A Multiple-Parallel-Text Approach to Chinese and Czech Dish Names - IS MUNI
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MASARYKOVA
UNIVERZITA
FILOZOFICKÁ FAKULTA
A Multiple-Parallel-Text
Approach to Chinese
and Czech Dish Names
Bakalářská diplomová práce
LUCIE HABICHOVÁ
Vedoucí práce: Wei-lun Lu, Ph. D.
Seminář čínských studií
Obor Kulturní studia Číny
Brno 2021MUNI ARTS
A MULTIPLE-PARALLEL-TEXT A P P R O A C H TO CHINESE A N D C Z E C H DISH N A M E S
Bibliografický záznam
Autor: Lucie Habichová
Filozofická fakulta
Masarykova univerzita
Název p r á c e : A Multiple-Parallel-Text A p p r o a c h to Chinese and Czech Dish
Names
Studijní program: Mezinárodní teritoriální studia
Studijní obor: Kulturní studia Číny
Vedoucí p r á c e : W e i - l u n Lu, Ph. D.
Rok: 2021
P o č e t stran: 66
Klíčová slova: čínský název jídla, český název jídla, porovnání, metafora,
homofonie, metonymie, aluze
2A M U L T I P L E - P A R A L L E L - T E X T A P P R O A C H TO C H I N E S E A N D C Z E C H DISH N A M E S
Bibliographic record
Author: Lucie Habichovä
Faculty of Arts
Masaryk University
Seminar of Chinese Studies
Title of Thesis: A Multiple-Parallel-Text A p p r o a c h to Chinese and Czech Dish
Names
Degree Programme: International T e r r i t o r i a l Studies
Field of Study: Cultural Studies of China
Supervisor: W e i - l u n L u , Ph. D.
Year: 2021
Number of Pages: 66
Keywords: Chinese dish name, Czech dish name, comparison, metaphor,
homophony, metonymy, allusion
3A M U L T I P L E - P A R A L L E L - T E X T A P P R O A C H TO C H I N E S E A N D C Z E C H DISH N A M E S Anotace Předmětem předkládané práce je analýza názvů čínských pokrmů a jejich českých ekvivalentů. Čínské názvy pokrmů často obsahují odkazy na kulturní kontext, které jsou vyjádřeny různými básnickými prostředky. Z toho důvodu přirozeně dochází k rozdílům v interpretaci názvů těchto pokrmů v češtině. Práce má za cíl najít odlišnosti mezi těmito názvy, a to nejen v rámci jednoho jazyka, ale také na úrovni mezi jazyky, za využití poznatků z kognitivní lingvistiky a překládání. Pro analýzu bylo využito metody paralelních textů, která toto porovnání umožňuje. 4
A M U L T I P L E - P A R A L L E L - T E X T A P P R O A C H TO C H I N E S E A N D C Z E C H DISH N A M E S
Abstract
The subject of the presented w o r k is the analysis of the names of Chinese dishes and
their Czech equivalents. Chinese dish names often contain cultural references that are
expressed by various literary expressions. Because of such fact, there are naturally n u -
ances i n the interpretation of these dishes into Czech. The w o r k aims to find differences
between these names, not only w i t h i n one language but also at the interlingual level,
using the knowledge f r o m cognitive linguistics and translation. The multiple-parallel-
text method was used for the analysis, w h i c h enabled such comparison.
5A M U L T I P L E - P A R A L L E L - T E X T A P P R O A C H TO C H I N E S E A N D C Z E C H DISH N A M E S
Declaration
I hereby declare that this thesis w i t h title A Multiple-Parallel-Text Approach to Chi-
nese and Czech Dish Names I submit for assessment is entirely m y o w n w o r k and has
not been taken f r o m the w o r k of others save to the extent that such w o r k has been
cited and acknowledged w i t h i n the text of my.
Brno August 17, 2021 Lucie Habichovä
7A M U L T I P L E - P A R A L L E L - T E X T A P P R O A C H TO C H I N E S E A N D C Z E C H DISH N A M E S
Acknowledgements
I w o u l d like to express m y sincere gratitude towards m y supervisor W e i - l u n Lu, Ph. D.,
for his k i n d and infinitely patient guidance. The pure enthusiasm and scientific curios-
ity that I always acquired was highly contagious and it was m y honour to take part i n
it. I am grateful to have been given a space to address a topic that is immensely close
to m y heart.
This w o r k could not have been possible w i t h o u t the helpful approach of all res-
taurant owners, w h o not only w i l l i n g l y p r o v i d e d their menus for the purposes of this
w o r k but also discussed w i t h sincere interest the circumstances and possibilities of m y
research. I w i s h I had more time to talk to y o u all and eat more delicacies that y o u have
p r o v i d e d me w i t h !
I thank Zita, we may have only met online, but our Chinese-Czech discussions
always enriched me in many ways and gave me n e w perspectives.
I w o u l d also like to express m y thanks to Mgr. Hana Žižkova, Ph.D. for the price-
less advice that I acquired i n her bachelor and Czech seminars. They both gave me a lot
of insight and most i m p o r t a n t l y reassurance, that nothing is impossible.
M y thanks go to Fabrizio Paterlini whose music accompanied me on this jour-
ney of w r i t i n g and kept m y sharp focus.
Last but not least, I w o u l d like to thank m y family and friends for the u n l i m i t e d
support and encouragement that they gave me throughout m y studies. Martin, thank
y o u for y o u r corrections, patience, curious questions, everything that helped to move
this thesis to a whole n e w level. M y thank y o u also goes to the ones that told me to give
up, so I d i d not.
9TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents
List of Tables 13
Glossary 14
Introduction 15
1 Theoretical Background 17
1.1 Cognitive Linguistics 17
1.1.1 Metaphor 17
1.1.2 Metonymy 19
1.2 Homophony 20
1.3 Allusion 20
1.4 Translation 21
1.4.1 Translation of Dish Names 21
1.5 Research Questions and Methodology 22
1.5.1 Multiple-Parallel-Text A p p r o a c h 24
2 Data Analysis 26
2.1 Numbers 26
2.1.1 N u m b e r Three 28
2.1.2 N u m b e r Five 28
2.1.3 N u m b e r Eight 29
2.1.4 A Special Case of N u m b e r T w o 30
2.1.5 Four Seasons Beans 31
2.1.6 Ten Colours 31
2.1.7 Summary 32
2.2 Homphony 33
2.2.1 PuTiRou 33
2.2.2 Sweet and Sour P o r k / C h i c k e n / F i s h 34
2.2.3 A Tea Sauce w i t h o u t Tea 36
2.2.4 Summary 37
2.3 Metaphor, Metonymy, A l l u s i o n 38
11TABLE OFCONTENTS
2.3.1 Metaphor, M e t o n y m y 38
2.3.1.1 A Bird's Nest 40
2.3.1.2 Ants on a Tree 40
2.3.1.3 Squirrel-shaped Fish 41
2.3.1.4 Ma-poDoufu 42
2.3.1.5 KungPao 43
2.3.1.6 Fish Fragrance Without Fish 44
2.3.1.7 Family Luck 45
2.3.1.8 Xiao Long Bao 45
2.3.1.9 A Tree Beard Pork 46
2.3.1.10 A Little Yellow Bag 47
2.3.1.11 Wonton 48
2.3.2 Allusion 49
2.3.2.1 Arhat's Diet 49
2.3.3 Summary 50
2.4 Location i n Dish Names 52
2.4.1 Yangzhou Fried Rice 52
2.4.2 Dong Yang Soup 53
2.4.3 Summary 53
Conclusion 54
Bibliography 56
Appendix: Items from the Menus 62
12LIST O F T A B L E S
List of Tables
Tab. 1: List of Menus and Restaurant Addresses 23
Tab. 2: Dish Names Containing Numbers - Overview 27
Tab. 3: A n Example of sänxiän 28
Tab. 4: H o m o p h o n y in Chinese Dish Names - Overview 33
Tab. 5: Sweet and Sour i n Dish Names 35
Tab. 6: Metaphor, Metonymy, A l l u s i o n i n Dish Names - Overview 39
Tab. 7: Arhat's Diet i n A l l Variants 49
Tab. 8: Location i n Dish Names 1 52
Tab. 9: Location i n Dish Names II 52
13GLOSSARY Glossary ADJ adjective DIM diminutive F feminine GEN genitive INS instrumental LOC locative M masculine MultiParT multiple-parallel-text approach N neuter PL plural SL source language TL target language 14
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
This thesis aims to compare dish names that one can encounter i n Chinese restaurants
in the Czech Republic, i n its t w o largest cities - Prague and Brno. The objective is
to point out the differences, h o w distinct can be the perception of the same Chinese
dish name by a Czech and Chinese native speaker i n their mother tongue. Moreover,
the various versions of the same dish name i n the same language are compared.
W h e n people f r o m two cultures meet each other, they may find out that the mean
ing of some dish names that one took as the obvious, the other might not completely
understand. There was a b i g attempt f r o m the Chinese M i n i s t r y of Foreign Affairs
to unify, and also simplify the translations of Chinese dish names into English before
the Olympics i n 2008. A vast research was taken through the discussion w i t h special
ists and an internet survey w h i c h resulted i n a list that covered almost 3000 dish
names i n their Chinese and English variants (Zhou, 2008).
However, the complexity and long history of Chinese dish names are putting
translators like (Zhang, 2014; Y u m i n g , 2014) i n a challenge to evoke the most accurate
perception i n both variants of one dish name in t w o languages. These attempts to i n
troduce the Chinese cuisine to the foreigners were followed by other scholars, either
through i n t r o d u c i n g the meal system (Qin, 2014) or by translating a specific part
of Chinese cuisine, for example, snacks (Sui, 2018). M a n y papers have set a goal to find
a w a y h o w to translate the Chinese dishes most accurately into English concerning the
cultural differences (Kang, 2013; Cai, 2018). Some scholars (Chau, 2014; Gerhardt
et al., 2013) analysed Chinese dish names f r o m the anthropological perspective. These
researches were done abroad and cannot be applied on a full scale i n the Czech envi
ronment. In literature, the closest contact w i t h the Chinese dish names and their Czech
variants are i n cookbooks (Sis, Kalvodová, 1966; Černá, Rusková 1998) that introduce
some Chinese dishes including their recipes to the Czech audience.
In the discussions about food, not only dish names are concerned, but food is also
a complex sphere that includes expressions concerning etiquette, rituals, specific tra
ditions, cooking techniques, ingredients, and tools. That attracted the curiosity of l i n
guist Daniel Jurafsky (2014), w h o was particularly fascinated by all the expressions
that he found i n menus. He searched for the ancient roots of several dishes and the
origins of w o r d s connected to food. His focus was p r i m a r i l y on the English-speaking
environment. This thesis is taking loose inspiration f r o m his research and aims to en
rich such interlingual knowledge by Czech. Moreover, it aims to contribute to a better
understanding of the dish names that can be encountered i n the Chinese restaurants
in the Czech Republic.
The Chinese dish names strongly reflect their cultural and historical background,
some great publications (Dunlop, 2003; Jiang, 2006; Y u m i n g 2014) also provide such
information w h i c h also helped w i t h b u i l d i n g the analysis part of this thesis.
15INTRODUCTION
Firstly, cognitive linguistics and the theory of translation are outlined. The meta-
phor i n the context of cultural linguistics is described and the theoretical part also i n -
troduces h o m o n y m y and allusion that can be encountered i n the Chinese dish names.
This p a r t i s followed by the chapter on methodology and provides details about the re-
search. For the qualitative research, a multiple-parallel-text method was used.
Secondly, the analysis of particular dish names is presented. The analysis is a i m i n g
to answer the research questions How do the Czech and Chinese dish names in Chinese
restaurants in the Czech Republic compare and what literary expressions can be found
in these dish names? The hypothesis is that Chinese dish names thanks to their tight
connection to the cultural and historical background are difficult to translate w h i c h
results i n many variants of translations and errors on the Czech side.
16THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1 Theoretical Background
This part of the thesis provides an essential theoretical background to the analysis
of Chinese dish names and their Czech counterparts. It is divided into five m a i n chap-
ters w i t h several subchapters.
The first chapter presents a brief introduction to the field of cognitive linguistics
and its approach to the metaphor, the m e t o n y m y is also mentioned. The second chap-
ter outlines the homonymy, the t h i r d chapter describes allusion w h i c h is followed
by a short theoretical f r a m e w o r k to translation accompanied w i t h the specifics
of translating Chinese dish names. The final chapter of the theoretical background de-
scribes the process of the analysis including methodology and research questions that
this thesis aims to answer. A l l the knowledge presented i n the theoretical background
is based on the current findings and published resources.
1.1 Cognitive Linguistics
This approach to language dates back to "the late 1970s w h e n a n u m b e r of linguists
became increasingly dissatisfied w i t h the then-prevailing generative p a r a d i g m w i t h
its focus on an autonomous formal grammar and began to develop alternative ap-
proaches w h i c h emphasize function and meaning and the relationship between lan-
guage and general cognitive processes" (Dabrowska, 2015, pp. 1-2). Cognitive linguis-
tics is "a linguistic discipline that is generally based on the assumption that a person's
ability to acquire and use language is part of his cognitive abilities, and language
and its use must therefore be studied i n the broader context of h u m a n cognitive activ-
ities. It has more variants and schools." (Nebeská et al., 2017). Thus, cognitive linguis-
tics goes far beyond the language sphere and takes into account the other aspects,
such as h u m a n cognition. As Evans (2006, p. 5) adds that the assumption is that "lan-
guage reflects patterns of thought". A n d that is h o w cognitive linguistics differs
f r o m the other approaches to language study.
