Readers, have you experienced a similar phenomenon anywhere else?

理论 li3lun4 – theory
迈克尔杰克逊 mai4ke4er3 jie2ke4xun4 – Michael Jackson
不管在什么地方 bu4guan3 zai4 shen2me di4fang1 – no matter the place [lit. not matter in what place]
不管怎么样 bu4guan3 zen3me yang4  – no matter what [lit. no matter how/what way]
听见 ting1jian4 – to hear (refers to the act of hearing something)
公里 gong1li3 – kilometer
店铺 dian4pu1 – store(s)
中午 zhong1wu3 – noon/noontime
手机 shou3ji1 – cellphone
收音机 shou1yin1ji1 – radio

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From school children to cabbies, random strangers to tour guide members the greeting is awkwardly pronounced, but western specific. Sometimes it would border on the absurd, as in the case where a smiling street-cart (butcher, wielding his massive chop knives, yelled over to me “Hello, foreign meat.” (see caption). Other times, it would be simply out of curiosity, in areas where foreigners are less prevalent. But mostly, it is a common day fact of life, where a cacophony of street vendors 摊贩 [tān fàn] and daily market 市场 ［shìchǎng] vendors assault your eardrums with a loud Hello followed by a naming of every conceivable product under the sun (a later post about street/night markets will follow shortly). However, even the gauntlet of “Hello’s” received from the street pales in comparison to the chorus of school children ecstatic that they now can practice their English greetings.

(A local street vendor, who got my attention by yelling in English: “Hello, American meat! After a few minutes of discussion about Kobe Bryant, we played a game of pool around the corner).

(My class of kindergarteners, who every day upon bathroom break, would walk by waving and screaming HELLO laoshi 老师 or teacher.)

I soon began to realize that the presence and power of “Hello” was really telling of China and the Chinese people, namely indicating genuine curiosity and interest. While maybe tonally off and harshly phrased, it was always friendly and presented with a smile. After exchanging a few words in Chinese, almost ubiquitously, you’d hear a response of 你的汉语不错／你说中文说得很好，that is, your Chinese is not bad/you speak Chinese well, even if you only know a few introductory phrases. It’s not necessarily because you’re Chinese is good (or even that intelligible), but rather, they feel endeared to you because you are trying to speak their language. You are now building up 关系 ［guānxì], that all important, system of networking which makes everything from friendships to business proposals possible, (also the topic of another blog).

Discovering this, I set out to just…well…talk. Every cabbie, person on the subway, street vendor that caught my eye, teacher, student, business man…you name it. I decided to play the smiling American, injecting my phrases of “what’s up friend” 怎么样朋友 [zěnmeyàngpéngyou ].  This phrase will undoubtedly draw attention and maybe even a few confused looks, but that’s a good thing, keep smiling and maybe shift to something tried and true like:

Basketball: 你喜欢大篮球吗？／你看不看美国篮球比赛？ Do you like basketball?/ Do you watch American (NBA) basketball games. This is a good starter for guys because they absolutely love the NBA and love basketball and has never failed to illicit a conversation, and often leads to pick-up games.

Food: I’ve found that almost every person you talk to will know of an amazing place to eat within their neighborhood, even if it’s a hole in the wall, so ask away. 对不起，你可以帮我找到好吃的饭馆？／在你的看发，哪个饭馆有最好吃的反？ “Excuse me, could you help me find a delicious restaurant?/In your opinion, which restaurant has the best food?” You may soon find that your new 朋友 wants to invite you (or even treat you) to a meal.

(Above, fellow 老外，Brian and Bob, enjoy a meal with Mr. Wang, seeing flashing the peace sign. After talking with Wang and his wife at a Carrefour, they graciously invited us to eat lunch with their family. After which, they signed us as English tutors.)

Now, this is an area where cultural differences can lead to miscommunication or hurt feelings. Usually, in the US, when a newly met stranger offers to treat you to a meal, you politely say “No, thanks” and quickly walk-away. In China, always say yes to an invitation to dinner, coffee, wedding, event, whatever, even if you barely know the person. The fact that they invited you means that they trust you, want to learn English or more about Western Culture, and will often use this simple interaction as the basis for a friendship. It’s cavalier and a little uncomfortable first, but you have to play by the cultural norms and 体验中国生活 [tǐ yàn, Zhōng guó shēng huó] he “experience Chinese life firsthand”.

For such a simple phrase, the power of Hello accomplishes so much when living, studying and working in China. It is your secret password or 密码 [mì mǎ] that gains you access into the Chinese community. It’s is that all important first step toward understanding the mindset and mentality of Chinese culture and language.

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After watching a highly dramatized re -enactment of the 四川地震，sìchuāndìzhèn （Sichuanese Earthquake), I was told to stand out in the hall, and wait… I could feel tension building and the atmosphere changing as other teachers began to nervously enter the halls. Within seconds, the quiet linoleum halls were filled with a raucous throng （人群 rénqún）of middle schoolers, yelling, laughing and  darting every which way

Yet, unlike western-centric fire drills, where remaining calm, walking and maintaining order are fundamentals, this fire drill was a lesson in controlled chaos. Children were pushing and shoving, knocking down each other, and slipping as they crammed into the staircases (大批涌入楼梯 dàpī yǒngrùlouti). Even the teachers were running, pushing and redirecting children like pinballs.

