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Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

tough guy

Chinese translation:

硬汉

Added to glossary by Jianjun Zhang
May 23, 2006 23:14
17 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term

tough guy

English to Chinese Other Slang Korean slang and terminology
Hello. What are Chinese slang synonyms for "tough guy"? Please list as many slang synonyms as you can, and please use Pinyin. Thank you. :D
Proposed translations (Chinese)
5 +4 ying4 han4
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (1): IC --

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Discussion

Mavericker (X) (asker) Jul 14, 2006:
"rock" in Chinese In AMericen slang, a tough guy is sometimes called a "rock". Does "rock" have the samr figurative use in Chinese?
Mavericker (X) (asker) Jun 26, 2006:
Question for Last Hermit Hello, Last Hermit. Did you get the e-mail I sent you? Does 牛精' translate to niu2 jingq qing2 jing4? Please let me know. :D
Non-ProZ.com Jun 19, 2006:
Question about "cu bau di ren" and "cu ren" Hello. Is "cu bau di ren" and "cu ren" slang terms?
Mavericker (X) (asker) Jun 14, 2006:
Question for ANgus Woo and Last Hermit Hello. Can someone please tell me what is pinyin for What is Pinyin for 搅屎棍 , 惡野, and the Cantonese '牛精"?
Mavericker (X) (asker) Jun 14, 2006:
Questions for Last Hermit Hello LAst Hermit, I apologize for sounding so abrupt. I was rushing when I posted my questions for you.

Could you please tell me:
What are some Chinese slang terms for someone who is "Tough, not necessarily criminal", and could you please tell me what slang Chinese street youths use for "tough guy"? I'd appreciate it. :D
Last Hermit Jun 13, 2006:
More frequently than not, we use adjectives in place of nouns to refer to people who're rude, such as 'heng4' (横), '野蛮' (ye3 man2).'
Mavericker (X) (asker) Jun 12, 2006:
Question for Pkchan Hello. Could yo please list the pinyin for those terms you posted?
Mavericker (X) (asker) Jun 12, 2006:
Question for LAst Hermit What slang terms are used for "tough guy" on the street?
Mavericker (X) (asker) Jun 7, 2006:
Question for Angus Woo and LAst Hermit A "toughie" in regular Chinese is cu1 bao4 di4 ren2. How do you say it in slang?
Mavericker (X) (asker) Jun 7, 2006:
Question for Angus Woo Hello Angus Woo, COuld you please list pinyin for the terms you posted:

漢子、青皮、潑皮、鐵漢、硬漢、硬腳色、刺頭、光棍、雷公、好漢、 ? I would appreciate it. Thanks.
Mavericker (X) (asker) Jun 3, 2006:
Question for Last Hermit Last Hermit, What are some Chinese slang terms for a "good natured tough/rough, not neccessarily criminal?"
Mavericker (X) (asker) Jun 1, 2006:
Questions for Last Hermit and Angus Woo Hello, LH and Angus Woo. Last Hermit, are the terms you posted Chinese slang terms?
What is Pinyin for 搅屎棍 or 惡野?
Can you please tell me what is PInyin for 很可能不是硬汉，而是粗人?
Could you guys please list at least one slang term for "tough guy" in each dialect? Thanks.

Here's some more context:

That dude's a real bad apple.
Joe's one tough customer.
Ty is a real hardrock, a survivor.
Angus Woo May 27, 2006:
That's the problem. You see there are more than 50 dialects in China which means there are more than one way to say the same thing. As last hermist has suggested, in Cantonese, we have different terms. Depending on the context, 搅屎棍 or 惡野 all are
Last Hermit May 26, 2006:
For Q2: NOT my terms but comments. In translation: Probably not 'ying4 han4' but 'cu1 ren2'.
Last Hermit May 26, 2006:
To Mavericker: 'thugs, ruffians, gang members, fighters' are called '暴徒' (bao4 tu2), '犯罪团伙' (fan4 zui4 tuan2 huo3) and '战士／斗士' (zhan4 shi4/ dou4 shi4).
Mavericker (X) (asker) May 25, 2006:
Another question for Last Hermit Hello Last Hermit. What is Pinyin for these terms you posted:
很可能不是硬汉，而是粗人?
Mavericker (X) (asker) May 25, 2006:
Please use Romanized Chinese Note for everyone: please use Romanized Chinese when you post your terms. Thank you. :D
Mavericker (X) (asker) May 25, 2006:
Question for Angus Woo Hello, Angus Woo. I would liek Chinese slang for "tough guy", but could you please list the PInyin for those terms you listed?
Non-ProZ.com May 25, 2006:
Comment for Last Hermit Hello, Last Hermit. What do they call thugs, ruffians, gang members, fighters in China?