The Cognitive Linguists claim that language is usage-based and Rojo e t a l . explain
"the two complementary interpretations. On the one hand, it suggests that the struc-
tural properties of language emerge f r o m usage, that is, language is a system shaped
by linguistic usage (...) and, on the other, that every theoretical assumption
has to be based on real and substantial empirical data, and not on ad hoc examples."
(2013, p. 11).
1.1.1 Metaphor
The general definition of the metaphor is the following: it is "a trope, or figurative ex-
pression, i n w h i c h a w o r d or phrase is shifted f r o m its n o r m a l uses to a context where
17THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
it evokes n e w meanings. W h e n the o r d i n a r y meaning of a w o r d is at odds w i t h the con-
text, we tend to seek relevant features of the w o r d and the situation that w i l l reveal
the intended meaning." (Greene, 2012, p. 863).
W h e n speaking of Cognitive Linguistics, it is inevitable to mention metaphor.
The metaphor is the w i d e l y used phenomenon and according to Kovecses (2010)
this p h e n o m e n o n goes deep into the history of h u m a n k i n d , he refers to the ancient
m y t h of Oedipus, w h o solved the Sphinx puzzle w i t h the help of understanding of con-
ceptual metaphor . 1
As Kiseleva puts it, "cognitive researchers over the recent decades have suggested
the idea that there are deep structures of the h u m a n m i n d . The theory of image sche-
mas developed b y Lakoff, and Johnson recognizes metaphor as a tool to understand
deep conceptual spheres that give structural coherence to the h u m a n experience."
(Kiseleva et al., 2017, p. 228). The point of v i e w of cognitive linguistics offers a different
characteristic of the metaphor, it emphasizes, that the metaphor is a cognitive p h e n o m -
enon instead of a linguistic one (Lakoff, Johnson 1980). Lakoff and Johnson i n their
b o o k (1980) also for the first time proposed the "Conceptual Metaphor Theory".
The simple explanation of conceptual metaphor according to Kovecses is that "concep-
tual d o m a i n A is conceptual d o m a i n B" (2010, p. 4).
"The basic premise of Conceptual Metaphor Theory is that metaphor is not s i m p l y
a stylistic feature of the language, but that thought itself is fundamentally metaphorical
in nature. A c c o r d i n g to this view, conceptual structure is organised according to cross-
d o m a i n mappings or correspondences between conceptual domains" (Evans, 2006,
p. 286). These domains Kovecses characterizes as the source domain and the target
domain: "The target d o m a i n is the domain that we t r y to understand through the
use of the source domain. (2010, p. 4)." Kovecses also explains the t e r m mappings that
is tightly connected to the conceptual metaphors: "there is a set of systematic corre-
spondences between the source and the target i n the sense that constituent conceptual
elements of b correspond to constituent elements of a" (2010, p. 7).
Kovesscess (2010) classifies metaphors according to the cognitive functions
that they p e r f o r m :
• Structural metaphors - the function of these metaphors is to "map the struc-
ture of the source d o m a i n onto the structure of the target and in this w a y a l l o w
1
" A s part of the myth, Oedipus arrives in Thebes where he finds that a monster, called the Sphinx, is guarding
the road to the city. She poses riddles to everyone on their way to Thebes and devours them if they are un-
able to solve the riddles. So far, everyone has been devoured when Oedipus arrives. The Sphinx asks
him the riddle: Which is the animal that has four feet in the morning, two at midday, and three in the even-
ing? Without hesitation, Oedipus answers: Man, who in infancy crawls on all fours, who walks upright
in maturity, and in his old age supports himself with a stick. The Sphinx is defeated and kills herself.
Oedipus thus becomes the king of Thebes. How was Oedipus able to solve the riddle? At least a part
of this must have been his knowledge of conceptual metaphor." (Kovecses, 2010, p. 11).
18THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
speakers to understand one d o m a i n i n terms of another" (Kovecses, 2010, p. 46),
this k i n d of metaphor is most c o m m o n l y seen.
• Ontological metaphors - these metaphors "have p r i m a r i l y an evaluative func-
tion. They make large groups of metaphors coherent w i t h each other." (Ko-
vecses, 2010, p. 46).
• Orientational metaphors - "provide extremely fundamental but v e r y crude
understanding for target concepts. These fundamental but crude understand-
ings often serve as the bases of structural metaphors." (Kovecses, 2010, p. 46).
W h e n the metaphor is translated, there are several ways h o w to do so.
Rojo et al. (2013) dedicated a whole book to the topic of translating metaphors.
"In the area of Translation Studies, the following possibilities are usually m e n -
tioned: (i) if a metaphor is c o m m o n to both the Source and the Target languages,
it should be kept - if necessary, w i t h the corresponding linguistic change, as i n English
T I M E IS M O N E Y corresponding to Spanish EL T I E M P O ES ORO ('time is gold'),
(ii) If there is no equivalent metaphor translators can (a) choose a different but rela-
tively s i m i l a r one i n the T(arget) L(anguage), or (b) use a non-metaphoric expression,
but also (c) adapt the S(ource) L metaphor, i.e. keep the metaphorical f o r m whenever
it can be easily understood b y the reader." (Rojo et al., 2013, p. 315).
1.1.2 Metonymy
M e t o n y m y is according to Crystal"(...) referring to a figure of speech i n w h i c h the name
of an attribute of an entity is used i n place of the entity itself." (2008, p. 303). Greene
(2012, p. 876) states, that the m e t o n y m y is identified w h e n "one expression is substi-
tuted for another on the basis of some material, causal, or conceptual relation."
A n d adds the typical kinds of metonymy:
• container for the thing contained ("I'll have a glass")
• agent for act, product, or object possessed ("reading Words-
worth")
• cause for effect
• time or place for their characteristics or products ("a bloody
decade," "I'll have Burgundy")
• associated object for its possessor or user ("the crown "for the
king)
"For conceptual metaphor theorists, m e t o n y m i c a l connections between physical real-
ity and ideas support the thesis that language emerged f r o m b o d i l y experience. Physi-
cal w a r m t h , a red face, and high b l o o d pressure generate metonymies related to anger;
hand, heart, and head signify action, feeling, and thought. In cognitive linguistics,
19THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
one finds simple verbal patterns explained as intricate configurations of metonymy."
(Greene, 2012, p. 876).
1.2 Homophony
Crystal defines it as "a term used i n semantic analysis to refer to w o r d s w h i c h have
the same pronunciation but differ i n meaning." (2008, p. 231). Since Chinese is a tonal
language, there can be more possibilities of h o w to identify homophones - w i t h
or w i t h o u t the tones taken into consideration. (Huff, 2017).
In Chinese, h o m o p h o n y is quite w i d e l y used, an illustrative exemplar of these
is Chinese puns. To give an example: shengcai ^felfc "lettuce" and shengcai §iM "get
rich". The transcription (when the tones are omitted) is the same, but the characters
differ. A c c o r d i n g to this homophony, there is a tradition of incorporating lettuce into
the food eaten on the first day of Chinese N e w Year, because it is believed that this
can make one r i c h i n the f o l l o w i n g year. A n d there are loads of others i n Chinese.
