Avatar meaning question for Moderators

Doolittle81 · 02-12-08, 01:23 PM

Attention moderator(s): As most of us have discovered, our avatars on these Forums are established/modified by you Moderators according to mostly undisclosed criteria.

I just today noticed that mine now has a picture of a Chinese sailor; I don't know when it was changed. The rank is in Chinese Hanzi characters, the last of which was not immediately recognized by me. I do speak Chinese, but haven't really had much opportunity to use it over the past two years since my last trip to China in 2006.

The first three characters were immediately clear:

中国 Zhongguo.....China

水 Shui ............Water

The last character I looked up by radical count, and simultaneously guessed its meaning. It is:

兵 Bing Soldier

This would give us: 中国水兵 Zhongguo shui bing........"China(Chinese) Water Soldier", implicitly meaning 'Sailor' perhaps.

However, looking up Sailor specifically, one finds: 水手 Shui Shou.......Sailor, Seaman, Boatman. This is Mandarin, of course.

So, while it is possible that 中国水兵 (Zhongguo shui bing) is a unique term used in Chinese military/navy, it appears that 中国水手 (Zhongguo shui shou) is more commonly accepted as the correct term for 'sailor' or 'seaman'.

Now, of course, it is possible that Zhongguo shui bing might be Cantonese rather than Mandarin (Putonghua), but the Chinese Hanzi characters would normally be the same for either language/pronunciation.

I'm curious about the source of the Avatar and Chinese Rank...I suspect that it was copied over from some Site and I'd like to see/read more about the Chinese navy and ranks.

谢谢 xie xie Thanks

(My Chinese name/signature) aka Wai Li aka Wiley aka Doolittle81

AVGWarhawk · 02-12-08, 01:29 PM

Neal got these somewhere. Might want to PM him about the location he got the picture.

Hitman · 02-12-08, 03:55 PM

...or post in the "Comments to subsim review" forum

Zero Niner · 02-12-08, 07:48 PM

IIRC (my mandarin's so rusty it's corroded right thru'! :rotfl

"bing" is a soldier. So shui bing means a naval seaman, as opposed to a sailor on a merchant ship.

02-12-08, 01:23 PM	#1
Doolittle81 Commodore Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada Posts: 624 Downloads: 6 Uploads: 0	Avatar meaning question for Moderators Attention moderator(s): As most of us have discovered, our avatars on these Forums are established/modified by you Moderators according to mostly undisclosed criteria. I just today noticed that mine now has a picture of a Chinese sailor; I don't know when it was changed. The rank is in Chinese Hanzi characters, the last of which was not immediately recognized by me. I do speak Chinese, but haven't really had much opportunity to use it over the past two years since my last trip to China in 2006. The first three characters were immediately clear: 中国 Zhongguo.....China 水 Shui ............Water The last character I looked up by radical count, and simultaneously guessed its meaning. It is: 兵 Bing Soldier This would give us: 中国水兵 Zhongguo shui bing........"China(Chinese) Water Soldier", implicitly meaning 'Sailor' perhaps. However, looking up Sailor specifically, one finds: 水手 Shui Shou.......Sailor, Seaman, Boatman. This is Mandarin, of course. So, while it is possible that 中国水兵 (Zhongguo shui bing) is a unique term used in Chinese military/navy, it appears that 中国水手 (Zhongguo shui shou) is more commonly accepted as the correct term for 'sailor' or 'seaman'. Now, of course, it is possible that Zhongguo shui bing might be Cantonese rather than Mandarin (Putonghua), but the Chinese Hanzi characters would normally be the same for either language/pronunciation. I'm curious about the source of the Avatar and Chinese Rank...I suspect that it was copied over from some Site and I'd like to see/read more about the Chinese navy and ranks. 谢谢 xie xie Thanks (My Chinese name/signature) aka Wai Li aka Wiley aka Doolittle81 __________________ Flight Sim Movies .............................................. .........................View "Faith, Hope, and Charity" movie

02-12-08, 01:29 PM	#2
AVGWarhawk Lucky Jack Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In a 1954 Buick. Posts: 28,254 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	Neal got these somewhere. Might want to PM him about the location he got the picture. __________________ “You're painfully alive in a drugged and dying culture.” ― Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road

02-12-08, 03:55 PM	#3
Hitman Pacific Aces Dev Team Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Spain Posts: 6,109 Downloads: 109 Uploads: 2	...or post in the "Comments to subsim review" forum __________________ One day I will return to sea ...

02-12-08, 07:48 PM	#4
Zero Niner Ace of the Deep Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,033 Downloads: 69 Uploads: 0	IIRC (my mandarin's so rusty it's corroded right thru'! :rotfl "bing" is a soldier. So shui bing means a naval seaman, as opposed to a sailor on a merchant ship.