Posts by Sam Duncan

There are a few ways to say this, but the best one I’ve heard so far is 要饭还嫌馊 (yàofànháixiánsōu). I haven’t been able to find a dictionary definition for it, so it might not be that commonly said or used nationwide.

The last character 馊 (sōu) means 'sour', as in food that has gone rancid, so a more literal translation of the phrase, depending on the situation, might be something like "You beg for food yet resent being given the leftovers."

The phrase "iron rooster" 铁公鸡 (tiěgōngjī) is used to describe a very stingy person. It can be followed by the chengyu 一毛不拔 (yīmáobùbá), a saying meaning too stingy to pull out even one hair, or simply said on its own.

I guess as an iron chicken can’t be plucked, it symbolises stinginess.

Leaving Beijing after a short visit, my Chinese Auntie said she would cook me dumplings, and asked me if I knew why. I guessed it was because she knows I like them, but that was wrong.

She said there is a saying, “起身饺子, 下车面” (qǐshēn jiǎozi, xiàchē miàn), which means when a guest arrives you should give them noodles, and when they leave you should cook them dumplings. Then I realised that every visit over the years she has always cooked me noodles when I arrive, and dumplings for my last meal.

A composite character via China Digital Times. 贵国 (guì guó): expensive country.

I have always wondered why the word for landlord (房东 fáng dōng) has the character for East (东) in it, making it look like “room East”, along with similar words like to host (做东 zuò dong) or shareholder (股东 gǔ dōng).

It turns out that in ancient times the host would stand to the East and the guest to the West, leading to the host being called East.