剑龙
The English word stegosaurus is translated into Mandarin as 剑龙.
剑龙 is the term used to refer to the extinct reptile known as the stegosaurus.
Meaning: extinct reptile (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The name is composed of 剑, meaning 'sword' and 龙, meaning 'dragon' or 'dinosaur'.
Did you know?
- The term 剑龙 is an example of a 'calque' translation. Instead of transliterating the sound of 'stegosaurus', Chinese translators translated the meaning of the Greek roots 'stegos' (roof) and 'sauros' (lizard) into a localized image.
- In Chinese, all dinosaurs are categorized under the umbrella term 龙, or 'dragon', regardless of whether they are actually reptilian.
- The word 剑 in 剑龙 specifically refers to a double-edged straight sword. This reflects the sharp, blade-like appearance of the plates on a stegosaurus's back.
Examples in context
- 剑龙是一种已经灭绝的恐龙。The stegosaurus is an extinct dinosaur.
- 剑龙是一种古老的生物。Jiànlóng shì yī zhǒng gǔlǎo de shēngwù.A stegosaurus is an ancient creature.
- 他在博物馆看到了剑龙的化石。Tā zài bówùguǎn kàndào le jiànlóng de huàshí.He saw a stegosaurus fossil in the museum.
- 那种剑龙长得非常有特色。Nà zhǒng jiànlóng zhǎng de fēicháng yǒu tèsè.That kind of stegosaurus looks very distinctive.
Example conversation
Xinyi and Wei are visiting a natural history museum.
- 欣怡 Xinyi伟，你看那个剑龙骨架！Wěi, nǐ kàn nàge jiànlóng gǔjià!Wei, look at that stegosaurus skeleton!
- 伟 Wei哇，它真的好大啊。Wa, tā zhēnde hǎo dà a.Wow, it is really huge.
- 欣怡 Xinyi它是我的最爱。Tā shì wǒ de zuì'ài.It is my favorite.
- 伟 Wei我也觉得它很酷。Wǒ yě juéde tā hěn kù.I think it's very cool too.
