• Hegar
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    74 months ago

    The way I was taught to ask for a light in chinese is literally translated as ‘Hit the fire machine?’ (打火機嗎)

    • @[email protected]
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      fedilink
      24 months ago

      It’s because “打火機” is a noun, direct translation would be “the fire striking machine” which means the lighter. So the sentence is a shorthand to ask whether they have a lighter.

      • Hegar
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        24 months ago

        Oh, that’s great to know! I’d got the impression that 打 was being used as a verb in the sense of use/make/play with 火機 as the object. Thanks!