Showing posts with label slang. Show all posts
Showing posts with label slang. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Slang: 不吃这一套 Not give a damn


(not)   (eat) (this) 一套 (set of ) 

 

Meaning - Someone doesn't care whatever the other people's pressure or threats on him/her.  It's similar to "Not give a damn" or "Not give a shit" in English.

 

For example:

 

你别吓我,我不吃这一套。(Don’t threaten on me, I don't give a damn.)

 

他不吃这一套,我们要换个方法对付他。(This strategy doesn’t work on him, we need to find another way to deal with him.)





Monday, June 7, 2021

Buzzword - 割韭菜 Garlic Chives or Chinese Chives

 韭菜 - chive, a perennial plant related to the onion and having slender leaves used as a vegetable in China. Chives grow quickly and can be harvested many times during the growing season.

Recently, 韭菜 has a derived meaning - the lowest class people. 割韭菜 (harvesting the chives), meaning - the government make the people suffer by the unfair policies.

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Slangs from Foods 来自饮食的俚语



甜酸苦辣—— The original meaning: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy. The derive meaning - various experiences from life.

e.g.     他活到这个岁数,人生的甜酸苦辣都尝遍了。

At his age, he has experienced everything in life, including happiness or disaster.

柴米油盐酱醋茶——The original meaning: firewood, rice, cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea. The derive meaning: Trivial essential things in life.

e.g.    生活就是柴米油盐酱醋茶。

Life is all about the trivial essential things.

——The original meaning: spicy. When 辣 is compounded with 妹 or 妈,it means outgoing. e.g. 辣妹,outgoing girl. 辣妈,outgoing mom.

泼辣——outgoing, bold, not shy.

e.g.  这个女子很泼辣。

This woman is fearless.

甜滋滋——The original meaning: sweet.  The derive meaning: happy.

e.g. 这位妈妈在母亲节收到孩子的礼物,心里甜滋滋的。

This mom got mother's day gifts from her kids, feeling very happy.

甜蜜蜜——The original meaning: sweet. The derive meaning: happy.

e.g.    大家祝福这对新人生活永远甜蜜蜜。

Everyone wishes this newly-wed a happy life forever.

苦哈哈——The original meaning: bitter. The derive meaning: bitter, difficult.

e.g.    因为疫情,很多餐馆都少了很多客人,苦哈哈地撑着。

Many restaurants have lost lots of costumers because of the pandemic, they're struggling to keep on. 

酸溜溜——The original meaning: sour. The derive meaning: combination of jealous and dejected.

e.g.    他的同事升职了,他心里酸溜溜的不是滋味。

His coworker got promotion, he feels dejected.

吃醋——The original meaning: to sip vinegar. The derive meaning: envy of someone because of affection

e.g.    那人因为女友和别的男人打情骂俏而大为吃醋。

That man was jealous because his girlfriend flirted with other men.

醋意——The original meaning: vinegar, The derive meaning: jealousy.

她看到男友向别的女孩献殷勤,醋意大发。

She couldn't hide her jealousy when she saw her man ingratiated other girl.

刀子嘴,豆腐心——The Original meaning: knife mouth, tofu heart. The derive meaning: tough word but soft heart.

e.g.     他这个人刀子嘴,豆腐心,没有恶意。

This guy is tough in mouth but soft in heart, hasn't any hostility.






Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Slang 俚语:只见贼吃肉,没见贼挨打

 只only见see 贼thief吃eat肉meat,没didn't见see贼thief挨打was beaten,

The literal meaning - only see the thief eat the meat, didn't see the thief being beaten.  

The actual meaning - Don't envy those money obtained by improper means.

e.g.  别羡慕那家伙外表风光,你是只见贼吃肉,没见贼挨打,他其实好赌成性,一身烂债。

     Don’t envy that guy’s appearance. You only saw the thief eat meat and didn’t see the thief being beaten. He's actually a gambler and a bad debt.


Monday, October 12, 2020

Slang俚语: 我没吃过猪肉,还没见过猪跑?I‘ve never eaten pork, haven't I seen pigs run?



我没吃过猪肉,还没见过猪跑啊?

The literal meaning- I‘ve never eaten pork, haven't I seen pigs run?

The actual meaning - Although I haven't experienced that situation, I knew it from other ways.

e.g.  张三老爱吹嘘自己的房子多气派,其实,他的房子算什么呀。我没吃过猪肉还没见过啊?我房产经纪,见过的豪宅多了去了

Zhang San always loves to brag about how luxurious his house is. In fact, his house is nothing. Although I‘ve never eaten pork, haven't I seen a pig run? When I was a real estate agent, I had seen lots of  luxury houses.


Thursday, September 24, 2020

Slang: 可不是吃素的 the person is not as weak or nice as you think



可不是吃素的,the literal meaning is "not a vegetarian", but the actual meaning is "the person is not as weak or nice as you think".

e.g.     那家伙可不是吃素的,你提防着点。
           That guy is not easy to deal with, you have to be careful.


Thursday, August 13, 2020

Slang: 吃饱了撑的 😓- Do Silly Things With Extra Energies

吃饱了撑的, literal meaning- the stomach is stretched after eating too much. It's used for blame people did silly things with their extra energies because they have nothing else to do. Those people never worry about the food while other people work hard to avoid starvation.

e.g. 他天天摆弄他的自行车,结果把车弄坏了。真是吃饱了撑的。
He fiddled with his bicycle every day, and ended up breaking it. It's silly.

Monday, June 29, 2020

Slang:空手套白狼 To Gain lots of Money Without any Investment

空手套白狼(Kōngshǒu tào báilàng) original meaning is: caught the wolf without any tool but the empty hands.  It's an analogy to someone gained lots of money without any Investment. Mostly those businesses are at a high risk, the ways they used are illegal or from the gaps of the law.

例如:他的公司什么也没有,但他空手套白狼,靠倒卖进口汽车指标赚了第一桶金。
e.g. His company doesn't have any assets but he earned his first budget of god by reselling the imported car quotas. 

Saturday, June 13, 2020

Slang: 有两把刷子

有两把刷子(having tow brushes), meaning-possession of the means or skill to do something.

比如:公司本来要倒闭了,但新来的经理接手之后,起死回生,这人有两把刷子。
e.g.   This company almost went out of business, but it has been recovered after the new manager took over, he's a competent person.