Idiots guide to Chinese women

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

Found yourself in a cultural quagmire? Wondering what those phrases and comments really mean. Have no fear. We can all share from our own experiences, strengths and hopes right here in this thread. Of course, you may or may not agree with my translations, so please feel free to add your own. To start with, I am using some of the more typical phrases in English used by many Chinese women toward a Western boyfriend or husband:

 

"You are cheap." Means=you cheap slimy bastard. You've got enough money to do this for me. What the hell is wrong with you? You better quit being so cheap with me or I will learn more English words to get you to spend money like I think it should be spent.

 

 

 

---more to come...

[chilton747]

I never get the "you are cheap" but I do get "you poor man" in it's place.

[amberjack1234]

I don't get either one of those but it is certainly implied that is for sure. I am retired and was so when she came here 13 years ago. So I live on 65% of my basic pay now. I had to open up a jet-ski business to satisfy that GREED for money. My wife does not want ANYTHING only money. Now just this last weekend the brother in law is asking for $100,000 us dollars to buy an new home. The only thing is that he don't want to work for it. Of course you know that I will be sending it to him post haste right.

 

Larry

[Mike and Yan]

I get the:

 

'You can not understand.'

 

I don't know if it's because:

I'm to stupid, or

I'm to white (not enough Chinese), or

she does not want to waste the time to tell me.

 

my reply: 'Maybe you can not understand that I understand' creates humorous confusion and all is good!

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

I'm not a girl, I am a woman!

 

As a Chinese woman learns English, many begin to learn the technical and grammatical differences between words. On the surface it appears she does not want to be viewed as an immature young girl. American English is a 'low context' language. That means, many phrases and the associated behaviors change often. My mother told me that she and other teenagers often said something was "Hot" if it was cool and happening. It was later replaced by words like, "Keen." Then, it wasn't cool to say something was "Hot" anymore. Today, people are using the word again, but a little differently. To fulfill the need to be unique and independent, every generation in America invents words, phrases, and behaviors that are a little different than the previous one. I often refer to an adult woman as "girl." To me, it is an endearing and respectful thing to call her. When she's bad, but oh so good, you may say, "You bad girl!"

 

Be careful when using words and phrases that have a lot of generational culture attached. Think about the actual meaning of the word as defined in the dictionary. Modern American English is filled with metaphors that identify to a unique brand of America. If the Chinese woman immerses herself into American and Western culture, they will begin to identify with these cultural subtleties. Think about the movie, "2001, A Space Odyssey, and the sequel, "2010." In "2010", John Lithgow's character became close friends with one of the Russian cosmonauts. The Russian asked John Lithgow to clarify, "Piece of Cake" and "Easy as Pie." During one of the scenes in the movie, the Russian completed a challenging task during a spacewalk, and said, "Piece of Pie!" John corrected him and said, "No, Piece of Cake!"

Edited March 2, 2012 by JiangsuExpat (see edit history)

[Kyle]

So far, I haven't received any of the above critiques. I'll have to think of some of the ones Jingjing says and get back to you all. . .

[DennisLeiqin]

I'm not a girl, I am a woman!

 

As a Chinese woman learns English, many begin to learn the technical and grammatical differences between words. On the surface it appears she does not want to be viewed as an immature young girl. American English is a 'low context' language. That means, many phrases and the associated behaviors change often. My mother told me that she and other teenagers often said something was "Hot" if it was cool and happening. It was later replaced by words like, "Keen." Then, it wasn't cool to say something was "Hot" anymore. Today, people are using the word again, but a little differently. To fulfill the need to be unique and independent, every generation in America invents words, phrases, and behaviors that are a little different than the previous one. I often refer to an adult woman as "girl." To me, it is an endearing and respectful thing to call her. When she's bad, but oh so good, you may say, "You bad girl!"

