# 背影是真的，人是假的，没什么好执着



## endolibris

I can't find a clear translation of the meaning of this sentence.: 背影是真的，人是假的，没什么好执着

 Can anyone help?

thanks


----------



## xiaolijie

Where did you get the sentence from? And what translations have you found? No one would be able to give you a clear answer without some input from you, so let us know how we can help!


----------



## endolibris

xiaolijie, this is something with no real context. My girlfriend posted it as a tag on her profile. "Back is true, is false, nothing persistent" is translation I got from google. I'm just looking for a more coherent phrase.


----------



## phill84

Man, this is mission impossible, it's a metaphor and you can only decode it if you know what/who she's talking about.
Anyway the literal translation would be something like '(someone) looks like (someone else) from behind, but is actually not the same person, just let go'

If you guys had a fight recently then probably you should do something about it


----------



## xiaolijie

endolibris said:


> xiaolijie, this is something with no real context. My girlfriend posted it as a tag on her profile. "Back is true, is false, nothing persistent" is translation I got from google. I'm just looking for a more coherent phrase.


This, though not ideal, is still a kind of "context". It tells us something about (why you asked) the question. *Please see the forums Rule #3 to get the best out of the Forums.* 
(Please note that many forums would just delete your questions if you don't attempt to make it easy for them to help you.)


----------



## endolibris

...thank you both. I don't want to discuss my personal life in order to get an approximate translation. I will keep in mind the forum 'rules' to get the most out of it.


----------



## xiaolijie

endolibris said:


> ...thank you both. I don't want to discuss my personal life in order to get an approximate translation.


No, you shouldn't and needn't go into your private life in order to give the context for your questions. Just say that it's a tag on someone's profile and that Google didn't give you a satisfactory translation, etc,...


----------



## SuperXW

endolibris said:


> I can't find a clear translation of the meaning of this sentence.: 背影是真的，人是假的，没什么好执着
> 
> Can anyone help?
> 
> thanks


The backview is true, the person is fake, nothing is worthy to be persisted.
This is the best I can do coz the sentence is vague.


----------



## xiaolijie

> The backview is true, the person is fake, nothing is worthy to be persisted.
> This is the best I can do coz the sentence is vague.


I think the meaning of the quote is fairly clear: _the person is not what s/he appears to be, so why persist? _
The real problem to solve is: since this is part of a song lyrics, to what extent the person who quoted it takes the meaning of the quote seriously and to what extent it's just cool to quote it and use it just like a fashion accessory?


----------



## SuperXW

xiaolijie said:


> I think the meaning of the quote is fairly clear: _the person is not what s/he appears to be, so why persist? _
> The real problem to solve is: since this is part of a song lyrics, to what extent the person who quoted it takes the meaning of the quote seriously and to what extent it's just cool to quote it and use it just like a fashion accessory?


Oh I didn't know it's from a song lyrics. In this case it's easier to understand~


----------



## donnamatch

SuperXW said:


> Oh I didn't know it's from a song lyrics. In this case it's easier to understand~



It's from王菲's 百年孤寂
but I think your translation is pretty cool


----------



## endolibris

wow, I learned a lot here! Thank you everyone for the discussion and the translations. Xiaolijie, I think it's interesting that you would want to "solve" why the quote was used. That was not my intention, I wanted to know the meaning. Would the meaning change if the person used the quote as a way to say her own opinion, or just to quote the song? I don't think so. Again, thanks for the discussion.


----------



## SuperXW

endolibris said:


> Would the meaning change if the person used the quote as a way to say her own opinion, or just to quote the song?


Personally, I think that's exactly what the advertisers and reporters do...
Taking other's words partially, discarding the context, change their meanings...
Advertisers manipulate others words to make their products more attractive...
Reporters use others' words to make more attractive titles, or explain others' words in their own ways...

A piece of lyrics or poetry can be interpreted in many different ways, that's why it's hard to translate (that's also why many people fight against each other because of what they say). The sentence itself is not clear, that's why a context is necessary, if you are asking for a "clear translation".


----------



## endolibris

SuperXW said:


> Personally, I think that's exactly what the advertisers and reporters do...
> Taking other's words partially, discarding the context, change their meanings...
> Advertisers manipulate others words to make their products more attractive...
> Reporters use their words to make more attractive titles, or explain others words in their own ways...



 Interesting perspective. In a way I see what *Xiaolijie* was doing more manipulative, placing her own suspicions on the reasons the quote was used. If no one knows why something happens, then a reporter just reports the facts. I had the only facts I could give and *Xiaolijie* was trying to find inconsequential, obscure contexts.


----------



## xiaolijie

Endolibris,

Context makes a difference to the meaning of what is said, that is why it's our rule to require the context or source (see  *Rule #3* ) of the quote before we can be sure of our replies. We're applying the rule flexibly here but take note that in some other language forums on this site, your questions would be deleted if posted without context or source. 

I in fact already said this very same thing in post #5 above but you didn't seem to have taken notice. Please do not let this distract from your own thread: if you want to discuss this matter further, PM me.


----------

