of parallelism and contrast in this short sign. 片 in the second line is used metaphorically, meaning an expanse of green.

Figure 17.4 Scan code to get toilet paper扫码取纸 sǎomǎ qǔzhǐ | scan code take paper环保新方式 huánbǎo xīn fāngshìenvironment protection new way环保 is abbreviated from 环境保护.

Figure 17.5 Types of trash可回收物      有害垃圾      湿垃圾      干垃圾kě huíshōu wù      yǒuhài lājī      shī lājī      gān lājīrecyclable stuff      harmful trash      wet trash      dry trashNote 垃圾 is pronounced lèsè in Taiwan.

Figure 17.6 Don’t go to wrong door不要走错门 búyào zǒucuò ménnot want go wrong door垃圾也有家 lājī yěyǒu jiātrash also has home

Figure 17.7 Sort trash green life生活垃圾分一分 shēnghuó lājī fēn yì fēn | life trash divide a bit绿色生活一百分 lǜsè shēnghuó yì bǎi fēn | green life 100 point联洋社区 liányáng shèqū | Lianyang community宣 xuān | announceBoth lines can be divided into a four-character and a three-character part. Both lines contain 生活; both end with 分, ensuring rhyming of the lines.

Figure 17.8 Be civilized and courteous文明礼让 wénmíng lǐràngcivilized ritual yield

Figure 17.9 Create civilized town创全国文明城 chuàng quángúo wénmíng chéngcreate (in) whole country civilized town做黄埔文明人 zuò huángpǔ wénmíng rénbe Huangpu civilized personThe line on the right is read first. Both lines follow the pattern: verb + place + civilized + noun. Huangpu is a district in Shanghai by the river of the same name.

Figure 17.10 Promote clean governing culture弘扬廉政文化 hóngyáng liánzhèng wénhuà共建和谐文明 gòngjiàn héxié wénmíngtogether build harmony civilizationIn addition to the similarity between the last words of each line 文化/文明, parallelism is also in the shared pattern for the lines: verb+modifier+noun.

Figure 17.11 Civilization come from one bit one drop文明来自一点一滴 wénmíng láizì yìdiǎn yìdī新风源起一言一行 xīnfēng yuánqǐ yìyán yìxíngnew atmosphere source from one word one deedNote the parallelism and contrast between the two lines.

Figure 17.12 Lean closer to civilization贴近方便 tiējìn fāngbiàn | lean close convenience靠近文明 kàojìn wénmíng | lean close civilizationUnlikely juxtaposition of parallelism and the mundane context. 方便 is a euphemism for urinate.

Figure 17.13 Don’t drink and drive醉(罪)在酒中 zuì zài jiǔzhōng | drunk (crime) in alcohol毁(悔)在杯中 huǐ zài bēizhōng | ruin (regret) in cup醉 ‘drunk’ and 罪 ‘crime’ are homophonous, as are 毁 ‘ruin’ and 悔 ‘regret’. But the puns are spoiled! Note the close parallelism.

Figure 17.14 Protect intellectual property right保护知识产权 bǎohù zhīshi chǎnquán开拓创新先进商户 kāituò chuàngxīn xiānjìn shānghùdevelop innovative progressive businessIronically, this is seen in 秀水街 in Beijing, known for its counterfeit goods.

Figure 17.15 Line up请在此排队qǐng zàicǐ páiduìplease at here line up此 is classical for 这儿 ‘here’.

Figure 17.16 Be patient宁等一列车 níng děng yíliè chē | rather wait a car不抢一扇门 bù qiǎng yíshàn mén | not crash one doorThis is on doors of subway trains. Points of parallelism and contrast: 宁vs.不 (adverb); 等vs. 抢 (verb); 列 vs. 扇 (measure); 车 vs. 门 (noun).

Figure 17.17 Buy ticket有我高 yǒu wǒ gāo | have I tall(If you are as tall as I am)请买票 qǐng mǎipiào | please buy ticketParallelism and contrast can still be seen in such a short sign. Both 有我 and 请买 are third-tone sequences with tone change. 高 and 票 rhyme but provide tonal variation.

Figure 17.18 Light sound quiet word I like轻声细语我喜欢 qīngshēngxìyǔ wǒ xǐhuān地铁行 dìtiě xíng | subway travel文明行 wénmíng xíng | civilized travel

Figure 17.19 No dirty words不说粗话脏话 bù shuō cūhuà zānghuànot speak coarse word dirty word杭州市文明办宣 hángzhōu shì wénmíngbàn xuānHangzhou city civilization office announce办 in 文明办 is abbreviated from 办公室.

