notes
1. Wherever a proper name appears in the manuscript, the Chinese translator has used Chinese pictographs bearing a phonetic similarity to the original name. Since most of the pictographs in Chinese have both a phonetic value and a specific meaning, each character's name in this story translates into a phrase or sentence in Chinese. In these notes I will give the Chinese translation of each proper name as it appears in the text. The pictographs forming the name Kē-Gé-Lán (?Coughlin?) would translate as "curriculum-grid-orchid ."
2. The chĕ is a Chinese unit of length corresponding roughly to one-third of a meter.
3. A cŭn is one-tenth of a chĕ (see Note 2), or roughly one-third of a decimeter. It is worth noting that while many Americans and Britons are still resisting the metric system, the Chinese have been using a decimal-based system of measurement for several centuries.
4. The Chinese phonetic approximation of Volkswagen is Fó-Kè-Sī-Wă-Gēn. It would translate as "The Buddha can whinny and shingle the root."
5. Bì-Kè is apparently the Chinese phonetic approximation for Buick. Bì-Kè would translate as "Able to finish."
6. Chá-Lĭ Fú-Lín-Kè (?Chariey Flink?) would translate as "The forest cannot examine the texture."
7. Chŭ-Ji-Wù-Dé would translate as "The five-odd ugly virtues."
8. Kăi-Xī Fú-Lín-Tè (?Casey Flint?) would translate as "Triumphant strains of the West in no particular forest."
9. Ān-Dí Gé-Lă-Mĭ-Sī (?Andy Grames?) would translate as "Pull this rice grid for tranquil enlightenment."
10. Jié-Kè Tài-Yī (?Jack Tie?) would translate as "The ultimate hermaphrodite can be outstanding."
11. Āi-Dé-Suŏ-Ěr would translate as "your large rope's dusty morals."
12. Wēi-Ěr-Màn-Yī-Shĭ would translate as "the impressive strength of your one graceful pig."
13. Kă-Péng-Tè: As mentioned in Note 1 (q.v.), Péng is a common Chinese surname. Kă-Péng-Tè would therefore translate as "Intercept the particular Péng."
14. "Design-shift-testers." When an English-language term has no existing translation into Chinese, the practice is to use however many Chinese words as may be necessary to convey the general sense of the English term. The Chinese pictographs appearing in the text at this point translate as "design-shift-testers." Throughout this text, the appearance of a long string of words all joined together by hyphens indicates a series of Chinese pictographs strung together to describe an object or concept for which there is not yet any word for in Chinese.
15. Kè-li-Níq-Kè-Sī is a Chinese phonetic representation of "Kleenex." The pictographs used here would translate as "This diligent li can have ability." The pictograph li is one of the comparatively rare Chinese characters that has a phonetic value only, with no specific meaning.
16. Mă-Fēi-Dài would translate as "Lead the evil horse."
17. Dì-Lā-Huá, a phonetic approximation of "Delaware," would translate as "Pull the magnificent Earth."
18. É-Sī-Tă-Bà-Lŭ-Kè would translate as "This pagoda-cloth can be stupid, eh?" in which the pictograph having the phonetic value É is an interjection.
19. Huá-Shèng-Dùn: the pictographs used here would translate as "Magnificent flourishing hesitation."
20. "The North-and-South War." I have translated this phrase literally, but it obviously refers to the American Civil War.
21. Pēn-Xī-Fă-Ní-Yà would translate as "spurt-sunset inferior-mud-law."
22. "New Zé-Yŏu" (the Chinese pictograph for "new" plus two characters possessing the phonetic value "Ze-Yŏu") is apparently the Chinese translator's attempt to render the name of some geographic or political district in the U.S. Zé-Yŏu would translate as "October pool."
23. Fèi-lă-Dé-Ĕr-Fĕi-Yă, would translate as "lă morals fees of your humble mute." Lă is a Chinese pictograph having only a phonetic value, with no specific meaning.
24. Niŭ-Yāo-Xī would translate as "Weigh the western button," and to judge by the context it appears to be a phonetic rendering of "New York City." But why would the Chinese translator render the word "new" phonetically in this case and translate it directly into the proper Chinese character for "new" in the passage for " New Zé-Yŏu"? (Cf. Note 22.) There is apparently an inconsistency here on the part of the Chinese translator.
25. Nài-Kè: the Chinese pictographs having the phonetic value Nài-Kè would translate as "can-be-apple."
26. Xiào-Wān-Jiā-Nóng-Kè: Apparently a Chinese phonetic approximation of some American proper name that I am unable to determine. The pictographs used here would translate as "Agriculture can also resemble curvature."
27. Lā-Fā-Jí (?Lafarge?) would translate as "Pull the fortunate emission."
28. Wēi-Ěr-bǎi would translate as "your impressive strength bǎi," in which the pictograph having the phonetic value bǎi possesses no dictionary meaning.
29. É-dī-Sī: apparently a phonetic representation of some English-language name.
