Motorcycle, scooter & car parts & repair -- Chinese vocab

Does anybody know the word for “carburettor”?

In which language? If you want to use the word at a local garage, just say “carburettor”. There is a chinese word (hua4 you2 qi4), but you will only find it in manuals, everyone is using the “japanese” word “kaabureta” (This is Hepburn transcription.) instead.

Yes, many many English names for parts will work if you imagine how a Japanese might say them:

Bu-lakey cabeloo (brake cable)
Handeloo (handlebar)
Lyling pian (brake lining)
Batterlee (go on, take a wild guess)
Lee-vah (brake or clutch lever)
Coo-shon (suspension unit, from ‘cushion’)

Walk into the parts store, order your stuff and watch in amusement as the owner falls over himself to congratulate you on your command of Taiwanese :laughing:

disc brakes die2-sha
throttle Jia-su-zhuang-zhi4
carburetor Hua4-you2-qi4 or qi4-hua4-qi4?
fly wheel fei-luen2
exhaust pai2-qi4-guan3
clutch Li2-he2-qi4
tyre luen2-tai

…not too sure about th verbs that go with these maybe someone else knows or ask your local ‘hei-sho’ (taiwanese - i think? dont call him this to his face.)

huo xing sai - spark plug
qi you gai - petrol cap

I was wandering if any of you less linguistically challenged might like to add a few words of bike vocab to be used when visiting the local mechanics.

Things like:

  1. Oil change please.
  2. Is the chain too loose/tight? Does it need tightening/loosening?
  3. Is that a problem or does it just look bad?
  4. She’s not starting so well at the moment.
  5. Actually she is only starting on the kicker.
  6. I paid you to fix this 6 months ago!
  7. You thieving fuckwit.

[quote=“butcher boy”]I was wandering if any of you less linguistically challenged might like to add a few words of bike vocab to be used when visiting the local mechanics.

Things like:

  1. Oil change please.
    請換機油 QING3 HUAN4 JI1 YOU2

  2. Is the chain too loose/tight? Does it need tightening/loosening?

  3. Is that a problem or does it just look bad?

  4. She’s not starting so well at the moment.

  5. Actually she is only starting on the kicker.

  6. I paid you to fix this 6 months ago!
    我六個月前才請你幫我修好的! 攪什麼?! WO3 LIOU4 GE3 YUEH4 CHIEN2 TSAI2 QING3 NI3 BANG1 WO3 SHIOU1 HAU3 DE3! GAU3 SHEN2 ME2?!

  7. You thieving fuckwit.
    你真是他媽的白痴 NI3 ZHENG1 SHI4 TA1 MA1 DE3 BAI2 CHI1
    [/quote]
    I just added my part in large font.
    Maybe others can be more helpful with the rest… :smiley:

[quote=“914”]
I just added my part in large font.
Maybe others can be more helpful with the rest… :smiley:[/quote]
Does that mean those phrases are best YELLED?

[quote=“butcher boy”]
2. Is the chain too loose/tight? Does it need tightening/loosening?
3. Is that a problem or does it just look bad?
4. She’s not starting so well at the moment.
5. Actually she is only starting on the kicker.
[/quote]BB, 914… hilarious, thanks :notworthy:

  1. 鏈條要調整嗎?
  2. 有那麼嚴重嗎?
  3. 最近不好起動
  4. 要腳踏起動

Note that a lot of engineering terms in Taiwanese were borrowed from Japanese, which were borrowed from English. So speak with your best Japanese accent and mangle the names ‘kalachi kabelu’ or ‘bulayki leevar’ and you’ll usually get what you want :wink:

are you guys sure these phrases don’t belong in the D&R forum?

914 xie xie!
hsiadogah xie xie, but I canny read them funny picture thingies yet :blush:
truant, I really hope that you haven’t identified a window onto my future life. I’m not sure my new wife will be too impressed!

The last couple aside (which I shall try to deal with in a slightly more diplomatic way) I suspect that this thread could indeed have some use.

So perhaps a few more

  1. When can I pick it up?
  2. Can I have a quote for the work?
  3. What about the brakes?
  4. Adjust or replace?
  5. Is the alternator broken?
  6. Spark plug?
  7. Please check all the hoses for leaks before doing anything unnecessarily drastic (and unnecessarily expensive).
  8. Betel but and ciggies? It’s good to see a man who cares so deeply about oral hygiene.