Figure 17.20 Civilized dining table action文明餐桌行动 wénmíng cānzhuō xíngdòng不剩菜 bú shèngcài | not leave food不劝酒 bú quànjiǔ | not persuade to drink alcohol不吸烟 bù xīyān | not inhale smokeThat there is need for such a reminder means that these behaviors are very common!

Figure 17.21 Honesty国无诚信不强 guó wú chéngxìn bù qiángcountry not trustworthy not strong业无诚信不兴 yè wú chéngxìn bù xīngbusiness not trustworthy not flourish人无诚信不立 rén wú chéngxìn bú lìperson not trustworthy not establishedThe parallelism is extreme. The three lines share four out of six characters: 无诚信不.

Figure 17.22 Core values社会主义核心价值观 shèhuìzhǔyì héxīn jiàzhíguān | socialist core value view人民有信仰 rénmín yǒu xìnyǎng | people have faith 国家有力量 guójiā yǒu lìliàng | country have strength国家 guójiā | country富强 fùqiáng | wealthy 民主 mínzhǔ | democratic文明 wénmíng | civilized 和谐héxié | harmonious社会 shèhuì | society自由 zìyóu | free 平等 píngděng | equal 公正 gōngzhèng | just 法制 fǎzhì | rule by law个人 gèrén | individual爱国 àiguó | patriotic 敬业 dedicated | jìngyè 诚信chéngxìn | trustworthy 友善 yǒushàn | friendly

Figure 17.23 Not forget first heart不忘初心 búwàng chūxīn为人民谋幸福 wèi rénmín móu xìngfú | for people seek happiness牢记使命 láojì shǐmìng | firm remember mission为民族谋复兴 wèi mínzú móu fùxīng | for nation seek revival--加强未成年人思想道德建设 | jiāqiáng wèichéngniánrén sīxiǎng dàodé jiànshèstrengthen adolescent thought and moral building关爱未成年人健康成长 guān’ài wèichéngniánrén jiànkāng chéngzhǎngattention love adolescent healthy growthThe first two lines have 4+6 characters each, with points of similarity and contrast.The last two longer lines though are not quite perfectly symmetrical.

Figure 17.24 Strike black banish evil保持高压态势 bǎochí gāoyā tàishì | maintain high pressure momentum铁腕打黑除恶 tiěwàn dǎhēi chú’è | iron wrist strike black rid evil人民安居乐业 rénmín ānjūlèyè | people live in peace and work in happiness社会安定有序 shèhuì āndìng yǒuxù | society peaceful orderly国家长治久安 guójiā chángzhìjiǔ’ān | country long-term stability严打黑恶犯罪 yándǎ hēi è fànzuì | severe strike black evil and crime弘扬社会正气 hóngyáng shèhuì zhèngqì | promote social justiceThis is seen in the small water town 甪直 lùzhí near Suzhou. All lines are six characters long. Quite unusually, there is no attempt at rhyming.

Figure 18.1 Zhou big blessing周大福 zhōu dà fúThis is a jewelry chain from Hong Kong. Its Cantonese origin is reflected in the transliteration, which has the final ‘k’ in Fook. The other two final consonants are ‘p’ and ‘t’.

Figure 18.2 Prosperous pastry兴盛糕点 xīngshèng gāodiǎnHing Shing is how Cantonese pronounces 兴盛. This is in Boston’s Chinatown.

Figure 18.3 Like tea喜茶xǐ cháIn Cantonese, 喜is pronounced like ‘hey’ in English.

Figure 18.4 Please walk into compartment请行入车厢 qǐng xíngrù chēxiāngThe classical 行 and 入 cannot be used this way in Mandarin; they can only be used in compounds such as 行人 ‘pedestrian’ and 入口 ‘entrance’.

Figure 18.5 Downstairs standing楼下座位 lóuxià zuòwèi | downstairs seating楼下企位 lóuxià qǐwèi | downstairs standingThis is on a double-decker bus in Hong Kong. 企 is Cantonese for ‘to stand’. In Mandarin it is used in the word 企鹅 ‘penguin’, which means standing goose!

Figure 18.6 Cooked dish熟餸 shú sòng外卖 wàimài | out sell餸 is a bona fide Cantonese word. This is seen in San Francisco’s Chinatown, where the common language is Cantonese.

Figure 18.7 For food specialist为食家 wèishí jiā | gourmand/glutton为食 is Cantonese for ‘greedy for food’.This restaurant is in Boston’s Chinatown.

