Learn Chinese From Awesome 80s Hollywood Action Movies

In the lead up to our Mandarin Month mixer on June 24, where you'll be able to meet with Beijing's best Mandarin schools, we'll be dishing out some language-learning advice on a daily basis. Read on if you don't want to wait to get started on improving your 中文.

Hollywood action flicks from the 80s are the best. Not only do they provide a valuable cultural reference that can succinctly explain how a trivial matter is ill-fitting towards your advanced age, but they also prove themselves to be excellent tools for learning Mandarin Chinese.

To explain: Chinese translations of Western movies are usually literal and pragmatic. For example, The Fast and Furious has a Chinese equivalent of "Speed and Passion" (速度与邀请 sùdù yǔ yāoqǐng) while Star Wars is simply known as "Great War of the Planets" (星球大战 xīngqiú dàzhàn). But when it comes to 80s action flicks, Chinese translators have come up with localized titles as awesome as their films.

Here's a short list of some of the best Chinese translations of Hollywood action movie titles:

Chengyu Titles

A chéngyǔ (成语) is a four-character Chinese idiom packed with meaning and cultural references. Besides serving as a quick abbreviation to a popular saying, they also reference historic events involving China's most important people.

What this means for us is that the following films are too awesome to be given an uninspired title.

English Title: The Running Man (1987)
Chinese Title: (Guan Yu) Triumphs Over Adversity By Beheading the Generals

This 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi romp has been celebrated by being given a wholefully Chinese name: 过关斩将 (guòguānzhǎnjiàng), which basically means "to overcome all obstacles in the way." Chengyu are often about a historical event, and this one is no different, telling the trials of Guan Yu from the epic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

After a set of fantastic circumstances, Guan Yu found himself trapped behind enemy lines and forced to collaborate with his sworn enemy, the always-laughing Cao Cao. Cao Cao admired Guan Yu and wanted him to join his ranks, but Guan Yu refused, citing his peach blossom garden pledge of loyalty to Liu Bei. Cao Cao was reluctant to kill Guan Yu, so offered him this deal: Guan Yu was free to go if he could make it past his army alive.

And that was all Guan Yu needed. Romance of the Three Kingdoms details Guan Yu's flight to freedom in which he passed multiple obstacles (过关 guòguān, which means "to pass a checkpoint") that consisted of killing the generals that dared stand in his way (as seen by the second half of the chengyu, 斩将 zhǎn jiàng). This chengyu is aptly used for The Running Man since Schwartzenegger also has to fight through multiple obstacles like Subzero and the opera-singing Dynamo.

The boom in the Chinese film market came after the height of Schwarzenegger's popularity, but interest in the aging action star is still very high. Schwarzenegger will appear later this year in a Russian-Sino movie as well as a 2019 film about a Chinese tourist destination. All the same, the Chinese translated title of The Running Man may be China's biggest compliment to Schwarzenegger; a comparison to Guan Yu is literally a comparison to a god.

English Title: Top Gun (1986)
Chinese Title: Cherish High Aspirations

Tom Cruise battled Communists in this massive 80s hit whose title would have been difficult to translate into Chinese. And yet, China's translators proved to be more than resourceful by employing the chengyu 壮志凌云 (zhuàngzhìlíngyún), which literally means "to have soaring aspirations."

This pun on a movie with an airborne protagonist doesn't have a story like other chengyu, originating from an old novel. The four characters of the chengyu are an abbreviation of a poem from the novel, telling us that through strong will (壮志 zhuàngzhì), one can reach the clouds (凌云 língyún).

Top Gun really only became infamous years after its release with Quentin Tarrantino's "gay rant," but China also contributed to this film's enduring legacy when it was discovered a Chinese military propaganda video surreptitiously reused footage from the movie.

English Title: The Untouchables (1987)
Chinese Title: Grave as a Judge

DeNiro's baseball analogy may have been lost on Chinese audiences, but the moral fortitude of Kevin Costner's Elliot Ness certainly wasn't as seen by this film's Chinese title 铁面无私 (tiěmiànwúsī), which literally means "to have a steel face without any personal compunctions."

