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picking one's brain

Chinese translation: 借腦子用用 / 分享吓心得

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:picking one's brains
Chinese translation:借腦子用用 / 分享吓心得
Entered by: Kvasir

21:49 Jun 7, 2003
English to Chinese translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / idiom
English term or phrase: picking one's brain
I recieved an email the other day with the phrase: "Anyway, you sound very well travelled so Im hoping to pick your brains."

just for interest sake, i'm wondering how to render "picking one's brain" in chinese. I know what it means, just can't figure out a way to render it in english.

i'm thinking ゴユ笵, but what about a slang closer to the english expression. I'm interested in both mandarin and cantonese please.
Kvasir
Canada
Local time: 22:39
借你的脑子使使？(mandarin)
Explanation:
More conventional would be “听听你的想法”。Sheer guesswork and I'm ready to retract this.

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Note added at 2003-06-08 07:31:08 (GMT)
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总之，听起来你的旅行经验丰富，我正想多借鉴你的心得。


不知方言中有没有相类的俗语？

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-06-11 23:40:19 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

借你的脑子使使 is colloquially mandarin but not an established usage. But it certainly can mean \"asking for advice\".

The problem is the tone, 借你的脑子使使 is obviously poking fun at whoever it\'s addressed to, or at least used to somebody really close. Or even 借你的脑袋用用：））

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Note added at 2003-06-12 15:14:16 (GMT) Post-grading
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Thanks for the points, Kvasir.
Selected response from:

Y_Bill
Local time: 12:39
Grading comment
心得 is certainly a very close equivalent for "picking brains" here since has that "organ" term is in there.

借腦子用用 is an interesting mandarin expression, i'll take your word for it. I don't believe it works well in cantonese but i think it would mean "borrowing one's brain power (to become smarter)" in cantonese.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2借你的脑子使使？(mandarin)
Y_Bill
4 +2请教
Xiaoping Fu
3и辨Τ诀穦拜
Yongmei Liu


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


50 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
借你的脑子使使？(mandarin)


Explanation:
More conventional would be “听听你的想法”。Sheer guesswork and I'm ready to retract this.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-06-08 07:31:08 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

总之，听起来你的旅行经验丰富，我正想多借鉴你的心得。


不知方言中有没有相类的俗语？

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-06-11 23:40:19 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

借你的脑子使使 is colloquially mandarin but not an established usage. But it certainly can mean \"asking for advice\".

The problem is the tone, 借你的脑子使使 is obviously poking fun at whoever it\'s addressed to, or at least used to somebody really close. Or even 借你的脑袋用用：））

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-06-12 15:14:16 (GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Thanks for the points, Kvasir.

Y_Bill
Local time: 12:39
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
心得 is certainly a very close equivalent for "picking brains" here since has that "organ" term is in there.

借腦子用用 is an interesting mandarin expression, i'll take your word for it. I don't believe it works well in cantonese but i think it would mean "borrowing one's brain power (to become smarter)" in cantonese.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Danbing HE
4 hrs
  -> Thanks.
agree  Bin Zhang
14 hrs
  -> Thanks.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
и辨Τ诀穦拜


Explanation:
"What is in your head? Let's take a look-see."

Yongmei Liu
United States
Local time: 21:39
Native speaker of: Chinese
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
请教


Explanation:
picking one's brains，是向别人请教的意思。

“Im hoping to pick your brains”，一般可以译为“望能向您请教”。在这里，可变通译为，“希望你讲讲见闻”。



Xiaoping Fu
Canada
Local time: 21:39
Native speaker of: Native in ChineseChinese

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Weiyong
9 hrs
agree  Java Kuang
10 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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