Proverbs & Idioms & SayingsLearn chinese in 5 minutes
Some examples of phonetic humor by translating english into chinese (surely, examples for the other way around can also be found). It helps to pronounce the chinese translation, at least quietly (for example first line: "Why So Dim?"). [Source: unknown]
| English Phrase | Chinese Translation |
| It's very dark in here | Wai So Dim? |
| Small Horse | Tai Ni Po Ni |
| See me A.S.A.P. | Kum Hia Nao |
| Stupid Man | Dum Gai |
| Are you harboring a fugitive? | Hu Yu Hai Ding? |
| Has your flight been delayed? | Hao Long Wei Ting? |
| Your price is too high!! | No Bai De Thing!! |
| Did you go to the beach? | Wai Yu So Tan? |
| I bumped into a coffee table | Ai Bang Mai Ni |
| I think you need a facelift | Chin Tu Fat |
| I am not guilty | Wai Hang Mi? |
| That was an unauthorized execution | Lin Ching |
| This is a tow away zone. | No Pah King |
| Do you know the lyrics to the Macarena? | Wai Yu Sing Dum Song? |
| You are not very bright | Yu So Dum |
| I thought you were on a diet | Wai Yu Mun Ching? |
| I got this for free | Ai No Pei |
| Please, stay a while longer. | Wai Go Nao? |
| Our meeting was scheduled for next week. | Wai Yu Kum Nao |
| They have arrived | Hia Dei Kum |
| Stay out of sight | Lei Lo |
| He's cleaning his automobile | Wa Shing Ka |
Who is Hu? The leader of China?
Who is Hu? A fictive conversation between the President of the US and his/her Secretary of State about the new leader of China.
By the time it first appeared in the internet, the following persons where leaders of the USA or China:
Hu Jintao
(born December 21, 1942) was the leader of the People's Republic of China (appointed in 2003), holding the titles of President of the People's Republic of China, Chairman of the Central Military Commission and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, succeeding Jiang Zemin in the fourth generation leadership of the People's Republic of China.
George Bush
(or George W. Bush, or George Walker Bush; born 6 July 1946) was the 43rd and president of the United States of America, inaugurated on 20 January 2001 and re-inaugurated on 20 January 2005.
Condoleezza Rice
(born November 14, 1954) was the 66th United States Secretary of State (she was the second woman (after Madeleine Albright) to serve as Secretary of State). Before she joined the Bush administration, she was a Professor of political science at Stanford University.
Who is Hu?
President: "Secretary! Nice to see you. What's happening?"
Secretary: "Sir, I have the report here about the new leader of China."
President: "Great. Lay it on me."
Secretary: "'Hu' is the new leader of China."
President: "That's what I want to know."
Secretary: "That's what I'm telling you."
President: "That's what I'm asking you. Who is the new leader of China?"
Secretary: "Yes."
President: "I mean the fellow's name."
Secretary: "Hu."
President: "The guy in China."
Secretary: "Hu."
President: "The new leader of China."
Secretary: "Hu."
President: "The Chinaman!"
Secretary: "Hu is leading China."
President: "Now whaddya' asking me for?"
Secretary: "I'm telling you Hu is leading China."
President: "Well, I'm asking you. Who is leading China?"
Secretary: "That's the man's name."
President: "That's who's name?"
Secretary: "Yes."
President: "Will you or will you not tell me the name of the new leader of China?"
Secretary: "Yes, sir."
President: "Yassir? Yassir Arafat is in China? I thought he was in the Middle East."
Secretary: "That's correct."
President: "Then who is in China?"
Secretary: "Yes, sir."
President: "Yassir is in China?"
Secretary: "No, sir."
President: "Then who is?"
Secretary: "Yes, sir."
President: "Yassir?"
Secretary: "No, sir."
President: "Look, Secretary. I need to know the name of the new leader of China. Get me the Secretary General of the U.N. on the phone."
Secretary: "Kofi?"
President: "No, thanks."
Secretary: "You want Kofi?"
President: "No."
Secretary: "You don't want Kofi."
President: "No. But now that you mention it, I could use a glass of milk. And then get me the U.N."
Secretary: "Yes, sir."
President: "Not Yassir! The guy at the U.N."
Secretary: "Kofi?"
President: "Milk! Will you please make the call?"
Secretary: "And call who?"
President: "Who is the guy at the U.N?"
Secretary: "Hu is the guy in China."
President: "Will you stay out of China?!"
Secretary: "Yes, sir."
President: "And stay out of the Middle East! Just get me the guy at the U.N."
Secretary: "Kofi."
President: "All right! With cream and two sugars. Now get on the phone."
Secretary (picks up the phone): "Rice, here."
President: "Rice? Good idea. And a couple of egg rolls, too. Maybe we should send some to the guy in China. And the Middle East. Can you get Chinese food in the Middle East?"
This example about phonetic is mainly based on homophony (a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning) and polysemy (words or signs which have multiple meanings).
[Source: unknown]