# Calling this man daddy is the understatement of the century.



## SimonTsai

Hello,

I recently read the comment below on the manhwa _BJ Alex_ and am wondering how you would say it in Mandarin:

'Calling this man daddy is the understatement of the century.'​
By 'this man', the poster was referring to Alex, one of the two main characters, who is undeniably hot.

Any help is appreciated. Wish you all a good day.


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## SuperXW

I'm not sure what it means... But according to my search, BJ Alex is a Korean comic.


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## Skatinginbc

SimonTsai said:


> how you would say it in Mandarin


叫他"辣爹"也太輕描淡寫了
叫他"爺男"也太輕描淡寫了


SimonTsai said:


> 'Calling this man *daddy *is the understatement of the century.'


直覺上, 與同性戀有關 (原因之一: 什麼名字不好取, 偏要叫做 _Blow Job Alex _. 知道他是個_ broadcast jockey_, 但叫 _BJ Alex_, 未免也太 gay 了; 原因之二: "Daddy" 的這個特殊俚語用法在同性戀圈頗為盛傳)。總之, 他(Alex)是女孩或小鮮肉(twinks)眼中的辣「爹」(daddy) --爺們 、主控 、呵護備至 、能「幹」...這個 "daddy" 顯然帶有性色彩。


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## SimonTsai

Skatinginbc said:


> 叫他 "辣爹 / 爺男"


'辣爹' reminds me of '辣味沙嗲 (spicy satay)', and '爺男' sounds somewhat like '椰奶 (coconut milk)'.

Anyway, both appear to be neologisms and have not yet gained popularity. I personally find them bizarre.


> 也太輕描淡寫了


'_understatement_' is one of the many English words that I find difficult to translate. Your suggestion '輕描淡寫' is formulaic and may not perfectly fit every situation. With it, something seems to be lost or subtly altered.


> 直覺上, 與同性戀有關 [...] 這個 "daddy" 顯然帶有性色彩。


Yes, this manhwa has very much to do with boys' love, and Alex, as I said, is undeniably hot.


SuperXW said:


> BJ Alex is a Korean comic.


It is, but I read the English version since I cannot read Korean. The poster of the comment is probably European.


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## Skatinginbc

SimonTsai said:


> Your suggestion '輕描淡寫' is formulaic and may not perfectly fit every situation.


My suggestion was 也太輕描淡寫了, not 輕描淡寫.  Without 太, the emphatic connotation of "_of the century_" is completely lost.  Of course, I agree with you that it may not fit every situation, but I think it happens to be able to work for the situation given in your link: "_To say that your question is somewhat lacking in context and background is the understatement of the century._" (說你的問題缺些語境和背景未免也太輕描淡寫了)--過度輕化淡化, 輕輕帶過, 淡淡描邊,  未能充分反映事實.


SimonTsai said:


> both appear to be neologisms


Since it is supposed to be an understatement, "daddy" may simply be translated as "爹".  However, the standalone "爹" strongly implies an age difference between the partners--like a generation apart.  To minimize such a connotation, I added 辣 (i.e., 辣爹 "hot daddy"; e.g., 想要和性感辣爹們約會).  Unfortunately 辣爹 as the translation for the context you provided also has a big problem: It usually refers to 有孩子的單身父親, the opposite sex of 辣媽 (as in 辣媽正傳).


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## SimonTsai

I did a Google search of '未免也太輕描淡寫' and surprisingly found a fair number of results. I rarely use '輕描淡寫' that way, and I hate that many people, whenever faced with the word '_understatement_', try hard immediately to have '輕描淡寫' plugged in, without seeking alternatives.


Skatinginbc said:


> I think it happens to be able to work for the situation given in your link:


Take that as an example. I might say, '你問這個問題時，該給而沒給的前後文以及 (其他) 背景資訊，(如果) 說只是一些，這謊可大了。'


> the standalone "爹" strongly implies an age difference between the partners—like a generation apart.


Yes. And it is worth noting that the storyline of _BJ Alex_ revolves round two college students.


> To minimize such a connotation, I added 辣 (i.e., 辣爹 "hot daddy"; e.g., 想要和性感辣爹們約會).


My understanding is that '_daddy_' in that comment is to be called by girls or gay men during sex as a term of endearment, which '辣爹' may not be. Whilst it can be imagined that someone screams, 'Fuck me, daddy', somehow I find '快幹我，爸' foreign-sounding, not to mention '快幹我，辣爹'. (Maybe it is just I that am not into that kink.)


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## Skatinginbc

SimonTsai said:


> 這謊可大了。


Understatement 不是 "謊".  這樣翻, 影射動機 (i.e., 故意虛假欺騙), 與原意可差遠了.


SimonTsai said:


> called by girls or gay men during sex as a term of endearment


我想到 "爺" 的原因之一是因為有些人幹那碼事時, 喜歡 "爺 、爺 (吔 、吔)" 地叫: Yeah, harder, yeah, yeah...吔, 用力, 吔, 吔...
你引文裡的 "daddy" 已脫離叫春, 是用來稱呼某一類男人 (如 小鮮肉 "twink" 是一類男人, 熊 "bear" 是另一類男人, 「男神」又是另一類男人)。什麼樣的男人？ 「爺們」的男人 ("爺男")--猛「幹」 、主控 (dominant) 或令人"拜倒" (submissive) 的男性性伙伴 (通常但不必定較年長)。 古代女人稱男人「爺」。 「爺」在古代也用來稱父親 "daddy" (〈木蘭詩〉：願為市鞍馬，從此替爺征)。


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## SimonTsai

Skatinginbc said:


> 這樣翻, 影射動機 (i.e., 故意虛假欺騙)


Yes, an understatement must be deliberate but may not be intended to deceive. I may have over-translated it.


