# pool (billiards) vocabulary



## viajero_canjeado

Hi! How does one express the following pool-related (billiards) terms in Chinese?

-scratch/foul
-cue stick
-cue ball
-the saw-toothed stick that helps you aim
-[corner,side] pocket
-stripes and solids
-break (i.e. the first shot of the game; I think it can be a verb and a noun)
-run the table
-diamonds (on the rails of the pool table)
-rails
-miscue or mis-hit (I heard a Taiwanese term that sounds like ㄊㄨ ㄘㄟˇ)
-to call (a shot: i.e. "8-ball corner pocket!"
-chalk (used to prevent miscuing)
-combination shot
-rack (a triangle or diamond used to position the balls before the game starts)
-to hustle somebody
-pool shark
-unclear shot (a shot where an opponent's ball blocks the path to the ball you wish to hit
-trick shot
-stroke

Feel free to add any other useful terms! Thanks for your comments.


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## Ghabi

viajero_canjeado said:


> -miscue or mis-hit (I heard a Taiwanese term that sounds like ㄊㄨ ㄘㄟˇ)


Mainland: 滑桿; Taiwan: 凸槌; HK: 撻Q (taat3kiu1). Interesting enough, both the HK and the Taiwanese term have become common expressions in everyday life with the meaning of "to blunder".


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## viajero_canjeado

Someone told me that ㄘㄨ ㄘㄟˇ means 搞砸, but I get real confused when trying to use characters with Taiwanese, so I figured I'd keep it simpler and just mention the pronunciation. Allow me to double check:  You're saying that 凸槌 is the 國語 version of "miscue" or that it corresponds to the Taiwanese ㄊㄨ ㄘㄟˇ?


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## Ghabi

viajero_canjeado said:


> Allow me to double check:  You're saying that 凸槌 is the 國語 version of "miscue" or that it corresponds to the Taiwanese ㄊㄨ ㄘㄟˇ?


Yes, 凸槌/ㄊㄨ ㄘㄟˇ/tu1cui2 means "to miscue/blunder".


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## viajero_canjeado

Ghabi said:


> Yes, 凸槌/ㄊㄨ ㄘㄟˇ/tu1cui2 means "to miscue/blunder".



Okay, but from what I understand that's the 台語 equivalent of 國語的『搞砸』。 So the characters 凸槌 are only used to give an idea what the Taiwanese - that is, 閩南語 - term (which literally means 搞砸) sounds like... I think. 

Anyway, any ideas on some of the other translations?


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## Ghabi

viajero_canjeado said:


> Okay, but from what I understand that's the 台語 equivalent of 國語的『搞砸』。 So the characters 凸槌 are only used to give an idea what the Taiwanese - that is, 閩南語 - term (which literally means 搞砸) sounds like... I think.


Yes, I heard that it's from Min. I write it this way simply because I always see it written this way (e.g. in newspaper) instead of in 注音, not because I think it should be written this way (for the record: I don't have any preference).


> Anyway, any ideas on some of the other translations?


The terms used in Taiwan are probably quite different from those used in Mainland and HK ... I don't want to mislead you, my dear friend. Even the name of the sport is not the same. Mainland: 台球; Taiwan: 撞球; HK: 桌球 (which means "pingpong" in Taiwan and Japan!)


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## viajero_canjeado

Mainland and HK terms would be better than nothing, if you don't mind contributing them - I'll just use them with a grain of salt


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## Jerry Chan

I’m into pool games and I like the Taiwanese players like 楊清順, 吳珈慶. I watched their 9-ball games quite often a couple of years ago but have not been following it since the end of the Asian 9-ball tour (what a shame!) 


  Anyway, here's a list of Taiwanese terms that I know:
  -scratch/foul 洗袋
-cue stick 球桿
-cue ball 母球
-the saw-toothed stick that helps you aim 架子
-[corner,side] pocket 底袋 / 中袋
-stripes and solids 大號/小號球
-break衝球(i.e. the first shot of the game; I think it can be a verb and a noun)
-run the table 清袋/清檯
  -rails 顆星(cushion)
  -combination shot 組合球 / 碰 (e.g. 6-9碰 is a 6-9 combination)
-miscue or mis-hit (I heard a Taiwanese term that sounds like ㄊㄨ ㄘㄟˇ) I’ve heard 滑桿
-rack (a triangle or diamond used to position the balls before the game starts) 三角框
  -unclear shot (a shot where an opponent's ball blocks the path to the ball you wish to hit 吊球
-stroke 桿 (e.g 打了一桿)

  Here’s more:
  push (after the break) – 推桿
  jump shot – 跳球
  bank shot – 灌球
  to set a snooker – 做球 (做到/吊到 if it’s successful)
  safety – 安全球
  stop shot – 煞車球 /定桿
  top spin (follow shot) – 高桿
  back spin (draw shot) –拉桿/底桿
  left/right English – 左/右塞


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## Jerry Chan

Sorry, "run the table" should be 一桿清袋
And the bridge is called 架桿
chalk is called 滑粉

These might interest you:
Money game - 打網子 (don't know why)
On the hill (one more game to win the match)  - 聽牌 (clearly borrowed from mahjong)


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## viajero_canjeado

Jerry, I'm pleased to know you still drop by the forum from time to time. 

Many thanks for the useful translations. 新年快樂!


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## Jerry Chan

hi viajero,
I've been busy lately but yes I come here to learn something from time to time.
You too have a great New Year!

Now that you started the topic, I've more to share:
When you play pool with a Taiwanese guy, you may hear him say '嗆死' all the time
No, he's not cursing. He's just saying 'chance'!
And when they give away a chance, they say 放嗆/放槍
In HK we have a Cantonese counterpart - 餐屎


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## GamblingCamel

Jerry Chan said:


> When you play pool with a Taiwanese guy, you may hear him say '嗆死' all the time
> No, he's not cursing. He's just saying 'chance'!



嗆 qiāng to choke (because of swallowing the wrong way) / to choke from smoke		
死 sǐ	to die / impassable 

By "chance" do you mean that saying 嗆死 is supposed to bring him good luck?

As you probably know, in English we use CHOKE this way. "He choked and missed the shot."


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## Jerry Chan

Nope, it's nothing to do with choking or anything.
Just similar pronunciation. (btw, it's the American pronunciation [tʃæns])
Like translating chocolate into 巧克力; Disney into 迪士尼


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