Please, please, please, please, please
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The Chinese on the sign says:
Wēnxīn tíshì 溫馨提示 ("Gentle Reminder")
bǎochí ānjìng 保持安静 ("keep quiet")
bǎochí qīngjié 保持清洁 ("keep clean")
qǐng wù xīyān 请勿吸烟 ("no smoking")
qǐng wù pāishè 请勿拍摄 ("no photos")
qǐng wù fǔmō 请勿抚摸 ("don't touch")
Such politeness!
Selected readings
Gabriel said,
April 9, 2023 @ 1:30 pm
Polite indeed – although that description exaggerates the extent to which the politeness was added by the translator, since three of the five Chinese instructions already contain 请 ("please").
Mike Grubb said,
April 10, 2023 @ 8:06 am
I suppose the requested cleaning is to be accomplished with compressed air, since touching is discouraged.
Victor Mair said,
April 10, 2023 @ 8:40 am
@Gabriel
"three of the five Chinese instructions already contain 请 ("please")"
Notice that the explicit "please" (qǐng 请) is only used with the negative (wù 勿).
Lebon said,
April 11, 2023 @ 12:25 am
Can any one read the seal at bottom right‘ ’ _ _故居‘’？
Mark S. said,
April 11, 2023 @ 9:34 am
Well, if no one else is going to do it: "Please, Please, Please."
Clay said,
April 15, 2023 @ 10:35 am
Hmm do the first two sentences contain politeness at all or were the pleases added for the sake of uniformity in English?
Clay said,
April 15, 2023 @ 10:38 am
Hmm was there any natural sense of politeness found in the first two commands, or were the pleases added for uniformity purposes in the English translation?