# don't leave the door open



## viajero_canjeado

Hi forumers,

I was wondering how best to translate the phrase "don't leave the door open". I'm mostly perplexed by the "leave", as 留 (or any other verb that comes to mind) doesn't quite seem to work.

Please don't leave the door open, or mosquitoes will come in. ＝ ”請別。。門，不然蚊子會進來唷“？

The only way that seemed natural to me was 請關門： 請關門以防止紋子進來唷！ I'm not sure this acceptably retains the meaning of the original, though.. what do you guys think?

Thanks for your comments!


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## Lamb67

直接翻译leave=留住 等等。
But here concerning a door's opening or closing,the Chinese custom should be followed instead.
請留門 means the door will be kept open in case anyone comes back late.


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## viajero_canjeado

That's cool to know about what 請留門 means. My original question has to do with how to translate "don't leave the door open"; any ideas about how to say that in a natural way?

Another similar, tough-to-translate sentence is "keep the door closed". I think it's the past participles that make this so confusing for me...


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## Lamb67

Whereas CLOSE/OPEN in English is momental verbs(my own naming btw), which decribes a quick finished action, in Chinese they could well give you the impression the action has a lingering character.

开关, both verbs not only tell about an action but also their lasting effects,while close/open only mean a simple seconds-long action.

开关 plus好门each may well convey the short quick action of their English equivalents.

Above is unreliable personsal opinion of coz.


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## viajero_canjeado

Oh, I see. So, back to my original question, how would one say "don't leave the door open" in Chinese? Or is it best to use an altered wording, as I suggested earlier?


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## Lamb67

关（好）门，这样好些了。
不要留住门开, Chinglish but the other way round.


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## Ghabi

To give you a simple answer: 不要把門開著 or 不要開著門!


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## xiaolijie

This may work, even if it's still a bit "Englishish" : 保持门关着!


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## Razzle Storm

viajero_canjeado said:


> Hi forumers,
> 
> I was wondering how best to translate the phrase "don't leave the door open". I'm mostly perplexed by the "leave", as 留 (or any other verb that comes to mind) doesn't quite seem to work.
> 
> Please don't leave the door open, or mosquitoes will come in. ＝ ”請別。。門，不然蚊子會進來唷“？
> 
> The only way that seemed natural to me was 請關門： 請關門以防止紋子進來唷！ I'm not sure this acceptably retains the meaning of the original, though.. what do you guys think?
> 
> Thanks for your comments!



I think 请关门 retains the most while still sounding natural. If you wanted to rebuke someone for habitually leaving the door open, you could say 别老开着门, but I still think the 关门 sounds the most natural.


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## BODYholic

viajero_canjeado said:


> "don't leave the door open".



意译: 请务必把门关上。
直译: 别让门开着！(Usage: 别让门开着！进来时请顺手关上。)


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## royflamen

As a native speaker, I'll say 请随手关门 for "don't leave the door open" 
if you say “留”， I will get impression of "keep the door open".
As the whole sentens, I'll say "为防止蚊虫进入，请随手关门。"


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## viajero_canjeado

Yikes, just realized I mistyped 蚊子! Thanks for all the very helpful comments; and royflamen, welcome to the forum!


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## swim4life

"别开着门" sounds natural to me. (别开着门，不然蚊子会进来唷)

“别老开着门”and "别让门开着" are also good.

I trust my native intuition and you can count on my reply ...


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## Kevin70s

Alas! Not until the 9th post did I begin to see some sense in the reply. Here's my suggestion:
请随手关门！（If it is to be used on a reminder sign）
（请）关上门、（请）把门关上 (off-hand request)

别让门开着 is also good in that it stays truthful to the literal meaning of the original.


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## HTOT

把门关上，别开着门 不然...


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