Figure 18.8 Drop ship take Hong Kong rail落船搭港铁 luòchuán dā gǎngtiě即悭$1.5 jí qiān $1.5 | instant save $1.5(Take Hong Kong rail after disembarking from ship, save $1.5 right away.)The rare word 悭 ‘to save’ is still used in speech in Cantonese. 落 is Cantonese for 下, 搭 for 乘 ‘ride’.

Figure 18.9 Eaten yet?食左未 shí zuǒ wèi | eat particle not (eaten yet)吃了没 chī le méi | eat particle not (eaten yet)The Cantonese version in big characters is glossed with small characters in Mandarin. 食 and 未 are Cantonese (also classical Chinese) for 吃 and 没respectively. 左 ‘left’ is borrowed to write the sound of the perfective particle ‘tso’ in Cantonese.

Figure 18.10 Bull牛 niú | bull 就係我嘅態度 jiùxì wǒkǎi tàidù | just my attitudeThis was seen in a beef ball soup restaurant. The big character 牛 is a pun, as it can also mean ‘arrogantly awesome’. The line below reinforces the pun. 係 (=是) and 嘅 (=的) are created to write the dialect words.

Figure 18.11 Walk a bit faster行快D 啦 喂 | xíng kuài D la wèi全场七折 | quánchǎng qīzhéD is used in place of the identical sounding 啲, a Cantonese character created by adding 口to show that it is used phonetically. 行 is Cantonese (and classical Chinese) for 走 ‘walk’.

Figure 18.12 Shanghai people上海宁 shànghǎi níng老玩具有伐 lǎo wánjù yǒu fá | old toy have question particleThis ad is from McDonald’s. The use of 宁illustrates the Rebus Principle. 宁 ‘peace’, not at all related in meaning to人 ‘person’, is used for its sound only. The same is true with writing the question particle with 伐, which otherwise means ‘chopping down trees’.

Figure 18.13 I/we Ningbo阿拉宁波 ālā níngbōWith its disyllabic form and no resemblance to pronouns in Mandarin, the first-person pronoun 阿拉 is quite distinctively Wu.

Figure 18.14 Old mother’s brother舅jiù | uncle 老娘舅 lǎo niángjiù米饭要讲究 mǐfàn yào jiǎngjiū | be particular about rice就吃老娘舅 jiù chī lǎo niángjiù | then eat at mother’s brother’s老娘舅 is a regional chain restaurant known for its tasty rice (note the rice bowl icon). The Mandarin counterpart to 娘舅 is 舅舅. Note the repetition of the syllable jiù (究，就，舅), which no doubt is deliberate.

Figure 18.15 Nanxiang dumpling shop南翔馒头店 nánxiáng mántóu diànThis is one of the best-known traditional restaurants in Shanghai. To a northerner, 馒头 is plain steam bread; but in Shanghai, it is filled with meat inside.

Figure 18.16 Old early taste Taiwan beautiful food古早味台湾美食 gǔzǎo wèi táiwān měishí中式料理 zhōngshì liàolǐ | Chinese style cooking古早味 is a Min dialect word. 料理 is however Japanese in origin. This is seen in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

Figure 18.17 Grandma roast corn阿嫲の烧番卖 āmà no shāo fānmài阿嫲 is grandma in the Min dialect. 烧番卖, also written as 烧番麦, is roasted corn on the cob. 番is commonly used for things foreign, such as 番茄 ‘tomato’. Note the use of the Japanese particle の, instead of Chinese 的.

Figure 18.18 Lake view restaurant湖景餐厅 hújǐng cāntīng俗搁大碗 súgē dàwǎn | popular put big bowl冷气开放 lěngqì kāifàng | cold air open release俗搁大碗 is Min for ‘cheap and good’. 冷气 ‘AC’ would be 空调 in mainland China. This is near Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan.

Figure 18.19 House in little family village厝内小眷村 cuònèi xiǎo juàncūnThis is a chain selling Taiwanese style milk tea. 厝 is a Min word and 眷村 are residential compounds built for Nationalist soldiers and their families when they first arrived in Taiwan. With people from all over China, 眷村 life developed its own characteristics including its foods.

Figure 18.20 Each piece 4 yuan每粒4元 měi lì 4 yuán水饺 shuǐjiǎo | water (boiled) dumpling方记 fāng jì | Fang’sThe measure word 粒, usually used for small objects like sesame seeds or medicine pills, is used more generally in Min, including for watermelons!

Figure 18.21 Have matter no matter有事没事 yǒushì méishì (for no reason)整点乐事 zhěngdiǎn lèshì | get some happy matter (Lay’s)整点 is distinctly Northeastern Mandarin. For some reason, this regional variety has been exploited extensively for comic effect.