The objective i n the homophones is to give the phrase an additional, more poetic mean-
ing, like i n the example shengcai - w h i c h leads to an implication that eating lettuce
on the first day of Chinese N e w Year w i l l help one to get rich.
1.3 Allusion
Based on several definitions, allusion is "an indirect reference to the political, histori-
cal, literary, etc. context, incorporated into the construction of a literary w o r k " (Vlasin,
1984, p. 18). A p a r t f r o m several types of allusions to the literary w o r k s and historical
events, Greene (2012) also emphasizes the common usage of a religious allusion across
cultures.
A c c o r d i n g to Greene, allusion "(...) is a brief, indirect, and deliberate reference -
in a poem or other m e d i u m - to a person, place, event (fictitious or actual), or other
w o r k of art, allusion may be used b y its author to enhance a w o r k ' s semantic and cul-
tural density, topicality or timelessness. Despite its etymology, allusion need
not to be playful b u t does require that the audience recognize the b o r r o w e d refer-
ence." (Greene, 2012, p. 42). Thus, allusion can have many forms and only an educated
reader can recognize it i n the text. The interpretation of allusions also differs i n time,
w h a t a century ago was obvious to the majority of readers might n o t be obvious
to the reader today.
20THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1.4 Translation
The translation is "rendering the meaning of a text into another language i n the w a y
the author intended the text" (Newmark, 1988, p. 5). The w o r k of a translator
is not only to transfer the SL (Source Language) w o r d s into the TL (Target Language)
but also to understand the text w i t h i n its context and cultural background. The trans-
lator must adopt a different p o i n t of v i e w than the o r d i n a r y reader to "select a suitable
translation method and identify particular and recurrent problems" (Newmark, 1988,
p. 11). A translation must be done i n accordance w i t h the quality of the SL text. A n o t h e r
i m p o r t a n t thing is to k n o w the audience of the text and the style i n w h i c h the SL text
was w r i t t e n . N e w m a r k (1988) points out the importance of the attitude of certain ex-
pressions, i n one language such expression could be taken as a neutral, whereas in an-
other language this expression may be understood differently, N e w m a r k gives an ex-
ample of "regime 'government' that is neutral in Freeh but negative i n English" (1988,
p. 15).
Knittlova (2010) mentions that nowadays the linguistic approach to the literature
prevails the literary aesthetical. She claims that the m a i n role of a translator is to over-
come intercultural barriers. Thus, for a p r o p e r translator, it is crucial to be familiar
w i t h the cultural backgrounds of both languages, only this w a y it is more likely to avoid
misunderstandings.
1.4.1 Translation of Dish Names
The restaurant menus, more precisely, the dish names that occur i n the menus repre-
sent a v e r y specific type of text. In that case, particular attention must be paid
to the historical background and cultural differences that are often projected
in the dish names. Y u m i n g i n their article points out some most significant differences
2
between Chinese and Western cuisine. "The Western-style food attaches stress on n u -
trition, and the cooking methods are relatively simple and straightforward; the general
cooking methods are steaming, boiling, frying, baking, and simmering. Chinese food,
however, emphasizes the full play of the five elements: colour, aroma, taste, shape, and
impression. Chinese cooking is quite complicated w i t h at least fifty ways of cooking
food; some of the fundamental methods include boiling, simmering, stewing, b r a i s i n g
frying, baking, steaming, smoking, and scalding. Some processes are rather painstak-
ing; for example, f r y i n g may be further divided into pan-frying, stir-frying, quick-fry-
ing, f r y i n g plus s i m m e r i n g , twice stir-frying, d r y deep-frying, soft deep-frying and crisp
deep-frying." (Yuming, 2014, p. 181). Therefore, translating such specific vocabulary
is a delicate job.
2
Interested readers are referred to the article (Yuming, 2014) which is focusing on the translation of Chinese
dish names into English.
21THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1.5 Research Questions and Methodology
In order to find out h o w the t w o languages (Czech and Chinese) differ w h e n they de-
scribe Chinese dishes, I present the following t w o research questions:
1. How do the Czech and Chinese dish names in Chinese restaurants in the
Czech Republic compare?
2. What literary expressions are used in these names?
The data for the qualitative research was collected i n the Chinese restaurants located
in the Czech Republic, in the t w o largest cities - Prague and Brno. This selection en-
sured a comprehensive variety of dish names and p r o v i d e d a quite sufficient amount
of data. In the capital, the frequency of Chinese restaurants is remarkably high. A c c o r d -
ing to m y observation, there were more than twenty of them only i n the central dis-
tricts of Prague. To n a r r o w the scope, the selection of data i n Chinese restaurants took
place m a i n l y i n the city centre. Although there are several Chinese restaurants
in smaller cities of the Czech Republic as w e l l , the n u m b e r of them is notably smaller,
but the intention was to map the situation i n the t w o largest cities.
The collection of data took place under quite special circumstances, during
the pandemic of COVID-19 i n the last months of 2020. The restaurants were influenced
by the pandemic restrictions and the ones that could not afford to adjust their opera-
tion to the current situation had to close. This represented a slight obstacle to the re-
search, however, most of the restaurants kept at least their s h o p p i n g w i n d o w s open,
so the data collection was possible there.
The m a i n criterion for selecting specific restaurants was the presence of Czech
and Chinese language i n their m e n u and not all the restaurants met this condition. Data
collection was done i n person, a majority of such restaurants do not provide their m e n u
for v i e w i n g on the internet. Ten restaurants were selected for the final selection of can-
didates, three of w h i c h came f r o m Brno and seven f r o m the capital city of Prague. The
data was taken i n the f o r m of photographs and further d i g i t i z e d for a better organiza-
3
tion. For the purposes of the research, only the names of dishes were used f r o m the
menus. Other items f r o m the m e n u (such as beverages, etc.) were not taken into ac-
count. D u r i n g the digitization, emphasis was placed on the careful recording of all data,
including spelling or grammatical errors. Here is the list of Chinese restaurants that
were i n c l u d e d in the research:
3
Digitized transcripts of data used from the menus can be viewed in the Appendix at the end of this work.
22THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Tab. 1: List of Menus and Restaurant Addresses
Menu Number Restaurant Address
Ml Čínská restaurace Baodao, Štěpánská 5 3 5 , 1 2 0 00 Nové Město
M2 H o n g Shun, Václavské nám. 8 2 4 , 1 1 0 00 Nové Město
M3 Zlatý jeřáb, Újezd 5 9 8 , 1 5 0 00 Malá Strana
M4 Jin Cheng, Václavské nám. 8 1 9 , 1 1 0 00 Nové Město
M5 Sluneční záře, Korunní 7 2 8 / 9 , 1 2 0 00 V i n o h r a d y
K u n g F u Pure Chinese Pasta, Rumunská 6 9 8 / 1 7 , 1 2 0 00
M6
Vinohrady
Čínská restaurace X i n Tian Hao, Vodičkova 7 9 2 , 1 1 0 00 Nové
M7
Město
M8 Golden Sun, Veselá 1 9 9 / 5 , 602 00 Brno-střed
M9 T a i w a n Bento - R u n n i n g Sushi, Josefská 25, 602 00 Brno-střed
MIO Zlatá miska, Marešova 305, 602 00 Brno-střed-Veveří
The difference between the Czech and Chinese names for the same dish played a major
role i n selecting the data for analysis. W h a t is meant by the difference? It was an incon
sistency i n the meaning of Czech and the Chinese counterpart, a r e o c c u r r i n g p h e n o m
enon or a dish name that contained some literary expressions. Some of the listed
menus apart f r o m English and Czech also contain English or German translations.
