Random new word of the day

[skylee]

These are like slangs I suppose, and were used frequently by members of my tour group in my recent trip to Russia -

強國 - Mainland China

強國人 - people from Mainland China

[Meng Lelan]

強國 - Mainland China

強國人 - people from Mainland China

Can you tell us how/why those slang came about?

[skylee]

Probably because many Mainlanders give us the impression of being 財大氣粗, and their demands have led to shortage of baby milk powder/other products and maternity beds in hospitals over here, and we always read on websites/media that HK people are considerd to be dependent on the Mainland for various kinds of support. All these give us the impression that Mainland China and its people are very strong, very powerful.

[roddy]

刍议, chu2yi4 (must install pinyinput on the new computer), my humble opinion.

[imron]

Wow, I never realised there was a Chinese word for 'must install pinyinput on the new computer'. I'll have to remember that one

[mokushiroku]

瘴氣 or 瘴气: a type of weather prominent in the north of China that is hot and humid and, according to Chinese medicine, can make people ill. Read: Zhang4 Qi4

[Adam_CLO]

Zīliàojiá lǐmiàn dōu shì nǚrén / 资料夹里面都是女人 / 資料夾裡面都是女人 - literally "binders inside all are women".

[skylee]

My niece has just got into university this year. When we chatted about her school life a couple of weeks ago, she used the term "N.D.S." (in English), which I did not understand. So she explained -

N.D.S. = 內地生 (neidi sheng; Mainland student(s))

It seems that local students and N.D.S. do not get on very well (see also #1281-1283 above), thus the special term/name. The latest conflicts -

內地生罵「港狗」 中大遺憾

理大「一試兩制」被轟優待內地生

[skylee]

念茲在茲 (niàn zī zài zī) = 念念不忘

[skylee]

I knew this word, I knew what it means. But I didn't know its pronunciation (not even in Cantonese), and I couldn't write it because I had never written it.

耄耋 (mao4 die2) (mou6 dit6 in Cantonese) - very old http://www.mdbg.net/...wdrst=1&wdqb=耄耋

[tooironic]

好詞！

One of my Chinese friends saw it and remarked, "Oh! That word... I don't know how to pronounce it... but I know it's a legendary animal." Hehe.

[skylee]

鐵金剛 (tie3 jin1 gang1) - James Bond / 007 the movie character (at least in HK)

[skylee]

內比都 - Naypyidaw, capital of Burma Myanmar ( I didn't even know that Rangoon/仰光 is no longer the capital).

PS - ah so many new names to learn ... and Calcutta is now Kolkata.

[陳德聰]

续滩 - to continue hanging out, sometimes involving relocating... I am still not completely sure of the intricate nuances of this one haha, just heard a friend say it the other night.

[skylee]

It should be 續攤 (hand radical, not water radical), the same thing as (or similar to) the Japanese 二次会 and 三次会, etc.

[陳德聰]

Nice catch.

[anonymoose]

This link explains it fairly clearly.

[daofeishi]

Just read through an article about Starbucks in an old 南方周末 that I had lying around. Apparently, the souvenir cups that are sold there and at similar places are called 随行杯

[roddy]

放生羊, fàngshēngyáng - a sheep saved from slaughter and set free, in order to earn virtue (for the herder, not for the sheep).

http://zt.tibet.cn/t/xzms/20040200418100711.htm

[skylee]

The act of 放生 is quite common, but sometimes results in death of the animals released because they are put in a hostile/unfamiliar environment. Like setting free fresh water fish/turtles in the sea, etc.