Guest guest Posted June 5, 2006 Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 The words xu and shi (vacuity/repletion, deficiency/excess) have been discussed so much on CHA in the past that surely everyone is bored to tears with the topic (I know I am!). But just for fun, I thought I'd share the range of meaning that " xu " has in Taiwanese slang. Xu is common in the slang of young people, and it shares a little bit in common with the US slang of " lame " or " weak. " As in, " you're soooo lame " or " dude, that's really weak. " In Chinese, the most common construction is " ni hen xu! " (You are really Xu!). It basically means that you aren't keeping up, you are lagging behind the capabilities that you should have, you are disappointing your friends by your sub-par participation. A few example scenarios: Xu is often used in the context of drinking. For example, if everyone is on their third glass of wine and you are still barely sipping through you're first half-glass, people will tell you " You are really xu! " (Come on, don't be so lame, we are all chilling out drinking good wine and you aren't even touching it!) If you drink one glass of wine and you start babbling like a drunken fool, they'll say " you are so xu! " (you can't even hold your liquor enough to handle one glass of wine without becoming an idiot). Same thing if someone smokes pot and spends the whole night in the bathroom throwing up and staring at the wall. If you just ordered some fried chicken and you eat a few bites but don't even finish the little serving that you ordered, people will say " you are so xu! " (you can't even finish an order of fried chicken? that's weak, dude!). Same thing if you are out to eat with your friends and they have ordered a huge spread of food, but you sit there occassionally dipping your chopsticks into the bean sprouts without thoroughly attacking every plant, beast, and dumpling on the table. They'll say " You are so xu! " (We ordered this huge spread of good food and you say you are already full? What's up with that?). You can even say " You are so xu! " if your friend is always last in the race at every track and field section of gym class. Or if they are a husky guy but they bench press just the bar with no weight. " You are so xu! " But especially for drinking. Or singing. Taiwanese people will often tell their foreign friends that " You are so xu! " because the foreigners go out singing at KTV clubs with their Taiwanese friends and are too shy to pick up the mic and boogie. Many uses, that word xu. Great word. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 5, 2006 Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 Thanks for that tip, Eric. I am planning on taking a trip to China this summer. I signed on to teach English in one of the schools in Dalian, it turns out. Hope to improve my rudimentary Chinese and get used to the language, slang, etc. to be able to make better use of a subsequent CM trip. Are you familiar with Dalian? Do you have any suggestions about what I might explore should I actually have any spare time? Thanks, ann The words xu and shi (vacuity/repletion, deficiency/excess) have been discussed so much on CHA in the past that surely everyone is bored to tears with the topic (I know I am!). But just for fun, I thought I'd share the range of meaning that " xu " has in Taiwanese slang. Xu is common in the slang of young people, and it shares a little bit in common with the US slang of " lame " or " weak. " As in, " you're soooo lame " or " dude, that's really weak. " In Chinese, the most common construction is " ni hen xu! " (You are really Xu!). It basically means that you aren't keeping up, you are lagging behind the capabilities that you should have, you are disappointing your friends by your sub-par participation. A few example scenarios: Xu is often used in the context of drinking. For example, if everyone is on their third glass of wine and you are still barely sipping through you're first half-glass, people will tell you " You are really xu! " (Come on, don't be so lame, we are all chilling out drinking good wine and you aren't even touching it!) If you drink one glass of wine and you start babbling like a drunken fool, they'll say " you are so xu! " (you can't even hold your liquor enough to handle one glass of wine without becoming an idiot). Same thing if someone smokes pot and spends the whole night in the bathroom throwing up and staring at the wall. If you just ordered some fried chicken and you eat a few bites but don't even finish the little serving that you ordered, people will say " you are so xu! " (you can't even finish an order of fried chicken? that's weak, dude!). Same thing if you are out to eat