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Q: your favourite Chinese expression?

straighforward question.

I'll start off with an amusing one. i don't know the exact pinyin of it, but it sounds like:
"Nan ren, ke yi."
the translation is "Of course, here you are."

Chinese customer service staff would do well to get rid of "Mei you" and replace it with this.
It took me over 3 years in China to learn this expression, and then only as translation of an English sentence in class.

And nan ren, I had great fun "mishearing" the expression, pretending to think it meant "Men can."
"Oh? Nv ren bu ke yi ma?"

8 years 46 weeks ago in  General  - China

 
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this is pretty drawn out, so it takes a while to get it out...  

 

Nǐ shì fēngle, wǒ fēngle

zhè shì suǒyǒu de fèihuà.Ràng wǒmen yǒu yīgè píjiǔ  

you are crazy, I am crazy and it is all bullshit.let's have a beer

 

hi2u:

I gotta ask, how do you type pinyin with the tone markers?

8 years 46 weeks ago
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8 years 46 weeks ago
 
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"Laoban!!....kai feng shan"

Switch the fan on. I dont know the word for aircon, but this works most of the time. It gets a giggle. Same as "wu yow nio nio... chu nalia " Smile

SwedKiwi1:

 

If the laoban has an air conditioner you can say:

 

kai kong tiao

 

Didn't know how to say turn on the fan until recently myself.

 

8 years 46 weeks ago
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8 years 46 weeks ago
 
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this is pretty drawn out, so it takes a while to get it out...  

 

Nǐ shì fēngle, wǒ fēngle

zhè shì suǒyǒu de fèihuà.Ràng wǒmen yǒu yīgè píjiǔ  

you are crazy, I am crazy and it is all bullshit.let's have a beer

 

hi2u:

I gotta ask, how do you type pinyin with the tone markers?

8 years 46 weeks ago
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8 years 46 weeks ago
 
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At home, we are overusing a recent catchphrase "ni shi zhu ma ??!!", when behaves a bit like a pig.

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8 years 46 weeks ago
 
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'Nie shi laowai' aimed as Q at Chinese, when they don't understand my English.

coineineagh:

i do a similar one when kids call me waiguoren. "wo bu shi waiguoren. wo laizi wo de guojia. ni shi waiguoren." similar to your reply, but with extra handholding so they understand i'm not just talking nonsense when i call them foreigner.

8 years 46 weeks ago
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icnif77:

I do it in the Supermarkets, when they attempt to push things. I tell them '.......laowai? with the facial expression (my eyes open as much as I can). They always reply with laugh.

With kids, one must be more sensitiveangel, and ready for defeat.

I lower my eye lash with forefinger, and stare back toward the starer. All adults embarrassed walk away immediately,  buTT.....one kid in Fujian imitated me and looked back at me.

8 years 46 weeks ago
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My favorite is:

 

".... ge pi" - whatever they say it is full of shit. So if someone says... shi hen jin or "it's very close", can you say "hen jin ge pi" which means "bullshit it's very close!"

 

Shining_brow:

Gou pi? - Dog's fart?? Has the same meaning.

8 years 46 weeks ago
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Robk:

Not the same thing. "ge" is a classifer like "yi ge ren"

 

pi is the same... so if someone says like hen hao...

 

you can say "hen hao ge pi" - like saying "very good, bull shit!"

 

Chinese say this all the time to bring down what each other say.

 

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A:  "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "S
A: "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "Shenzhen agent can connect you with an employer, who's authorized to hire waigouren ... and can sponsor Z visa." It's not like every 10th person you meet in Shenzhen's hood can sponsor work visa ...  The only way to change from student to labourer visa is just a regular way by: 1. Finding an employer, who'll apply for an Invitation letter; 2. Exit China and apply for Z visa in your home country's Chinese embassy; 3. Enter China in 30-days after Z visa was stamped into your travelling instrument ...As I am aware, you won't be able to switch to Working permit by remaining in China....,so make ready for a return to your home .... -- icnif77