Posted by Andrew
Hello to all my reader 盆友 (friends)! 哇吓咪 (why) am I talking like this? 94俺 (it’s just that I) want to teach you some net slang. Don’t 晕 (feel faint) and don’t break a 汗 (sweat). By the end of this, you’ll saying, “at first he 745 了(really had me mad), but he’s no 愤青 (angry youth)! He was just trying to 顶(bump) his post because he wasn’t the 楼主 (thread starter).”
盆友 pen2you3 - friends (another form of 朋友 peng2you3)
哇吓咪 wa1xia4mi2 - why? (form of 为什么 wei4shen2me?)
94 jiu3si4 - I know, right? (form of 就是! jiu4shi4- emphatically pointing something out)
俺 an1 - I (used instead of 我 wo3)
745 qi1si4wu3 - makes me so angry! (气死我 qi4si3(2)wo3)
晕 yun1 - to feel faint (can be used like “are you serious? oh my goodness!” in reaction to surprising news. 晕倒 yun1dao3 (faint) is used for higher degree expression.
汗 han4 sweat (used to indicate that someone is nervous about something)
愤青 fen4qing1 - angry youth (a common term online referring to angry teenagers, used more often in reference to young netizens)
顶 ding3 - bump (this is similar to the “like” button on some webpages which can affect the page’s ranking)
楼主 lou2zhu3 -thread starter
Posted by Andrew
Yesterday was 七夕节 (Chinese Valentine’s Day). It comes from the story of a mortal cowherd 牛郎 (lit. cowherd) and 织女 (lit. fabric woman), a goddess, who met but eventually were torn apart (versions of why vary). Every year on the 7th day of the 7th month on the 阴历 (lunar calendar), there is a 鹊桥 (bridge of magpies) that allows the two to meet. I was at a 歌厅 (karaoke establishment) yesterday and saw what I presumed were groups of women looking to 发泄 (vent) about the day or to pass the time until they could meet up with their boyfriends. For dinner, nearly every restaurant I saw was full of people busy with 约会 (dates), and a cab I was going to take was 抢走 (stolen away) by a guy holding flowers.
七夕节 qi1xi1jie2 - Chinese Valentine’s Day
牛郎 niu2lang2 - cowherd
织女 zhi2(3)nv3 - fabric woman
阴历 yin1li4 - Lunar calendar
鹊桥 que4qiao2 - bridge of magpies
歌厅 ge1ting1 - lit. song room. Karaoke establishment
发泄 fa1xie4- vent
约会 yue1hui4 - date
抢 qiang2- to steal
Posted by Andrew
Living in Shenzhen has placed me near Hong Kong, which puts me near innumerable 茶餐厅 (HK-style cafes). Besides serving one of my favorite dishes - 蛋挞 (egg tart, it should be one of your favorite dishes too) - there are also great 牛肉粥 (beef rice porridge) dishes. For drinks, you’re never at a loss, as you can enjoy some 好力克 (Horlicks almond milk), 朱古力 (Chocolate- usually Ovaltine with ice cubes), 鸳鸯 (coffee and tea mixed together), or 柠乐 (coke with lemon). For great treats, you can always get a good 西多士 (french toast HK style- warning for health-conscious individuals: sometimes it’s fried, others it’s topped with condensed milk) or better yet a 菠萝油 (pineapple bun with butter). Since 茶餐厅 are usually crowded, it makes sense to 搭台 (share a table) with other people.
茶餐厅 cha2can1ting1 - HK-style cafe
蛋挞 dan4ta2 - egg tart (egg custard)
牛肉粥 niu2rou4zhou1 - beef rice porridge
好力克 hao3li4ke4 - Horlicks
朱古力 zhu1gu3li4 - Chocolate
柠乐 - ning2le4- Lemon coke
鸳鸯 yuan1yang1 - coffee and tea mixed together (refers to a “pair” of unlike elements, originated with mandarin ducks)
西多士 xi1duo1shi4 - French toast
菠萝油 bo1luo2you2 - Pineapple bun (with butter)
搭台 da1tai2 - share a table
Posted by Andrew
What people are there in your family? My family is made up of the following members - there’s 妈妈(mom/mother) 爸爸 (dad/father), of course, and 2 姐姐(older sister)- my 大姐 (big older sister) 二姐(little older sister). My 奶奶(paternal grandmother) is from Poland, while my 爷爷(paternal grandfather) was from NYC of Irish extraction, and both 外公 (maternal grandfather) and 外婆(maternal grandmother) are or Irish ancestry. Do you have any 兄弟姐妹? (siblings)
妈妈 ma1ma1 - mother
爸爸 ba4ba4 - father
姐姐 jie(2)3jie3 - older sister
大姐 da4jie3- bigger older sister
二姐 er2jie3 - younger older sister
奶奶 nai(2)3nai3 - paternal grandmother
爷爷 ye2ye2- paternal grandfather
外婆 wai4po2 - maternal grandmother
外公 wai4gong1 - maternal grandfather
兄弟姐妹 xiong1di4jie3mei4 - siblings
Posted by Andrew
Yesterday I wen to a huge 音乐会 (concert) where the only music was 电子音乐 (electronic music). It was held at a 广场 (plaza) in the 798 area, a place known for its new-age 艺术 (art). Notably during the festival, there were very few 垃圾桶 (trash cans) near the areas where people were 跳舞 (dancing), leaving cups strewn all over the place. Some people tried to jump up on stage, but a group of 保安 (guards) rushed over to move them away. The afterparty was canceled owing to 考虑 (considerations) about security. It’s not like this is the first time that Beijing has hosted an event with a large 观众 (audience). Oh well, 下次吧. (next time)
音乐会 yin1yue4hui - concert
电子音乐 dian4zi3yin1yue4 - electronic music
广场 guang3(2)chang3 - plaza, public square
艺术 yi4shu4 - art
垃圾桶 la1ji1tong3 - trash can
跳舞 tiao4wu3 - dance
保安 bao3an1 - guard(s)
考虑 kao3lv4 - consider/concern
观众 guan1zhong4 - audience
下次吧 xia4ci4ba - next time