 

Be careful when using words and phrases that have a lot of generational culture attached. Think about the actual meaning of the word as defined in the dictionary. Modern American English is filled with metaphors that identify to a unique brand of America. If the Chinese woman immerses herself into American and Western culture, they will begin to identify with these cultural subtleties. Think about the movie, "2001, A Space Odyssey, and the sequel, "2010." In "2010", John Lithgow's character became close friends with one of the Russian cosmonauts. The Russian asked John Lithgow to clarify, "Piece of Cake" and "Easy as Pie." During one of the scenes in the movie, the Russian completed a challenging task during a spacewalk, and said, "Piece of Pie!" John corrected him and said, "No, Piece of Cake!"

Fortunately, recent English speaking arrivals here have not taken such offense to my colloguaial use of English, but tend to want to learn what are our different meanings and use of words. Maybe, different when living and interacting in China.

 

Reminds me when I first met my wife, Leiqin, and how I thought that it would be endering to introduce her as "my little wife" yet, I did not know, and no one told me, that the translation of sha lao po meant "my inferior wife" (or second wife).

Edited March 3, 2012 by DennisLeiqin (see edit history)

[Mick]

I'm not a girl, I am a woman!

 

As a Chinese woman learns English, many begin to learn the technical and grammatical differences between words. On the surface it appears she does not want to be viewed as an immature young girl. American English is a 'low context' language. That means, many phrases and the associated behaviors change often. My mother told me that she and other teenagers often said something was "Hot" if it was cool and happening. It was later replaced by words like, "Keen." Then, it wasn't cool to say something was "Hot" anymore. Today, people are using the word again, but a little differently. To fulfill the need to be unique and independent, every generation in America invents words, phrases, and behaviors that are a little different than the previous one. I often refer to an adult woman as "girl." To me, it is an endearing and respectful thing to call her. When she's bad, but oh so good, you may say, "You bad girl!"

 

Be careful when using words and phrases that have a lot of generational culture attached. Think about the actual meaning of the word as defined in the dictionary. Modern American English is filled with metaphors that identify to a unique brand of America. If the Chinese woman immerses herself into American and Western culture, they will begin to identify with these cultural subtleties. Think about the movie, "2001, A Space Odyssey, and the sequel, "2010." In "2010", John Lithgow's character became close friends with one of the Russian cosmonauts. The Russian asked John Lithgow to clarify, "Piece of Cake" and "Easy as Pie." During one of the scenes in the movie, the Russian completed a challenging task during a spacewalk, and said, "Piece of Pie!" John corrected him and said, "No, Piece of Cake!"

When I lived in China I was often told that a female was a "woman" if she was or ever had been married. Otherwise, she was a "girl." Even if she was 60 and never married. She was an "old girl." I recall an expat that lived a floor above me was dating a young girl, only in her early 20s. I remember a conversation where another Chinese woman, upon learning that this girl had been divorced, stated, "Oh, she's a woman, then. She knows what she wants."

[DennisLeiqin]

I'm not a girl, I am a woman!

 

As a Chinese woman learns English, many begin to learn the technical and grammatical differences between words. On the surface it appears she does not want to be viewed as an immature young girl. American English is a 'low context' language. That means, many phrases and the associated behaviors change often. My mother told me that she and other teenagers often said something was "Hot" if it was cool and happening. It was later replaced by words like, "Keen." Then, it wasn't cool to say something was "Hot" anymore. Today, people are using the word again, but a little differently. To fulfill the need to be unique and independent, every generation in America invents words, phrases, and behaviors that are a little different than the previous one. I often refer to an adult woman as "girl." To me, it is an endearing and respectful thing to call her. When she's bad, but oh so good, you may say, "You bad girl!"

