The 3 Things I Hear Everyday in China
My basic yet limited understanding of Mandarin, and the lack of foreigners who speak it, adds an extra twist to the experience. It’s very hard to describe without going into long and complicated stories. And I know your time is precious. So here’s a sample of what I mean: the 3 most common things people say to me. I honestly hear these almost everyday, and often more than once.
1. Ni hui shuo zhongwen ma??!! (You can speak Chinese??!!) Usually this is said with disbelief, admiration, or embarrassment…depending on the situation.
2. Ta ting bu dong. (He doesn’t understand.) This typically follows phrase number 1, because Chinese people like to give me a time-limit to answer their questions, usually between 0.3 - 1.2 seconds. However, 57% of the time, they are right.
3. Hao chi ma? (Is it delicious?) Anytime someone cooks food for you or invites you to a restaurant, you will hear this question. It is frequently paired with “Eat some more.” The unknowing foreigner might feel greatly pressured by this, and will often reply, “Yes.” As a result, many foreigners will start to resemble to shape of the dumplings which they consumed 82 of. To avoid this, it’s important to know how to handle this delicate situation. You must learn every possible way to compliment food, and then use varying degrees of compliments accordingly. “This one is extremely delicious!” That one is very acceptable!” “Please help yourself to this one, it is too delicous for
Peace from Beijing,
-A.Z.