[quote=“butcher boy”]
hsiadogah xie xie, but I canny read them funny picture thingies yet :blush:[/quote]Well, I don’t know pinyin. We all have our crosses to bear :wink:
Oh and thanks Truant. That was the best laugh I had all day :notworthy:

[color=green]EDIT: I’m collecting all the answers from this thread into one post here; so some items are the answers to questions posted later in the thread. Blank sentence patterns and vocabulary to insert in them are also provided further below. This is a work in progress. Please feel free to PM me with corrections or questions. [/color]

[quote=“Dragonbones”]1 [color=blue]Oil [/color][color=red]change [/color]please.
請換機油 Qing3 [color=red]huan4 [/color][color=blue]ji1you2 [/color]

1a. [color=red]Use [/color]the [color=green]cheapest[/color] oil please.
請用最便宜的油 Qing3 [color=red]yong4 [/color] [color=green]zui4 pian2yi[/color]de you2

1b. [color=red]Use [/color]the [color=orange]best [/color]oil please.
請用最好的油 Qing3 [color=red]yong4 [/color] [color=orange]zui4 hao3de[/color] you2

2a. Is the [color=blue]chain [/color]too [color=green]loose[/color]/[color=orange]tight[/color]?
鏈條太鬆/緊嗎? [color=blue] Lian4tiao2[/color] tai4 [color=green]song1[/color]/[color=orange]jin3[/color] ma?

2b. Does the [color=blue]chain [/color]need to be [color=red]adjusted [/color]?
鏈條要調整嗎? [color=blue]Lian4tiao2[/color] yao4 [color=red]tiao2zheng3[/color] ma?

  1. [color=blue]Is that a problem [/color]? Or does it just [color=red]look bad[/color]?
    這(是)有問題嗎? 還是不好看而已? [color=blue]Zhe4 (shi4) you3 wen4ti2[/color] ma? Hai2shi4 [color=red]bu4 hao3 kan4 [/color]er2yi3?

4a. She’s hasn’t been [color=red]starting [/color]so well [color=olive]recently[/color].
最近不好起動 [color=olive]Zui4jin4 [/color]bu4 hao3 [color=red]qi3dong4[/color]
(Note: 起動 can also be written 啟動; and instead of qi3dong4 you can also say 發動 fa1dong4.)

4b. She can [color=cyan]only [/color]be [color=red]started [/color]by [color=violet]using the kicker[/color].
要腳踏才能起動 Yao4 [color=violet]jiao3ta4[/color] [color=cyan]cai2 neng2[/color] [color=red]qi3dong4[/color]

5a. I paid you to fix this 6 months ago!
我六個月前才請你幫我修好的! :fume: Wo3 liu4ge yue4 qian2 cai2 qing3 ni3 bang1 wo3 xiu1 hao3 de!

5b. What are you pulling?
Gao3 shen2mede?!

5c. You fieving thickwit!
Nĭ zhēn shi4 tāmāde bᩣhī!

:laughing: (not recommended – best just to switch mechanics!)

  1. [color=orange]When [/color] will the [color=olive]repair be finished[/color]?
    [color=orange]Shen2me shi2hou4 [/color][color=olive]xiu1 hao3le[/color]?

  2. [color=cyan]How much [/color]will the [color=blue]repair [/color][color=cyan]cost[/color]?
    [color=blue]Xiu1hao3 [/color][color=cyan]yao4 duo1shao3 qian2[/color]?

  3. [color=darkred]How are[/color] the [color=blue]brake pads[/color]? [color=blue]sha1che1pi2 [/color][color=darkred]zen3yang4[/color]?

  4. [color=red]Need [/color]to [color=green]adjust [/color]or [color=cyan]replace[/color]? [color=red]xu1yao4 [/color][color=green]tiao2zheng3 [/color]huo4 [color=cyan]huan4 [/color]ma?

10 Is the [color=blue]alternator [/color][color=red]broken[/color]?
交流發電機 壞了嗎? [color=blue]jiao1liu2 fa1dian4 ji1 [/color][color=red]huai4le [/color]ma?
[color=red]SENTENCE PATTERNS to fill in with the below vocab items:[/color]

11a - [color=darkred]please [/color][color=green]help [/color]me [color=orange]check [/color]the x
[color=darkred]qing3 [/color][color=green]bang1 [/color]wo3 [color=orange]jian3cha2 [/color]x

11b - please [color=red]change [/color]x
qing3 [color=red]huan4 [/color]x

12 [color=cyan]Please [/color][color=red]check [/color][color=indigo]this/these /color for problems [color=olive]first[/color].
[color=cyan]ma2fan nĭ [/color][color=olive]xiān [/color][color=red]jian3cha2 [/color] [color=indigo]zhei4ge/zhei4xie /color .

  1. Please grease/lubricate this. It makes squeaking (lit. weird) noises.
    Zhei4ge hui4 fa1 guai4sheng1; qing3 bang1 wo3 jia1 run4hua2you2.