This chengyu specifically refers to the historical figure of Bao Wenzhang, an incorruptible judge whose upstanding character is symbolized in Chinese opera by having a blackened face. In the film, Ness is likewise shown to be beyond temptation, described as "untouchable" after refusing a bribe.

Fake Chengyu Titles

There are only a limited number of chengyu in the world, but Chinese translators have found ways of spreading the epicness to 80s action movies by "inventing" their own chengyu that allude to hidden stories of awesome deeds from long ago.

English Title: Die Hard (1988)
Chinese Title: Courageous Tiger, Mighty Dragon

The best Christmas movie of all time has been immortalized in China with the localized title of 虎胆龙威 (hǔdǎnlóngwēi), which literally means "Courageous Tiger, Mighty Dragon." This doesn't make much sense considering Die Hard featured a lone "cowboy" for its hero, but Chinese TV localizations also failed to capitalize on the film's famous catchphrase. And yet, that's still a cool title for a great film about shooting bad guys.

English Title: Tango and Cash (1989)
Chinese Title: Angry Tiger and Crazy Dragon

Tigers and dragons are again used in the Chinese title for Tango and Cash, 怒虎狂龙 (nùhǔkuánglóng), suggesting to us that awesome movies must be referenced by equally awesome animals. This isn't such an outlandish notion considering the next title ...

English Title: Commando (1985)
Chinese Title: Single-Handedly Storming the Dragon's Watery Lair

Chinese titles for Western movies sometimes give away important plot points, but we think this title serves less as a spoiler and more as an incredible elevator pitch. The Chinese title for Commando is 独闯龙潭 (dúchuǎnglóngtán), as is a complete a summary for the movie as could be hoped for, save for omitting the appearance of a young Alyssa Milano.

English Title: Total Recall (1990)
Chinese Title: Mighty Dragon of the Universe

Yet another Schwarzenegger localized film title to mention dragons, this ultra-violent Paul Vehoeven film is called 宇宙威龙 (yǔzhòuwēilóng) in Chinese. Consider that the film presents mulitple realities, we think this title is rather appropriate even though mythological animals are used to describe a sci-fi film.

English Title: Red Dawn (1984)
Chinese Title: Invasion of the Sky Foxes

Although its harmonized 2012 remake chose to go with a literal translation (赤色黎明 chìsè límíng), the Chinese translated title of the original version chose to reference the scene where Cuban paratroopers first appeared in the film. Called 天狐入侵 (tiānhúrùqīn), the localized title also references fox fairies from Chinese mythology, an immortal being not to be trifled with.

The Outliers

English Title: The Blues Brothers (1980)
Chinese Title: The Lucky, High-Ranking Hegemonic Duo

Considering the importance of family in Chinese society, we have no idea why this film isn't called "The Blues Brothers." But, seeing as the film featured classic American music styles as epitomized by cameos of iconic American singers, we think the outrageous car chases probably led Chinese translators to call it 福禄双霸天 (fúlùshuāngbàtiān).

English Title: Desperado (1995)
Chinese Title: The Murderer Trilogy

Not from the 80s, but this awesome shoot'em-up flick somehow got saddled with the name 杀人三步曲 (shārén sānbùqǔ). As it goes, we can't figure out why the Chinese name of this film isn't The Guitar that Played Fire.

English Title: Léon: The Professional (1994)
Chinese Title: This Hitman is Not That Cold-Hearted

Chinese movie titles usually keep it nice and short by using the four character style of the chengyu (real or otherwise). And yet, some films drop the convention and are fully-functioning grammatically-correct sentences like this one. Called 这个杀手不太冷 (zhège shāshǒu bú tài lěng), the Chinese title is a far-cry from the simplicity of its English or French title, Léon.

And to show you the impact this movie has had on China, here's actor Sun Honglei's take on the "Chinese version" of The Professional pictured alongside their inspiration:

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