with your friends and they have ordered a huge spread of food, but you sit there occassionally dipping your chopsticks into the bean sprouts without thoroughly attacking every plant, beast, and dumpling on the table. They'll say " You are so xu! " (We ordered this huge spread of good food and you say you are already full? What's up with that?). You can even say " You are so xu! " if your friend is always last in the race at every track and field section of gym class. Or if they are a husky guy but they bench press just the bar with no weight. " You are so xu! " But especially for drinking. Or singing. Taiwanese people will often tell their foreign friends that " You are so xu! " because the foreigners go out singing at KTV clubs with their Taiwanese friends and are too shy to pick up the mic and boogie. Many uses, that word xu. Great word. Eric ---------- Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.8.1/355 - Release 6/2/06 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 5, 2006 Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 On 6/4/06, Eric Brand <smilinglotus wrote: > > > Many uses, that word xu. Great word. > That was really fun. Thanks. -- Shi is inevitable, xu is optional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 5, 2006 Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 , <snakeoil.works wrote: > > Thanks for that tip, Eric. I am planning on taking a trip to China this summer. I signed on to teach English in one of the schools in Dalian, it turns out. Hope to improve my rudimentary Chinese and get used to the language, slang, etc. to be able to make better use of a subsequent CM trip. Are you familiar with Dalian? Do you have any suggestions about what I might explore should I actually have any spare time? Do remember that Chinese slang is very regional, so Taiwanese slang probably won't get you very far in Dalian. Dalian is a nice city and it is not far from Beijing, so you will have access to a lot of cultural stuff. Beijing is a pretty interesting city, and Dalian recently won some poll for the highest quality of life for any Chinese city. A few hours from Beijing in Anguo, the largest herbal marketplace in Northern China (has been the biggest herbal market there since the Han Dynasty roughly 2000 years ago). It is well-worth checking out, a whole city of herbal shops. They'll try to rip you off if your Chinese isn't really good, so go with a local (it is rural and transportation is an issue as well). Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 5, 2006 Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 Thanks, Eric. Is that " few hrs " by bus or train or what? Ann , <snakeoil.works wrote: > > Thanks for that tip, Eric. I am planning on taking a trip to China this summer. I signed on to teach English in one of the schools in Dalian, it turns out. Hope to improve my rudimentary Chinese and get used to the language, slang, etc. to be able to make better use of a subsequent CM trip. Are you familiar with Dalian? Do you have any suggestions about what I might explore should I actually have any spare time? Do remember that Chinese slang is very regional, so Taiwanese slang probably won't get you very far in Dalian. Dalian is a nice city and it is not far from Beijing, so you will have access to a lot of cultural stuff. Beijing is a pretty interesting city, and Dalian recently won some poll for the highest quality of life for any Chinese city. A few hours from Beijing in Anguo, the largest herbal marketplace in Northern China (has been the biggest herbal market there since the Han Dynasty roughly 2000 years ago). It is well-worth checking out, a whole city of herbal shops. They'll try to rip you off if your Chinese isn't really good, so go with a local (it is rural and transportation is an issue as well). Eric ---------- Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.8.2/356 - Release 6/5/06 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 5, 2006 Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 Eric, What you have been able to learn in terms of the language and culture has been quite impressive to me. And your generosity in sharing what you learned are to be commended. However, this is probably the first time I have to pick on what's learned here. I think you probably mixed the word Xun(4) for Xu(2), as they have the same vowel. This applies to all of the examples you cited here. Thank you for bringing back some of the fond memory for me, though! Mike L. Eric Brand <smilinglotus wrote: The words xu and shi (vacuity/repletion, deficiency/excess) have been discussed so much on CHA in the past that surely everyone is bored to tears with the topic (I know I am!). But just for fun, I thought I'd share