These were not taken into account. Since the analysis was using t w o languages that
differ f r o m the original text of this work, the examples of the expressions listed
in the practical part of this thesis were p r o v i d e d w i t h their English translation. I have
decided to not rely on the English versions of the dish names that were sometimes also
p r o v i d e d in the menus (because they sometimes offered even more misleading trans
lation) and I have done the English translations myself. The examples were organized
and grouped according to their similar features into chapters and subchapters. W h e n
the circumstances require it, some dish names are analysed i n more detail both i n Chi
nese and Czech. Each chapter is s u m m a r i s e d at the end.
The dish names were accompanied b y their stories of origin. These stories helped
w i t h the understanding of the particular choice of w o r d s i n the dish name and assisted
w i t h pointing out the possible oblivion of authors of Czech translations towards
the historical background of Chinese dishes. W h e n the Czech translation was in several
variants, the stories or detailed analysis of the Chinese name helped w i t h understand
ing each variant. In some cases, there is more than one theory of the origin of one dish
name.
A fitting method for data processing in this w a y was the multiple-parallel-text ap
proach, w h i c h is described i n the following subchapter. I also used several sources
23THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
for the analysis. Firstly, to supplement m y translations of Chinese I also used The Con-
temporary Chinese Dictionary (2002) and online dictionary M D B G . A n o t h e r v e r y useful
source of information were also publications (Dunlop, 2003; Jiang, 2006; Yuming,
2014), w h i c h deal w i t h the history of Chinese dishes and i n many ways helped to clarify
the origin of some of the intricate names of dishes. These dish names were also loosely
discussed w i t h a Chinese native speaker, but rather informatively, than w i t h any bigger
impact.
1.5.1 Multiple-Parallel-Text Approach
Multiple-parallel-text approach (MultiParT) played an i m p o r t a n t role i n the analysis
of collected data. In the present chapter, this methodology is described in more detail.
The essence of this method lies i n the comparison of t w o completely identical texts.
"The benefit of such methodology lies i n its parallel alignment of various verbali-
zations of the same usage event: If we take a translator as a sensible text producer w i t h
a good intention of communicating the same message to his or her reader as does
the source text, he or she is b o u n d to deliver the content i n the target language i n a w a y
that is as close to the source text as he or she can make it, t r y i n g to keep the cognitive
and stylistic effects at all levels. Therefore, we [authors] believe the use of parallel texts
constitutes an optimal methodological approach to contrastive linguistic and literature
research." (Lu etal., 2018). The subject of this thesis were dish names that often repeat
across the menus and this characteristic made the construction of parallel texts possi-
ble. The multiple-parallel-text approach helped w i t h detecting the similarities and dif-
ferences both w i t h i n one language and across the two languages.
24DATA ANALYSIS
2 Data Analysis
The collected data s h o w that the restaurant owners are m a k i n g their menus as simple
as possible. For the most part, dish names are not complicated, the pattern INGREDI-
ENT 1 + INGREDIENT 2 can be seen i n both languages in quite a s i m i l a r way. Restau-
rant owners sometimes complement the dish names both w i t h photos and additional
descriptions to make it easier to understand the particularly difficult dish names.
Not all the dish names are easy and comprehensible. Sometimes, even literal
translation could not provide sufficient data for understanding the particular dish
name. The current chapter is focusing on these examples. These instances reoccurred
in the menus and were not consistent or were differently translated.
The first part is focusing on some numbers that can be found i n Chinese dish
names and Chinese p r o v e d to be an abundant resource of such examples.
2.1 Numbers
In this section, I am focusing on Chinese dish names that are characterized b y a n u m b e r
included i n them. The most c o m m o n numbers that can be encountered are: 3, 5, 8,
these numbers characterize the ingredients that were used i n the dish name and reoc-
curred i n the Czech and Chinese variants of the dish name. There are also some special
cases, that both differ f r o m the rest of the ones i n this category, numbers 2 and 4.
The n u m b e r two, even though it also characterizes the ingredients that were used
in the dish name, but it is done differently i n Czech and Chinese. N u m b e r four is the
only example that does not describe the n u m b e r of ingredients but is a part of a name.
There was also an example of n u m b e r 10 i n the m e n u that occurred only i n the Czech
version of the dish name. In the table b e l o w there are examples of such dish names
w i t h their Czech counterparts that v a r y across menus:
26DATA ANALYSIS
Tab. 2: Dish Names Containing Numbers - Overview
Chinese Dish Name
Occurrence Czech Dish Name
(or its part]
tři druhy masa "three kinds
M l , M7, M8
of meat"
(maso) tří chutí "{meat) of
sanxian H
H tt ¥¥ "three
"three fresh
fresh M2, M 3 , M 5 , M 7 , M 8
three flavours"
ingredients"
ingredients"
tři pochoutky "three
M8, M 9 , M 1 0
delicacies"
M10 masový mix "meat m i x "
pět vůní "five
M4, M 8 , M 9 , M 1 0
wiixiang j E l f "five spices" smells / frag rances"
M7, M 1 0 pět chutí "five tastes"
M l , M2, M3, M4, M5, osm pokladů "eig ht
babao A S "eig ht M7, M 8 treasures"
treasures" osm pochoutek "eig ht
M10
delicacies"
shuang dong M^r M l , M2, M3, M4, M5, bambus a houby "bamboo
"double/two winters" M7, M 8 , M 9 , M 1 0 and m u s h r o o m s "
siji dou B^SL "four
smažené zelené fazole
seasons' b e a n s " o r "g reen M l , M2, M4, M5, M7
"fried g reen beans"
beans"
M3,M5 rybí s měs "fish m i x t u r e "
ryba s e zeleninou "fish w i t h
shijinyu f M ^ f i . "assorted M8
vegetables"
fish"
rybí plátky des eti barev
M9
"fish slices of ten colours"
A m o n g the examples of 3, 5, and 8 there is not any case that the n u m b e r i n Czech w o u l d
be different than i n Chinese, but the last two examples s h o w the inconsistency i n Czech
translations. Shuang dong "two w i n t e r s " and siji dou "four-seasons beans"
both have numbers i n the Chinese dish name, but this is not reflected i n their Czech
counterparts. A n d vice versa, the already mentioned n u m b e r ten, or at least, not d i -
rectly, w h i c h w o u l d be explained i n the c o r r e s p o n d i n g chapter.
