Blog

[Chinese Learning] What is 皮皮虾,我们走?

皮皮虾,我们走
Pí pí xiā, wǒ men zǒu

This means to "Lets get a move on"

This long-lived and nonsensical meme has enjoyed enduring popularity likely because it is made up of two memes.

The "Let's go" part stems from the summons chant from Yu-Gi-Oh: Official Card Game, while the "mantis shrimp" with duplicated characters originally served as a nonsense word to express dissatisfaction.

Breaking down the phrase:
皮 refers to skin
虾 refers to prawns
我们走 refers to let us all go

[Chinese Learning] What is 戏精?

戏精
Xì jīng

This term usually describes someone who is obsessed with acting.
In the beginning, the phrase was used to describe people who are good at acting. However, it now has a meaning that is similar to “attention whore”.
In a way, this term has a negative connotation. It does not necessarily mean that the person is good at acting but instead, is a drama queen. Generally used on someone who gets easily upset or angry over small problems.

To break down the word:
戏 means act or to act

[Chinese Learning] What is 还有这种操作?

还有这种操作
hái yǒu zhè zhǒng cāozuò

This directly translates to: Never thought it could be like this!

This was first used in the field of online games, originating in China's e-sport circles. People playing online games often have some special skills and sometimes they would find some bug in the game and take advantage of it. So when they shared their experience, other “gamers” would be surprised. In a way, this phrase is used to criticize or praise something surprising.
However, the usage of the phrase has gone beyond gaming.

[Chinese Learning] What is 请开始你的表演?

请开始你的表演
Qǐng kāishǐ nǐ de biǎoyǎn

This directly translates to: Please begin your performance
It was first used in a talent show. Now people usually said this if they what to know more about another person.
This is commonly used in forums or discussion pages as a starting line. In a way, it is to allow the person to take a step back and truly listen and understand another person's story or whatever they are saying.

[Chinese Learning] What is 惊不惊喜意不意外?

惊不惊喜? 意不意外?
Jīng bù jīngxǐ yì bù yìwài

This translated to: Isn’t it surprising and unexpected?

This is a famous quote from the movie All’s Well, Ends Well (家有喜事1992).
Now it is used when things turned out to be out of your expectations.
However, it has a funny connotation to it. You may send it to your chinese friend and they would appreciate the link to their culture!

[Chinese Learning] What is 你的良心不会痛吗?

你的良心不会痛吗?
Nǐ de liángxīn bù huì tòng ma?

[Chinese Learning] What is 海螺人?

海螺人
Hǎiluó rén

海螺人 refers to those people look elegant, obedient and quiet, and they look just like ordinary people, but as long as you get close, try to listen to their voices, you can see that they are actually people with a great personality, has cultured opinions.

Interestingly,

海螺 actually means conch.
人 just means person.

[Chinese Learning] What is 懂事崩?

懂事崩
Dǒngshì bēng

This is a very interesting term that serves to describe many of the working young adults these days. As a young adult that is fresh in the workforce, they often find themselves in situations where their emotions and moods are in a mess yet they can't let these personal emotions and feelings affect their work. Therefore, they can only collapse after working and wake up again the next day as per normal.

[Chinese Learning] What is 靠脸吃饭?

靠脸吃饭
Kào liǎn chīfàn

Lets breakdown this phrase:
靠: refers to dependent or dependence
脸: refers to face
吃饭: refers to eating rice

Therefore, it refers to someone who relies on their face or appearances to earn a living. Generally, the chinese main staple is rice therefore they equate earning a living with being able to afford eating rice or a meal.

[Chinese Learning] What is 扎心了老铁?

扎心了老铁 or 扎心了! 老铁
(Zhā xīnle lǎo tiě)

First, let me explain the individual terms within this phrase.
老铁 (lao tie): It is a slang used usually by those from the Northern parts of China. It is used to refer to someone you know and is close to, and it signifies a sense of brotherhood. It is similar to the word 'Brother/Bro' in English.
However, for those from the previous generation in the past, it used to signify those illegitimate relationships such as mistresses but the meaning was more implicit.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - blogs