Figure 18.22 Spicy those year辣些年 làxiē niánThe name of this red chili shop uses a pun based on dialectal difference: 辣là is a mispronunciation of 那 nà and 那些年 means ‘those years’. The inability to distinguish between ‘n’ and ‘l’ is a distinguishing feature of the chili loving speakers of southwest Mandarin.

Figure 19.1 Flushing, New YorkBut for the few English words that give away the location, Flushing in Queens New York city could well be mistaken for Taipei or Hong Kong.

Figure 19.2 Boston’s Chinatown天下为公 tiānxià wèigōngwhole world for public goodThe lines on the archway should both be read from right to left.

Figure 19.3 Boston’s Chinatown礼义廉耻 lǐ yì lián chǐcourtesy, justice, integrity, sense of shameThis is the other side of the same archway.

Figure 19.4 Portland’s Chinatown砵崙华埠 bōlún huábùThe discrepancy between the transliteration bólún and Portland can be explained by the Cantonese origin of the transliteration.

Figure 19.5 Four seas one family四海一家 sìhǎi yìjiāThe phrase expresses the utopian desire for universal brotherhood.

Figure 19.6 Elizabeth Street伊丽莎白街 yīlìshābái jiē陈宇晖路 chén yǔhuī lù | Danny Chen WayThis is seen in New York’s Chinatown. Elizabeth is transliterated by sound; ‘street’ is translated by meaning as 街. The sign below is in memory of Danny Chen, a Chinese American soldier who died in Afghanistan. The Chinese version is simply his name 陈宇晖 (in traditional characters) and ‘way’ is translated by meaning as 路 ‘road’ (photo credit: Eric Cheng).

Figure 19.7 Everett Street西北 xīběi | west north    爱和烈街 àihéliè jiē | Everett StreetThis is in Portland’s Chinatown. While àihéliè sounds quite different from Everett, its Cantonese pronunciation sounds closer.

Figure 19.8 South King Street南景街 nánjǐng jiē | south scenery street南第六大道 nán dìliù dàdào | south 6th AveThis is in Seattle’s Chinatown. Everything is translated by meaning, except King, which is transliterated as 景 which means ‘scenery’. While 景 jǐng sounds quite different from king, its Cantonese pronunciation sounds quite close.

Figure 19.9 Beach Street必珠街bìzhū jiēThis is in Boston’s Chinatown. It is quite an unexpected rendition!

Figure 19.10 Boston Chinatown chamber of commerce welcomes you波士顿华埠商会欢迎您bōshìdùn huábù shānghuì huānyíng nín

Figure 19.11 Taste Chinatown food品尝华埠美食 pǐncháng huábù měishí支持华埠商户 zhīchí huábù shānghùsupport Chinatown businesses特价泊车 tèjià bóchē | special price parking

Figure 19.12 Waiwai威威 wēiwēi姜葱白切鸡 jiāngcōng báiqiē jīginger scallion plain cut chickenThis is in Boston’s Chinatown. Note how 威威 is pronounced in Cantonese. Also note the so-called chop suey font that Waiwai is written in.

Figure 19.13 Gold fortune金财 jīn cáiAmazingly, Chinese, French, and English are all used, in addition to Vietnamese!

Figure 19.14 Great Wall winery长城 chángchéng | great wall 酒庄 jiǔzhuāng | wineryNote the Vietnamese transliteration Truong Thanh for the Great Wall.

Figure 19.15 Chinese herbs南北行参茸药材 nánběi háng sēnróng yàocáisouth north firm ginseng antler herbal medicine‘Nam Bac Hong’ contains both Cantonese ‘m’ and Vietnamese ‘c’ (for k).

Figure 19.16 Cantonese Sichuan food华记huá jì | Hua’s 蜀餸shǔ sòng | Sichuan foodBoth ‘Wa’ in ‘Captain Wa’ and 餸are Cantonese. But why is the food 蜀, the alias for Sichuan? Only possible in the Chinese diaspora! This restaurant is in fact in the heavily Chinese area of Richmond, Vancouver.

Figure 19.17 Great harmony restaurant大同饭店 dàtóng fàndiànThis restaurant is in Seattle’s Chinatown. The discrepancy between Tai Tung and the Mandarin Datong is explainable in terms of dialect and alternative romanization, as大同is indeed pronounced like Tai Tung in Cantonese and the letter T in Tai is due to the alternative romanization.饭店 is not the most common term for restaurant and it can also mean hotel (photo credit Xu Dongdong).

Figure 19.18 Fresh Chinese kale新鲜芥兰 xīnxiān jièlánThe English translation surely looks unusual. Why is there ‘R’ in LARN? It is in fact 国语罗马字, an older romanization system using letters to spell tones. R marks the rising (2nd) tone. This is seen in Auckland, New Zealand.

