Translating Xiao’s “Hello” Voiceline
This line’s formal tone and word choice in particular makes him sound like an immortal figure in a xianxia drama. It’s hard to convey in English, but the best equivalent in English speech would be a bard character going all Shakespherean (so like, Fischl, I guess). I’ll include both a Shakespearean-esque rendition, and a base translation in prose.
Original and Renditions / Tone in the Different Languages / Translation Notes on Chinese Words and Idioms / Localizing It into Shakespearean English
Original
如遇失道旷野之难,路遭贼人之难,水火刀兵之难,鬼神药毒之难,恶兽毒虫之难,冤家恶人之难,便呼我名。
「三眼五显仙人」——「魈」,听召前来守护。
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My Rendition
Come pathless wilds or thievish tricks, crises grave or spirits vile, hidden beasts or mortal foes, call out my name.
“The Mighty and Illuminated Adeptus”— Xiao, summoned hither to protect.
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Translation in Prose
Edit: the character 难 is better translated as “calamity” instead of “disaster”
If you encounter the disaster of losing your path in the wilderness, the disaster of running into thieves on roads, the disaster of natural calamities and war, the disaster of manipulative gods and poisonous medicine, the disaster of malicious beasts and poisonous insects, or the disaster of arch-nemeses and evil-doers, then call out my name.
“The Mighty and Illuminated Adeptus”— “Xiao”, summoned here to guard you.
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Official Translation
If you awake to a knife at your throat, if monsters dig their claws into you, if death comes knocking at your door, call out my name. Adeptus Xiao. I will be here when you call.
Tone
Key Traits of Archaic Chinese Speech
uses few characters to express rich imagery
descriptive four-character phrases are a giveaway
implied subjects with limited use of pronouns or “I” or “you”
results in a compact and poetic “less is more” style
common speaking style for immortals (仙人) in xianxia dramas
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Key Traits in Chinese Voiceline
archaic Chinese
extremely formal tone
lists off various intense, worst-case scenarios
last line implies someone under a contract or code of honour (think wuxia escorts)
overall signifies he’s an Adepti due to his poetic speech (see above section)
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Key Traits in Official Translation
edgy
lists off some bad scenarios
loyal
(kind of hard to take seriously)
The translation of this particular line did not do Xiao justice at all. The archaic tone is completely lost, the intense scenarios are watered down and replaced, and the last line forgoes his longer title along with his implied contract-abiding loyalty.
In addition, in his profile specifically (rather than quests), due to the voice acting, Xiao’s Chinese voice gives the image of a distant/cold and calm young man, while his English voice makes him sound like an edgy teenager.
Words and Phrases
Edit: “[scenario]之难” is better translated as “the calamity of [scenario]” instead of “the disaster of [scenario]”
The Chinese line follows the format of “If you encounter the disaster of [scenario], [lists off six disastrous scenarios], then call my name. [Adeptal Title] — Xiao, [formal declaration of a summon to protect].” The scenarios are each a four-character phrase, followed by 之难 (“the disaster of~”).
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失道旷野之难
pinyin: Shīdào kuàngyě zhī nàn / Shi1dao4 kuang4ye3 zhi1 nan4
“The disaster of losing your path in the wilderness”
Man VS nature
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路遭贼人之难
pinyin: Lù zāo zéirén zhī nàn / lu4 zao1 zei3ren3 zhi1 nan4
lit. “The disaster of running into thieves on roads”
贼人 refers to thieves or bandits
likely alluding to Treasure Hoarders
Man VS man
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水火刀兵之难
Shuǐhuǒ dāobīng zhī nàn / Shui3huo3 dao1bing1 zhi1 nan4
“The disaster of natural calamities and war”
lit. “The disaster of blade-wielding soldiers of fire and water”
This one likely refers to the idiom 刀兵水火 (lit. “Blade-wielding soldiers and fire and water)
刀兵 refers to war; 水火 refers to natural disasters of floods and fires
Overall, natural and man-made calamities (idiom: 天灾人祸)
Man vs nature, man vs society
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鬼神药毒之难
Guǐshén yào dú zhī nàn / Gui3shen2 yao4 du2 zhi1 nan4
“The disaster of manipulative gods and poisonous medicine”
lit. “The disaster of demonic gods and poisonous medicines”
鬼神 refers to evil spirits, evil deities, etc
Possibly alluding to the hatred of the fallen gods Xiao slayed, or perhaps manipulative deities?
