wang ba dan

Chinese for a egg (son) of a turtle; similar to SOB but with a slightly longer history. Origins vary, but the most popular theory is that comes from wang ba duan (忘八端), which means forgetting filial piety, 'brotherly respect', loyalty, trustworthiness, politeness, justice, honesty and shame. (Being ashamed means you know you did something wrong. Calling someone shameless can be highly offensive.) Incidentally, apart from turtle, wang ba also means someone who wears a green hat.

Though if you're looking for a Chinese translation of SOB, there are better equivalents.

A: Ni zhe (you) hunzhang (shameless) wuchi (shameless) beibi (low) xialiu (seedy) si zazhong (damned mongrel dog) gei wo gun dan (take a hike)!

B: Bi zui (shut up)! Ni zhe ge bu yao lian de (shameless) wang ba dan zhen bu shi dongxi (lower than things)!

Note: Don't copy this or you'll end up in hospital for a year or two.

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