the range of meaning that " xu " has in Taiwanese slang. Xu is common in the slang of young people, and it shares a little bit in common with the US slang of " lame " or " weak. " As in, " you're soooo lame " or " dude, that's really weak. " In Chinese, the most common construction is " ni hen xu! " (You are really Xu!). It basically means that you aren't keeping up, you are lagging behind the capabilities that you should have, you are disappointing your friends by your sub-par participation. A few example scenarios: Xu is often used in the context of drinking. For example, if everyone is on their third glass of wine and you are still barely sipping through you're first half-glass, people will tell you " You are really xu! " (Come on, don't be so lame, we are all chilling out drinking good wine and you aren't even touching it!) If you drink one glass of wine and you start babbling like a drunken fool, they'll say " you are so xu! " (you can't even hold your liquor enough to handle one glass of wine without becoming an idiot). Same thing if someone smokes pot and spends the whole night in the bathroom throwing up and staring at the wall. If you just ordered some fried chicken and you eat a few bites but don't even finish the little serving that you ordered, people will say " you are so xu! " (you can't even finish an order of fried chicken? that's weak, dude!). Same thing if you are out to eat with your friends and they have ordered a huge spread of food, but you sit there occassionally dipping your chopsticks into the bean sprouts without thoroughly attacking every plant, beast, and dumpling on the table. They'll say " You are so xu! " (We ordered this huge spread of good food and you say you are already full? What's up with that?). You can even say " You are so xu! " if your friend is always last in the race at every track and field section of gym class. Or if they are a husky guy but they bench press just the bar with no weight. " You are so xu! " But especially for drinking. Or singing. Taiwanese people will often tell their foreign friends that " You are so xu! " because the foreigners go out singing at KTV clubs with their Taiwanese friends and are too shy to pick up the mic and boogie. Many uses, that word xu. Great word. Eric Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low rates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 5, 2006 Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 I think Mike and Eric are going to have to post some characters to clarify this. Perhaps at some point Eric has asked someone to write it out. doug--- In , Mike Liaw <mikeliaw wrote: > > Eric, > > What you have been able to learn in terms of the language and culture has been quite impressive to me. And your generosity in sharing what you learned are to be commended. > > However, this is probably the first time I have to pick on what's learned here. > > I think you probably mixed the word Xun(4) for Xu(2), as they have the same vowel. > This applies to all of the examples you cited here. > > Thank you for bringing back some of the fond memory for me, though! > > Mike L. > Eric Brand <smilinglotus wrote: > The words xu and shi (vacuity/repletion, deficiency/excess) have been > discussed so much on CHA in the past that surely everyone is bored to > tears with the topic (I know I am!). But just for fun, I thought I'd > share the range of meaning that " xu " has in Taiwanese slang. > > Xu is common in the slang of young people, and it shares a little bit > in common with the US slang of " lame " or " weak. " As in, " you're > soooo lame " or " dude, that's really weak. " In Chinese, the most > common construction is " ni hen xu! " (You are really Xu!). It > basically means that you aren't keeping up, you are lagging behind > the capabilities that you should have, you are disappointing your > friends by your sub-par participation. > > A few example scenarios: > > Xu is often used in the context of drinking. For example, if > everyone is on their third glass of wine and you are still barely > sipping through you're first half-glass, people will tell you " You > are really xu! " (Come on, don't be so lame, we are all chilling out > drinking good wine and you aren't even touching it!) > > If you drink one glass of wine and you start babbling like a drunken > fool, they'll say " you are so xu! " (you can't even hold your liquor > enough to handle one glass of wine without becoming an idiot). Same > thing if someone smokes pot and spends the whole night in the > bathroom throwing up and staring at the wall. > > If you just ordered some fried chicken and you eat a few bites but > don't even finish the little serving that you ordered, people will > say " you are so