#chinese language

[emmaklee]

list of professions from a Chinese-to-English textbook

[lodgerlodger]

Some random tidbits that might be helpful for fic writing purposes:

-Those who can read simplified Chinese can also read traditional, and vice versa. They may not be very proficient at writing it (by hand), but it’s not a hugely laborious process to make the switch. This is especially true for someone younger who’s still fresh from having to hand write characters in school.

-Most (well to do-ish) kids learn calligraphy fairly early on. A big part of the art revolves around learning various historically popular scripts.

-The Four Arts are very much still a thing, especially among the more educated. I was so young when I began I don’t even remember when my first lessons took place. It’s not as heavily emphasized now as it was decades ago but I do know parents who still insist on it.

-In a half-assed setup like PIDW an educated transmigrator can absolutely pose as a scholar without much issue.

[linghxr]

If you’ve ever wondered how to express “let them eat cake” in Chinese, I just came across 何不食肉糜 hébùshíròumí.

[marilearnsmandarin]

Source

[xiakeponz]

chinese language learners ! so someone ik works on this language exchange platform tokimonki (for chinese / english language exchange) and word rn is there has been an influx of chinese native speakers who want to learn english, but this means an imbalance and there are not enough english speakers who are trying to learn mandarin chinese - so pspsps apparently now is a good time to join for chinese learners, there is like a free trial or smth, if you are looking for this type of method to practice spoken chinese. the platform has pre-prepped materials to help you avoid awkward convos, but there is sorta a pre-req requirement that you need to have a certain intermediate-ish level of chinese first to do exchange seshs. anyway just putting it out there since ik a lot of language exchange usually has too many english first language speakers and not the other way around , hope this reaches the right people

[rageprufrock]

Hey!

Really appreciating the cultural context posts you are sharing! It is really helping to recontextualize important details!!

So just a follow up to the name post, when we write fanfic, how would you say is the most culturally correct/appropriate way we can write the character's name during narration ('Xiaoshuai stood up.' or something ?) versus how they would call each other ?

Firstly: don't worry, this isn't a matter of being culturally correct or appropriate--it just sounds and lands weird to the Chinese ear. Using it wrong isn't offending anybody or rousing the anger of our ancestors or whatever, it's just a dead giveaway that you don't speak Chinese, which isn't a super huge shock when it comes to international fandom anyway, so truly, nobody needs to get pressed about this in any meaningful way unless you're going to write fan fiction that I want to read, in which case please God get this right so I don't have to back button out of that bitch.

In terms of how you'd use names in regular context, it's never incorrect when referring to someone to use their full name. Chinese family names don't serve the same purpose as Western surnames--they're an intrinsic part of a person's name, not separate from their given name. My parents still call me by my full name, including family name, very frequently, and not even because I'm in trouble.

If you worry that's not giving enough variation in your narrative, you can always default to the given name--if it has two syllables in it. If a character's full name is, to bring some necromancing twink action into it, Wei Ying, I cannot express to you how unhinged it sounds for that character to be referred to, whether by another character or by themselves or by the narrator as just "Ying." However, you can absolutely refer to them as Wuxian, as in Wei Wuxian.

Okay now I'm going to get into advanced weirdness 204: what would you refer to a character by if you're the narrator or POV character, referring to a different character?

If I'm thinking about myself, I am only ever going to think about myself in my full name, full stop. I have literally never thought about myself as anything other than Family Name Given Name in the private offices of my brain, unless I am calling myself a dumbass or something of a similar nature.

If I am thinking about someone else, all the things you might reasonably call that person out loud are things you could call them in the narrative. For example, if I am being a pervert about Guo Chengyu (facts), I could refer to him in a depraved screed about the stuff I want to do to and at him as "Guo Chengyu," as "Chengyu," as "Guo-zong" (Director Guo, presuming his work title), "Guo-shao" (young master Guo), "Chengyu-ge," Bro Chengyu (nonfucky), "Chengyu-gege" (unbelievably fucky), "Chengcheng" (if I want to get punched), "Yuyu" (also if I want to get punched), "Cheng'er" (if I'm some kind of female relative who is significantly more senior to him, but mostly limited to moms and maternal aunts), "xiao-Cheng" or "xiao-Yu" (if I'm an older male with reasonable closeness; this would not be appropriate in a work setting unless the person is significantly, significantly more senior than him and probably only acceptable if they're a friend of the family).