30. Wēi-Lǎo would translate as "old impressive strength."
31. Dān-băi-Lī would translate as "scattered red băi," with băi being a pure phonetic. See Note 48.
32. Kāng-Niè-Dí-Kè: the entire phrase would translate as "to dye Di's well-being black scrupulously." Judging from the context, it is apparent that this entire passage (see also Note 47) means "Danbury, Connecticut."
33. Teng m Fèi-Ěr-Cǎi would translate as "boiling water m, your vegetable expenses." The phonetic character m has no dictionary meaning.
34. Má-Lín Gé-Luó-Xiào-Kè would translate as "Horse-forest grid-that-can-resemble-birdsnare."
35. "Widespread-appraisals." Because the advertising profession and its excesses form a consistent theme in Frederik Pohl's SF during the period in which this story was written, the 1950s, I suspect that the Chinese pictographs "widespread-appraisal" are a crude approximation for "advertising" or some similar word or phrase in the original English-language text.
36. Bèi-Dì Fú-Nèi-Sī: Bèi is an uncommon Chinese surname; the entire group of pictographs would translate as "Bei's stamen is not within this."
37. Xiăojiĕ: Chinese title of respect for an unmarried female who is younger than the speaker, roughly equivalent to the English-language "Miss." Xiăojiĕ would translate literally as "little elder-sister."
38. Sī-Kè-Nè-Kè-Tă-Dì: the pictographs employed here would translate as "This pagoda can be able to stop the Earth."
39. "Sky-wire." Literal translation of, presumably, "aerial" or "antenna."
40. Dì-Mĭ Háo-Lán would translate as "rice-stamen good-orchid."
41. Dài-nuó Shāo-Ĕr-Sī: the pictograph nuó is a pure phonetic with no meaning; the other characters would translate as "This trifle of yours is black eyebrow-paint."
42. Jié-Qī Gé-Lì-Sen-Sī: the pictographs used here would translate as "prominent-base this sharp grid is full of trees."
43. "First-stage-program." I don't know what English-language phrase the Chinese writer was attempting to translate here. The pictograph employed here refers to a "stage" in the theatrical sense rather than "stage" in the meaning of a level.
44. "Gé-gé-laugh noises." An onomatopoeic invention. Our English-language word "giggle" would be almost a precise equivalent.
45. "Go-study." Mark research, perhaps?
46. Kǎi-té-Lín would translate as "Triumphant strains of the té forest." The pictograph té is a phonetic with no meaning.
47. "Second-Common-Mix-Nation." Alternate translation: "second people's-republic."
48. Méi-Dí-Xùn would translate as " Dí abdicates from favor," inwhich Dí is a Chinese surname.
49. Yóu-Sī-Dì: apparently a phonetic rendering of an American proper name. The pictographs employed here would translate as "This prominence of the Earth."
50. Lŭ-Mĭ-Lún-Dì: apparently a phonetic rendering of an American proper name. The pictographs would translate as "stupid rice feudal ethics of the Earth."
51. "Want what-did?" This interrogative fragment has no subject and cannot be translated more completely.
52. "Cocoa Wèi-Zĭ: apparently a brand name for a breakfast cereal. The pictographs possessing the phonetic value Wèi-Zĭ would literally translate as "Tie the son together"; Cuī-Zĭ would translate literally as "The son hurries"; Yī-Zĭ would translate literally as "The son is a hermaphrodite"; Ní-Zĭ would translate literally as "The son is a Buddhist nun"; Yī-Ní-Kĕ'-Wèi-Zĭ would translate literally as "The son has approval to tie the Buddhist nun to the hermaphrodite." Whew!
53. "Flavor Hóng-Ní." The phonetic value Hóng-Ní, would translate roughly as "Taste the red Buddhist nun."
54. "Plum Bran Dog." Why would a breakfast food name translate into Chinese as "Plum Bran Dog"? Perhaps the English-language name was "Plum Bran Chow," and the Chinese translator read this as "chow" in the sense of a chow dog rather than in the sense of food. Another possibility: the Chinese pictographs for "Plum Bran Dog" would be pronounced Méi Kāng Gŏu. Perhaps in the original English-language version the cereal was calle "Muck 'n' Goo" or some similarly appetizing name, and the Chinese translator rendered this phonetically as Méi Kāng Gŏu which is Chinese for "Plum Bran Dog."
55. "Son-Named-Two." Based on the context of the subsequent paragraphs, this appears to refer to Charlie Chan's Number Two Son.
56. "Chá-Lĭ Qián" Earl Derr Biggers's Hawaiian detective of Chinese ancestry, Charlie Chan. Biggers, when naming his character, may not have realized that "Chan" is in fact not a Chinese surname at all; Chinese-Americans surnamed Chan have usually undergone an Anglicization somewhere along the line. Qián, a legitimate Chinese surname, is also the word for a type of Chinese copper coin. The nearest English-language equivalent would be the surname "Penny."
57. Gūgu. In Chinese folk etymology, the gūgu would be a slang term for a young unmarried female with whom one is not on intimate terms . . . but would like to be.
