Today’s Word: N
Nope, you’re eyes aren’t playing games with you, this week’s word really is,
“N.”
“But, wait, that’s not Chinese?”
True. However, English letters and words have become intertwined in some aspects of the Chinese language. This here is the true Chinglish:
卡拉OK - Karaoke
T恤衫 – T-shirt
AA制 – To go Dutch; split the bill 50/50.
Meaning
Do you remember in algebra class using the letter “n” as a variable? Well, the Chinese took that meaning into their daily conversation by turning “n” into something an abstract, but large number.
To better explain, just think about when you’re mother said, “I’ve told you a hundred times to clean your room!” In Chinese, she would say, “I’ve told you ‘n’ times to clean your room!”
Example Sentence:
我告诉过你n次，打扫你的房间！
- I’ve told you a hundred times to clean your room
这个视频我看n遍了，还是有意思。
- I’ve watched this video a million times, and it’s still interesting.
Comments