Translation Challenges: Underpants vs. Undershorts

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A reader objected that in his blog below about the CCTV tower’s unflattering names, Austin mistranlated the word that should be rendered as “shorts,” instead translating it as “underpants.” Well, in defence of Austin’s translating abilities, the word in question, 大裤衩, dakucha, actually does mean underpants. I guess occassionally (very occassionally) it is rendered as “shorts,” but then most likely meaning “undershorts.” Obviously, too, we’re not talking about bikini briefs or Y-Fronts here but good old fashioned boxers. Now there’s any idea. Spend hundreds of millions of dollar on a building that resembles Jockey Y-Fronts. What would that symbolize?