Comments on: Caption/Translation Contest

By: chriswaugh_bj

chriswaugh_bj — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 02:00:30 +0000

That makes sense. Haven’t seen any of those around, though. Still, squinting at the top of that sign, does it say “碧云天休闲”? Any subtly suggestive punning involved there, especially in the first two characters? Still, very few shops selling things of a sexual nature could be accused of subtlety…. I suspect, lei, you are probably right.

By: lei

lei — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:55:52 +0000

here is a picture of what one of those place looks like.
http://www.ntrpg.org/main/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/ff.jpg

By: lei

lei — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:52:39 +0000

棋牌室 are those places for cards and mahjongs and such. The one that o’m talking about are not the same as 棋牌室. It’s relatively new, and “hip”. They are not usually the traditional types of board/tabletop games.

By: chriswaugh_bj

chriswaugh_bj — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:55:33 +0000

Yeah, sorry lei, gotta agree with Ben’s interpretation. Walk into any of the ‘Adult Health Care’ or ‘Adult-Use Products’ or “Husband and Wife Health Care/Use Products’ shops looking for a simple, regular pack of condoms and you’ll see all kinds of stuff that makes you wonder if China wasn’t secretly colonised by the English, or if perhaps the English are secretly Chinese. Actually, that last one would make more sense since those of us who actually were colonised by the English never really picked up their more, uh, interesting proclivities.

[Chris stops playing with ethnic/national stereotypes now]

By: Benjamin Ross

Benjamin Ross — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:38:13 +0000

@ lei

…I don’t know…usually that kind of venue is called a 棋牌室. They have them all over Beijing. China has one of the higher adult toy shop per square mile ratios of anywhere in the world, so even if that wasn’t the signs original meaning, it’s still awful suggestive.

By: lei

lei — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:52:06 +0000

and i don’t believe the sign literally means “adult toy bar”, it’s merely a bar sort of environment for adults, to get together and play board games and such. They charge by the hour and per person.

By: chriswaugh_bj

chriswaugh_bj — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:51:38 +0000

They’re not school-aged. They look to be at least 18, therefore working legally (I won’t comment on their leisure activities). But yes, it’s not the kind of business one would normally advertise this way.

By: Benjamin Ross

Benjamin Ross — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:18:51 +0000

In case anybody didn’t get it on the first go round, the big characters point to the “Adult Toy Bar.” It’s not that the existence of such an establishment in the Middle Kingdom would surprise me in the least, but it doesn’t seem like the type of business where you would typically send out two school-aged boys to act as human signs.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:13:42 +0000

“I’m with stupid”

By: Nikolai Xander

Nikolai Xander — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 04:54:22 +0000

Hahahahaha “Someday I’ll be the guy with the cards” is the clear winner