But you can also play with this. So if I have a secret crush on Guo Chengyu, and I'm in his long-suffering rotation of secretaries, I might generally refer to him--out loud and in my head--as Guo-zong (Director Guo), but in my heart, late at night when it's safe and I allow myself to hope, I might whisper "Chengyu-gege" to myself like a complete harlot.

I am aware this did not help at all. 👍

[whisperglyph]

🐾 Baby-talk Mandarin for Talking to Your Cat

What are you even doing? 你在干嘛嘛～？ Nǐ zài gàn má ma~? You doing what mm? Whatchu doin’, hmm~?

What do you even know? 你知道啥呀～？ Nǐ zhīdào shá ya~? You know what eh? What do you even knooow~?

You don’t even care. 你才不在乎嘞～ Nǐ cái bú zàihu lei~ You totally don’t care eh. You don’t even caaare~

This cat has a death wish. 这只猫咪不想活啦！ Zhè zhī māomī bù xiǎng huó la! This kitty doesn’t wanna live anymore! This kitty’s got a death wishhh~!

Trying to trip me, I see. 你是不是想绊倒我哇～？ Nǐ shì bú shì xiǎng bàndǎo wǒ wa~? Are you trying to trip me eh~? You tryin’ to trip me again, huhhh~?

Why are you trying to trip me? 为啥老是想绊妈妈啦？ Wèi shá lǎoshì xiǎng bàn māma la? Why always trying to trip mama~? Why you always trippin’ mamaaa?

She’s a good girl. 她是个乖乖喵～ Tā shì ge guāiguāi miāo~ She’s a good good kitty~ She’s a gooood girl~

She’s just a baby, your honor. 她她她只是个小宝贝嘛，法官大人～ Tā tā tā zhǐshì ge xiǎo bǎobèi ma, fǎguān dàren~ She she she is just a lil baby, Your Honor~ She’s just a widdle baaaby, your hooonor~

She’s just a baby girl. 她是小小女孩呀～ Tā shì xiǎoxiǎo nǚhái ya~ She’s lil-lil girl~ She’s just a baby girrrrl~

I love you so much, cat. 猫猫，我好爱你呦～ Māomāo, wǒ hǎo ài nǐ yōu~ Kitty, I love you so much yo~ I wuv you soooo much, kittyyy~

She’s purring. 她在呼噜噜噜啦～ Tā zài hūlū lūlū la~ She’s purring-purring~ She goin’ purr purr purr~!

Do you want some snacks? 要不要吃小零零呀？ Yào bú yào chī xiǎo línglíng ya? Wanna eat some lil snackies~? You want some snaccies, hmm?

True to form. 你就是你喽～ Nǐ jiùshì nǐ lou~ You just you, huh~ That’s my lil chaos queen~

Come on (the bed). 来嘛，上床床～ Lái ma, shàng chuángchuáng~ Come eh, get on bed-bed~ C’mere, get on the beddy-bed!

Come on, Paz. Paz宝贝，快点儿嘛～ Paz bǎobèi, kuàidiǎnr ma~ Paz baby, hurry up eh~ Come on, Pazzy babyyy~

👶 Notes on Cutesy Mandarin

Reduplication is often used in baby-talk or pet-talk:

床 → 床床 (chuángchuáng – “bed-bed”)

抱 → 抱抱 (bàobào – “hug-hug”)

吃 → 吃吃 (chīchī – “eat-eat”)

Final particles like:

嘛 (ma), 啦 (la), 呀 (ya), 哇 (wa), 呦 (yo), and 喽 (lou) add playfulness or whining/emotive tone

Small suffixes like 小 (xiǎo – little), 宝贝 (bǎobèi – baby/darling), or 喵 (miāo – meow/kitty) are affectionate and common when talking to pets