27DATA ANALYSIS
2.1.1 Number Three
Sanxian H t ¥ sometimes can be found in the m e n u as "three flavours", occasionally
4
it is translated as "three kinds of meat". I demonstrate this on the example tieban
sanxian f j c l x H t ^ "three fresh ingredients on an i r o n plate".
Tab. 3: An Example of sanxian
Chinese Dish Name Occurrence Czech Dish Name
tři druhy masa na železné plotýnce
tieban sanxian l ^ f e H t ^ M l , M7
"three kinds of meat on an i r o n plate"
"three fresh ingredients
maso tří chutí na železné plotýnce "meat
on an i r o n plate " M5
of three flavours on an i r o n plate"
There is traditionally not a habit of c o m b i n i n g three ingredients i n the Czech cuisine , 5
so i n the Czech environment, it is w o r t h analysing it. Sanxian H t ¥ is a combination
of sán H "three" and xián "fresh, tasty, delicious". A c c o r d i n g to the data f r o m menus,
Czech translations do not ag ree on one specific title, there are many alternatives. In
three of the four cases (see Tab. 2), the n u m b e r three is also reflected i n the Czech
name, the r e m a i n i n g example only explains that it is a "meat mix". There is also a con-
siderable emphasis on meat, three of the four cases have it i n their dish name. The data
reflects that the three ing redients described i n Chinese are more concretely described
in alternative Czech dish names than the simple translation "three fresh ing redients"
w o u l d be. The possible objective of such chang e is to make this dish's name easier to
understand to a reader that is not v e r y familiar w i t h the cultural background of this
dish.
2.1.2 Number Five
N u m b e r five can be found in some dish names as wuxiang j E l f "five spices". As seen
in Tab. 2, Czech differentiates between smell and taste. The first translation pět vůní
"five smells/frag rances" points out the aroma of these so-called five spices, whereas
the other translation pět chutí "five tastes" emphasizes the perception of wuxiang
4
The two characters s anxian H l f also appear in the dish name di s anxian ± tkH.f¥ (which did not occur
in the menus that were included in this research but can be commonly encountered in the Chinese restau
rants) that describes a specific dish that contains potato, eggplant, and green pepper. Even though the name
is only slightly different, these are two completely different dishes.
5
Even though the Czech dish names do not emphasize threeingredient dish names, an exception can be men
tioned. There is a traditional Czech dish that has a threeingredient name vepfo, knedlo, zelo "roast pork,
dumplings and sauerkraut", it is served as a main course and never occurs in other variations (which can
be seen in the example tieban s anxian).
28DATA ANALYSIS
p r o v i d e d by one's taste buds. This example shows h o w connected these t w o senses
are w h e n some food is approached. However, the explanations of the five flavours dif
fer across cultures.
As Hóllmann (2014, p. 33) mentions, "five basic flavours have been distinguished
in China since ancient times: sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty. This classification
is based on the five phases f r o m w h i c h countless other five-element systems are de
rived, including an associated n u m b e r of smells, organs, and emotions. In fact, the v a
riety of aromas was m u c h greater, and the approach to spices was correspondingly
subtle." On the other hand, Czech usually refers to five f l a v o u r s , four of t h e m - sour,
6
bitter, sweet, salty - are identical i n both cultures, but Czech authors instead of pungent
mention u m a m i (Kachlík, 2018). A c c o r d i n g to these facts, Chinese cuisine prefers
a spicier flavour as the fifth basic one, whereas Czech taste buds are milder, recogniz
ing the fifth flavour as u m a m i . If a Czech reader approaches the wůxiáng, they antici
pate the flavours that they are familiar w i t h and may get s u r p r i s e d that its flavour
is sharper than expected.
2.1.3 Number Eight
W h e n reading through various menus, the number eight appears here quite numer
ously i n the combination babao A S "eight treasures". The translations of this w o r d
7
differ, once referring to osm pokladu "eight treasures", the second time to osm pochou-
tek "eight delicacies". B u t these translations are quite vague about the content
of the specific dish. A c c o r d i n g to L i u "(...) the eight treasures originally referred
8
to the eight royal stamps used b y the Chinese emperor. Lost d u r i n g the chaotic South
ern Song p e r i o d ( 1 1 2 7 - 1 2 7 9 A D ) , these stamps were then duplicated. In the hope
of regaining lost territories, a grand feast w i t h the name eight treasures banquet
was held. Eight treasures are then gradually used as a generic t e r m to refer to eight
kinds of rare or precious ingredients i n the d i n i n g context (...)" ( L i u In: L a m et al. 2018,
p. 255).
This dish name i n Czech even though does not add any specifics of the origin
of the dish, i t is clear f r o m both Czech variants of this dish name osm pokladu "eight
treasures", and osm pochoutek "eight delicacies" that they contain something of a high
value. The selection of the ingredients is according to the cook's liking.
6
These flavours are: kyselá, hořká, sladká, slaná, umami "sour, bitter, sweet, salty, umami".
7
A plant Hylotelephium erythrostictum is also called bábáo A S in Chinese, but that is not relevant
for the current dish name analysis.
8
See the article written by Lam et al. (2018, pp. 247-259) for more similar dish names that were not included
in this thesis because they did not occur in the menus that were selected for this analysis.
29DATA ANALYSIS
The m e t o n y m y i n the dish that contains some exceptional delicacies correlates
w i t h the assumption that T R E A S U R E IS SOMETHING OF A HIGH V A L U E . This
can be seen both i n Chinese and Czech.
2.1.4 A Special C a s e of Number Two
There is one example that frequently occurred i n many variations i n almost all ana-
lysed menus. W h e n the characters are translated one b y one, there w o u l d be: shuang
M "both, two, pair, double" and dong # "winter".
bambus a houb-y
shuäng döng
double, two winter bamboo and mushroom-PL
F o l l o w i n g this pattern, this dish name shuang dong w o u l d be literally translated
as "two w i n t e r s " or "double winters". But w h e n these characters are i n a dish name,
the Czech translation never follows this m o d e l of a literal translation. Kufe s bambusem
a houbami "chicken w i t h bamboo and m u s h r o o m s " (in Chinese shuang dong jiM^-M
"two winters chicken") is one such example.
The reason w h y such difference appeared i n the translation can be clarified
by l o o k i n g closer at the ingredients of this dish. Czech translation indicates that there
are mushrooms and bamboo. The short v e r s i o n shuang dong comes f r o m a combina-
tion of donggu S that names a certain type of shiitake m u s h r o o m that is cultivated
in w i n t e r (MDBG) a n d dongsiin |§f w h i c h signifies "bamboo w i n t e r shoots". A s the
characters show, the character dong occurs i n both Chinese names of ingredients.
N o w it is clearer to understand the name shuang dong. Chinese provides more expres-
sions for n u m b e r t w o like er ~ and hang M , they both have their specific usage a n d
are not often interchangeable, but s i m p l y said, er ~ express the amount, or most com-
m o n l y represent the digit "2" i n numbers (which Hang M i n some cases does, too).
