neither fish nor fowl; nondescript
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesadjective
neither fish nor fowl; nondescript; neither one thing nor another
neutralOften carries a negative or critical connotation, describing something that fails to conform to any recognized standard, category, or style. Commonly used for inappropriate dress, architectural styles, or linguistic expressions.
Fān翻
yì译
rú如
guǒ果
bù不
gù顾
běn本
guó国
yǔ语
yán言
de的
tè特
diǎn点
，
sǐ死
kōu抠
yuán原
wén文
zì字
jù句
，
jiù就
huì会
nòng弄
chū出
yī一
xiē些
bù不
lún伦
bù不
lèi类
de的
jù句
zi子
lái来
，
jiào叫
rén人
kàn看
bu不
dǒng懂
。
If a translator ignores the characteristics of the target language and rigidly adheres to the original text, they will produce some awkward, unnatural sentences that no one can understand.
Tā他
jīn今
tiān天
chuān穿
de得
bù不
lún伦
bù不
lèi类
de的
，
shàng上
shēn身
shì是
xī西
zhuāng装
，
xià下
shēn身
què却
shì是
yùn运
dòng动
kù裤
。
He was dressed oddly today, wearing a suit jacket with sweatpants.
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Zhè这
zuò座
jiàn建
zhù筑
hùn混
dā搭
le了
tài太
duō多
fēng风
gé格
，
kàn看
qǐ起
lái来
yǒu有
xiē些
bù不
lún伦
bù不
lèi类
。
This building mixes too many styles, looking somewhat nondescript.