As I read through Eric Ries' book The Lean Startup, I encountered words that I have been conversing in the years past, but never bothered to truly understand what they mean in Chinese. I guess that's why I've been on occasion stuck when I communicated with friends back in China, trying to find the right word to describe what I want to get across. Sometimes I had to revert back to English, which I hate, as I don't want to be thought as a "假洋鬼子", a term used to describe those who show off their English language skills.
Here is a short list of what I have jotted down in the last couple of days and their meaning in Chinese. Along the way, it also help me to pronounce them correctly. I will update the list as I encounter more words that I need to "learn" their meaning in the language I was born in.
| Word | Chinese Meaning |
|---|---|
| elucidate | 阐明 |
| pivotal | 关键 |
| workflow | 工作流程 |
| intricacy | 错综复杂 |
| connote | 有含义 |
| lethargy | 没精打采 |
| discipline | 学科 |
| capitulate | 投降 |
| audacity | 大胆、放肆 |
| monolithic | 单一庞大 |
| disparate | 不同 |
| delve into | 探索 |
| archetype | 原型 |
| vex | 恼火 |
| dictum | 格言 |
| flail | 胡乱摆动 |
| befuddle | 使糊涂 |
| concierge | 门房 |
| daunting | 令人却步 |
| banal | 平庸 |
| accolade | 荣誉 |
| ream | 令（500张纸）、大量 |
| veracity | 真实 |
| innate | 天生、固有 |
| plucky | 有勇气、有胆量 |
| deluge | 汹涌而至、淹没 |
| cumulative | 积累 |
| bleak | 荒凉、暗淡 |
| retention | 保留、留用 |
| attrition | 本意指损耗，借指因正常辞职或退休而产生的人员减少 |
| qualitative | 性质上的 |
| qualitatively | 定性 |
| quantitative | 量 |
| quantitatively | 数量上 |
| philanthropy | 慈善事业 |
| philanthropic | 慈善 |