> 與原意可差遠了.


But I genuinely do not think that my sentence is altogether unfaithful to the original. Anyway, I was just trying to come up with an alternative to '輕描淡寫' as the translation of the word '_understatement_'.


> 你引文裡的 "daddy" 已脫離叫春, 是用來稱呼某一類男人


I asked Mr Google about the slang use of '_daddy_', and here is what I got:

'Beginning in the early 2010s, "_daddy_" became a popular slang expression among teenagers to refer to or describe their male celebrity crushes[.]'​(source: Know Your Meme)​​'"_Daddy_" has expanded from being a financial provider to being an attractive male, especially one that looks older. This slang use is most popular among straight girls and gay boys in the early teens to early twenties range. Of the commonly used slang meanings of daddy, this is probably the one furthest removed from the whole "taking care of someone else" thing.'​(source: Ace Linguist)​
It seems that '_daddy_' below refers to a male crush, someone that the speaker finds extremely attractive. ('_You are so captivating! I am all yours!'_)







> 「爺們」的男人


'爺們' in modern settings often images machismo, which Alex does not shed. He is (actually) pleasantly masculine.


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## Skatinginbc

SimonTsai said:


> This slang use is most popular among straight girls and gay boys in the early teens to early twenties range.


 女孩或小鮮肉(twinks)(see #3)


SimonTsai said:


> 'Beginning in the early 2010s, "_daddy_" became a popular slang expression among teenagers to refer to or describe their male celebrity crushes'


2010年後 "daddy" 成了「男神」了?   2010年之前，我就聽過 "daddy" 的俚語用法 ---令人"拜倒" (submissive) 的男人   (通常但不必定較年長) (see #7)。The power dynamic  (i.e., dominant vs. submissive) was a key component (e.g., sugar daddy 的金錢令 sugar baby 乖乖掀起石榴裙; beefy daddy 的肌肉讓 his boy 拜倒於開襠褲下). 「爺」(e.g., 大爺 vs. 小人; 老爺 vs. 僕人) 有 dominant 的意味.

Urban dictionary--Daddy: "A name used, mostly by innocent young girls, to address an older guy that they either have sexual relations with or sexual interest in. In return, they are often called 'baby girl' or 'princess'. Often used in the context of a dominant-submissive relationship..."


> (source: Know Your Meme) Daddy, is an internet slang term of affection used to address a male *authority figure* or idol in a sexualized manner.


An "authority figure" 在 power dynamic 裡佔主控 (dominant) 地位。


> (source: Know Your Meme) BDSM subculture gave rise to the term "leather daddy," which describe the leather-clad older male who assumes the *dominant* role in a sadomasochistic relationship.


 Agian, it is about a man who assumes the _dominant_ (主控) role in a relationship.


SimonTsai said:


> I genuinely do not think that my sentence is altogether unfaithful to the original.


或許你沒明白我的意思。"謊" 強調 "不真"，而 "understatement" 通常是 "真", 只是沒能說出或不足以顯示實際的重要性或程度罷了。
叫他「男神」未免也太輕描淡寫了 ==> 叫他「男神」是不是 "謊"?   不是, Alex 真的是許多人眼中的「男神」。叫他「男神」還不足以顯示他的魅力 (他比「男神」還「神」)。


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## SimonTsai

Skatinginbc said:


> 「爺」(e.g., 大爺 vs. 小人; 老爺 vs. 僕人) 有 dominant 的意味.


I object to your suggestion '爺男' not only because it sounds foreign, but because '爺' often implies a large age gap and suggests machismo, as in '本大爺' and '大爺我'. (By machismo, I mean being overly assertive and excessively dominant. '老爺' is an exception.)


> 叫他「男神」還不足以顯示他的魅力


Would '天菜' be possible there? I ask because in English, we have the term '_sex god_' over '_daddy_', but in Mandarin, '男神' seems to be the ceiling. (Alex is '男神' and a sex god, indeed. He is handsome, well knit, sweet and hung.)


> "謊" 強調 "不真"，而 "understatement" 通常是 "真", 只是沒能說出或不足以顯示實際的重要性或程度罷了。


Calling Alex daddy cannot count as lying, of course. What I was referring to as the original in post 08 is ewie's sentence, which was in reply to a question that has no context. To say that the question is '_somewhat lacking in context_' may mislead people into thinking that the question does have context, and that it is just that the context is inadequate.


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## Skatinginbc

SimonTsai said:


> Would '天菜' be possible there?


The main difference between 男神 and 天菜 concerns power dynamics:
神 has power over 凡人, whereas 食客 has power over 菜.  "Daddy" in my mind is not 刀俎魚肉, 掌握在别人手里 (天菜是被吃的).  


SimonTsai said:


> To say that the question is '_somewhat lacking in context_' may mislead people into thinking that the question does have context, and that it is just that the context is inadequate.


Underplaying a situation does not amount to lying.
The comment that the original question is _somewhat_ (= to some degree ) _lacking_ _in context_ is true (真) albeit possibly understated in my opinion.   Just as some Chinese speakers may give you the definition of 食客 without asking for further context, so may some English speakers think they can understand the phrase "_the understatement of the century_" in isolation.   If something (e.g., context) is not needed for a task (e.g., interpretation), the absence thereof may not be construed as "lacking (= deficient or inadequate)" in some people's minds.


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## Youngfun

Maybe something like 

说他是男神是低估了他！


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## SimonTsai

這男人的魅力已經不是男神這兩字了得。


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