 

Be careful when using words and phrases that have a lot of generational culture attached. Think about the actual meaning of the word as defined in the dictionary. Modern American English is filled with metaphors that identify to a unique brand of America. If the Chinese woman immerses herself into American and Western culture, they will begin to identify with these cultural subtleties. Think about the movie, "2001, A Space Odyssey, and the sequel, "2010." In "2010", John Lithgow's character became close friends with one of the Russian cosmonauts. The Russian asked John Lithgow to clarify, "Piece of Cake" and "Easy as Pie." During one of the scenes in the movie, the Russian completed a challenging task during a spacewalk, and said, "Piece of Pie!" John corrected him and said, "No, Piece of Cake!"

When I lived in China I was often told that a female was a "woman" if she was or ever had been married. Otherwise, she was a "girl." Even if she was 60 and never married. She was an "old girl." I recall an expat that lived a floor above me was dating a young girl, only in her early 20s. I remember a conversation where another Chinese woman, upon learning that this girl had been divorced, stated, "Oh, she's a woman, then. She knows what she wants."

Similar to Seniora vs. Seniorita in spanish, I guess.

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

I'm not a girl, I am a woman!

 

As a Chinese woman learns English, many begin to learn the technical and grammatical differences between words. On the surface it appears she does not want to be viewed as an immature young girl. American English is a 'low context' language. That means, many phrases and the associated behaviors change often. My mother told me that she and other teenagers often said something was "Hot" if it was cool and happening. It was later replaced by words like, "Keen." Then, it wasn't cool to say something was "Hot" anymore. Today, people are using the word again, but a little differently. To fulfill the need to be unique and independent, every generation in America invents words, phrases, and behaviors that are a little different than the previous one. I often refer to an adult woman as "girl." To me, it is an endearing and respectful thing to call her. When she's bad, but oh so good, you may say, "You bad girl!"

 

Be careful when using words and phrases that have a lot of generational culture attached. Think about the actual meaning of the word as defined in the dictionary. Modern American English is filled with metaphors that identify to a unique brand of America. If the Chinese woman immerses herself into American and Western culture, they will begin to identify with these cultural subtleties. Think about the movie, "2001, A Space Odyssey, and the sequel, "2010." In "2010", John Lithgow's character became close friends with one of the Russian cosmonauts. The Russian asked John Lithgow to clarify, "Piece of Cake" and "Easy as Pie." During one of the scenes in the movie, the Russian completed a challenging task during a spacewalk, and said, "Piece of Pie!" John corrected him and said, "No, Piece of Cake!"

When I lived in China I was often told that a female was a "woman" if she was or ever had been married. Otherwise, she was a "girl." Even if she was 60 and never married. She was an "old girl." I recall an expat that lived a floor above me was dating a young girl, only in her early 20s. I remember a conversation where another Chinese woman, upon learning that this girl had been divorced, stated, "Oh, she's a woman, then. She knows what she wants."

Similar to Seniora vs. Seniorita in spanish, I guess.

 

Mick, I have also heard the married versus single response. Dennis, I think Spanish language is more close to English in this case, in that they refer to the woman as "Miss" or "Mrs." I am not sure whether there is a commonly used word in Chinese Mandarin, that refers to a young woman definitively as being young and single. Some regions of China may call a young woman or waitress as 小姐 xiǎo jiĕ, which is often translated as "Miss." You have to be careful when using it though, as some women think of it as being offensive in China, like a prostitute. It's better to call a waitress, fú wù yuán 服务员.

 

Something quite different for we Americans is how Chinese language has a specific name for all members of family. If brothers or sisters, they refer to them designating whether they are older or younger. For grandmother, and grandfather, they designate which side of the family they come:

 

Father: bàba, 爸爸

Mother: māma, 妈妈

Older brother: gege 哥哥

Younger brother: dìdi, 弟弟 (also a cute name for a man's penis)

Older sister: jiě jie, 姐姐

Younger sister: mèi mei, 妹妹

Edited March 3, 2012 by JiangsuExpat (see edit history)

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

"Time to eat!"

"Are you hungry?"

"Have you eaten?"

