# 他们这对欢喜鸳鸯，什么时候都是唧唧喳喳的



## Staarkali

Hello all,

this time, I have a little trouble with a complete sentence:
Original sentence: 他们这对欢喜鸳鸯，什么时候都是唧唧喳喳的
My best try: *They form a very happy couple, they are unweary chaters *(or *they never put their mouth at ease*)

Mainly what troubles me is the grammar of the first part, featuring a total absence of verb (and you know how important are verbs for westerners  ).

Thanks for any remark/opinion/two cents!


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## Gervaise

Hi,

The absence of verb is pretty common in Chinese yet. When you describe a person or an object, there is often no "real verb", just the adjective that qualifies the person, you have to add the verb _be_ or another one when you translate, most of the time.

我前面的人很高，什么也看不见！
这手曲真好听！

But I guess you already know that, don't you ?  Anyway, I think the general sense of your translation is correct.

My 2 cents. 

Edit : Uhm, in your exemple, I think there is actually no verb, as in 他们这些孩子..., you might translate it by "This very happy couple, they..." perhaps.


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## Staarkali

sure, I know that of course but sometimes it's still a little puzzling. I was all but sure about the meaning and needed a confirmation to feel confortable, thanks for providing me that  Your suggestion in the edit is even more relevant.


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## AVim

Staarkali said:


> Original sentence: 他们这对欢喜鸳鸯,什么时候都是唧唧喳喳的



For me, your original sentence is one whole sentnece rather than two clauses.  The trunk of the sentence is marked as:
他们这对欢喜*鸳鸯*,什么时候都 *是* *唧唧喳喳的*.

Keeping its structure and metaphor, I would interpret it as:
-> They, a happy affectionate couple, are twittering all the time.


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## Ghabi

My two cents is that the first part is the "topic" of the utterence, not the "subject". It's like:

[As to] this couple, [they're] always arguing one thing or another.


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## BODYholic

#2 这首曲...


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## Gervaise

Oh, thanks, I looked quickly in an online dictionary yet, I wanted to use 首 at first but only 手 had CL (classifier) in its definition, 首 had _classifier _in its definition but I did'nt see it.


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## Staarkali

首 is a classifier for songs (歌) and poems (诗), but I've come across others with close range.


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## Ghabi

Come to think of it, Staarkali, you actually use the same structure in colloquial French, do you?

cet heureux couple, z'arrêtent pas d'parler!


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## Staarkali

it really sounds strange to put it this way; when we do it in French (or in English), the first part is no topic, it's a standalone exclamation (it should be *ce couple heureux... z'arrêtent pas d'parler!*), the way to think the sentence is not the same.

PS: not to mention the fact that to put *happy couple *and *chatty *one after another also sounds strange, it should two topic of two distinct conversations


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## Ghabi

Staarkali said:


> it really sounds strange to put it this way; when we do it in French (or in English), the first part is no topic, it's a standalone exclamation (it should be *ce couple heureux... z'arrêtent pas d'parler!*), the way to think the sentence is not the same.



Um, so now I understand why you find the Chinese saying strange. Perhaps you need to learn some Japanese in order to "get a feel" for this kind of "topic-comment" sentence.  [There's no "topic marker" in Chinese, like _wa_ in Japanese, but the "topic" in a Chinese utterence is usually followed by a pause, that's why you'll usually see a comma used. For example    牛肉面，我最爱吃; there's a slight pause in the middle even in rapid speech.]



> PS: not to mention the fact that to put *happy couple *and *chatty *one after another also sounds strange, it should two topic of two distinct conversations


When we say a couple is 欢喜鸳鸯 (actually 欢喜冤家 "happy enemies" is more common and makes more sense), we imply that they like to argue with each other all the time. I don't know the context, but in your sentence 唧唧喳喳 probably means "to bicker" (in lovers' way). So the first part actually implies the other; and I won't say they're two distinct topics.


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## Geysere

Ghabi said:


> cet heureux couple, z'arrêtent pas d'parler!


Sorry to digress, but does the "z" come from the "s" in "ils"?  I've never seen this before...


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## Ghabi

Geysere said:


> Sorry to digress, but does the "z" come from the "s" in "ils"?  I've never seen this before...



Yes, z=ils, it's the colloquial way.


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## xiaolijie

Ghabi said:
			
		

> 欢喜鸳鸯 (actually 欢喜冤家 "happy enemies" is more common and makes more sense)


This is interesting to know. Do you mean these two (seemingly opposite) phrases are often used to mean the same?


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## Ghabi

xiaolijie said:


> This is interesting to know. Do you mean these two (seemingly opposite) phrases are often used to mean the same?



My gut feeling is that 欢喜鸳鸯 is a late, variant form of 欢喜冤家. The "original" form makes much more sense to me. I can be wrong, of course.


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## xiaolijie

Thanks Ghabi! Then I should think of 欢喜鸳鸯 as a British (understated) version of 欢喜冤家


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## Staarkali

Geysere said:


> Sorry to digress, but does the "z" come from the "s" in "ils"?  I've never seen this before...


 


Ghabi said:


> Yes, z=ils, it's the colloquial way.


It can be found in comic strips or in novels when the author want to quote a child, however usually we say *y z'arretent ...* orally, with *y* (= ils) possibly very light.


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