Figure 19.19 Muslim ChineseХуэймин (回民)huímín | return peopleThis is a bilingual newspaper published by the Dungan Association of Kyrgyzstan. It is in both Dungan and Russian, using the Cyrillic script.

Figure 19.20 Lucky restaurantйYнчи (运气)|yùnqì | luckThis restaurant is in Alexandrovka, the largest Dungan village 20 km west of the capital Bishkek. The Russian and Kyrgyz words, given above and below, mean ‘café’.

Figure 19.21 HotpotХого (火锅) huǒguō | fire wokThis restaurant is in the Dungan village of Alexandrovka.

Figure 19.22 Dungan dishesЛазы жу (辣子肉) làzǐ ròu | chili meatМогу жу (蘑菇肉) mógū ròu | mushroom meatМыр жу (木耳肉) mù’ěr ròu | fungus meatМу шу жу (木须肉) mù xū ròu | mooshoo meatЦо дузы (炒肚子) chǎo dǔzi | fried tripeЦоко жу (炒烤肉) chǎo kǎoròu | fried BBQ meatThis is part of a menu of a restaurant in Tokmok city. The lines under Dungan in smaller font are Russian translations.

Figure 19.23 Same boat immigration同舟移民 tóngzhōu yímín | same boat move people

Figure 19.24 American immigration office驻美移民事务所 zhùměi yímín shìwùsuǒstation US move people affairs office(American immigration agency)

Figure 19.25 CPA智达会计zhìdá kuàijì | wisdom achieve accounting

Figure 19.26 Senior association中华耆英会 zhōnghuá qíyīng huìChinese Senior Citizens Association

Figure 19.27 Vietnam Cambodia Laos Chinese Association麻省越棉寮华人协会 máshěng yuèmiánliáo huárén xiéhuìMassachusetts Vietnam Cambodia Laos Chinese AssociationThese Chinese had already been in Southeast Asia before coming to the United States.

Figure 19.28 Huang clan family association黄氏宗亲会 huángshì zōngqīn huìNote the name of the clan is Wong in Cantonese (Huang in Mandarin).

Figure 19.29 Chinese Association中华会馆 zhōnghuá huìguǎnChinese gathering place

Figure 19.30 Hip Sing association协胜公会 xiéshèng gōnghuìassist victory associationNote the difference in pronunciation between Cantonese Hip Sing and Mandarin xiéshèng.

Figure 19.31 Family and friend association至孝笃亲公所 zhìxiào dǔqīn gōngsuǒutmost filial devote family association至诚孝友 zhìchéng xiàoyǒuutmost sincere and filial to friends笃爱亲仁 dǔ’ài qīnrénlove family and friendsThe traditional format is like that of a spring couplet.

Figure 19.32 Leno for mayor重整市府 chóngzhěng shìfǔ | re-organize city hall迈步向前 màibù xiàngqián | march forward里诺 lǐnuò | Leno三藩市市长 sānfān shì shìzhǎngSan Francisco city mayor

Figure 19.33 Vote for Martin Rawlings-Fein在选举旧金山教育委员会一席zài xuǎnjǔ jiùjīnshān jiàoyù wěiyuánhuì yìxíIn electing SF’s education board one seat请投马文龙一票 qǐng tóu mǎ wénlóng yípiàoplease cast Ma Wenlong a voteThe candidate’s Chinese name notwithstanding, 马文龙 (Martin Rawlings-Fein) is not Chinese.

Figure 19.34 Healey & Driscoll希利&德里斯科 xīlì & délǐsīkē为麻州的未来wèi mázhōu de wèilái | for Massachusetts state’s future

Figure 19.35 Fair pay tax公平缴税 gōngpíng jiǎoshuì

Figure 20.1 Kentucky肯德基 kěndéjīKFC ranks first in the number of stores and the earliest entry into the Chinese market. Note that the Chinese transliteration is only for the K of KFC.

Figure 20.2 McDonald’s麦当劳 màidāngláoWhy is 麦当劳 used for McDonald’s when it doesn’t even sound close? The fact is that it came via Cantonese, which sounds much closer to English, down to the ‘Mc’ part (麦 is pronounced mak). The tonal pattern ‘low high low’ fits the stress pattern of McDonald quite nicely too. McDonald’s had entered Hong Kong earlier in 1975.

Figure 20.3 Pizza Hut必胜客欢乐餐厅 bìshèngkè huānlè cāntīngmust win guest happy dinerThe semi-transliteration 必胜客 also means: must win guest.