  2. I want a tune-up
    yin3qing2 yao4 tiao2jie2

  3. [color=green]Betel nut[/color] and [color=violet]ciggies[/color]? Boy, that’s [color=orange]healthy[/color]! :wink:
    [color=violet]Choūyān[/color], chī [color=green]bīn(g)lang2[/color], zhēn [color=orange]jian4kang1 [/color]ō! :wink:

========================================================

[color=red]VOCABULARY to insert in above patterns, arranged alphabetically:[/color]
Feel free to correct me or add items (via post or PM) and I’ll update this.

adjust – 調整 tiao2zheng3
air cleaner 空氣濾清器 kong1qi4 lü4qing1qi4
alternator --交流發電機 jiao1liu2 fa1dian4 jī
battery (wet, vehicular) 電瓶dian4ping2; (vs. dry cells for electronics: 電池dian4chi2)
best – 最好的 zui4 hao3de
bike stand (main stand) – 主車架 zhu3che1jia4
bolt – 羅栓 luo2shuan1
brake – 煞車 / 剎車 sha1che1
brake caliper 煞車碟片 sha1che1die2pian4
brake light --煞車燈 / 剎車燈 sha1che1deng1
brake pads – 煞車皮 / 剎車皮 sha1che1pi2
brake rotor 煞車碟盤 / 剎車碟盤 sha1che1die2pan
bulb – 燈泡 deng1pao4
carburetor – 化油器 hua4you2qi4
chain --鏈條 lian4tiao2
change – 換 huan4
cheapest --最便宜的 zui4 pian2yi2de
check – 檢查 jian3cha2
choke 阻風 zu3feng1
clutch – 離合器 li2he2qi4
compresser 空氣壓縮機
coolant – 冷卻劑 leng3que4ji4
cost? – 多少錢 duo1shao3 qián
cushion 避震器 ( 不分前後 )
cylinder 汽缸 qi4gang1
exhaust pipe – 排氣管 pai2qi4guan3
filter --過濾器 gùolü4qi4 (that’s an umlauted u in the middle); see also oil filter
fixed! – 修好 xiu1 hao3le!
foot-operated gear lever 腳踏變速桿 jiao3ta4 bian4su4gan1
fuel gauge – 汽油表 qi4you2biao3
fuse – 保險絲 bao3xian3si1
gauge – 表 biao3
gear oil see transmission lube; and lubricant
generator – 發電機 fa1dian4ji1
head light – 前燈 qian2deng1; 頭燈 tou2deng1
horn – 喇叭 la3ba1
horn button – 喇叭按鈕 la3ba1 an4niu3
ignition button – 開關按鈕 kai1guan1 an4niu3
inflate – 打氣 da3 qi4
kickstand (side) – ?
kickstarter - 腳踏發動桿jiao3ta4 fa1dong4 gān
loose (too loose) – 太鬆 tai4 song1
lube – see transmission lube; or lubricant in general – run4hua2you2; also WD si4shi2 (WD40)
mirror (rearview) –後視鏡 hou4shi4jing4 or 後照鏡 hou4zhao4jing4
muffler – 滅音器 mie4yin1qi4
nut – 螺絲帽 luo2si1mao4
odometer – 里程表 li3cheng2biao3
oil – 機油 ji1you2
oil additive 添加劑 tian1jia1ji4
oil filter – 濾油器 lü4you2qi4; 機油過濾器 ji1you2 gùolü4qi4; or 機油濾清器 ji1you2 lü4qing1qi4
oil gauge – 機油表 ji1you2biao3
oil pan 平底盤 ping2di3pan2
oil seal – 油封 you2feng1
oil: blended synthetic – 半合成機油 ban4he2cheng2ji1you2
oil: petroleum-based – 礦物油 kuang4wu4you2
oil: synthetic – 合成機油 he2cheng2ji1you2 or 人造油 ren2zao4you2
piston – 活塞 huo2sai1
plug (spark) 火星塞 huo3xing1sai1
problem – 問題 wen4ti2
pump 幫浦 bang1pu3
spark plug – 火星塞 huo3xing1sai1
speedometer – 速度表 su4du4biao3
start (engine) – 起(啟?)動 qi3dong4
starter motor – 起(啟?)動發動機 qi3dong4fa1dong4ji1; 起(啟?)動馬達 qi3dong4 ma3da2
tail light – 尾燈 wei3deng1
throttle control– 油門 you2men2
tight (too tight) – 太緊 tai4 jĭn
tire –輪胎 lun2tai1
transmission gear 變速齒輪 bian4su4 chi3lun2
transmission lube is 傳動油 chuan2dong4you2
transmission 變速箱 bian4su4xiang1
turn signal –方向燈 fang1xiang4deng1; 轉向燈 zhuan3xiang4deng1
valve 汽門 qi4men2 (?)
washer – 墊圈 dian4quan1, 墊片 dian4pian4 (or 皮圈 pi2quan1 if of rubber or leather)
WD40 – “w-d si4shi2”
windscreen – 擋風版 / 擋風玻璃 dang3feng1ban3 / dang3feng 1bo1li2
wrench - 扳子 ban1zi; 扳手 ban1shou3; luo2si1 ban1zi

