Quote
C Chiu
狂妄同自信祗係一線之隔
The translation is very correct but the character 祗 (with a dot or horizontal stroke under 氏) is incorrect.
祗 is always read as ‘zi1’ (tone 1). It means “respectful and courteous”. 祗仰 is the best known word compound that means “to revere; to venerate”.
The confusion arises from its being looked alike two other characters 祇 and 衹.
祇 (with 示 as the radical) is mostly read as ‘kei4’. It means “god of the earth”. But it can occasionally be used as the variant form of 衹.
衹 (with 衣 as the radical) is the archaic form of 只 although some people still use 衹. And 只 [zi2] (tone 2) is currently the most popular form to represent the meaning of “only; merely”.
To avoid confusion among 祗, 祇, and 衹, it is suggested to use 只 for “only; merely”.
Would people say 唱反调 in Cantonese?
Yes, 唱反调 is always used in Cantonese speech.
Btw, 唱反调 is usually translated as “play devil’s advocate” in dictionaries.
> 祇, and 衹
Sorry for the mistake, I am using handwriting input, sometimes the computer pick the wrong character and I don't notice.
> Btw, 唱反调 is usually translated as “play devil’s advocate” in dictionaries.
I personal think 唱反调 is a close, but not complete translation of “play devil’s advocate” which emphasize on " state the contrary on someone's behalf
say “play devil’s advocate” instead of " sing the opposite tunes" shift the "blame of opposing a popular idea" to someone else, therefore, it doesn't sound as personal or even confrontational .
