In America we say...

[griz326]

I've really been entertained by what's become a game between myself and my daughter.

 

I say...

 

In America we say, "Enter your old saying."

 

Then she says...

 

In China we say, "Old Chinese saying."

 

 

 

The only time that I've stumped her so far is with:

 

In America we say, "knee high to a grasshopper..." to refer to someone who was very little. (I think it was a western character played by Gabby Hayes who popularized that expression.)

 

 

Yesterdays' gem was: "Blood is thicker than water."

 

She quickly responded with a Chinese saying.

 

Then I asked, "I wonder who said that first?"

In a nanosecond she blurted, "Chinese! *hehehe*"

 

 

Some of the others have been:

• "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
  
• "Dying is easy, it's living that's hard."
  
• "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush."
  
• "Never put all of your eggs in one basket."
  

 

My apologies for not knowing the Chinese sayings, but we've had a lot of fun with that game.

[warpedbored]

I find stuff like this fascinating. One that stumped my wife when she first got here was "there you go". The tough part was trying to explain to her what it meant.

 

a few Japanese sayings

"You're so cute I could put you in my eye and it wouldn't hurt" (for a child)

"you're so cute I could eat you" (again for a child but not nearly as endearing)

and one of my all time favorites,

"There's no medicine for fools"

 

Hey Griz, here's one I doubt they have the same saying for, "As American as Mom and apple pie".

[griz326]

Hey Griz, here's one I doubt they have the same saying for, "As American as Mom and apple pie".

 

I'm certain that my daughter would find some way to say the Chinese said that first!!!

 

[Zhou Zhou]

I had to explain a US expression this morning. ...putting someone, "on the spot".

 

Yesterday a friend asked her husband to guess my wife's age...she put him on the spot. (He was smart and guessed low)

[Doug]

It is so fun to play with the kids that way. Lil One was a blast but she learned all the expressions from reading. She reads more than any one person I ever met. Now she is frustrated with teaching her Mom who does not have a clue.

 

Now I communicate with an english teacher in Xi'an these days. I made it clear we are just friends and she accepts it. So I poke fun at her all the time as she is the teacher and should teach me. But basically I throw out words and expressions we actually use here and make fun of her about how can her boys, all boys highschool, ever know how to talk once they get here? She takes it all in stride and laughs and punches back at me, verbally. Anyway it is interesting about how to explain expressions and words and phrases we use every day. Blows her mind actually, so we have fun.

[DongDong]

¡°Raining cats and dogs¡± ¡­ got a funny look on this one, but the girls sort of figured it out

[Zhou Zhou]

The other night on TV a guy kept using the "SoB" expression...finally after several times I was asked the question/definition. So being some what of an expert I taught my Hu Po how to say the phrase with conviction and contempt...she did good. So I emailed my redneck neighbor the next day and told her...10 minutes later she knocked on the door wanting to hear Ying say those nasty words...

[A Mafan]

How about "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" ?

[A Mafan]

Here's one I actually did have to try to explain/describe in Chinese:

 

"It needs more cowbell."

[chilton747]

Here's one I actually did have to try to explain/describe in Chinese:

 

"It needs more cowbell."

Did she understand?

[A Mafan]

Here's one I actually did have to try to explain/describe in Chinese:

 

"It needs more cowbell."

Did she understand?

Eventually.

She got hung up on thinking the original statement was sarcasm. It didn't help that the statement was quoted for ironic effect.

 

Language can be really fun when you pop the hood and tinker with its innards.

[Kyle]

"It needs more cowbell"

 

Now, that's just awesome!

 

I have to go find that SNL skit on youtube now. . .

 

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/628756/

[chilton747]

Tried to get her to understand what it means when I say "It's too wet to plow." But so far all I get is a weird look.

[dnoblett]

 

The only time that I've stumped her so far is with:

 

In America we say, "knee high to a grasshopper..." to refer to someone who was very little. (I think it was a western character played by Gabby Hayes who popularized that expression.)

 

We are talking about Idioms..

 

I just stumbled across a book my wife picked up from the give away bin at the library.

 

Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms, Phrases, Sayings, & Expressions by Marvin Terban.

 

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0590381571.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

 

http://www.amazon.com/Scholastic-Dictionary-Idioms-Marvin-Terban/dp/0590381571

 

For example: "Knee high to a grasshopper.."

This American expression was first recorded in 1814 as "knee-high to a toad."....

[steveandrong]

Rong says in china they also say "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" and "The grass is alwways greener on the other side of the hill" among others that just don't come to me right now.