(Thanks to all the posters in this thread, Sjcma, wisher and hotspring for helping; and to Dragonbabe, for laughing at my mistakes! :moon: )

Dragonbones, I think only one response will do:

x

okay so here are Hsiadogah’s contributions directly PinYin-ified (if you don’t like HanYu please lodge a complaint
at your local govt. office I’m sure they’ll be right on it)

  1. 鏈條要調整嗎? - lian4 tiao2 yao4 tiao2 zheng3 ma1
  2. 有那麼嚴重嗎? - you3 na4 me2 yan2 zhong4 ma1
  3. 最近不好起動 - zui4 jin4 bu4 hao3 qi3 dong4
  4. 要腳踏起動 - yao4 jiao3 ta4 qi3 dong4

Below are my versions of the new requests…

  1. When can I pick it up?
    應該什麼時候會好?
    ying1 gai1 she2 me shi2 hou4 hui4 hao3

  2. Can I have a quote for the work?
    可以先幫我估價修車的費用嗎?
    ke3 yi3 xian1 bang1 wo3 gu1 jia4 xiu1 che1 de fei4 yong4 ma1

  3. What about the brakes?
    煞車須要調嗎?
    sha1 che1 xu1 yao4 tiao2 ma1

  4. Adjust or replace?
    可以調整嗎, 還是一定要換新的?
    ke3 yi3 tiao2 zheng3 ma1, hai2 shi4 yi1 ding4 yao4 huan4 xin1 de

  5. Is the alternator broken?
    交流發電器壞了嗎? ()
    jiao2 liu2 fa1 dian4 qi4 huai4 le ma1 (
    )

  6. Spark plug?
    火星塞?
    huo3 xing1 sai1

  7. Please check all the hoses for leaks before doing anything unnecessarily drastic (and unnecessarily expensive).
    請你先檢查一下軟管沒有漏洞. 我不想換不必要換的零件.
    qing1 ni3 xian1 jian3 cha2 yi1 xia4 ruan3 guan3 mei2 you3 lou4 dong4. wo3 bu4 xiang3 huan4 bu4 bi4 yao4 huan4 de ling2 jian4.

  8. Betel but and ciggies? It’s good to see a man who cares so deeply about oral hygiene.
    抽煙, 吃檳榔? 你好了解口腔健康的重要性.
    chou1 yan1, chi2 bin1 lang2? ni3 hao3 liao3 jie3 kou3 qiang1 de zhong4 yao4 xing4.

(*) note that this is the proper Chinese word for alternator… like Hsiadogah said, half the mechanical terms used here are bastardisations of Japanese / English terms… you’d probably be better off with aa-too-na-ta or something…

(**)if you actually use number 7. on a Taiwanese mechanic they’re likely to laugh at you…

(***)if you actually use number 8. they’re not… sarcasm, isn’t too big here… :wink:

[quote=“plasmatron”]
(*) note that this is the proper Chinese word for alternator… like Hsiadogah said, half the mechanical terms used here are bastardisations of Japanese / English terms… you’d probably be better off with aa-too-na-ta or something…[/quote]In this case the Chinese is the common useage. Very often though they use 電盤 as the alternator coils themselves are usually on a flat alloy plate, along with the crank angle sensors etc.

Any idea of how to say the turn switch (just the switch is broken)? I can still signal, but I can tell the switch is broken.

How to say air fliter? Allso are air filters paper or metal? Can I just have then blow out the one I have?

I have a 125 Kymco something…

Can someone tell me some estimated prices from replacing the switch along with an air filter?

Thanks much

how to say the turn switch (just the switch is broken)? --fang-xiang-deng de an-nio

How to say air fliter–lyu-qing-wang

Can I just have then blow out the one I have?–Ke-yi ba yuan-you-de qing-gan-jing zai yong ma?

Hope this helps. :s

Shouldn’t we add those (after fixing the pinyin and adding tones) to a sticky of collected scooter maintenance vocab? Seems we were starting one a while back…

Oh, tones! :bravo:

how to say the turn switch (just the switch is broken)? --fang(1)-xiang(4)-deng(1) de(n) an(4)-nio(3)

How to say air fliter–lyu(4)-qing(1)-wang(3)

Can I just have then blow out the one I have?–Ke(3)-yi(3) ba(3) yuan(2)-you(3)-de(n) qing(1)-gan(1)-jing(4) zai(4) yong(4) ma(n)?