Chapter 27: The Lightning-Struck Tower

Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China)
被闪电击中的塔楼 Bèi shǎndiàn jīzhòng de tǎlóu	被 bèi = passive particle 闪电 shǎndiàn = 'lightning'. 击中 jīzhòng = 'strike, hit (a target)'. 的 de = connecting particle 塔楼 tǎlóu = 'tower building, turret'.	The tower that was struck by lightning
Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan)
閃電擊中的高塔 Shǎndiàn jízhòng de gāotǎ	閃電 shǎndiàn = 'lightning'. 擊中 jízhòng = 'strike, hit (a target)'. 的 de = connecting particle 高塔 gāotǎ = 'tall tower'.	Tall tower that was struck by lightning
Japanese
稲妻に撃たれた塔 Inazuma ni utareta tō	稲妻 inazuma = 'lightning'. に ni = particle (here meaning 'by') 撃たれた utareta = 'was hit by' (past tense of 撃たれる utareru 'to be hit', passive of 撃つ utsu 'to hit'). 塔 tō = 'tower'.	The tower that was struck by lightning
Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology)
Tháp sét đánh	tháp (塔) = 'tower'. sét = 'lightning'. đánh = 'to strike'.	The lightning-struck tower.

Fairly literal translations of a very succinct English expression.

How is 'lightning' translated?

Lightning is an 'electrical discharge caused by imbalances between storm clouds and the ground, or within the clouds themselves.' The term is used only for the visual flash of light caused by the discharge. The sound produced is known as 'thunder'.

• The Chinese term for 'lightning' is 閃電 (Trad.) / 闪电 (Simpl.) shǎndiàn , literally 'flash electricity'. The Chinese term for 'electricity', 電 (Trad.) / 电 (Simpl.) diàn , is derived from the term for lightning.
  
  
• The Japanese term for lightning is 稲妻 inazuma, with the rather poetic meaning 'bride of paddy-rice'.
  
  
• The Vietnamese translation uses the term sét. An alternative word for 'lightning' is chớp (See The Firebolt).

How is 'lightning-struck' translated?

'Struck' is the past participle of 'strike' used as an adjective. It is combined with 'lightning' in a compound word. The meaning is 'which has been struck by lightning'. Since the languages covered here don't have expressions which are structurally equivalent to the English 'noun+past participle', all use full clauses to translate this.

• The Japanese uses a relative clause. It contains the passive form 撃たれた utareta, from the verb 撃つ utu 'to hit, strike'. The agent 稲妻 inazuma 'lightning' is marked with the particle に.
  
  (There are a number of characters that can be used to write utsu, with slightly different meanings. 打つ means 'to hit or strike with force'. 討つ means 'to strike and destroy' using weapons such as swords. 撃つ means 'to attack' with arrows or bullets. There are several others. This variety is due to the fact that the general Japanese word utsu, 'to hit', corresponds in meaning to several different Chinese words (打 dǎ, 討 tǎo, 撃 jī Mainland / jí Taiwan), all with somewhat different meanings. It is a testimony to the enduring nature of this system that the Japanese translation ends up using the same character, 撃 (Simplified Chinese 击), as the Chinese translations.)
  
  
• The Chinese translation from Taiwan uses the modifying clause, 閃電擊中的 shǎndiàn jízhòng de. This consists of:
  
  
  • 閃電 shǎndiàn 'lightning'.
    
  • 擊中 jízhòng 'strike, hit (a target)'. This is made of the verb 擊 jí 'strike' followed by the resultative 中 zhòng, meaning 'to hit (a target)'.
    
  • 的 de a 'connecting particle' linking the relative clause to the noun 'tower'.
    
    
• The Mainland translation uses the modifying clause 被闪电击中的 bèi shǎndiàn jīzhòng de (note the different standardised pronunciation for 击 jī).
  
  This is identical to the Taiwanese version apart from the addition of the passive marker 被 bèi placed before the noun which is the agent of the action ('lightning'). This particle traditionally has the meaning of 'adversely affected'. As the Taiwanese translation shows, it is not always necessary to show passive marking in this kind of relative clause. Use of the passive is due to influence from English in modern times and in this chapter title is definitely affected by the use of passive in the English original.
  
  
• In the Vietnamese translation, the modifying clause goes after the noun it modifies. It consists of only two words: sét đánh meaning 'lightning strikes'. There is no passive in the Vietnamese translation.

How is 'tower' translated?

The 'tower' here is the Astronomy Tower in Hogwarts. While there are differences among them, all four translations use the same etymologically-related term for 'tower': 塔 (Mandarin Chinese tǎ, Japanese tō, Vietnamese tháp).

• Japanese and Vietnamese both use a simple word for 'tower': Japanese 塔 tō, Vietnamese tháp.
  
  
• The Chinese translation from the Mainland uses 塔楼 tǎlóu, literally 'tower building'.
  
  
• The Chinese translation from Taiwan uses 高塔 gāotǎ 'tall tower, high tower'.

(Detailed notes on the chapter can be found at Harry Potter Lexicon)

⇚ Chapter 26

Chapter 28 ⇛