Figure 20.4 Subway赛百味 sài bǎiwèi | exceed 100 flavorThis transliteration also has meaning. In Taiwan it is literally called a sub-marine burger: 潜艇堡 qiántǐng bǎo.

Figure 20.5 Domino’s pizza达美乐比萨 dáměilè bǐsà | reach beauty happy pizzaWhile the whole name is based on transliteration, the first part 达美乐 tries to use nice-sounding characters, but 比萨 is pure transliteration.

Figure 20.6 Starbucks想喝星巴克 xiǎng hē xīngbākè | would like to drink Starbucks没时间排队 méi shíjiān páiduì | no time to line upThe Chinese name is a combination of meaning translation (星=star) and transliteration (巴克=buck).

Figure 20.7 Burger King汉堡王 hànbǎo wáng | hamburger kingThis is a mixture of transliteration (汉堡=Hamburger) and meaning translation (王=king).

Figure 20.8 Papa John’s棒约翰 bàng yuēhàn | awesome JohnNote the Chinese name of this American pizza chain deviates in meaning from the original name.

Figure 20.9 Carl’s Jr.卡乐星 kǎlè xīng | Carl starAlthough there is a star in the logo, it is not in the English name. The Chinese name does include it.

Figure 20.10 Walmart沃尔玛 wò’ěrmǎThis is pure transliteration, without any attempt at choosing auspicious sounding characters.

Figure 20.11 Carrefour家乐福 jiālèfú | home happy blessingThis is a French hypermarket chain.

Figure 20.12 Best Buy百思买 bǎisīmǎi | 100 think buyThe meanings of the characters definitely do not mean ‘best buy’!

Figure 20.13 Watsons屈臣氏 qūchén shìThis transliteration is via Cantonese. But it also sounds like a possible Chinese name.

Figure 20.14 Caffe latte咖啡拿铁 kāfēi nátiě | coffee wield iron美式咖啡 měishì kāfēi | American style coffee杯bēi | cupThe characters 咖啡 both have a 口 component indicating its transliteration status. The transliteration nature of 拿铁 is not as obvious. The original meanings of the characters are rather scary: wield iron.

Figure 20.15 Cookie杏花楼 xìnghuā lóu | apricot flower building双色曲奇 shuāngsè qǔqí | double color cookie two-tone cookies品位粤式糕点 pǐnwèi yuèshì gāodiǎnhigh class Cantonese style pastry曲奇 is a recent loanword from English via Cantonese, which pronounces it as kukkei. The Mandarin pronunciation qǔqí is quite different from English. As an instance of phonetic loan, the original meanings of the two characters ‘tune’ and ‘strange’ are quite irrelevant. 杏花楼 is a venerable Cantonese restaurant in Shanghai also known for its line of food products.

Figure 20.16 Minced免治牛肉粥(中) miǎnzhì niúròu zhōu (zhōng)minced beef congee (medium)免治 is borrowed from English ‘minced’, possibly via Cantonese.

Figure 20.17 Toast and sandwich厚片吐司 hòupiàn tǔsī | thick slice toast +饮品yǐnpǐn | beverage（限30元以下饮品 xiàn 30 yuán yǐxià yǐnpǐn）(limit to below 30 yuan beverage)阳光三明治 yángguāng sānmíngzhì | sunny sandwich+饮品yǐnpǐn | beverage（红茶、绿茶、奶茶 hóngchá lǜchá nǎichá | black tea, green tea, milk tea吐司 and 三明治 are from English ‘toast’ and ‘sandwich’ respectively.

Figure 20.18 Ciabatta/bagel巧巴达/贝果 qiǎobādá/bèiguǒ | ciabatta/bagel + 饮品 yǐnpǐn | beverage(限30元以下饮品 xiàn 30 yuán yǐxià yǐnpǐn）(limit to below 30 yuan beverage)

Figure 20.19 Morton salt莫顿牌精制盐 mòdùn pái jīngzhì yánMorton brand fine manufacture salt未加碘 wèi jiā diǎn | not add iodine源自于美国的百年品牌yuánzì yú měiguó de bǎinián pǐnpáisource from in US 100 year brand净含量：737克 jìng hánliàng:737 kènet content: 737 gramIt is surprising that such a basic item is imported. 未, 自, and 于 are classical Chinese for 没有, 从, and 在 respectively.

Figure 20.20 Number 1 house壱番屋 yìfān wū | IchibanyaThis is a Japanese-style restaurant also written as 壹番屋, featuring curry dishes.

Figure 20.21 Shabu-shabu呷脯呷脯 xiāfǔxiāfǔShabu-shabu comes from Japanese meaning ‘hotpot’.

