Antique Car or Grandfather Car? 古董车 (gǔ dǒng chē) 还是 老爷车 (lǎo yé chē)?

As China has become the second largest economic power in the world after the US, we have heard that automobile sales are going well in China. Millions of people enjoy driving and the ownership of private cars. This is such a contrast from the days when I was in Beijing. Since I never liked the public bus that much, I always preferred to ride my bicycle. I rode to high school every day for my senior year. Then I rode between my home in the southeast corner of the city and Tsinghua University in the northwest corner of the city for seven years. Sometimes, I rode through the center of the city along Eternal Peach Avenue; other times, I rode along the third ring road. I rode in all weather--sun, rain, or snow. Each way could easily take 2 to 3 hours. I guess no one would do that anymore unless he/she were training for the Tour de France.

Well even then, I knew cars. Although there were no privately owned cars as I knew, there were some cars owned by the government. We call cars 小汽车 (xiǎo chì chē). However, I didn’t know anything about antique cars or classic cars until I came to the US.

Today when I was helping a friend to practice her Mandarin Chinese, she told me that the Chinese now start to learn about and appreciate antique cars and classic cars. The world’s top antique car auction companies are looking into the Asian market as well. As we practiced in Mandarin, my friend asked me how to say antique cars or classic cars in Chinese. I told her 古董车 (gǔ dǒng chē) or 经碘车 (jīng diǎn chē). I actually have never heard anyone talk about them in Mandarin, but I know 古董 (gǔ dǒng) is for antique as in antique painting, furniture, or other object, and 车(chē ) is for car. 经碘 (jīng diǎn) is for classic as in classic literature. After I got home I checked the Google translator for antique car and classic car. It verified my translation of antique car 古董车 (gǔ dǒng chē), but it translated classic car to 老爷车 (lǎo yé chē). 老爷(lǎo yé) means grandfather. So I thought: oh…Google thinks classic car is grandfather car like a grandfather clock. Hmm…I am not sure if that is a good way to see it.

At the end of our lesson, my friend introduced me to her husband Don Rose. He turns out to be the classic car specialist for RM Auctions, which will offer James Bond’s Aston Martin--“the world’s most famous car”--at its annual auction next month in London. Next Monday morning The Today Show on NBC will have “Don Rose with the Bond Car!” Would you call this Bond Car 老爷车--a grandfather car?