Yesterday during dinner, we discussed it but couldn't come up with many.
Words#
baba dad
mum mom
strong strong
sofa sofa, this is a transliteration.
I checked some information. Just to add.
shout is very similar to the current "叫" (to call), and interestingly, it is identical to the ancient character "啸" (to howl) in classical Chinese. bowl is quite different from the current "碗" (bowl), but what about the ancient Chinese "衣钵" (bowl)? bake and the ancient Chinese "焙" (to bake) pour "泼" (to pour)
mortal is similar to the ancient Chinese "殁" (to die), but the French ancestor of this word, mort (with the adjective suffix al added in English), is identical to "殁".
cough "咳" (to cough)
cheat "欺" (to deceive)
easy ancient Chinese "易" (easy)
song ancient Chinese "颂" (to chant)
seal ancient Chinese "玺" (seal)
tear and "涕" (tear)
torrent seed! Uh, no, it's very similar to "湍流" (turbulence), but if it's in the Romance language French, the pronunciation of torrent is exactly the same as "湍".
lost and "落" (to fall)
a four tones
ear "耳" (ear)
near ancient Chinese "迩" (near)
dawn ancient Chinese "旦" (dawn)
fan ancient Chinese "樊篱" (fence) "樊"
towl and "塔" (tower)
town and "屯" (to settle)
gel glue
shark shark
tower tower (some say this is a transliteration)
drag drag
shit shit
toss toss
leathate leachate
buckle buckle (to fasten)
butt handle, to bump with the head
syndrome syndrome (pronounced: symptoms)
liaison connection → contact
pengea Pangaea
course course(s)
leave leave
flee flee (to escape)
canteen canteen
book thin
saint saint
bully bullying
title (invoice) header
binding/bound binding
bow bowl
tanto too much
Shabby adj. shabby; despicable; stingy; inferior, in Chinese "煞笔"
Can be comparable,
want to attempt.
litchi lychee
ambulance— I can't die
collapse- crack
love amor
paw paw
help gang
token token
cheetah-- leopard
poke break out of the shell
back back
girl girl
sell sell
tour on the way
buy spendthrift
sting sting— dead sting
ponderous meaning: heavy. Pronounced "so fat it could die"
wanton wanton
totem totem
rely rely
corner corner (does it count? Many southern accents don't distinguish between l and n)
lure bait
deny deny
giggle giggle
awe awe
myths myths
logic logic
give give,
baby baby
coolie coolie
pregnant pregnant.--- a man comes over
sour spoiled
Alternative Analysis#
This person's analysis makes it feel like English is also a mix of Chinese characters. Haha
helmet→盔 = 灰 + 皿
ice→冰≈二 + 水
mule→骡 = 马 + 累
powder→粉 (look to the right, 分 = 八 + 刀)
tomb→墓 = 土 + 莫
Sentences#
Common Expressions
Walls have ears
Literal translation: Walls have ears. It means that others may be eavesdropping on someone speaking. This phrase is remarkably similar to the Chinese idiom "隔墙有耳".
Blood is thicker than water
Basically the same as the Chinese idiom "血浓于水", it can be considered a complete literal translation.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket
It is essentially a complete literal translation of what we often say: "别把鸡蛋放在一个篮子里".
Close your eyes to something
Closing your eyes to something, isn't it just the idiom we say "视而不见"?
Be able to/can do something in your sleep
Being able to do something even while asleep, metaphorically means being very proficient at doing something. We often say: "我闭着眼睛都能.....".
double-edged sword
Double-edged sword. In English, it is also used to express the dual nature of things.
fish in troubled waters
Refers to taking advantage of a situation for personal gain during chaos or difficulty. It uses the same metaphor as the Chinese idiom "浑水摸鱼", expressing the same meaning.
in one ear and out the other
Refers to what is heard or suggested being quickly forgotten, leaving no impression. It uses the same metaphor as "左耳进右耳出" in Chinese, expressing the same meaning.
in the blink of an eye
In the blink of an eye. Metaphorically means very fast, in the blink of an eye.
lead sb by the nose
To lead someone by the nose. Metaphorically means being controlled and blindly obeying others.
Strike while the iron is hot
Strike while the iron is hot. Act immediately while there is still an opportunity.
tip of the iceberg
The tip of the iceberg. The earliest, most obvious, or most superficial manifestation of a phenomenon.
Can't believe my eyes/ears
Can't believe my eyes/ears.
Trouble never comes by itself
Misfortunes never come singly.
under the same roof
Under the same roof.
References
Site Unreachable
Interesting Language Phenomena: The Surprisingly Similar Sounds and Expressions in Chinese and English, Is It Coincidence?