58. Huá-lái-Shì would translate as "the magnificent bachelor lái in which the pictograph lái is a phonetic with no dictionary meaning.
59. Kāng-Méi-Ēn would translate as "the well-being of the graceful plum."
60. "Think-enter wrong-wrong." I have translated this phrase as literally as possible because I cannot determine its correct English-language meaning.
61. Dĭ-Tè-Lü would translate literally as "bottom-special-law."
62. Luò-Lĭ-Áng: The Chinese pictograph employed here for the phonetic value Luò is the name of a Chinese river. Luò-Lĭ-Áng would translate as "inside the highwaters of the river Luo."
63. Màn-Hă-Dùn would translate roughly as "the graceful pause of exhalation."
64. From the context, the phrase appearing here seems to refer to the United States Congress. But there seems to be some confusion: the pictographs appearing at this point in the text, guó-huìchū, would translate as "go-Parliament," whereas the orthodox Chinese word for the U.S. Congress is guóhuìmĕi, which would translate as "beautiful Parliament." This arises from the Chinese name for the United States, Mĕiguó, which means "beautiful nation." Perhaps the Chinese, not being as enamored of the United States as they used to be, are phasing out use of the adjective "beautiful" to describe the United States. This would explain the translator's decision to use guó-huìchū rather than the more conventional guóhuìmĕi here.
65. "Charcoal-colored white people." In other words, even though the people themselves are white (i.e., Caucasian), they are covered with some charcoal-colored substance or clad in charcoal-colored material. Charcoal-gray flannel suits, probably.
66. Jĭsuŏdòngwù has two possible translations: "chordate animal" or "notochord-creature," At this point in the Chinese text there appears a footnote symbol, and at the bottom of that page is a footnote in Chinese which I translate as "living thing that has evolve-changed a rudimentary vertebrate body, principally of the marine class."
67. Ná-Pò-Lún. The pictographs employed would translate as "The logical sequence has been held and broken."
68. Mă: a Chinese word denoting a system of measurement or calibration, but it does not indicate what sort of quantity (volume, temperature, distance, time) is being measured. Mă would translate into English as "unit," but it does not denote any specific measurement standard.
69. Lì-Hā-Yī would translate literally as "the sharp exhalation of the hermaphrodite."
70. "Iridium metal-cast vehicles." This appears to mean that the vehicles are iridium-plated rather than made of iridium.
71. Lái-Féi-Cí would translate literally as "the expense of thatching Lái in which the pictograph Lái is a phonetic with no meaning.
72. "A have-use-driver." This appears to mean an auxiliary or backup driver.
73. "A three-dimensional square." I have translated this phrase as literally as possible, but I am unable to figure out precisely what it refers to. A cube? A geometric figure that is two-dimensional and three-dimensional simultaneously? Some sort of geodesic paradox? I don't know.
74. Sī-Kān-de-Nà-Wéi-Yà; The entire string of pictographs would translate as "This de can receive and tie together that which is inferior."
75. This is a reference to the G.I. publication Stars and Stripes.
76. The Christian Science Monitor.
77. Sī-Kè-Lĭ-Pŭ-Sī would translate literally as "these insides can be this universal." Huò-Huà-Dé would translate literally as "sudden magnificent virtue." The entire string of characters should translate as "the Scripps-Howard News Syndicate," with all except the last three pictographs being employed as phonetic characters rather than determinatives.
78. Shān m: The phonetic character [m] has no dictionary meaning. Shān would translate as "mountain."
79. Fèi-Ĕr-Sāi-Fú: The pictographs would translate literally as "Don't squeeze your expenses in."
80. Yī-Fù-Kè-Lín: The four pictographs are apparently a phonetic approximation of something like Jiffi-Kleen. Yī-Fù-Kè-Lín would translate literally as "Neither he nor she can be the forest."
81. "Female bright starshines with all the pieces put together." From the context this phrase probably means something like "starlets with attractive builds" or "well-stacked starlets."
82. À-Kè-Yī; apparently a phonetic representation of a word that I cannot determine, The pictographs would roughly translate as "One can say 'ah.'"
83. I have translated this phrase literally; a more appropriate but less literal translation can be obtained by substituting "rank" for "height."
84. Féng Bō-Lēi-Sī: Feng is a fairly common surname in Chinese, and the pictographs used here for the phonetic values Bō-Lēi-Sī would translate as "Tie this wave up tightly."
85. Sī-Dà-Lĭn-Gé-Lēi-de: The pictographs would translate roughly as "Tie up tightly this orchard."
86. The Chinese pictograph for "plum," which would be pronounced Lĭ, is used here to refer to General Robert E. Lee.
87. Mĭ-Dé: The pictographs employed here would translate literally as "rice-virtue."
88. Has the Chinese translator made an error here? Why would the character speaking think to pass directly from the rank of lieutenant to major, bypassing a captaincy? I have checked my translation carefully against the possibility that I myself may have made a mistake here, but this does not appear to be the case. The ranks described at this point within the Chinese text, shāngwèi and shàoxiào, would translate respectively as "lieutenant" and "major."