Lecture6TranslationofDishNames

1、Lecture Eight Translation of Dish Names红烧狮子头 burnt lions head (火烧过的的狮子头)麻婆豆腐 Pock-marked old womans bean curd（满脸麻子的老太婆的豆腐）童子鸡 Chicken without sex（没有性生活的鸡）四喜丸子 four happy meat balls（四个高兴的肉丸子）I. Some Examples of Translated Dish NamesII. Words Showing Different Cooking MethodsZhang Qijun (1985, pp. 58-

2、65) listed twenty-five cooking methods in his book Principles of Cooking. Almost all these cooking methods appear in Chinese dish names. They could be roughly put into six categories:烤、炸、炒、炖、煮、蒸炒 includes 爆、烹、烩、编、溜(熠) 煮 includes 氽、焯、爆、涮、浸蒸 does not have any sub-categories.炖 includes 煨、焖、烧、炯、熬、煲、扒炸 i

3、ncludes煎、浸、贴烤 includes 烙、煽、烧、贴Each of these cooking methods can still have finer distinctions when combined with another element, which we could call sub-cooking-methods. For example, “软炸”、“酥炸”、 “黄焖”、 “红烧”、 “干烧”、 “干煸” 、“清炒” 、“生爆” 、 “油汆” 、 “白焯” 、 “干蒸” 、 “清蒸” 、 “水煮”1. 炒炒 stir fry：西兰花牛柳 Stir-Fried Beef

4、 Filet with Broccoli Sauted: to fry lightly in fat in a shallow open pan雪菜炒肉丝 Sauted Shredded Pork with Potherb Mustard干煸干煸牛柳丝 Sauted Shredded Beef葱爆葱爆肥牛 Sauted Beef with Scallion2. 油炸油炸 fry：炸炸八块鸡 Deep-Fried Chicken Chunks3. 煮煮 boil, poach：沾水牛肉 Boiled Beef；水煮牛肉 Poached Sliced Beef in Hot Chili Oil4.

5、 蒸蒸 steam：清蒸童子鸡 Steamed Spring Chicken; 清蒸桂鱼 Steamed Mandarin Fish5. 炖、煨炖、煨 simmer：牛肉炖土豆 Braised Beef with Potatoes煲、炖、煲、炖、stew：胡萝卜炖牛肉 Braised Beef with Carrots烧、焖烧、焖 braise：红酒烩牛尾 Braised Oxtail in Red Wine; 红焖羊排 Braised Lamb Chops with Carrots6. 烤烤 bake, broil, grill, roast： 烤羊腿 Roast Lamb Leg; 孜然烤

6、牛肉 Grilled Beef with Cumin常用刀法：常用刀法： 切片 slice： 鱼片 sliced fish 切丝 shred： 肉丝 shredded meat切碎 mince：肉糜 minced meat切丁 dice： 鸡丁 diced chicken 切柳 fillet ： 牛柳 filleted beefIII. Rules of Naming Chinese Dish NamesMany of the Chinese dishes are named after the ingredients or cooking methods. But there are als

7、o many dishes which are named by means of metaphor or are connected with allusions, history, legends, people or places, etc. Rules of naming Chinese dishes can be categorized into following categories: 1. Names with Cooking Materials and Ingredients Most Chinese dish names include cooking materials.

8、 These names clearly show the basic information of its materials to customers. Most dish names have at least one or two materials. 竹笋青豆 (Boiled Bamboo Shoots and Green Peas) 青椒花生米 (Deep-Fried Peanuts with Green Pepper) 什果杏仁豆腐 (Tofu with Chilled Almond and Fresh Fruits) 雪菜虾仁豆腐 (Sauted Tofu with Shrim

9、p and Preserved Vegetables).2. Names with Cooking MethodsThe basic structure of this kind is a verb-object word group, beginning with a verb and ending in its object:炒生菜 (Sauted Lettuce)清蒸甲鱼 (Steamed Turtle)Another minor ingredient may be added, forming the structure of an object-verb-object group：雪

10、菜炒肉丝 (Sauted Shredded Pork with Preserved Vegetables)小笋烧牛肉 (Braised Beef with Bamboo Shoots) 3. Names with Five Features of a DishThe Chinese dish is famous for its five features: color, aroma, taste, form and tool, which will certainly appear in the dish names. 3.1 Names describing the color of the

11、 dish: 白汁炒鱼唇(Sauted Fish Snout in Cream Sauce)红烧羊肉(Braised Lamb in Brown Sauce)3.2 Names describing the flavor or aroma of the dish: 茶香鸡(Red-Cooked Chicken with Tea Flavor)怪味海参(Special Flavored Sea Cucumber)臭豆腐(Fermented Tofu)3.3 Names describing the taste or texture of the dish:酸辣汤(Hot and Sour Sou

12、p)酸甜泡菜(Sweet and Sour Pickled Vegetables)脆皮乳猪(Roasted Crispy Suckling Pig)3.4 Names describing the form of main ingredients: 腰果鸡丁(Sauted Diced Chicken and Cashew Nuts)姜丝鱼片(Braised Sliced Fish with Ginger)3.5 Names describing the container used to cook the dish:砂锅鱼头(Braised Fish Head in Casserole)铁板牛

