What do you munch on with Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime and the like? Chips, nuts or fruit jelly? In China, couples have recently taken a liking to “snacking”. 嗑cp – pronounced “kè si-pi” – is the new Chinese term for this. Where “cp” is an abbreviation for the English “couple” or “coupling”. 嗑 kè […]
Are you familiar with this: Endless rolling around on the pillow and being unable to fall asleep? Or do you often find yourself curled up under the covers as a cell phone firefly, flickering through the night until well after the witching hour? Have you ever tried a slumber service? In the online service mecca […]
Do you have a caring streak? Or even a helper syndrome? Then you can really let off steam in China (at least linguistically). Because in the Middle Kingdom, you’ll be nurtured for all you’re worth. Responsible for this course of cuddling is the verb 养 yǎng – an amazing all-rounder among the caring verbs. The […]
Instead of wrinkling your wrinkles, why not loosen up your laughing muscles for a change? But if you’re looking for a good laugh in China, you’ll find it under an unexpected keyword: 脱口秀 tuōkǒuxiù – the talk show.Anyone thinking of political or promitalk is on the wrong track. The phonetic loanword from English (tuōkǒuxiù – […]
So To Speak – Episode 72, 10.10.2022不明觉厉bùmíngjuélìWhen learning Chinese, the classical four-part proverbs – the so-called Chengyu (成语 chéngyǔ) – open up a fascinating new universe. In just four inconspicuous characters, these linguistically pocket-sized aphorisms summarize profound wisdom and empirical values that have been passed down in China for centuries. The only catch: Chengyu can […]
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 shell, the claws of an eagle, the paws of a tiger, the scaly body of a fish, and the fiery eyes of a devil? Correct, a dragon. At least […]
Let’s face it: haven’t we all rubbed up against someone else’s cooked food? Or maybe chafed against someone else’s car? No? But you’ve certainly rubbed up against free Internet, I bet!If you’re rubbing your eyes in confusion, you have heard correctly. In Chinese, 蹭 cèng “rub, scrub” is an all-round expression for everything that has […]
Just as in German, there are also intransitive verbs in Chinese, i.e. verbs which, according to school grammar, cannot have a direct object after them and therefore do not allow a direct passive construction. In other words, even in Chinese you can say “I see you” (transitive), but not “I go you”, because go is […]
In your everyday grind, you wander through the crowds in the pedestrian zone or stand in line at the supermarket, bored and typing into your mobile phone … and then this! The back silhouette of a handsome beau or a seductive beauty gets your blood pumping and romantic fantasies rolling. In your mind, you are […]
“May I kiss you?” This phrase is one of the running gags among Chinese learners (and teachers) when teaching the basics of Chinese pronunciation. As is well known, Chinese is a tonal language, which means that raising and lowering the voice according to certain patterns is relevant to meaning. So if you mess up the […]