Random new word of the day

[ouyangjun]

@skylee, I was thinking that 塘 tang2 in 池塘 chi2tang2 (pond) is what they were referring to with the sugar water 糖 tang2 sounding similar, and that photos of the scenic landscapes of nature (specifically bodies of water) are one of the essential photos of photographers...  At least thats how I understood it.

[Demonic_Duck]

零和 zero sum

Context:

李［银河］说，在所有的活动中，包括政治、军事、经济，都是一种零和的关系，就是你死我活，你败我胜。只有性活动是双赢的关系，是双方都快乐。可是人们偏偏在这个双赢的事情上特别的纠结，特别的焦虑，有很多很多反性禁欲的东西。

This is also the first time I learned that 和 can mean "sum".

Example (from 现代汉语规范词典): 2加2的和是4。

[skylee]

Re #1842,also explore the meanings of 積 and 商.

[Lu]

小猫三只四只 xiǎomāo sān zhǐ sì zhǐ

Does not refer to 3-4 cats, but rather to 'barely a soul'. In Dutch we say 'drie man en een paardenkop' ('three men and a horse head'), and I find the Chinese expression quite amusing. Especially as my first google search of it turned up mostly kittens.

[Demonic_Duck]

汉话

Context: taxi driver - "你们外国人，说汉话的不多"

I've lived here for four years now and this is the first time I've heard this word for the language I'm being complimented on my supposed proficiency in... 崩溃了 -_-

[skylee]

英國脫歐公投、英國脫歐/留歐公投 - EU referendum in the UK

[Demonic_Duck]

妊娠 ren4shen1 - pregnancy

 

人流 - abortion (short for 人工流产). I'd seen/heard 堕胎 before, but not 人流.

[Lu]

大肠菌, usually 大腸桿菌 dàchǎng gǎnjùn E. coli bacteria.

 

Translating a Sanmao story with an elaborate wealth of new words and chengyu. This is one of the easiest of the new words.

 

@Duck, that looks like a very useful word and I've never seen it before (or never noticed it). Is this the more medical term, or how is it different from the regular 怀孕?

[Demonic_Duck]

Looks like it's a more medical term and appears to be a noun based on usage (though 汉语规范词典 lists it as 动...)

[Michaelyus]

I'd call 人流 a euphemism really. It's much more common in polite spoken Chinese when actually dealing with this in clinics. 

[imron]

Is this the more medical term, or how is it different from the regular 怀孕?

Yes.  For example you'll see it used in terms such as 妊娠糖尿病 (gestational diabetes).

[skylee]

人流 in my vocabulary means pedestrian flow. Abortion in my vocabulary is 墮胎 or 人工流產.

[dwq]

迷思 mísī

transliteration of the English word "Myth".

 

When I first encountered this word I thought it was short for something like 迷走的思想 "wandering thoughts / confusion", and indeed it is wrongly used a lot in online forums, for example somebody might write a topic called 買電視的迷思, but meaning "Random thoughts about buying TVs" instead of "Myths about buying TVs".

 

http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=37&t=82879

[Guest realmayo]

龟板... puzzled me because 'electronic edition' didn't really make sense in context.

 

Spoiler

龟板 guībǎn n. tortoise plastron

(one of the things early Chinese characters were carved on)

 

龟/电 板/版

 

[dwq]

It is traditionally one of the main ingredients of 

Spoiler

龜苓膏 Turtle Jelly.

 

[roddy]

No peeking, you should be able to get this one... 海湖庄园

 

Spoiler

Mar-a-lago

 

[Meng Lelan]

Wow I forgot all about this fave thread of mine...

[Gracious]

焦虑 anxious

I'm kind of frustrated and anxious now, so I picked up this.

[889]

白左 white left. "Angela Merkel was the first western politician to be labelled as a baizuo for her open-door refugee policy."

 

https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/05/20/curious-rise-white-left-chinese-internet-insult/

[roddy]

农艺师 - I like that one.