13、肉(Beef Steak Served on a Sizzling Iron Plate)4. Names with Figures of Speech4.1 Metaphor蚂蚁上树(Little Ants In Trees-Vermicelli & Minced Pork)荷花鱼肚(Lotus-Flower Shaped Fish Maw)4.2 Hyperbole什锦(Assorted Vegetables Soup)4.3 Homophony 天长地久(Scalded Goose Intestines with Leek): in Chinese, “肠”(intestines

14、) has the same pronunciation with“长”, which means “lasting”; and “韭菜”(leek）has the same pronunciation with“久” which means “for a long time”.5. Names after a Person/Place东坡肉(Dongpo Pork-Stewed Pork Initiated by the Famous Poet Su Dongpo in the Song Dynasty)上海酸辣汤(Hot and Sour Soup, Shanghai Style)6. N

15、ames with Auspicious WishThe Chinese people like naming dishes with auspicious wishes. Dishes with these names express Chinese peoples yearning for good will and blessings. The typical dishes are:锦绣中华(Beautiful China-Assorted Dish)五子登科(Scholars Acquire Fame-Soft-Fried Chicken, Duck, Fish, Shrimp and

16、 Pork)开门红(Business Opens with a Good Start- Tender Fish Head with Red Pepper)7. Names with Numbers7.1 Numbers with concrete meaning: 拌双耳(Tossed Black and White Fungus)炒双冬(Fried Mushrooms and Bamboo Shoots)7.2 Numbers with implicit meaning: 一品燕窝(Best Quality Birds Nest Soup)五香鸡(Spiced Chicken)荷塘百花藕(B

17、raised Sliced Lotus Roots)IV. Translation Methods1. Literal translationThough Chinese culture is very much different from that of Western countries, human beings do have a lot in common and can understand each other in some way. For example, Chinese dishes are famous for its special emphasis on colo

18、r, aroma, texture, shape, taste and tool, etc., and these elements also appear in English dish names. Thus, literal translation is acceptable. 红烧毛芋头: Braised Taro in Brown Sauce 香辣牛肉: Sauted Beef with Chili Sauce 香酥脱骨鸭: Crispy Boneless Duck 软炸里脊: Soft-Fried Pork Tenderloin洋葱牛肉丝: Shredded Beef with O

19、nions麻辣鸡丁: Diced Chicken with Hot Pepper酸甜黄花鱼: Sweet and Sour Croaker铁板葱烧豆腐: Tofu with Scallion Served on a Sizzling Iron PlateLiteral translation with a slight adjustment in different situations can also be applied in dish names with elements of place. The following two modes can be followed:1.1 Pl

20、ace + (cooking method) + ingredient北京烤鸭: Beijing Roast Duck蒙古烤肉: Mongolian Barbecue 1.2 (Cooking method) + ingredient + place + style上海油爆虾: Sauted Shrimps, Shanghai Style无锡脆鳝: Crispy-Fired Eels, Wuxi Style2. Literal Translation+ Explanation全家福 Happy Family-Mixed Meat & Vegetables鲤鱼跳龙门 Carps Jump

21、ing over the Dragon Gate-Fried Carp with Sweet and Sour Sauce鸳鸯戏水 Lovebirds Playing in Water-Steamed Pigeons in Clear Soup龙凤呈祥 Dragon-Phoenix Present Happiness-Thick Assorted Meat Soup蝴蝶飘海: Butterfly Fluttering Across the Sea (Quick-Boiled Fish Slices)掌上明珠: Pearl on the Palm (Shrimp Balls on Duck We

22、bs)雪塔观燕: Birds on the Snow Tower (Egg-White Cake with Birds Nest)3. Free Translation糟溜三白: (Sauted Three White Slices) Sauted Fish, Chicken and Bamboo Shoots with Rice Wine Sauce拌双耳: Tossed Black and White Fungus碧绿鲜带子: Braised Scallops with Green Vegetables冬瓜云腿: Sliced Yunnan Ham with White Gourd上汤广肚

23、: Fish Maw in Clear Soup红烧狮子头 :Braised Pork Ball麻婆豆腐：stir-fried tofu with hot sauce/ stir-fried tofu with chili and pepper/ Mapo Tofu 清蒸童子鸡: Steamed Pullet（小母鸡） 四喜丸子 :Meat Balls Braised with Brown Sauce/ Braised Pork Balls in Gravy Sauce （卤汁）4. Free Translation+ Explanation发财(菜)好市(蚝豉): Business Pros

24、pers (Black Moss with Oysters)天长(肠)地久(韭菜): Marriage Everlasting (Scalded Goose Intestines with Leek)黄山一绝(蕨): The Wonder of Mt. Huangshan(Stir-Fried Mt. Huangshan Bracken)百年好合(荷) : Sweet Marriage (Sweet Corn Soup with Lotus)5. Literal Translation + Notes八仙过海: Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea (Assorte

25、d Sea Food, Ham and Chicken). However this version gives no indication to the literature image that shared by the Chinese. Thus, a brief introduction can be printed on the back of the menus for the customer to read for further information. For“八仙过海”, the note can be:The dishs name has borrowed the l

26、iterary images of “Eight Immortals”, who are legendary figures in the Chinese culture. It tells the story that the eight immortals each used a tool of power to cross the broad ocean. Nowadays, it has become an idiom indicating the situation that everybody shows off their power to achieve a common goal. Since immortals permanently live, people use the dish name to express their yearning for a long life. In fact, this dish is made of eight delicacies and chicken.东坡肉: Dongpo Pork (Braised Pork)Note: The name is after a famous ancient Chinese poet Su Dongpo, who invented his spe