xu! " (you can't even finish an order of fried > chicken? that's weak, dude!). Same thing if you are out to eat with > your friends and they have ordered a huge spread of food, but you sit > there occassionally dipping your chopsticks into the bean sprouts > without thoroughly attacking every plant, beast, and dumpling on the > table. They'll say " You are so xu! " (We ordered this huge spread of > good food and you say you are already full? What's up with that?). > > You can even say " You are so xu! " if your friend is always last in > the race at every track and field section of gym class. Or if they > are a husky guy but they bench press just the bar with no > weight. " You are so xu! " > > But especially for drinking. Or singing. Taiwanese people will > often tell their foreign friends that " You are so xu! " because the > foreigners go out singing at KTV clubs with their Taiwanese friends > and are too shy to pick up the mic and boogie. > > Many uses, that word xu. Great word. > > Eric > > > > Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low rates. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 5, 2006 Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 £É£ô£è£é£î£ë¡¡£ô£è£é£ó¡¡£é£ó¡¡£ô£è£å¡¡£ø£õ¡¡£ô£è£á£ô¡¡£Å£ò£é£ã¡¡£é£ó¡¡£ô£á£ì£ë£é\ £î£ç¡¡£á£â£ï£õ£ô£®¡¡Ðé £É¡¡£è£ï£ð£å¡¡£ù£ï£õ¡¡£ã£á£î¡¡£ò£å£á£ä¡¡£é£ô£® £Ç£á£â£å¡¡£Æ£õ£å£î£ô£å£ó _________________________ (this reads under Gb 2312 -doug) --- wrote: > I think Mike and Eric are going to have to post some > characters to clarify this. > Perhaps at some point Eric has asked someone to > write it out. > doug--- > > > In , Mike Liaw > <mikeliaw wrote: > > > > Eric, > > > > What you have been able to learn in terms of the > language and culture has been quite > impressive to me. And your generosity in sharing > what you learned are to be commended. > > > > However, this is probably the first time I have > to pick on what's learned here. > > > > I think you probably mixed the word Xun(4) for > Xu(2), as they have the same vowel. > > This applies to all of the examples you cited > here. > > > > Thank you for bringing back some of the fond > memory for me, though! > > > > Mike L. > > Eric Brand <smilinglotus wrote: > > The words xu and shi (vacuity/repletion, > deficiency/excess) have been > > discussed so much on CHA in the past that surely > everyone is bored to > > tears with the topic (I know I am!). But just for > fun, I thought I'd > > share the range of meaning that " xu " has in > Taiwanese slang. > > > > Xu is common in the slang of young people, and it > shares a little bit > > in common with the US slang of " lame " or " weak. " > As in, " you're > > soooo lame " or " dude, that's really weak. " In > Chinese, the most > > common construction is " ni hen xu! " (You are > really Xu!). It > > basically means that you aren't keeping up, you > are lagging behind > > the capabilities that you should have, you are > disappointing your > > friends by your sub-par participation. > > > > A few example scenarios: > > > > Xu is often used in the context of drinking. For > example, if > > everyone is on their third glass of wine and you > are still barely > > sipping through you're first half-glass, people > will tell you " You > > are really xu! " (Come on, don't be so lame, we > are all chilling out > > drinking good wine and you aren't even touching > it!) > > > > If you drink one glass of wine and you start > babbling like a drunken > > fool, they'll say " you are so xu! " (you can't even > hold your liquor > > enough to handle one glass of wine without > becoming an idiot). Same > > thing if someone smokes pot and spends the whole > night in the > > bathroom throwing up and staring at the wall. > > > > If you just ordered some fried chicken and you eat > a few bites but > > don't even finish the little serving that you > ordered, people will > > say " you are so xu! " (you can't even finish an > order of fried > > chicken? that's weak, dude!). Same thing if you > are out to eat with > > your friends and they have ordered a huge spread > of food, but you sit > > there occassionally dipping your chopsticks into > the bean sprouts > > without thoroughly attacking every plant, beast, > and dumpling on the > > table. They'll say " You are so xu! " (We ordered > this huge spread of > > good food and you say you are already full? > What's up with that?). > > > > You can even say " You are so xu! " if your friend > is always last in > > the race at every track and field section of gym > class. Or if they > > are a husky guy but they bench press just the bar > with no > > weight. " You are so xu! " > > > > But especially for drinking. Or singing. > Taiwanese people will > > often tell their foreign friends that " You are so > xu! " because the > > foreigners go out singing at KTV clubs with their > Taiwanese friends > > and are too shy to pick up the mic and boogie. > > > > Many uses, that word xu. Great word. > > > > Eric > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 5, 2006 Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 , <snakeoil.works wrote: > > Thanks, Eric. Is that " few hrs " by bus or train or what? > Ann There are no trains to Anguo, and it would be a really long and slow rural bus. You're best off hiring a car and driving or getting a local friend with wheels to take you there. