我在这里搓灯草 岂不是浪费时间 祯娘
“If I'm just here twisting lamp wicks, wouldn't that just be a waste of time? Zhen.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
我就不明白了 这搓灯草就是小技 徽州人人都会
“I just don't understand. Making lamp wicks is only a minor skill. Everyone in Huizhou knows how to do it.”
我在这 里搓灯草 岂不是 浪费时间 祯娘
“If I'm just here twisting lamp wicks, wouldn't that just be a waste of time? Zhen.”
那您教我搓灯草
“Then teach me how to twist lamp wicks.”
“Stop making me do this trivial chore; my time is too valuable for this.”
In traditional Chinese culture, scholars or men of ambition often viewed minor domestic tasks as unfitting for greater pursuits.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
wouldn't that be; isn't it
A rhetorical device used in spoken and semi-formal Chinese to emphasize that an obvious negative consequence will occur.
to waste time
A very common verb-object collocation used to describe an unproductive activity.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“by twisting lamp wicks?”
“Take it! Zhen, don't refuse!”
“Twisting lamp wicks just takes practice.”
“What's wrong? Zhen. Speak slowly.”
“is you, Zhen.”
“was ruining other ladies' lanterns.”