Firefly: The Official Companion, Volume Two

Zhe4 ben3 shu1 shi4 yi1 ge5 Qing1ri4 he2zuo4 chu1ban3

• Simplified characters: 这本书是一个靑日合作出版 [ 靑日 is early Firefly version of ‘Blue Sun’; 靑 is variant of simplified/traditional 青 ]
• Traditional characters: 這本書是一個靑日合作出版 [ 靑日 is early Firefly version of ‘Blue Sun’; 靑 is variant of simplified/traditional 青 ]
• Back-translation of Mandarin: This book is a Blue Sun joint publication
• Context: Firefly: The Official Companion, Volume Two, Visible Chinese, p. 2 [copyright page], after acknowledgements

zhe4 ben3 shu1

this book

1. zhe4: this
2. ben3: [classifier for printed matter]
3. shu1: a book

shi4

to be

yi1 ge5

a

1. yi1 [pronounced “yi2” before a 4th-tone syllable, even when ge4 is pronounced “ge5,” with the neutral 5th tone]: one, a
2. ge5: [general classifier for nouns]

Qing1ri4

Blue Sun [name of a fictional corporation]

1. qing1: to be green (the color), to be blue (the color)
2. ri4 [used only in compound words]: [traditional] or [meaning borrowed from non-Mandarin Chinese] the sun

he2zuo4 chu1ban3

joint publication (the act), a joint publication

1. he2zuo4: to cooperate (on a project), to collaborate
   1. he2: jointly
   2. zuo4: to do, to make
2. chu1ban3: to publish, (something) published by (a specified company), publication (the act)
   1. chu1: to issue
   2. ban3: an edition

Zai4 Zhe4zhong3

• Simplified characters: 载、这种 / Traditional characters: 載、這種
• Back-translation of Mandarin: Transport; This
• Translated from the English: Transport Class
• Context: Firefly: The Official Companion, Volume Two, Visible Chinese, p. 4, on Cortex from bridge control panel with : FF : between the two words

zai4

to transport

zhe4zhong3

this, this kind of

1. zhe4: this
2. zhong3: [classifier for kinds/types]

Fu4yin4; Ding3dian3

• Simplified characters: 副印、顶点 / Traditional characters: 副印、頂點
• Back-translation of Mandarin: Countersign; Vertex [see note below]
• Context: Firefly: The Official Companion, Volume Two, Visible Chinese, p. 4, on display from bridge control panel; shown upside-down because it was originally incorrectly installed upside-down relative to the Chinese characters

fu4yin4

a countersign (second person’s signature/name-seal)

1. fu4: [prefix] auxiliary
2. yin4: a seal (stamped on something), a Chinese name-seal

ding3dian3

a summit, a vertex

1. ding3: a summit, a top
2. dian3: a point

Yao4; Ji2zhen3yong4 shi2; Xiao3xin1; Shen4shang4xian4su4

• Simplified characters: 药、急诊用时、小心、肾上腺素 / Traditional characters: 藥、急診用時、小心、腎上腺素
• Back-translation of Mandarin: Medicine; For Emergency Use; Caution; Adrenaline
• Context: Firefly: The Official Companion, Volume Two, Visible Chinese, p. 46, on adrenaline label

yao4

medicine, a drug

ji2zhen3yong4 shi2

for emergency use

1. ji2zhen3yong4: emergency use
   1. ji2zhen3: emergency care
      1. ji2 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: urgent
      2. zhen3 [used only in compound words]: to diagnose, to examine (medically)
   2. yong4 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: a use
2. shi2: the time (when), when

xiao3xin1

to be careful, to take care

1. xiao3: to be small
2. xin1: feelings, the mind

shen4shang4xian4su4

adrenaline/epinephrine

1. shen4shang4xian4: the adrenal gland
   1. shen4: the kidney
   2. shang4 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: above
   3. xian4: a gland
2. su4 [used only in compound words]: a factor

Qiang2jian4

• Simplified characters: 强健 / Traditional characters: 強健
• Back-translation of Mandarin: Strong and Healthy [see note below]
• Context: Firefly: The Official Companion, Volume Two, Visible Chinese, p. 67, on medical ID badges

qiang2jian4

to be strong and healthy, to be (physically) strong

1. qiang2: to be strong
2. jian4 [used only in compound words]: healthy, strong

Yong3

• Simplified/Traditional characters: 勇
• Back-translation of Mandarin: Soldier
• Translated from the English: Soldier [from costume designer Shawna Trpcic’s “Shindig” DVD commentary]
• Context (1): Firefly: The Official Companion, Volume Two, Visible Chinese, p. 113, on Jayne’s T-shirt (Jayne T-shirt list)
• Context (2): Firefly: The Official Companion, Volume Two, Visible Chinese, p. 137, on same T-shirt as (1)

yong3

[Chinese character doesn’t represent an independent word in Modern Standard Mandarin (Putonghua); still used in:] →
san3bing1you2yong3 散兵游勇 (traditional: 散兵遊勇 ): [set phrase] [military] stragglers (soldiers scattered from a troop) and disbanded soldiers

1. san3bing1: [military] stragglers (soldiers scattered from a troop), [military] a skirmisher
   1. san3 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: scattered
   2. bing1: the troops, an army
2. you2yong3: stragglers (soldiers scattered from a troop) and disbanded soldiers
   1. you2 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: to roam, to rove
   2. yong3 [used only in compound words]: a soldier

Xi3

• Simplified/Traditional characters: 喜
• Back-translation of Mandarin: Happiness
• Context: Firefly: The Official Companion, Volume Two, Visible Chinese, p. 206, on Kaylee’s jumpsuit right pant-leg (Kaylee jumpsuit-writing list)

xi3

[used only in compound words]: happiness, joy