Most people have heard of the “proper” way to address people in conversation but realistically most of us use colloquial sayings, slang, and idioms to communicate and get our point across. Think about it; when was the last time you had a conversation like this:
– Hi, how are you doing today sir?
– I am doing very well thank you, and how are you today?
This type of dialogue may be found in a more formal setting but how many times a day are you in formal situations where using your second language is a must? If I had to guess, not very often, and you probably don’t speak like that in your native tongue all that often either. Your dialogues probably look something like this:
– Hey man, long time no see.
– Ya! Good to see you. What’s up? Or what have you been up to?
It’s a more casual way of conversing and translated literally (What’s up) might be confusing but once you understand that it’s an informal greeting it makes conversations more fun. So today we have 5 slang sayings in Mandarin that may not translate literally but everyone in China will know what you are talking about.
What a bunch of n00bs, newbz, noobs, nubes:
It only seems appropriate to start with the slang term n00b. It is a saying that transcends languages across the globe to refer to people that are beginners at just about anything but more specifically video games, sports, or technical equipment.
菜鸟 (càiniǎo) – Literally it means: 菜 Dish, vegetables and 鸟 bird
How did these 2 Characters become “Noob”? It’s hard to say for sure but some speculate that the character 笨 (stupid or clumbsy) was originally intended for the phrase “Noob” but was mistakenly replaced with 菜 and thus the Mandarin characters for “Noob” were born.
How to do things naked in public:
People in China use the word naked to describe things other than their nude bodies
裸婚 (luǒ hūn) – is used to describe eloping in China. Also referred to as a “naked wedding”. The bride and groom get married without a ring, house, car or care in the world.
裸辞 (luǒ cí) – is used to describe quitting a job without having another job lined up. A.K.A. “the naked resignation”
裸考 (luǒ kǎo) – Have you ever taken a test and had no clue what the test material covered? Well than you are guilty of “naked testing”. It is an expression used to describe taking a test with zero preparation.
Stressed? Can’t take it anymore?
People in China have a unique way of saying they are about to snap
伤不起 (shāngbùqǐ) – Literally translated it means “injury, scar, and unbearable” This phrase is commonly used when referring to investments, taxes, dating, and marriage.
Want to say good bye? 再见Zàijiàn
As in English, there are multiple ways to end a conversation or say goodbye in Mandarin. Here are a few casual ways other than 再见 Zàijiàn.
明天见 (míng tiān jiàn): See you tomorrow; this is not directly interchangeable with再见 Zàijiàn, it should only be used if you do in fact plan to see the person tomorrow.
再联系！ (zài lián xì): Let’s stay in touch; a borderline cliché it can be used regardless of whether or not you do plan on staying in touch.
有空再聊 (yǒu kòng zài liáo): When’re you’re free, let’s chat again; this is used for conversations involving close friends and will make you seem like you’re not just an expat traveling through but a local that has been in China for a while.
Valentine’s Day is used to catch someone?
In China Valentine’s Day is commonly referred to as (情人节 – qín rén jié) “catch your lover day” The Characters literally mean Catch, Person, Holiday and are used in 2 very different contexts:
The first is used for couples who are trying to catch their lovers in an affair by hiring a private eye to snoop around and see if they are having an affair of any kind.
The second is a bit more like what you were probably expecting. “Catch your lover” means to find (or catch) that special someone and spend Valentine’s Day with them.
We hope you enjoyed our post on slang sayings. Let us know if you have any slang sayings you would like us to talk about or maybe some slang that “threw you for a loop” the first time you heard it in China. Feel free to comment below.