Gummy bears go straight on the hips. Naturally, we’ve known this for a long time in the land of gummy bear connoisseurs. But the Chinese have had a cute euphemism for this kind of gourmet flab for even longer – namely the bear waist! It appeared in classical texts as part of the four-character idiom […]
Feeling restless, anxious, or agitated? Can you not think clearly while sitting in your office chair, and your sweaty hands magically gravitate toward your smartphone? Well, maybe these are just withdrawal symptoms, and it’s time to snort a few cats online again! Because, let’s be honest, watching a couple of purring felines on YouTube or […]
Endless action sequences, tedious sentimentality, yawn-inducing drivel, or comedy that make you laugh aloud – when have you reached your personal pee point in the movie theater? Don’t worry! All seats remain dry in this scenario. Because the Chinese “pee point” (尿点 niàodiǎn) is not a command to pee “on the spot,” but rather a […]
What has the head of a camel, the ears of an ox, the horns of a stag, the neck of a snake, the abdomen of a clam, the claws of an eagle, the paws of a tiger, the scaly body of a fish and the fiery eyes of a devil? That’s right, a dragon, at […]
When you think of brushes, do you mostly think of toothbrushes, hairbrushes and shoebrushes? Or all kinds of other bristly instruments that make your surroundings shiny and smooth? Then, a look at everyday Chinese jargon could give your metaphorical gear a good brushing over. Because when you’re browsing on your smartphone in China, you occasionally […]
Everybody’s darling or the critical king of criticism, all-rounder or super relaxed sock? Which character costume do you slip into before heading off to the office in the morning? And: Have you ever unintentionally pulled off a “persona plop”? But first things first.The shrinks of this world have long since figured it out: In everyday […]
Mekkes instead of Mexican, U-Bahn instead of Uber, Rewe instead of health food stores – in times of high prices and a lack of economic well-being, many consumers are shifting down a gear in terms of consumption. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, they are gradually relegated to the second or third consumer league in everyday shopping, […]
Have you ever been sprayed with daddy scent? Dad jokes, mansplaining, broad-leggedness – Chinese women also find it very annoying when men switch to alpha-male mode and play the know-it-all macho. Chinese ladies now also sniff at this linguistically and sense 爹味 diēwèi (also often pronounced 爹味儿 diēwèir in northern Chinese slang), literally “daddy smell” […]
Life isn’t always a walk in the park and can sometimes be rather depressing. Luckily, nature has equipped us with certain neurotransmitters that can lift us out of misery and emotionally paint everyday dullness with happier colors. Chief among them: dopamine.These days, dopamine junkies know many ways to quickly get their “fix”: streaming series, TikTok […]
The salesman who sweet-talks you into buying something, the colleague who highly praises the boss’s design in front of the whole team, the Tinder date who whispers sweet compliments over the bar counter to perhaps get you into bed after all… Such behavior irritates you. From the Chinese point of view, no wonder! After all, […]