For example, a hard case is:
hard case
n.
A tough, unsentimental person.
A person who is persistently insolent or difficult to control.

A "toughie" is:
tough·ie ( P ) Pronunciation Key (tf)
n. Informal
A thug; a tough.


toughie

n 1: an aggressive and violent young criminal [syn: hood, hoodlum, goon, punk, thug, tough, strong-armer]

Is there a slang term for someone "tough and good-natured, not nessarily criminal"?

This is what I mean by tough:

tough

adj 1: not given to gentleness or sentimentality; "a tough character" [ant: tender]competition was tough"; "it's a tough life"; "it was a tough job" [syn: rugged] 3: physically toughened; "the tough bottoms of his feet"

n 1: someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing [syn: street fighter] 2: an aggressive and violent young criminal [syn: hood, hoodlum, goon, punk, thug, toughie, strong-armer] 3: a cruel and brutal fellow [syn: bully, hooligan, ruffian, roughneck, rowdy, yob, yobo, yobbo]
Last Hermit May 25, 2006:
Angus: S/he actually wants slang words for this phrase. Cantonese '牛精' could fit in the negative side.
Angus Woo May 25, 2006:
There are quite a few of those terms, such as 漢子、青皮、潑皮、鐵漢、硬漢、硬腳色、刺頭、光棍、雷公、好漢、etc.. There are more than 50 different dialects in China.
Last Hermit May 25, 2006:
In Chinese, there's no such a phrase that cuts both ways.
Last Hermit May 25, 2006:
However, in a context like this 'Yet although often seen as a tough guy, Bob Hoskins has tried to avoid typecasting.' It can be well translated as '硬汉' (ying4 han4) as Will suggested below.
Last Hermit May 25, 2006:
In the said context, 'tough' can be translated as '蛮横' (man2 heng4) or '粗鲁' (chu1 lu3), all used as adjectives.
Last Hermit May 25, 2006:
Thank you. But I am afraid these are but explanations for the phrase 'tough guy'. I wanted to know the actual contexts. Something like this: one of football's most notorious tough guys.
Mavericker (X) (asker) May 24, 2006:
Response to Last Hermit Here are some contexts:
Good-natured person, not necessarily criminal.
Someone prone to violence.
A street-smart person.
A cool guy.
A man among men.
Someone who knows how to survive on the streets.
Someone not afraid to fight.
A "survivor", a "hard case."
A "leader".
Last Hermit May 24, 2006:
Any contexts? And do you mean someone who is rude or prone to violence?

Proposed translations

+4
1 min
Selected

ying4 han4

ying4 han4

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 mins (2006-05-23 23:17:27 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

硬汉
Note from asker:
Hello Will Wong. Could you please translate the Chinese text in these comments and use Pinyin so I can understand what was posted? I'd appreciate it. Thank you. :D
Hello Will Wong. Are you there?
I could use your help.
Hello Last Hermit. I went to an online translator and translated your comment: 很可能不是硬汉，而是粗人。: Very possible is not the dauntless man, but is the careless person. Can you please explain what you meant?
PKchan comments translated to English is: 不是陀地、悍將便是: Is not tuo, the brave warrior then is. ANd Angus's comment is: 所說鐵漢，好像電影明星尊榮一樣: Said the iron man, probably the movie star reveres the glory to be same. Can ANgus and pkchan please explain what they meant? Are tuo and iron man CHinese slang terms for "tough guy"?
Peer comment(s):
agree Justin Lai
1 hr
agree ysun
4 hrs
agree IC --
7 hrs
agree Naikei Wong
13 hrs
disagree Last Hermit : 很可能不是硬汉，而是粗人。
16 hrs
neutral jyuan_us : Agree with Last Hermit. The sugguested translation is too positive. It is pretty close to a hero.
1 day 3 hrs
agree pkchan : 不是陀地、悍將便是ANGUS所說鐵漢，好像電影明星尊榮一樣
11 days
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
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