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In a country where the traditional way to greet someone translates to “Have you eaten yet?” (你吃了吗? Nǐ chīle ma?), it should come as no surprise that food idioms permeate everyday language in China. Chinese culture also prizes indirectness, so idioms are the perfect way to portray deep meaning without being overt. Frustrating for cross-cultural businessmen and language students or not, chengyu (成语), the ever-present four character idioms, and xiyu (习语), which are generally longer, are often the source of the hilariously mistranslated Chinglish you still see on street signs and menus today.

Just the verb for “to eat” (吃, chī) can be used to express many different meanings. The most common idiom that plays on this verb is “to eat vinegar” (吃醋, chīcù), used to describe the sour feelings of jealousy in a personal relationship setting. Eating vegetarian (吃素, chīsù) also has the double meaning of being weak or a coward – clearly context is key on that one. To eat tofu (吃豆腐, chī dòufu) is commonly said amongst friends to imply flirting, or worse, unwanted touching or groping, which could be used in a crowded subway situation. To “eat soft rice” (吃软饭, chī ruǎn fàn) denotes a man who stays home living high off his sugar mama.

In Western countries we may often speak of receiving a “welcome drink” when arriving somewhere, but traditionally in Mandarin the equivalent is a welcome soup of sorts (羹, gēng). Therefore, when speaking of getting shut out or denied entrance, one can say they “ate the closed door soup” (吃闭门羹, chībìméngēng).

There are many more commonly used phrases beyond those having to do strictly (or loosely) with eating. For example, “to carry the burned/dirty wok” (背黑锅, bēihēiguō) denotes a scapegoat or someone who takes the blame for others. Also, instead of having casual acquaintances, there are “alcohol and meat acquaintances” (酒肉之交, jiǔròu zhī jiāo).

In lieu of the more straightforward English phrase “what’s done is done,” Mandarin speakers will commonly say 生米煮成熟饭 (shēng mǐ zhǔ chéngshú fàn), or “the rice is already cooked.” This is often expressed in TV dramas, when, for example, parents disapprove of their daughter’s fiancé, but – surprise! – she’s pregnant, and therefore, the rice is already cooked, so there’s nothing to be done now.

The lotus root’s unique structure lends itself to another common phrase: 藕断丝连(ǒuduànsīlián), meaning, although you can break a lotus root in half, the fibers and skin remain connected. This is often used to describe someone who has broken up with a lover but remains connected, perhaps through texting, calling or other ill-advised contact.

To make an example out of someone in the workplace, your boss may “kill the chicken to show the monkey” (杀鸡给猴看, shā jī gěi hóu kàn). That might not be a problem the older and wiser you get, which is often expressed as “the ginger gets more pungent with age” (姜还是老的辣, jiāng háishì lǎo de là).

“Eating what’s in the bowl while looking at what’s in the pot” (吃着碗里的,看着锅里的, chīzhe wǎn lǐ de, kànzhe guō lǐ de) is an indirect way to describe someone who is always checking out their options. And a personal favorite, instead of our own parents’ admonition of “never put off till tomorrow what can be done today,” we have “today’s wine is today’s drunkenness” (今朝有酒今朝醉, jīnzhāo yǒu jiǔ jīnzhāo zuì), which can be extrapolated to mean we should live for today and leave the worries for tomorrow.

We’ll ganbei to that!

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Published on April 29, 2014

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