药毒 can refer to medicine with poison in them, expired/low-quality medicine, or misusing medicine for a treatment. Generally, something bad with natural properties medicine
man VS nature (?)
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恶兽毒虫之难
È shòu dúchóng zhī nàn / E4 shou4 du2chong2 zhi1 nan4
lit. “The disaster of malicious beasts and poisonous insects”
恶兽 refers to dangerous or malicious animals or beasts (natural ones, not those of a magical nature)
毒虫 refers to poisonous insects
man VS nature
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冤家恶人之难
Yuānjiā èrén zhī nàn / Yuan1jia1 e4ren2 zhi1 nan4
“The disaster of arch-nemeses and evil-doers”
lit. “The disaster of enemies and evil people”
冤家 refers to an enemy or arch-nemesis
恶人 refers to evil/bad people, evil-doers, etc
man VS man
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三眼五显仙人
Sān yǎn wǔ xiǎn xiānrén / San1 yan3 wu3 xian3 xian1ren2
Localized as “mighty and illuminated adeptus”
lit. "three eyes and five manifestations immortal”
(Info from HoYoverse’s Developer Insight on Xiao’s concept development)
仙人 are “demigod-like ‘immortals’” in Daoism
“The ‘three eyes’ part of the adepti's title refers to the ‘third eye’ possessed by those with the ability to manipulate elemental energy”
In humans, Visions (神之眼, lit “Eye of God”) fulfill this purpose
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听召前来守护
Tīng zhào qián lái shǒuhù / Ting1 zhao4 qian2 lai2 shou3hu4
“Summoned here to guard [you]”
tone is similar to something like “Xiao, reporting for duty”
lit. “Heard the order to be summoned and came to guard [you]”
召 means “summon” (verb) as in “order (someone) to be present”
前来 means “to come”
守护 means “to guard” (compared to 保护 which is “to protect”)
Rendering It into Shakespearean English
There’s no way to truly capture the imagery and connotations invoked in Chinese, but a close localization would be to write it in Shakespearean English. The straight translation in prose is too long, and there’s no rhythm in it.
To recap, here’s information about Xiao which we can infer from his speech
States the absolute worst-case scenarios (ambush, war, natural disasters, evil deities and beasts, enemies, etc) as plausible reasons for being summoned
an Adepti (immortal in the xianxia genre) due to his formal speech
last line implies someone under a contract or code of honour (think wuxia escorts)
Progress Rendition
“Come blinding wilderness or thievish paths, [水火刀兵], malicious spirits, fatal insects or mortal enemies, call out my name. Adeptus Xiao, summoned hither to protect.” Summoned hither at thy behest.
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I rendered it like so:
Come pathless wilds or thievish tricks, crises grave or spirits vile, hidden beasts or mortal foes, call out my name.
“The Mighty and Illuminated Adeptus”— Xiao, summoned hither to protect.
----
“pathless wilds or thievish tricks”
“the disaster of losing your path in the wilderness, the disaster of running into thieves on roads”
“crises grave or spirits vile”
“the disaster of natural calamities and war, the disaster of manipulative gods and poisonous medicine”
“hidden beasts or mortal foes”
“the disaster of malicious beasts and poisonous insects, or the disaster of arch-nemeses and evil-doers”
“summoned hither to protect”
“Summoned here to guard [you]”
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Meter
Iambic tetrameter (unstressed-stressed 4x, or x / x / x / x /) for the first part
(e.g. come PATHless WILDS or THIEvish TRICKS)
Catalectic trochaic tetrameter (stressed-unstressed 4x with last syllable missing, or / x / x / x / ) for the next two parts
(e.g. CRIses GRAVE or SPIrits VILE)
127 notes
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