The Traditional Chinese words that confuse you 4

 

Ku's dream酷的夢's massive show, "中文怪物," is the talk of Taiwan. 

In the episode 3 of 中文怪物, there were several questions about word sets that use the same characters but have completely different meanings when their order is reversed. Let's explore some of these fascinating permutations.

蜜蜂 VS 蜂蜜

蜜蜂 Bee: A yellow-and-black flying insect that makes honey and can sting.

蜂蜜 Honey: A sweet, sticky, yellow substance produced by bees that is used as food.

南投的蜜蜂生態農場，讓遊客可以近距離觀察蜜蜂的活動，並品嚐當地新鮮的蜂蜜製品。

At Nantou's bee-themed ecological farms, visitors can closely observe the bees' activities and sample fresh, locally produced honey.

南投(A place name, located in the central part of Taiwan.)

牙刷 VS 刷牙

牙刷 Toothbrush: A small brush with a long handle is used to clean your teeth.

刷牙 Tooth brushing: The act of cleaning one's teeth.

媽媽拿著小牙刷，輕柔的幫小寶寶刷牙。
The mother was gently brushing the baby's teeth with a small toothbrush.

故事 VS 事故

故事 Story: A description of a connected series of events, either true or imagined.

事故 Accident: Something unexpected or unintended that often damages something or injures someone.

這個故事要從一場交通事故說起......

The story begins with a traffic accident...

不大一樣 VS 一樣不大 VS 不一樣大 VS 大不一樣

c

• 一樣不大
• 不一樣大
• 不大一樣
• 大不一樣

In these four answers, the 詞 "一樣" is never separated, so it is one word meaning "same."  "不" means "no" or "not".  The character "大" has many different meanings. Since the subject is breast augmentation, let's analyze the meanings based on that theme one by one. 

• 一樣不大(Same not big)：The result looks the same and is not big. (Implication: Perhaps the person went from size A to B, so the size seems the same, and is still not big.)
• 不一樣大(Not same big (size))：The sizes are not the same. (Implication: The two sides are asymmetrical.)
• 不大一樣(Not very same)：When "大" is used with "不," it indicates a low frequency or slight degree.
• Example:
  她長得和以前不大一樣。 She looks slightly different from before.
   (This sentence implies she may have had plastic surgery or micro-adjustments.)
• 大不一樣(Very not same)：In this context, "大" means "very" or "extremely".
• Example:
  她如今大不一樣了。 She's a big deal now.
  (This implies she has gone from being a nobody to a celebrity, indicating a dramatic change in status.)
  

無藥可救 VS 無可救藥

In reality, both "無可救藥" and "無藥可救"  fundamentally refer to being too severely ill to be cured, reaching a point where nothing can be done to save the situation. The origin is from the《詩經．大雅．板》：「多將熇熇，不可救藥。」This means that if someone committed too many evil acts, they would become like a person who was too sick to be cured by medicine.

The characters "不" and "無" both mean "no" or "not." Over time, the phrase evolved first into "無可救藥," and then later into "無藥可救."

However, in Taiwan, when we say a person or a situation is "無可救藥," it is generally a definitive statement that they are completely doomed and beyond help. In contrast, "無藥可救" is often used humorously. There are jokes about it:

A：我剛剛去看過醫生了。

B：醫生怎麼說？

A：醫生說我無藥可救。

B：什麼！那麼嚴重嗎？

A：他說我年紀漸長，所以我的身體無法承受我的重量了，說就一個胖子而言，我身體好到嚇人，但也是有極限的，該減肥了。瘦下來就不會不舒服了。

A: I just went to see the doctor.

B: What did the doctor say? 

A: The doctor said I am beyond saving (無藥可救). 

B: What! Is it that serious? 

A: He said that as I get older, my body just can't handle my weight anymore. He told me that for a fat person, I'm surprisingly healthy, but there's a limit, and I need to lose weight. Once I slim down, I won't feel unwell anymore.

Or, a wife talked to her husband:

W：醫生說我無藥可救。
H：什麼！那麼嚴重嗎？
W：對！先是嘔吐，然後暈眩，之後肚子會變大！

H：妳懷孕了！

Wife (W): The doctor said I am beyond saving (無藥可救). 

Husband (H): What! Is it that serious? 

W: Yes! First, the vomiting, then the dizziness, and then my belly will get bigger! 

H: You're pregnant!