Chinese Language Blog

In my previous post, I talked about my experience attending an NFL game.  A great way to understand the people of a country is to understand its sports.  For China, a large headache is the organization jokingly referred to as 国猪 (national pig), which is short for 国足(the national soccer team)- the 中国国家足球队 ([official name of] the China National Soccer Team).   One joke passed around the internet is that the team’s losses have many causes, such as the day’s weather being too hot, the day’s weather being too cold, and the day’s temperature being perfect, because then their 对手 (opponent) would not have any 障碍 (challenges).   To be sure, the performance of this team is a 悲剧 (tragedy) for Chinese sports fans.  Recently, the team made news when it tied 东帝汶 (East Timor).  I find it hard to believe that the team with the highest 金牌总数 (total Gold Medal count) during last year’s Olympic Games cannot even qualify for the first round of the 世界杯 (world cup).

国猪 guo2zhu1 – playful name for the Chinese national soccer team
国足 guo2zu2 – abbreviated name for the
中国国家足球队 zhong1guo2 guo2jia1 zu2qiu2dui4 – CHina National Soccer Team
对手 dui4shou3 – opponent
障碍 zhang4ai4 – challenges
悲剧 bei1ju4 – tragedy
东帝汶 dong1di4wen2 – East Timor
金牌 jin1pai2 – gold medal
总数 zong3shu4 – total count
世界杯 shi4jie4bei1 – FIFA World Cup

The other day I attended a live 橄榄球 (American football) game with family and a friend.  As we approached the 运动场 (stadium) sponsored by a company which manufactures 剃须刀 (razors), we observed large numbers of  球迷 (sports fans) preparing their 烧烤 (barbecues).  The idea of eating meat before watching a gladiatorial match made me wonder if we are all that different from 原始人 (cave people), but I didn’t mind.  Fortunately, there was a 车位 (parking spot) at my friend’s house, which saved us countless frustration which would have resulted from pulling out of the stadium lot after the game.  啤酒 (beer) and 热巧克力 (hot chocolate) were among the drinks available at the game, and as I watched the home team win I felt like I had experienced something that I could not bring back to China.

橄榄球 gan2(3)lan2qiu2 – American football (also rugby).  lit. “olive ball”
运动场 yun4dong4chang3 – stadium
剃须刀 ti4xu1dao1 – razor
球迷 qiu2mi2 – [ball sport] fans
烧烤 shao1kao3 – barbecue
原始 yuan2shi3 – primitive (in the sense meaning “cave people”) – lit. “original beginning”
车位 che1wei4 – parking spot
啤酒 pi2jiu3 – beer
热巧克力 re4qiao2ke4li4 – hot chocolate

Below is a list of words that I never thought I’d end up hearing or speaking.

摩丝码 – (mo2si1ma3) – morse code.  I would not have understood this word if it were not for the context.  Understanding 码 as “code” when it is connected to other words can be very helpful.  If someone has a 解码器 (jie2(3)ma3qi4) – decoder, they can properly view downloaded videos.  If you want to 打破密码 (da3po4mi4ma3), or “break a code” then that’s the word you would use.

信号 – (xin4hao4) – service/signal.  Whenever your cellphone has (or does not have) service, you can say 有/没有信号.  The way that people refer to the number of bars of service their cellphone is displaying is by using the word 根 (gen1) – stick.  我有三根信号 (“I have 3 bars of service”).

提现 – (ti2xian4) – withdraw cash.  Usually 提 can be used for “withdraw”, and 现 can be used for cash.  Also along these lines, 兑现 (dui4xian4) can mean to convert something (such as checks or casino chips) into cash.

后现代主义 – hou4xian4dai4zhu3yi4 – post-modernism.  后现代主义.  This term only made sense in context, but you can break it down into its component terms.  后 can often be taken to mean “post” such as in 博士后 (bo2shi4hou4) – postdoc.  现代 can be used to mean “modern” (also the auto brand Hyundai).  主义 can be taken to mean “-ism” such as 资本主义 (zi1ben3zhu3yi4 – capitalism).