 

Mealtime is very important in China. Not only is the mealtime important, but the time in which you have it is equally important. Breakfast should be served early in the morning, between 6-8AM. Chinese young people get up a little later in the morning than older people, so they may eat on their way to work, or if their workplace has a cafeteria, they will meet their friends and colleagues there to eat. Lunch, happens promptly at 12:00PM. Some restaurants may open and begin serving at 11:00AM, but you won't find many people eating. After about 1:30PM, most restaurants close, and workers eat, and take their noon nap in preparation for dinner. Dinner is served at 6:00PM. The same for lunch, many restaurants are closed until about 5:00PM. Most Chinese people eat dinner at 6:00PM. After 8:00PM, many restaurants are preparing to close and go home for the night. This is deep culture, but is changing a lot in many cities of China. Some restaurants are always open, or have extended hours. However, the meal traditions are still there. It's a good idea to respect the meal time and routine of Chinese people, especially if they have left China and gone to America.

Edited March 3, 2012 by JiangsuExpat (see edit history)

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

I get the:

 

'You can not understand.'

 

I don't know if it's because:

I'm to stupid, or

I'm to white (not enough Chinese), or

she does not want to waste the time to tell me.

 

my reply: 'Maybe you can not understand that I understand' creates humorous confusion and all is good!

 

She may be trying to tell you that she likes dog. You say, "yes, I like dogs too." She understands something, and you understand. You may have missed the part where she wants to cook your neighbors dog for lunch.

 

Edited March 4, 2012 by JiangsuExpat (see edit history)

[amberjack1234]

Jessie my wife's favorite is "later" for a trip. something that we need. Which translates to forget it for ever.

 

Larry

 

By the way the wife told the inlaws tonight that there would not a $100,000 in the mail for gege. Now we are both SOB's.

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

Jessie my wife's favorite is "later" for a trip. something that we need. Which translates to forget it for ever.

 

Larry

 

By the way the wife told the inlaws tonight that there would not a $100,000 in the mail for gege. Now we are both SOB's.

 

Don't they always say, it's the thought that counts? Here's a few animated gifs you can send brother-in-law gege:

 

http://i43.tinypic.com/dmuskk.gif

http://i39.tinypic.com/50pdl4.gif

http://i41.tinypic.com/6gj6vm.jpg

 

:-)

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

"It doesn't matter."

"Whatever."

"It's no problem."

 

Many of you have no doubt heard the common reply to "thank you" in Chinese Mandarin, as bú yòng xiè, 不​用​谢. This reply is often, and mistakenly translated as "you're welcome." However, literal and cultural translation shows it a little differently. It's better translated to English as: "You don't need to thank me." If you want to get a little laugh from your Chinese partner, the next time she thanks you, that is if you are lucky enough for her to say it, try replying by saying, bú yòng xiè. But, when you say it, sharply say, "bú " and pause for a second or two and follow with, "yòng xiè." This subtle usage changes the meaning to, "No, you should thank me."

 

If you truly want to improve your cultural understanding, start by not only learning about Chinese history, but also learning the cultural aspects of what these common words and phrases really mean. There are quite a few words in Mandarin that will translate directly, without hidden culture or secondary meanings. However, there are many that are deeply wrapped in culture and there is no way to translate them directly. I mentioned earlier that the USA is considered to be a "low context culture." That means, words, phrases, idioms, and metaphors change frequently. China is considered a "high context" culture. That means the meaning of the language is deeply rooted in words and phrases. So much so, that's it is very difficult for anyone who wasn't born in China to ever fully grasp many things. Try to keep an open mind, and avoid thinking that all one need do is use software to translate written Chinese language.

 

The phrase, "no problem" méi wèntí, 没问题, is often used in China, by someone attempting to let others know that everything is okay. Do not worry; all is well. However, it also may be used to communicate just the opposite. For example, they are not happy with you, and are letting you know it in this very subtle way.

Edited March 4, 2012 by JiangsuExpat (see edit history)