As the students exited the building, I began to realize the true size of schools in China (ours had 4000 plus students!). Just when it looked like a stampede would occur, the children miraculously and almost unconsciously, formed in, and fell into perfectly ordered groups (much like a brigade). Soon announcements came from the school VP hailing this fire drill as successful and “the fastest time yet”. Words don’t entirely do this justice, so if interested,check out the videos:

Chinese Fire Drill Part 1

Chinese Fire Drill Part 2

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钱包  qian2bao1 – wallet
信用卡 xin4yong4ka3 – credit card
取消  qu3xiao1 – cancel
账户 zhang4hu4 – account
被 bei4 – used to construct the passive tense.
盗 dao4 – pirate[d] (pirate is 海盗 hai3dao4)
个人 ge4ren2 – individual, personal
资料 zi1liao4 – materials (information)
宁愿 ning2yuan4 – would rather
驾照 jia4zhao4 – driver’s license

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商场 shang1chang3 – mall
走道 zou3dao4 – corridor
暗 an4 – dark
房地产 fang2di4chan3 – real estate
泡沫 pao4mo4 – bubble/foam
旺 wang4 – hot (as in “hot deal”)
铺 pu4 – storefront
招 zhao1 – attracting, calling for
租 zu1 – rent
业主 ye4zhu3 – owner (of property)
独家 du2jia1 – exclusive (lit. independent group/broker)
代理 dai4li3 – agent
建材 jian4cai2 – construction materials

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超 chao1 – super
静 jing4 – quiet
型 xing2 – type
干衣机 gan1yi1ji1 – dryer (clothes-drying machine)
气球 qi4qiu2 – balloon
烘干 hong2gan1 – to dry (air-dry)
功能 gong1neng2 – function/feature
坏了huai4le – [to be] broken
湿透 shi1tou4 – drenched
毛巾 mao2jin1 – towel (for showering)
洗澡 xi3(2)zao3 – [to] shower

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护照 hu4zhao4 – passport
像 xiang4 – look like, to look like or appear similar to sth./sb.
值班领队 zhi2ban1ling3dui4 – on-duty [team] leader
留 liu2 – to grow (of hair)
胡子 hu2zi3 – facial hair/beard
本人 ben3ren2 – myself (can also be used to mean “himself”)
到期 dao4qi1 – to expire (lit. “arrive period”)
签证 qian1zheng4 – visa
再次 zai4ci4 – again, the next time
办 ban4 – do (in the case of visas, “apply”)
不如 bu4ru2 – is not as good as

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山寨 shan1zhai4 – lit. “mountain village” “cottage”.  refers to counterfeit or knockoff items.  often associated with a bandit-like or renegade attitude.
半径 ban4jing1 – radius
怀疑 huai2yi2 – suspect
金融时报 jin1rong2shi2bao4 – Financial Times
华强北 hua2qiang2bei3 – Hua Qiang North road, a concentrated area full of markets for electronics and components
盗版 dao4ban3 – pirated [version]
俄罗斯方块 e2luo2si1fang1kuai4 – Tetris (lit. Russian blocks)
安检 an1jian3 – security check (as found in airports)
模仿力 mo2fang3li4 – ability to imitate/copy

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春游 chun1you2 – Spring Travel (usually refers to trips made during Chinese New Year vacation)
房车 fang2che1 – Recreational Vehicle (motor home)
要么 ___，要么___ yao4me, yao4me – either ___ or ___
云南 yun2nan2 – Yunnan province
重庆 chong2qing4 – Chongqing
云 yun2 – can mean “cloud” on its own. also used as the license plate code for Yunnan province
渝 yu4 – symbol used on Chinese license plates to indicate Chongqing
又见面了 you4jian4mian4le – “it’s you again!” or “here we are again”
他们 听不懂我的话怎么 – ta1men2 ting1bu4dong3 wo3de hua4 zen3me ban4? – If they don’t understand what I’m saying, what should I do?
换钱 huan4qian2 – change money
凑过来 cou4guo4lai2 – crowd around, come over

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老挝 lao3wo1 – Laos
新年快乐 xin1nian2kuai4le4 – Happy New Year!
虎年 hu3nian2 – Year of the Tiger
本命年 ben3ming4nian2 – one’s own zodiac birth year
戴红色的东西 dai4hong2se4de dong1xi1 – wear something red
年夜饭 nian2ye4fan4 – New Year’s Eve dinner
家庭团员 jia1ting2tuan2yuan2 – family reunion/families reuniting
万事如意 wan4shi4ru2yi4 – May everything go as you wish
恭喜发财 gong1xi3facai2 – May you become prosperous
学业进步 xue2ye4jin4bu4 – May you do better in your studies

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