W h e n Hang M is used i n describing the number, h o w many of something is somewhere,
it is used just as a n u m b e r t w o - "two people", "two bowls of rice", Hang M could also
mean "both". On the contrary, w h e n shuang M is used to describe the number of things,
these objects ordinarily w o r k as a pair - "a pair of shoes", "two parties that have agreed
on something". The usage of shuang M is most commonly i n b o o k i s h expressions
and describes things that complement each other (and cannot be w i t h o u t each other)
w h i c h is w h a t these ingredients do i n this dish. Even though the Czech translation does
not include this elaborate play of w o r d s , however, it still accurately describes the con-
tent of this dish.
30DATA ANALYSIS
2.1.5 Four S e a s o n s Beans
mm a smažen-é zelen-é fazole
šiji dóu
four seasons bean fried-ADJ-F green-ADJ-F bean-PL
green beans
This is a special case that fits a m o n g the others simply due to its usage of a n u m b e r
in the dish name. It is the case of šiji dóu mmsL, w h i c h is translated w o r d - f o r - w o r d
as "four seasons' beans".
It contains n u m b e r four [si 0 ) , however, the Czech counterpart does not translate
this dish name that way. Its equivalent i n Czech is Smažené zelené fazole "fried green
beans". In the Chinese version, the name describes four seasons w h e n this plant grows
is mentioned and this name is c o m m o n l y used to call such vegetable. Czech does
not have such a descriptive name for this k i n d of beans, that is w h y the dish name
in Czech differs. 9
2.1.6 Ten Colours
In one of the selected menus, there occurred a n u m b e r ten only i n the Czech variant
of one dish name. There were three variants i n Czech of this dish name as it is noted
in the Tab. 2. The more detailed analysis follows:
ff- rybí plát-ky deset-i bar-ev
shi jin yú
assorted, brocade, fish fish-ADJ slice-PL ten-GEN colour-GEN-
varied; ten embroidered PL
(used i n
checks,
fractions)
food made f r o m assorted
ingredients
9
The similar example can be seen in the name sichuan "Sichuan". This name of the city can be found
in some dish names as well, for example in sichuan niii 0JII4 "Sichuan beef. Even though the Chinese
1
version contains number four (si 0 ) , the Czech version does not consider the number in the name, because
it is taken as a whole and is regularly translated according to the pinyin sound as Secudn or Sichuan.
31DATA ANALYSIS
W h e n t r y i n g to find out w h y the author of the m e n u used the n u m b e r ten for the Czech
variant, the analysis above comes useful. As the translation shows, shijin indicates
a "wide variety", jin f^j by its o w n even can be translated as "brocade" w h i c h presents
multicoloured reflections. A n d here is the s i m i l a r i t y w i t h a visual appearance
of the dish, since there is a b i g variety of ingredients, it is full of colours. There
is not m u c h of a s y m b o l i n n u m b e r ten i n Czech, but the digits 1 and 0 are usually used
to express numerous things i n the particular scope, s i m i l a r l y w i t h English tens, hun-
dreds, thousands, etc. The function of these numbers is to indicate something
that is quite plentiful and varied, w h i c h is also w h a t the Chinese dish name suggests.
Moreover, there is another meaning of shiif, it can also be used i n the context that de-
scribes fractions or multiples. The h o m o p h o n y of shi ft" and shi + "ten" also cannot
be overseen. A l l these facts considered, the Czech translation, i n this case, is a deliber-
ately chosen one.
Czech i n this example is more direct and describes the variety of this dish
as "ten colours", whereas Chinese sees this variety more metaphorically as "assorted
brocade", the B R O C A D E here is described as the COLORFUL INGREDIENTS. The other
two Czech variants rybísmés "fish mixture" and ryba se zeleninou "fish w i t h vegetables"
are less poetic, they s i m p l y describe the content of the dish.
2.1.7 Summary
In this chapter, I have focused on numbers i n the dish names and found out that n u m -
bers are quite often used i n Chinese dish names, but they are not always reproduced
in Czech. A n d w h e n they are reproduced, they could cause misunderstandings. Because
w h e n a n u m b e r is mentioned in a certain dish, the Chinese audience w o u l d imagine
the concrete ingredients b e h i n d that number, but a Czech reader lacking the Chinese
cultural background might imagine a completely different set of ingredients that are
h i d i n g b e h i n d the n u m b e r i n the dish name. Then, there was an example of two ingre-
dients that instead of using numbers, the Czech v e r s i o n accepted the f o r m that listed
the i n d i v i d u a l ingredients, such as i n shuäng dang ji. The penultimate example listed i n
this chapter, šiji dôu, was a special case because the n u m b e r mentioned i n this dish
name was a part of the name of vegetable i n Chinese. The last example included a n u m -
ber ten. The n u m b e r represents the b i g variety of food (that has various colours) i n the
dish.
32DATA ANALYSIS
2.2 Homphony
Since Chinese is a tonal language and one expression w i t h a different tone often de
scribes a different w o r d , the swap of h o m o p h o n i c characters is quite common.
This chapter presents such examples.
Tab. 4: Homophony in Chinese Dish Names - Overview
Chinese Dish Name Occurrence Czech Dish Name
(or its part)
putirdu^kfil "Bodhi pu ti rou (pinyin tran
M4
meat" scription)
vepřové ve sladkokyselé
gu lao rou R ^ ^ l ^ ] "gulao
M2, M3, M 4 omáčce " p o r k i n sweet
meat"
and sour sauce"
(omáčka) ša-čcha "ša-čcha
M l , M4, M7, M8 (Czech t r a n s c r i p t i o n of
pinyin) (sauce)"
shachd tJ>j§z "sha-cha ša-ča (variation of Czech
M4
sauce" or "dust/tea sauce" transcription of pinyin)
M5 čajové lístky "tea leaves"
sha-cha (pinyin transcrip
MIO
tion)
2.2.1 Pu Ti Rou
A t a first sight, this is another example of a B u d d h i s t dish name. It also seems like res
taurant owners i n the Czech Republic had some difficulties translating it, because
the Czech v e r s i o n of pútí róu # ÍJI I^J is just its p i n y i n t r a n s c r i p t i o n " P u T i R o u "
w h i c h has no meaning i n the eyes of a Czech reader, even the one, that is a little familiar
w i t h Chinese. In this case, i t was quite difficult to find a resource that w o u l d suggest
that this dish exists i n the Chinese context. Therefore, to obtain more comprehensible
results, I have separated this dish name into two parts:
Pu T i R o u
pútí röu
Bodhi; enlightenment meat in Czech there is only a p i n y i n transcription
A c c o r d i n g to these results, the content of the dish should be i n compliance
w i t h the B u d d h i s t diet but quite certainly w o u l d also contain meat. That is an interest
ing combination because the t r a d i t i o n a l B u d d h i s t diet is vegetarian. This w o u l d
33DATA ANALYSIS
indicate that the dish only looks like meat or contains a meat substitute. A n o t h e r ex-
planation could be that by eating this meat, one can reach enlightenment. But Chinese
is k n o w n for exchanging characters that sound the same, and it is a very c o m m o n prac-
tice i n Chinese, however, not c o m m o n at all i n Czech. F o l l o w i n g this theory, the original
name of this dish w o u l d have different characters that w o u l d provide a more concrete
meaning.
m m fa
pu ti rdu
to spread, to display trotter 10
meat
The comparison of puti^f^ and pu tz'MlSff shows that the puti part (when tones are
omitted) sounds the same. The translation of both versions indicates that the author of
the m e n u chose a more poetic expression to describe this dish. However, d i d not m a n -
age to translate it also in Czech. This might be intentional because Czech cuisine does
not have any tradition i n eating pig's trotters, so a customer could be afraid to order
such a dish if they k n e w directly w h a t it contains.