Figure 20.22 Teppanyaki铁板 tiěbǎn | iron plate达人 dárén | master铁板 is from 铁板烧 Teppanyaki.

Figure 20.23 Izakaya日式居酒屋 rìshì jūjiǔwūJapan style stay drink house居酒屋 is from Japanese ‘izakaya’.

Figure 20.24 Whole family全家 quánjiāThis is a Japanese convenience-store chain seen all over Shanghai. Its Japanese pronunciation is the transliteration of Family Mart: ファミリーマート.

Figure 20.25 Lawson罗森 luósēn 便利店biànlì diàn | convenience storeDespite its Anglo sounding name, it is a Japanese company, albeit originally started in the United States.

Figure 20.26 Bento六星便当 liù xīng biàndāng | six-star bento (box lunch)便当 is a loanword from Japanese. It is used more often in Taiwan than in China.

Figure 20.27 Set meal排骨定食 páigǔ dìngshí | rib set meal香鱼定食 xiāngyú dìngshí | ayu set meal鲭鱼定食 qīngyú dìngshí | salmon set meal定食 is from Japanese teishoku ‘set meal’, comprising of rice, soup, and a side dish.

Figure 20.28 Story暖冬物语 nuǎndōng wùyǔwarm winter story物语 is ‘story’ in Japanese.

Figure 20.29 Korean food韩国食品 hánguó shípǐnThis is seen in Shanghai.

Figure 20.30 Korean BBQ shop松鹤 sōnghè | pine crane 韩国烧烤店hánguó shāokǎo diànNote the similarity and difference in pronunciation for crane between Korean ‘hak’ and Mandarin ‘he’. ‘Hak’ is in fact borrowed from Chinese and retains the older pronunciation. This is in San Diego, United States.

Figure 20.31 High together一起嗨 yìqǐ hāi | together high 海底捞 hǎidǐ lāo | sea-bottom scoopThis is a popular hotpot restaurant. The 嗨 comes from English ‘high’ but has become a verb meaning ‘be high spirited’. Not only does 嗨 sound like ‘high’, it also resembles the character 海.

Figure 20.32 High upside down Monday麦当劳 màidāngláo | McDonald’s嗨翻星期一 hāifān xīngqī yī | high upside down Monday嗨 is followed by the resultative complement 翻 ‘upside down’. The nativized 嗨 can even be used as a resultative complement itself such as 玩嗨 ‘have fun till high’.

Figure 20.33 Most in最zuì | mostAlthough we can say ‘the in crowd’ in English, ‘most in’ seems to be quite new!

Figure 20.34 Home delivery自助点餐 zìzhù diǎncān | self-order and 宅急送zháijísòng | home deliver点餐不排队 diǎncān bù páiduì | order no lineup随时随地享美味 suíshí suídì xiǎng měiwèi | anytime anywhere enjoy good foods宅急送 is a Chinese company modeled on the Japanese 宅急便. This is used by KFC to promote their home delivery service.

Figure 20.35 Japanese fine image和良形象 héliáng xíngxiàngThis Japanese-sounding name of a hair salon in Shanghai seems to be partly Chinese. Its owners are from Tokyo, Shanghai, and Seoul.

Figure 20.36 Youngor雅戈尔yǎgē’ěrThis is a textile clothing company, headquartered in Ningbo Zhejiang province. While following the transliteration practice of using characters mostly for their sounds, the character 雅 does mean ‘elegant’.

Figure 20.37 Chlitina克丽缇娜 kèlìtínàThis skin-care and beauty salon is founded in Taiwan. It is hard to tell what language Chlitina is based on, with its unusual consonant cluster at the beginning.

Figure 20.38 Bosideng波司登 bōsīdēngThis pseudo-foreign sounding brand seems to pop up everywhere, on trains and airplanes. It is a major purveyor of down products headquartered in Changshu, Jiangsu province. It was ostensibly coined to sound like Boston, which is otherwise transliterated as 波士顿 bōshìdùn.

Figure 20.39 Wedome味多美 wèiduōměi | taste much beautifulIt is a bakery based in Beijing. It is not clear how the spelling comes about.

Figure 21.1 Early restaurant早餐厅 zǎocān tīng | early meal hall (breakfast hall)What is ‘early restaurant’? The mistake results from the wrong segmentation. The middle character 餐 can be grouped with the last character to mean ‘restaurant’ as well as with the first character to mean ‘breakfast’.

Figure 21.2 Carefully slide小心地滑 xiǎoxīn dìhuá | small heart ground slippery (careful, ground is slippery)This mistake results from grouping 地 with the adjective 小心 to mean ‘carefully’; 地 is used as an adverbial marker instead of ‘ground’.

