Talk:酒

If there isn't a distinction between "sake" and "alcohol generally" for this kanji, then 2 senses should not be listed. Sense numbers should be given only to distinct senses. For example, "nezumi" means "mouse or rat" in a single sense. — Hippietrail 14:11, 11 Dec 2004 (UTC)

"你幹嗎不喝點酒?" doesn't mean "Why don't you have some wine?".

60.240.101.246 01:12, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

I might have translated it as, "Why don’t you drink wine?" In any case, it’s pretty close. —Stephen ^(Talk) 02:06, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

What are you talking about? The translation is accurate. ---> Tooironic 02:33, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

"Why don't you drink some alcohol?" was probably more accurate. 60.240.101.246 02:57, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

Alcohol is a chemical, but the generic term 酒 is usually translated as "wine" in English (though 酒 in Chinese culture can either be fermented or distilled). Without modifier (such as "pijiu"), "wine" seems a much better translation in this context than "alcohol." 71.66.97.228 03:20, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

"usually translated as "wine" - no it isn't, unless the dictionary is really bad. Like "Why don't you drink some alcohol?" doesn't imply "Why don't you drink some wine?" 60.240.101.246 03:37, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

The Chinese word 酒, without modifier, is generally translated into English as "wine." "Alcohol" is a chemical and usually used in a more scientific context. 71.66.97.228 04:04, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

Right, 酒 without modifier is usually wine. Alcohol is 酒精. —Stephen ^(Talk) 04:21, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

"酒 without modifier is usually wine" - No it is not. Do you even speak the language? 60.240.101.246 04:26, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

Yes, I do, and I drink many kinds of Chinese wine (I am looking at about 10 different bottles). Before the advent of distillation (that is, for most of Chinese history), the most typical wines available to Chinese speakers were made from rice and other grains, of the 黄酒 variety (though often with various fruits, berries, flowers, herbs, etc. added). 白酒 (actually a type of distilled liquor, although it shares the character "酒," is very common in the modern day. Both the huangjiu and baijiu are usually referred to in vernacular English translation as Chinese "wines," not Chinese "alcohols" or "alcoholic beverages," which sound more scientific and cumbersome, whether or not we believe the term "wine" to be incorrect, as in English it derives from "vine" (on which grapes grow). But of course in the West there are also honey wines and fruit wines, which are not made from grapes either. 71.66.97.228 04:39, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

I know Chinese alcoholic beverages are often referred to as "Chinese wines", but in English, "wine" without a modifier does not refer to "Chinese wines". So "wine" should not be translated as "酒" in Chinese, and "酒" should not be translated as "wine" in English (esp. considering that in the modern language "酒" is basically beer, or baijiu, occasionally wine). 60.240.101.246 04:50, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

• OK, I got the idea. Anon IP, you're right that "wine" is usually assumed to be 葡萄酒 in English. But "why don't you have some alcohol?" sounds weird in English. With that in mind, I've changed the example sentence to 你干嘛不喝点葡萄酒? That should be to everyone's satisfaction. ---> Tooironic 06:51, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

  Wait, I just realised that that sentence does not really show how 酒 might be used by itself. I've put back the original sentence with a clearer translation. ---> Tooironic 06:54, 12 October 2011 (UTC)