2.2.2 Sweet and Sour Pork/Chicken/Fish
There is a story behind the dish name gu lao rdu R ^ ^ l ^ l "gulao meat", w h i c h also oc-
curred i n menus as gu lao ji tfj^%% "gulao chicken", gu lao yu n ^ ^ H . "gulao fish".
The detailed analysis of each character is the following:
fa vepř-ov-é ve sladko-kysel-é omáč-ce
gu láo rdu
(onomatopoeia) bird's old meat pork-ADJ- in sweet-sour- sauce-LOC
sound, the sound of an N ADJ-F
empty stomach -
abbreviated f r o m gulu
n£n&"to rumble (of a
stomach)"
However, the Czech translation is consistently describing gú láo as an adjective slad
kokyselý "sweet and sour". The p a r t o u láo in this dish name is another case of h o m o p h -
ony i n Chinese. Here are another t w o alternative names for this dish that w o u l d help
to clarify the meaning of the one that occurred in analysed menus:
abbreviated from zhutí "pig's trotters"
34DATA ANALYSIS
gulu róu
to rumble (of a stomach) meat
SI
gtí/áo róu
ancient, old meat
These t w o versions can both have a background story. In both cases, rdu 1^1 means
"meat".
In the first v e r s i o n [gulu rdu n|f 1^1) China Today offers two explanations
of the gulu part: "It is said that as the delicious cuisine has an appetizing smell that
makes one's m o u t h water, then s w a l l o w w i t h a sound like "gulu gulu." A n o t h e r expla
nation is that as the dish is so chewy that people often make the sound "gulu gulu"
w h e n they eat it." (2011, p. 72). A c c o r d i n g to the literal translation, this dish name
can also describe a dish that is that delicious that it makes one's stomach rumble, there
is also a legend about a Qing d i p l o m a t and politician " L i Hongzhang w h o hosted some
foreign reporters and they got served this dish. They asked h i m h o w that dish
was called. W h e n he was about to answer that question, his throat r u m b l e d "gulu"
and they thought this dish name was "gulu r o u " ^ (Legacy Times, 2019).
The second v e r s i o n of this dish name, giilao rdu 1^1, is h o m o p h o n y of the first
version of this dish name because the pronunciations gulu and giilao are quite alike.
The giilao part also emphasizes that this dish name is k n o w n f r o m ancient times.
A c c o r d i n g to the data f r o m menus, Czech translates the gu lao part similarly
as i n tidnsuan St W. "sweet and sour". Like in the examples that were also taken
f r o m the analysed menus:
Tab. 5: Sweet and Sour in Dish Names
Chinese Dish
Occurrence Czech Dish Name
Name
tidnsuan ji^&W.
M l , M2, M3, M4, M5, M7, kuře ve sladkokyselé omáčce
"sweet and
M8, M9, M10 "chicken i n sweet and sour sauce"
sour chicken"
tidnsuan yu StB$
M l , M2, M3, M5, M7, M8, ryba ve sladkokyselé omáčce "fish
M. "sweet and
M9 in sweet and sour sauce"
sour fish"
35DATA ANALYSIS
This data i m p l y that Chinese dish names more notably preserve the origin of the dish
name than its Czech counterpart. In this case, Czech just describes the strongest fla
vours of the dish and does not differentiate between the possibly different historical
backgrounds.
2.2.3 A Tea Sauce without Tea
A sauce shachd tJ>j§z got its name after "satay sauce" that comes f r o m Indonesia
and i n China was originally called "sha did tJ>^", b u t later changed to shachd tJ>j§s
( Z e n g 2015, p. 95). For a detailed description of the dish, I have chosen the only variant
(the whole dish name) that was n o t containing the simple p i n y i n t r a n s c r i p t i o n
of shachd:
maso tř-í chut-í na čaj-ových líst-cích
sha chd saw xian
granule; tea three fresh meat three- flavour- on tea-ADJ- leave-
sand; ingredients/ GEN GEN LOC LOC-PL
powder three kinds
of meat
As the detailed analysis shows, there is a Chinese character for "tea" i n the name
for shachd sauce. But as was mentioned above, the transition f r o m the original "satay"
was homophonic, because there is no tea among the i n g r e d i e n t s i n the original rec
12
ipe. Therefore, the meaning of single Chinese characters, i n this case, cannot be trans
lated literally.
Czech variants are mostly just a phonetic transcription of "shacha" - there
is a Czech phonetic transcription of Chinese i n the example ša-čcha, its modified v a r i -
a n t š a - č a and i n the example f r o m M 1 0 , there is a p i n y i n transcription sha-cha. A c c o r d
ing to these examples, Czech is following the same pattern as Chinese (homophonic
transcription f r o m the source language). However, there w a s one exception i n M 5
that described a particular dish shachd sanxian ^ i ^ H t ^ "three fresh ingredients
w i t h shacha sauce" as maso tří chutí na čajových lístcích "meat of three flavours on tea
leaves". W i t h all the mentioned information i n m i n d , the author of the last variant fell
prey to the tendency to translate the dish character b y character into Czech
and thought that this strategy w o u l d give this dish a more interesting name,
w h i c h might have been successful, but gave the dish a completely different meaning.
12
The ingredients used to make the Chinese shachd sauce are: "ground soybeans, garlic, and brill fish" (Tate
et al.,2011,p. 270).
36DATA ANALYSIS
2.2.4 Summary
H o m o p h o n y proved to extract an analytical challenge because the h o m o p h o n i c expres-
sions are not always obvious to a reader. The first example presented i n this chapter,
putirdu, was an attempt to give the dish a more poetic name, w h i c h was not projected
in the Czech counterpart. The second example, gu lao rdu, s h o w n that its name i n Chi-
nese is based on an old story/stories, but the translator d i d not pay attention
to the h o m o p h o n i c expression and just described the dish i n Czech based on its visual
characteristics. The last example mentioned i n this chapter presented a shachd sauce
that occurred i n several dish names that was abbreviated f r o m another language
and have gotten Czech authors of the m e n u into some difficulties i n correctly translat-
ing it. It is i m p o r t a n t to add that the representations of h o m o p h o n i c dish names
are based on the mentioned secondary resources and there might be other resources
that w o u l d not completely agree because there is not always only one solution.
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