Mandarin Phrases with double meanings

九月 12, 2017

As language evolves, it goes without saying that meaning will alter or even completely change. This is true for all languages and Mandarin is no exception. So, let’s look at a few seemingly innocent phrases and their hidden meanings.

戴绿帽子 dai lu maozi: To wear a green hat

This is an unusual concept but nonetheless very interesting. Ever wondered why you get more than the usual weird looks when you wear a green hat? During the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang made it a law for all men working in the prostitution trade to wear green hats. Later on, this green hat was used to identify a man whose wife had been unfaithful and thus, “made him wear a green hat.” This is why you will never see a Chinese person, especially a man, wearing a green hat. It infers that his wife has been unfaithful

吃软饭 chi ruan fan: To eat soft rice

Literally this phrase means “to eat soft rice” but has the interpretative meaning of a man who is supported financially by a female.

飞机场 fei ji chang: Airport

From about the year 1990 when China was well into its open-door policy, it was increasingly obvious to Chinese men that the breasts of Chinese woman were a lot flatter than that of the WesternHollywood movie stars (quite an unfair comparison in my opinion). The slang term fei ji chang was thus derived to describe a female with a chest “as flat as an airport.”

恐龙 kong long: Dinosaur and 青蛙 qing wa: frog

In our age of the World Wide Web it is increasingly easy to make your average looking person seem ridiculously attractive online. The terms “kong long” and “qing wa” have been adopted by Chinese youths to describe people met on the internet who initially seemed attractive but then turned out that after meeting them in person, were rather the opposite. Kong long (dinosaur) refers to an ugly girl while qing wa (frog) tends to refer to an ugly boy.

吃豆腐 chi dou fu: To eat tofu

Literally this phrase is harmless and refers to the consumption of a vegetarian protein. However, the term has evolved to mean, “to flirt with a woman.” This is some very interesting imagery.

小姐 xiao jie: Miss

In the States it is very common to refer to a young woman as “Miss.” In China however, it implies a rather nasty meaning. Xiao jie can imply a prostitute and so while calling a lady xiao jie Wang or whatever their last name may be is acceptable, do not call a female by only “xiao jie” as you might get a slap in the face!

These are some of the terms that I have encountered in China. Do you know anymore? Comment bellow and keep the conversation going. It will help all of us to avoid some really awkward moments.

Key words: Mandarin, Learn Chinese, Learn Mandarin in China

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