Y

Yan1guo5 de5 huai4dan4.

• Simplified characters: 阉过的坏蛋。 / Traditional characters: 閹過的壞蛋。
• Back-translation of Mandarin: Castrated bastard(s).
• Script Mandarin translation (phonetic for English speakers): Yen guo duh hwai dan.
• Translated from script English: Castrated bastards.
• Context: “Ariel” [Cut], Simon, referring to River’s experimenters

yan1guo5 de5

castrated, that (has been) castrated

1. yan1: to castrate
2. guo5: [completed-action marker]
3. de5: [noun-modifier marker] [here: integrated adjectival clause (restrictive relative clause)]

huai4dan4

a scoundrel, a bastard (nonliteral)

1. huai4: to be bad
2. dan4: [word used in insults of people]; [literally: an egg]

yao1nü3

• Comics Mandarin translation (simplified/traditional characters): 妖女
• Back-translation of Mandarin: vamp
• Phonetic for English speakers: yao noo
• Context: Serenity: Those Left Behind #1, Jayne, p. 7, to Mal, referring to Ott’s female crew-member

yao1nü3

a fairy enchantress, a vamp, a beautiful woman

1. yao1 [used only in compound words]: bewitching, a demon
2. nü3 [used only in compound words]: a woman

Ye1su1, ta1ma1 de5—

• Simplified characters: 耶稣，他妈的—— / Traditional characters: 耶穌，他媽的——
• Back-translation of Mandarin: Jesus-damn-- (Jesús-damn--)
• Script Mandarin translation (phonetic for English speakers): Yeh-soo, ta ma duh --
• Translated from script English: Hay-soose-mother-of-jumped-up -- [Jesús-mother-of-jumped-up --]
• Context: “Jaynestown,” Jayne, as Hero of Canton song starts

Ye1su1

Jesus [loanword; transliteration perhaps for Iesus: [Latin] Jesus; Spanish Jesús pronounced like script’s Hay-soose]

1. Ye1 [used only in compound-word names]: [phonetically used Chinese character]
2. su1 [used only in compound words]: [phonetically used Chinese character]; [literally: to revive]

ta1ma1 de5

[offensive] damn/damned [intensifier], f***ing [intensifier]; [literally: his mother’s]

1. ta1ma1: [literally: his mother]
   1. ta1 [de5]: his
      1. ta1: he
      2. [understood: de5 的 : [noun-modifier marker] [here: possessive (genitive), ’s, of]]
   2. ma1: [colloquial] a mom, a mother
2. de5: [noun-modifier marker] [here: possessive (genitive), ’s, of]

yi1 da4 tuo2 da4bian4

• Comics Mandarin translation (simplified/traditional characters): 一大坨大便
• Back-translation of Mandarin: a big lump of excrement
• Phonetic for English speakers: ee da tuo da bien
• Context: Serenity: Those Left Behind #1, Jayne, p. 3, sarcastically to Mal on what the situation is

yi1 da4 tuo2

a big lump of

1. yi1 [pronounced “yi2” before a 4th-tone syllable]: one, a
2. da4: to be big, to be great
3. tuo2 [used only in compound words]: a lump

da4bian4

human excrement, stool

1. da4: to be big, to be great
2. bian4 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: excrement

Yi1qi3 shen1hu1xi1.

• Simplified/Traditional characters: 一起深呼吸。
• Back-translation of Mandarin: Let’s do deep breathing together.
• Script Mandarin translation (phonetic for English speakers): EE-chee shung-hoo-shee.
• Translated from script English: Let's take a deep breath.
• Context: “Trash,” Mal, as he and Inara argue

yi1qi3

together

1. yi1: one, a
2. qi3: [classifier for groups]

shen1hu1xi1

to do deep breathing

1. shen1: to be deep
2. hu1xi1: breathing
   1. hu1: to exhale
   2. xi1 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: to inhale

Yo-Saf-Bridge [Not Chinese]

• Simplified/Traditional characters: [None]
• Back-translation of Mandarin: [Not Chinese]
• Script Mandarin translation (phonetic for English speakers): [Not Chinese]
• Script English: Yo-Saf-Bridge
• Context: “Trash,” Mal, addressing Saffron as she holds gun on Durran

English

You4chou4you4ying4.

• Comics Mandarin translation (simplified/traditional characters): 又臭又硬。
• Back-translation of Mandarin: Stubborn.
• Phonetic for English speakers: Yo cho yo ying.
• Context: Serenity: Better Days #1, Jayne, p. 7, as Security Drone starts shooting at him

you4chou4you4ying4

stubborn, hard-nosed

1. you4 [A] you4 [B]: both [A] and [B], [A] as well as [B]
1. you4: and, in addition
2. chou4: to be stinking, [slang] to be inferior
3. ying4: to be stubborn

yu2ben4 de5

• Simplified/Traditional characters: 愚笨的
• Back-translation of Mandarin: stupid
• Script Mandarin translation (phonetic for English speakers): yu bun duh
• Translated from script English: stupid
• Context: “Shindig,” Mal, referring to duel

yu2ben4 de5

to be stupid, to be foolish

1. yu2 [used only in compound words]: stupid, foolish
2. ben4: to be stupid
3. de5: [noun-modifier marker] [here: integrated adjectival clause (restrictive relative clause)]