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 5, 2006 Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 , Mike Liaw <mikeliaw wrote: > I think you probably mixed the word Xun(4) for Xu(2), as they have the same vowel. > This applies to all of the examples you cited here. No, definitely not. This is the slang use of the word xu, the exact same character and sound as vacuity/deficiency. It isn't xun. No mistake, you just might not have heard people use xu for this slang usage. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 5, 2006 Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 >There are no trains to Anguo, and it would be a really long and slow >rural bus. You're best off hiring a car and driving or getting a local >friend with wheels to take you there. >Eric No hitchhiking, huh? ;-) ---------- Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.8.2/356 - Release 6/5/06 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 Of my closest Chinese friends here in Los Angeles, one is 50 years old from Shanghai, another 40 from Guanzhou, one 30 from Nanjing and several 20 somethings from Taiwan. One will swear by a slang word or phrase while others haven't heard of it. Me butchering the pronunciation doesn't help! Wo hen Xu! ;-) doug , " Eric Brand " <smilinglotus wrote: > > , Mike Liaw <mikeliaw@> > wrote: > > I think you probably mixed the word Xun(4) for Xu(2), as they have > the same vowel. > > This applies to all of the examples you cited here. > > No, definitely not. This is the slang use of the word xu, the exact > same character and sound as vacuity/deficiency. It isn't xun. No > mistake, you just might not have heard people use xu for this slang > usage. > > Eric > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 , " " wrote: > > Of my closest Chinese friends here in Los Angeles, one is 50 years old from Shanghai, > another 40 from Guanzhou, one 30 from Nanjing and several 20 somethings from Taiwan. > One will swear by a slang word or phrase while others haven't heard of it. Me butchering > the pronunciation doesn't help! Wo hen Xu! > ;-) Chinese slang varies widely from place to place. The normal words can vary a lot as well. For example, the common way of addressing a young woman in Taipei is to call her xiao jie, but this ubiquitous word is used much more rarely in Beijing because there it has the connotation of a bar-girl who sips expensive drinks with you and possibly offers other services. Chinese is a language that is marked by relatively few slang words in comparison with English. But some of their slang words are really clever. Young people can speak about highly inappropriate things in front of their grandparents without the old folks even having a clue that code words are being used. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 And I've stopped using tongzhi -colleague/comrade- for the same reason after someone hipped me to its alternative meaning - gay person. doug , " Eric Brand " <smilinglotus wrote: > > , " " > <taiqi@> wrote: > > > > Of my closest Chinese friends here in Los Angeles, one is 50 years > old from Shanghai, > > another 40 from Guanzhou, one 30 from Nanjing and several 20 > somethings from Taiwan. > > One will swear by a slang word or phrase while others haven't heard > of it. Me butchering > > the pronunciation doesn't help! Wo hen Xu! > > ;-) > > Chinese slang varies widely from place to place. The normal words can > vary a lot as well. For example, the common way of addressing a young > woman in Taipei is to call her xiao jie, but this ubiquitous word is > used much more rarely in Beijing because there it has the connotation > of a bar-girl who sips expensive drinks with you and possibly offers > other services. > > Chinese is a language that is marked by relatively few slang words in > comparison with English. But some of their slang words are really > clever. Young people can speak about highly inappropriate things in > front of their grandparents without the old folks even having a clue > that code words are being used. > > Eric > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 I