Figure 21.3 Day and convenience store天和便利店 tiānhé biànlì diàn | Tianhe convenience storeThe English seems too outlandish to be believable, but this was actually seen in Lijiang Yunnan. The second character 和 is part of the name天和, but the translation software construed it as ‘and’, the most frequent meaning of 和. The owner of the store wasn’t entirely convinced when the error was pointed out to him, as he had paid good money for the translation.

Figure 21.4 Xinjianginternatioalbigbazaar新疆国际大巴扎 xīnjiāng guójì dà bāzhāXinjiang international big bazaar宴艺大剧院 yàn yì dà jùyuàn | banquet art big theaterThe translation is not problematic, but no spaces were provided between the English words!

Figure 21.5 Careful soup小心汤烫 xiǎoxīn tāng tàng | small heart soup hot(Careful. Soup is hot.)The crucial part about the soup being hot is missing.

Figure 21.6 Shared bicycle access共享单车禁止入内 gòngxiǎng dānchē jìnzhǐ rùnèishared bike forbid enterMissing ‘forbid’, the sign has the opposite meaning.

Figure 21.7 Glass care小心玻璃 xiǎoxīn bōli | small heart glass (Careful! Glass is fragile)‘glass care’ in English means ‘to take care of glass’, which is entirely different from the meaning in Chinese ‘being careful about the possible breaking of glass’.

Figure 21.8 Mainly preserved architecture大连市重点保护建筑 dàlián shì zhòngdiǎn bǎohù jiànzhùDalian city key protect architecture中国银行旧址 zhōngguó yínháng jiùzhǐ | China bank old site大连市人民政府 dàlián shì rénmín zhèngfǔDalian city people governmentIn addition to the wrong translation for 保护, 重点 is also mistranslated. That it was an official plaque put up by the city government is quite embarrassing.

Figure 21.9 Beware of to meet当心碰头 dāngxīn pèngtóu | careful hit head(Careful with bumping the head.)In addition to bumping the head, 碰头 can also have the metaphorical meaning ‘to meet’.

Figure 21.10 Exports slide滑道出口 huádào chūkǒu | slide path out opening (slide exit)Unlike 入口, which can only mean ‘entrance’ and not ‘import’, 出口can mean both ‘exit’ and ‘export’.

Figure 21.11 Fresh your life新鲜你的生活 xīnxiān nǐ de shēnghuóThis was seen in a store in Shanghai. Does it mean ‘freshen your life’? Note the Chinese, on which the translation is based, is also ungrammatical.

Figure 21.12 Heartness, loveness用心yòngxīn | use heart (attentive)关爱 guān’ài | concern love愉悦 yúyuè | happy pleasureWhere do ‘heartness’ and ‘loveness’ come from?

Figure 21.13 Jinshan middle road堇山中路 jīnshān zhōng lù | Jin mount mid road

Figure 21.14 Middle Yanggao road杨高中路 yánggāo zhōng lù | Yanggao mid road

Figure 21.15 Jinshan zhonglu堇山中路 jīnshān zhōng lù | Jin mount mid roadAll three signs above contain中, with the meaning of ‘middle’. But they are different in how 中路 is rendered. The top one translates it into ‘middle’ and puts it before the word road; the second one puts it at the beginning. The top one follows the Chinese word order, but the second one is more idiomatic English. The last sign simply gives the pinyin ‘zhong’, which is quite opaque in meaning but perhaps more helpful to foreigners asking directions.

Figure 21.16 South Qilianshan Road祁连山南路 qíliánshān nán lù | Qilianshan south road

Figure 21.17 Nanyangjin Road南洋泾路 nán yángjīng lù | south yangjing roadBoth signs above are found in Shanghai’s subway. They both contain 南 ‘south’. The first sign uses meaning translation (also the more idiomatic word order for English), but the second one uses phonetic transliteration instead. One more difference: the 南 is placed before road in the first one but at the beginning in the second.

Figure 21.18 Please have no no spiked shoes请勿穿钉鞋 qǐngwù chuān dīngxiéplease don’t wear nailed shoesThis was seen on the grounds of Confucius’ Mansion in his hometown Qufu. The Chinese is stylistically appropriate with the standard 请勿. But the English translation sounds like baby talk.

Figure 21.19 Women妇人 fùrén | woman personThe Chinese translation is stylistically quite inappropriate, being quite old fashioned.

Figure 21.20 No pest allowed禁带宠物入内 jìn dài chǒngwù rùnèiforbid bring pets enter inWas it wrong choice of word or was it the careless reversal of letters (pets>pest)? Pet owners will not be pleased!