Random new word of the day

[MPhillips]

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[ouyangjun]

A new one I ran across today, and upon visualizing what it would look like in my head I couldn't stop laughing to myself. 

 

王八看绿豆，看对眼了 

 

Literally that a turtle will stare at two mung beans (because he will mistake them for the eyes of another turtle)

 

Meaning that two ugly people will find each other attractive.

[dnevets]

导尿管...catheter

[roddy]

抹脖子 mǒ bózi. To cut one's throat. Wasn't expecting that...

[MPhillips]

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[Lu]

站着说话不腰疼 zhànzhe shuōhuà bù yāoténg 'easy for you to say'. On Baidu someone explains it as 'the land owner, standing up, doesn't understand how the backs of the people working in the field hurt from standing bent over all day'. Not sure if that is the correct historical source, but it makes a lot of sense. Apparently it's a chengyu.

Source: In my book, the main character (我) and a friend go shopping. 她什么也没买，说等着圣诞打折。我说，我看见喜欢的就一定要买，否则过了这个村就没这个店了。她说我是富人，站着说话不腰疼。

过了这个村就没这个店 is also a nice one. 'Who knows if I'll have this opportunity again.'

[Nathan Mao]

Well, it can't be a 成语, because those are 4 characters only.  (there is more to it than that.  Not even all 4-character common sayings are 成语)

But it can be (and probably is) a 俗话

[Lu]

The very first google hit for 站着说话不腰疼 says 站着说话不腰疼是一个成语. I'm sure some other sources may disagree, as such things go. I believe there has been an earlier discussion that it's not always clearcut what is and isn't a chengyu. But although most chengyu are four characters, there are exceptions. The other one I know of is 一寸光阴一寸金.

[skylee]

And another one I've mentioned recently - 顧左右而言他

[ouyangjun]

This was a new one I learned today... 气场强 - meaning charismatic

[Michaelyus]

站着说话不腰疼 dates all the way back to ... 1963 in the 《汾水长流》. It certainly doesn't feel like a 成语 (look at that 着 there, not to mention the use of 说 and 话), although modern-day 成语 certainly do exist (e.g. 人艰不拆). 

 

The one 成语 I have been crowbar-ing into (semi-)general conversation has been 源泉万斛. The zdic.net explanation is fairly pedestrian, but on searching for its 典故 I found a nice little summary for the 宋朝 polymath 苏轼's self-description. 

[MPhillips]

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[Murray]

^{女子参政权 (nǚzǐ cānzhèngquán)- women's suffrage}

 

[MPhillips]

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[skylee]

精分 = 精神分裂 = schizophrenia (-nic)

See the attached screenshot.

[Lu]

遗腹子 yífùzǐ child born after its father has died, posthumous child

In ancient Rome, such sons would be named Postumus.

[skylee]

I learnt the term 遺腹子 watching period dramas when I was a kid. Back then it sounded like something special that would only happen to characters in stories (partly because I was a kid). But in fact 遺腹子 are not that rare.

[tooironic]

免提 - hands-free (or speakphone) - came across it on the Chinese language version of the iPhone, thought it a strange translation.

[mouse]

 

免提 - hands-free (or speakphone) - came across it on the Chinese language version of the iPhone, thought it a strange translation.

 

I first saw this on a land line phone where it made a bit more sense, as you avoid lifting the receiver by putting it on speakerphone.

[MPhillips]

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