can see in the year 3500 scholars debating the confusing case study of a colleague waitress who in the eyes of the practitioner seemed quite deficient. doug , " " wrote: > > And I've stopped using tongzhi -colleague/comrade- for the same reason after someone > hipped me to its alternative meaning - gay person. > doug > > , " Eric Brand " <smilinglotus@> wrote: > > > > , " " > > <taiqi@> wrote: > > > > > > Of my closest Chinese friends here in Los Angeles, one is 50 years > > old from Shanghai, > > > another 40 from Guanzhou, one 30 from Nanjing and several 20 > > somethings from Taiwan. > > > One will swear by a slang word or phrase while others haven't heard > > of it. Me butchering > > > the pronunciation doesn't help! Wo hen Xu! > > > ;-) > > > > Chinese slang varies widely from place to place. The normal words can > > vary a lot as well. For example, the common way of addressing a young > > woman in Taipei is to call her xiao jie, but this ubiquitous word is > > used much more rarely in Beijing because there it has the connotation > > of a bar-girl who sips expensive drinks with you and possibly offers > > other services. > > > > Chinese is a language that is marked by relatively few slang words in > > comparison with English. But some of their slang words are really > > clever. Young people can speak about highly inappropriate things in > > front of their grandparents without the old folks even having a clue > > that code words are being used. > > > > Eric > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2006 Report Share Posted June 12, 2006 I forwarded the slang discussion below to a Taiwanese (transplanted to the US some time ago) and she contributed this in return.....(just for the record, this woman is in her 30's I would think.) ....And thanks for the " xu " discussion. It's hilarious! But maybe it's the younger generation's slang. MY generation uses the word " shuai(1) " and in Taiwanese it's pronounced " sue(1) " (no such sound is used in Mandarin). And we say " You are so sui " , in Taiwanese, for all the occasions given in your forwarding. .....and so on, Ann The words xu and shi (vacuity/repletion, deficiency/excess) have been discussed so much on CHA in the past that surely everyone is bored to tears with the topic (I know I am!). But just for fun, I thought I'd share the range of meaning that " xu " has in Taiwanese slang. Xu is common in the slang of young people, and it shares a little bit in common with the US slang of " lame " or " weak. " As in, " you're soooo lame " or " dude, that's really weak. " In Chinese, the most common construction is " ni hen xu! " (You are really Xu!). It basically means that you aren't keeping up, you are lagging behind the capabilities that you should have, you are disappointing your friends by your sub-par participation. A few example scenarios: Xu is often used in the context of drinking. For example, if everyone is on their third glass of wine and you are still barely sipping through you're first half-glass, people will tell you " You are really xu! " (Come on, don't be so lame, we are all chilling out drinking good wine and you aren't even touching it!) If you drink one glass of wine and you start babbling like a drunken fool, they'll say " you are so xu! " (you can't even hold your liquor enough to handle one glass of wine without becoming an idiot). Same thing if someone smokes pot and spends the whole night in the bathroom throwing up and staring at the wall. If you just ordered some fried chicken and you eat a few bites but don't even finish the little serving that you ordered, people will say " you are so xu! " (you can't even finish an order of fried chicken? that's weak, dude!). Same thing if you are out to eat with your friends and they have ordered a huge spread of food, but you sit there occassionally dipping your chopsticks into the bean sprouts without thoroughly attacking every plant, beast, and dumpling on the table. They'll say " You are so xu! " (We ordered this huge spread of good food and you say you are already full? What's up with that?). You can even say " You are so xu! " if your friend is always last in the race at every track and field section of gym class. Or if they are a husky guy but they bench press just the bar with no weight. " You are so xu! " But especially for drinking. Or singing. Taiwanese people will often tell their foreign friends that " You are so xu! " because the foreigners go out singing at KTV clubs with their Taiwanese friends and are too shy to pick up the mic and boogie. Many uses, that word xu. Great word. Eric ---------- Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.8.3/361 - Release 6/11/06 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 Is this the shuai/sue of sui2 bian4 - whatever? Ëæ±ã su¨ªbi¨¤n doug , <snakeoil.works wrote: > > I forwarded the slang discussion below to a Taiwanese (transplanted to the US some time ago) and she contributed this in return.....