How about a small quiz to get you started: What are some common Chinese expressions for “having your period“? (Note: multiple answers are possible!)A: “I got ‘you know what’.” (我来那个了Wǒ lái nèige le)B: “My maid is here.” (我阿姨来了Wǒ āyí lái le)C: “My aunt has come.” (我大姨妈来了Wǒ dàyímā lái le).And, any suggestions? You may have already […]
Heatwave, sweat pouring out of every pore, and still no AC within reach? Why not cool off with a bite off Shanghai’s Pearl Tower? Or Beijing’s Temple of Heaven? Or perhaps lick the famous Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang? In China, famous landmarks are now available in vanilla, strawberry and grape-rum. Last year, stylish popsicles – […]
I will not allow myself to become a pot carrier. Perhaps you should simply throw this phrase into the room as a ruse the next time someone wants to turn you into a scapegoat. This linguistic maneuver will certainly cause confusion at first and will gain you time to shift the blame. If there are […]
For some it is the pinnacle of all snacking pleasure, for others an acoustic nightmare. If you have rather sensitive auditory canals and have ever been within the crunching radius of a passionate seed cruncher, you know: Now it’s either munch along or get the hell out. The seeds we are talking about here are […]
Have you been struggling to learn the Chinese language for a while now? In the beginning, you may have enthusiastically downloaded a learning app. But when you wanted to show off your language skills on your next visit to a Chinese restaurant, it turned out that this strategy wasn’t the best one. Because instead of […]
In the mood for campfire romance, but a simple bonfire just won’t cut it? Then off to go “glamping”! This is the new term for “glamorous camping”. And it’s all the rage among China’s urbanites these days. This wild neologism originates from the English. But in the meantime, the idea of an outdoor experience without […]
你吃了吗？Nǐ chī le ma? – “Have you eaten yet”? Many newcomers to China briefly fall into a communicative shock when this phrase is shouted at them for the first time by Chinese colleagues or superiors passing by, usually at lunchtime. The problem is that before you as a “Laowai” have sifted through your Chinese, answered […]
When Chinese friends tell you that China’s Internet users have once again successfully hunted for human flesh (人肉搜索 rénròu sōusuǒ), please take a deep breath first. No, it is not about cannibalism in cyberspace. Even if your dictionary may at first confirm the terrible suspicion. Because quite literally, 人肉搜索 (rénròu sōusuǒ) does indeed mean “human […]
China’s street scene these days no longer features beauties and beaus with light complexions, instead, it’s light-skinned people with a Covid complexion: the so-called “dabai”. This is how the Chinese vernacular has christened medical staff, helpers and law enforcement officers in white protective gear who manage the country’s sometimes turbulent state of Covid emergency.Interestingly, this […]
Return home after work, kick up your feet, and be served? That is not only possible back at home with the parents, but now also in the big Chinese city. Provided you have a bit of (digital) change at the ready and are willing to spend it. “Lazy economy” is the name of the booming […]