'Peanuts' as in 'Charlie Brown' in Chinese
After I posted about Peanuts as in the nuts. I started pondering how on earth one talks about Peanuts the comic strip in Chinese. I adore Peanuts. As mentioned, Charlie Brown and Snoopy are my favourites but I have a soft spot for Pig Pen and Linus.
A lot of people don't like Peanuts. They tell me that they don't 'get' what's so funny about it. A lot of the strips don't seem to have a punchline or a particularly satirical insight on the world. They're just very quiet and sweet, sometimes sad, sometimes funny. A Peanuts comic usually makes me smile rather than laugh but I really love them.
Maybe Peanuts is another Moulin Rouge. You either get it or you don't. You either find it poignant and sweet or you find it boring. When I was little my favourite character was Woodstock but I could never remember his name for some reason and always called him Woodchuck.
I went Googling for Peanuts in Chinese and found it interesting that they use Peanuts to teach English. I found this site here and this one here, both of which use the Peanuts comic strips to test English vocab.
Peanuts in Chinese is 《花生漫画》 - Peanut Cartoon / Peanut Comic.
Charlie Brown is 查布朗 (pronounced char bu lang). Bu Lang is the common Chinese transliteration of 'Brown'. They tend to transliterate brown rather than translate it because the word for 'brown' in Chinese is 褐色 hè sè or 棕色 zōng sè
Linus is 奈勒斯 Nai Le Si (pronounced nye ler sir)
Lucy is 露西 Lou Xi or Luo Xi (pronounced low see, lwor see)
Peppermint Patty is 派伯敏特·佩蒂 Pai Pa Min Te - Pei Di (pronounced pie par min ter pay dee). Again this is transliterated because the Chinese word for 'peppermint is 薄荷 bòhe - cold grass?
Pig Pen is 乒乓 Pīngpāng (pronounced ping pung) which is an onomatopeiac word for rattling but also is the Chinese word for ping pong / table tennis.
Woodstock is 胡士托 hu shi tuo (pronounced who shir twor).
Snoopy is shi nu bi (pronounced sher noo bee).
I particularly liked the site 我想养只史努比 Everyone wants a Snoopy because the author has a few translations into Chinese of English phrases. For instance, he says: "In my eyes, Snoopy is a happy-go-lucky（逍遥自在） puppy everyone loves.". 逍遥自在 xiāoyáozìzài means to be be leisurely and carefree, to take life easy
He translates beagle as 小猎犬 xiao lièquǎn (little hunting dog) and then says that Snoopy never speaks, but manages to make himself understood by facial expressionsand thought balloons. He translates 'thought balloons' as 思想泡泡 sīxiǎngpàopào (thought bubbles).
He describes Charlie Brown as the butt（笑柄）of jokes. 笑柄 xiàobǐng means laughingstock; butt; joke. The first character means laugh, the second means handle. His friends sometimes call him "blockhead". The guy translates 'blockhead' as 傻瓜 shǎguā which literally 'stupid melon' but is one of the many words for fool or idiot in Chinese.
About Lucy, he writes: "She works hard at being bossy". He translates 'bossy' as 专横的. 专横 zhuānhèng means imperious and peremptory. He also says that Lucy is 'crabby' which he translates as 执拗的zhíniù which means mulish, stubborn. I love how he descibes her as a 'know it all'. In Chinese he wrote it as: 假装什么都知道的人 - 'a person who pretends to know everything'.
He describes Woodstock as Snoopy’s closest friend and confidante - 知己 zhījǐ. As a verb, 知己 zhījǐ means to know know oneself, but as a verb it means a close/intimate/bosom friend / kindred spirit.
The other site has a little quiz designed to test English :) Some questions are:
What occupation did Charlie Brown's father have?
What is the name of the little bird that became Snoopy's companion?
On which mission did Charlie Brown and Snoopy accompany the astronauts as they traveled into space?
What affectionate nickname did Sally give Linus?
Which of the words listed below would be an antonym for the word "virtuoso" in the following sentence? Snoopy is a virtuoso at every endeavor-at least in his daydreams atop his doghouse.
(a) expert (b) amateur (c) whiz
Choose a synonym for the word "inveterate" in this sentence: Charlie Brown is an inveterate worrier who frets over trifles.
(a) habitual (b) unusual
Unscramble these letters to find the word that describes what Linus does to his friends as he talks about philosophical revelations and solutions to problems: REGBALFTSSBA
Which word could be substituted for the word "lunacy" in the following sentence? The absence of logic in Lucy's arguments holds a kind of shining lunacy.
(a) madness (b) common sense
Which female character's speech is full of humorously misused words?
Which two adjectives best describe Schroeder?
(a) friendly and talkative
(b) ambitious and uptight
(c) shy and relaxed
Peppermint Patty is aware of the people in her life and surroundings.
(a) true (b) false
Who is considered the smartest member of the Peanuts gang, but also the most immature?
Which word is the adverb in the following sentence? Pig Pen is happily messy.
Which caring character can quote the Old Testament as effectively as Linus?
This character is more doubtful than his older brother, and tries to "borrow" Snoopy from Charlie Brown. Who is he？
Here is Linus and Lucy, my favourite track from Joe Cool's Blues, a jazz album by Wynton Marsalis and Ellis Marsalis which has songs from the songbook of Peanuts. The tracklisting is:
1. Linus and Lucy
2. Buggy Ride
3. Peppermint Patty
4. On Peanuts Playground
5. Oh, Good Grief!
6. Wright Brothers Rag
7. Charlie Brown
8. Little Red-Haired Girl
9. Pebble Beach
10. Snoopy And Woodstock
11. Little Birdie
12. Why, Charlie Brown
13. Joe Cool's Blues (Snoopy's Return)
Even if you don't like jazz, Linus and Lucy is a very cool track - energetic and fun.
Obligatory Meme
Which Peanuts Character are You?
You are Rerun!
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Odd. I've always identified with Charlie Brown. A bit of a dork, overly introspective sometimes. I wouldn't have thought I had anything in common with Rerun :)
A few strips:
Images and strips (for the most part) from The Official Peanuts Website: Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Friends.