(just for the record, this woman is in her 30's I would think.) > > ...And thanks for the " xu " discussion. It's hilarious! But maybe it's the > younger generation's slang. MY generation uses the word " shuai(1) " and > in Taiwanese it's pronounced " sue(1) " (no such sound is used in > Mandarin). And we say " You are so sui " , in Taiwanese, for all the > occasions given in your forwarding. > > > > > ....and so on, Ann > > > The words xu and shi (vacuity/repletion, deficiency/excess) have been > discussed so much on CHA in the past that surely everyone is bored to > tears with the topic (I know I am!). But just for fun, I thought I'd > share the range of meaning that " xu " has in Taiwanese slang. > > Xu is common in the slang of young people, and it shares a little bit > in common with the US slang of " lame " or " weak. " As in, " you're > soooo lame " or " dude, that's really weak. " In Chinese, the most > common construction is " ni hen xu! " (You are really Xu!). It > basically means that you aren't keeping up, you are lagging behind > the capabilities that you should have, you are disappointing your > friends by your sub-par participation. > > A few example scenarios: > > Xu is often used in the context of drinking. For example, if > everyone is on their third glass of wine and you are still barely > sipping through you're first half-glass, people will tell you " You > are really xu! " (Come on, don't be so lame, we are all chilling out > drinking good wine and you aren't even touching it!) > > If you drink one glass of wine and you start babbling like a drunken > fool, they'll say " you are so xu! " (you can't even hold your liquor > enough to handle one glass of wine without becoming an idiot). Same > thing if someone smokes pot and spends the whole night in the > bathroom throwing up and staring at the wall. > > If you just ordered some fried chicken and you eat a few bites but > don't even finish the little serving that you ordered, people will > say " you are so xu! " (you can't even finish an order of fried > chicken? that's weak, dude!). Same thing if you are out to eat with > your friends and they have ordered a huge spread of food, but you sit > there occassionally dipping your chopsticks into the bean sprouts > without thoroughly attacking every plant, beast, and dumpling on the > table. They'll say " You are so xu! " (We ordered this huge spread of > good food and you say you are already full? What's up with that?). > > You can even say " You are so xu! " if your friend is always last in > the race at every track and field section of gym class. Or if they > are a husky guy but they bench press just the bar with no > weight. " You are so xu! " > > But especially for drinking. Or singing. Taiwanese people will > often tell their foreign friends that " You are so xu! " because the > foreigners go out singing at KTV clubs with their Taiwanese friends > and are too shy to pick up the mic and boogie. > > Many uses, that word xu. Great word. > > Eric ---------- > > > > Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.8.3/361 - Release 6/11/06 > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 , <snakeoil.works wrote: > > I forwarded the slang discussion below to a Taiwanese (transplanted to the US some time ago) and she contributed this in return.....(just for the record, this woman is in her 30's I would think.) Sure enough, my friend who gave me lessons on all the uses of xu1 is 26, in the younger generation. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 I'm not sure I understand the question. Sui2bian4 means like casual, random, informal and also anyhow, etc., according to my plecodict. Are you asking if this sui means 'whatever'? I just want to understand it so I can pass the question along to my friend. ann Is this the shuai/sue of sui2 bian4 - whatever? Ëæ±ã su¨ªbi¨¤n doug , <snakeoil.works wrote: > > I forwarded the slang discussion below to a Taiwanese (transplanted to the US some time ago) and she contributed this in return.....