你厕所在哪儿？我要大号！

[Gibbs]

Do people south of Beijing use 大号and 少号 for "number 1" and "number 2"?

Edited January 31, 2010 at 04:04 AM by Gibbs

[Javer Chen]

大号 MEANS TAKE A SHIT。

小号 MEANS PISS。

[chrix]

Javer, the OP knows what these terms mean. He's asking if these terms are used in the South as well, for instance in Shanghai...

[Javer Chen]

yes, sometimes chinese from southen china also say that as same meanings.

but of coz, you also can say 大解 for take a shit and 小解 for piss.

[Kenny同志]

大号, 小号 are perfectly understood throughout the country.

[HashiriKata]

Speaking of (which ), I wonder if someone could explain the connection between 大便 and 便宜?

[chrix]

the connection is 便 "suitable, appropriate, beneficial". Compare the following:

- 便宜 "appropriate, beneficial": (and interestingly, my Classical Chinese dictionary records it as biànyí).

- 便利 "profitable, convenient" (recorded as an euphemism since the Han era, and perhaps that's how 大便 came about).

[imron]

and perhaps that's how 大便 came about).

I dunno. I always figured it was from 方便, which could either be 大 or 小.

[HashiriKata]

I always figured it was from 方便

Yes, this reminds me of "方便一下" but I don't know if this use derives from 大/ 小便 or the other way round.

[skylee]

你厕所在哪儿？我要大号！

I don't understand why it is necessary to add 我要大號！ Is it not enough to say that you need to use the toilet?

And I think that if you must say it, it is better to say 上大號.

[Kenny同志]

I don't understand why it is necessary to add 我要大號！ Is it not enough to say that you need to use the toilet?

I concur. In my view, it is usually better to say 请问您洗手间在哪 when in a city and ask 请问您厕所在哪儿 if the family you visit has only a pit latrine available.

[chrix]

方便 is not a Classical word, but 便利 is, and 便 alone acquired such a meaning as well. 大便and 小便 too appear in earlier texts than 方便 does, so it can't come from 方便...

[Flover]

I think it's not so polite to say 大号 and 小号 to show you demand to go to the toilet, i think we could express the meaning as "i need go to WC", you know many people say in south China, maybe it's also a good way to describe you demand, ha ha !