(just for the record, this woman is in her 30's I would think.) > > ...And thanks for the " xu " discussion. It's hilarious! But maybe it's the > younger generation's slang. MY generation uses the word " shuai(1) " and > in Taiwanese it's pronounced " sue(1) " (no such sound is used in > Mandarin). And we say " You are so sui " , in Taiwanese, for all the > occasions given in your forwarding. > > > > > ....and so on, Ann > > > The words xu and shi (vacuity/repletion, deficiency/excess) have been > discussed so much on CHA in the past that surely everyone is bored to > tears with the topic (I know I am!). But just for fun, I thought I'd > share the range of meaning that " xu " has in Taiwanese slang. > > Xu is common in the slang of young people, and it shares a little bit > in common with the US slang of " lame " or " weak. " As in, " you're > soooo lame " or " dude, that's really weak. " In Chinese, the most > common construction is " ni hen xu! " (You are really Xu!). It > basically means that you aren't keeping up, you are lagging behind > the capabilities that you should have, you are disappointing your > friends by your sub-par participation. > > A few example scenarios: > > Xu is often used in the context of drinking. For example, if > everyone is on their third glass of wine and you are still barely > sipping through you're first half-glass, people will tell you " You > are really xu! " (Come on, don't be so lame, we are all chilling out > drinking good wine and you aren't even touching it!) > > If you drink one glass of wine and you start babbling like a drunken > fool, they'll say " you are so xu! " (you can't even hold your liquor > enough to handle one glass of wine without becoming an idiot). Same > thing if someone smokes pot and spends the whole night in the > bathroom throwing up and staring at the wall. > > If you just ordered some fried chicken and you eat a few bites but > don't even finish the little serving that you ordered, people will > say " you are so xu! " (you can't even finish an order of fried > chicken? that's weak, dude!). Same thing if you are out to eat with > your friends and they have ordered a huge spread of food, but you sit > there occassionally dipping your chopsticks into the bean sprouts > without thoroughly attacking every plant, beast, and dumpling on the > table. They'll say " You are so xu! " (We ordered this huge spread of > good food and you say you are already full? What's up with that?). > > You can even say " You are so xu! " if your friend is always last in > the race at every track and field section of gym class. Or if they > are a husky guy but they bench press just the bar with no > weight. " You are so xu! " > > But especially for drinking. Or singing. Taiwanese people will > often tell their foreign friends that " You are so xu! " because the > foreigners go out singing at KTV clubs with their Taiwanese friends > and are too shy to pick up the mic and boogie. > > Many uses, that word xu. Great word. > > Eric . ---------- Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.8.3/361 - Release 6/11/06 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 , <snakeoil.works wrote: And we say " You are so sui " , in Taiwanese, for all the > occasions given in your forwarding. Also, remember that even though Mandarin and Taiwanese (as well as Cantonese and all the other Chinese languages) are basically different pronounciations of the same language, they have different habits of word usage. For example, the most common way of saying " thank you " is Mandarin is to use the character xie repeated (xie xie), whereas the most common way to say thank you in Cantonese is to use the character duo (much) thanks (xie), which in Mandarin would be read as duo xie but in Cantonese is read as dou je. Some sounds fit together inherently better in different dialects, so people use different sentence structures and written words depending on which dialect they are using, even though the root written language is the same. The topic of slang is probably getting pretty far off the Chinese herb track at this point, so it could probably be dropped. But incidentally, Cantonese is supposed to have the best slang (and the best swearing). Your friend who uses Taiwanese with her friends has a preference for a different word than my friends who use Mandarin (young people in Taipei tend to use Mandarin as their primary language, but Taiwanese is more prominent in the south of Taiwan). But even primarily-Mandarin speakers invariably borrow words from Taiwanese for slang. The best example could be the word " geen, " which is a great word that only exists in Taiwanese; it has no written form or equivalent in Mandarin. It means uptight, tense, something on your mind, not relaxed, etc, but it can be a verb or an adjective and it really has a perfect niche of use that cannot be captured any other way. And incidentally, Doug, the shuai/sue is not the sui as in suibian (whatever). However, there is a slang use of suibian (whatever). If you say a person is suibian (whatever), it means that they are promiscuous. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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