Chinese people don't get hangovers?

[Yang Rui]

Maybe Chinese people just complain less, especially about self-inflicted misery.

[skylee]

I agree with Yang Rui.

[nanaxi]

hard working...You'd better say 醉酒了，很不舒服...

[Guest realmayo]

I wonder if you can say they complain less but worry more (the weather's changed / don't drink cold water / eating this makes me 上火 etc). B)

As for hangovers, a Chinese friend told me that in his experience 宿醉 was very bookish and he'd feel extremely weird using this word rather than the examples other people have given here, ie I drank a bit too much last night.

Perhaps English is unusual in having a word for "hangover" -- which, the internet tells me, only acquired its current use 100 years ago.

[gougou]

they would be embarrassed to be seen behaving badly.

Then again, this is an attitude that vanishes when coming in contact with alcohol...

[xiaocai]

Do people still use "diarrhea"? People I know tend to use gastroenteritis/腸胃炎 instead.

Actually I'm not sure. Maybe "diarrhoea" sounds a little bit too scientific? But then again if you say gastroenteritis people may think there is nausea and vomiting as well...

[skylee]

But then again if you say gastroenteritis people may think there is nausea and vomiting as well...

I agree. But we don't need to be specific about these things in casual conversations ... If anyone tells me that s/he has 腸胃炎 then I presume it means 上吐下瀉, which includes 瀉 anyway. 腹瀉 or 拉肚子simply don't sound cool.

BTW, why did I get a -1 for agreeing with Yang Rui, who got +2? Intriguing. :rolleyes:

[afriday11]

I'm not sure who here doesn't think that Chinese don't drink. Have you ever been to a restaurant in China? I've seen old dudes down bottles of 二锅头白酒 before noon. That said, there isn't the party culture in China that we have in the west, but I would say that people in China drink just as much as American and when I say American I mean normal Americans, not college students.

[Guest realmayo]

I think by saying "I had a little bit too much last night" you actually mean that "I am having a hangover and it feels awful" but sounds less embarrassing than the latter.

Actually now I think about it, if someone in English said: "I drank a lot last night" or "I drank a bit too much last night" it would sound a little bit worse than simply to admit "I'm a bit hungover this morning".

[Brian US]

I've only heard 我昨天喝多了 used, and when I asked my teacher (who drinks) she went with this saying.

I would bet that the amount of alcohol being consumed in a KTV on a weekend would put many college parties to shame.

[xiaocai]

I agree. But we don't need to be specific about these things in casual conversations ... If anyone tells me that s/he has 腸胃炎 then I presume it means 上吐下瀉, which includes 瀉 anyway. 腹瀉 or 拉肚子simply don't sound cool.

BTW, why did I get a -1 for agreeing with Yang Rui, who got +2? Intriguing.

Oh well, I could not care less which one would sound "cooler" if I had to tell the doctor about my misfortune.

Clearly there are trolls everywhere, these forums are no exception.

Actually now I think about it, if someone in English said: "I drank a lot last night" or "I drank a bit too much last night" it would sound a little bit worse than simply to admit "I'm a bit hungover this morning".

果真如此, I shall remember this from now.

[Glenn]

Perhaps English is unusual in having a word for "hangover" -- which' date=' the internet tells me, only acquired its current use 100 years ago.[/quote']

Interesting. In Japanese it's 二日酔い, so I expected (naively) the Chinese to be 二日醉 (or something similar). I actually find it a bit curious there isn't a word, but I don't have the experience with languages that some of our posters here have. Makes me wonder about Spanish, French, Italian, and back to the other side of the world, Korean.

[rx_11]

Of course we know the word 宿醉。

I can't believe Chinese people don't know this words.

OK, honestly, I would say that many older people don't ever go to the pups&bars. But Chinese like drinking! Wines, beers, and so on. We like them! So I believe 90% Chinese know the word 宿醉, especially young people.

Hope that helps ;)

[zhxlier]

Of course we know 宿醉. But 宿醉 is classic Chinese and is not used in everyday dialogue.

[DecafLat]

It's not unusual for one to be more familiar with a concept when it's expressed in a foreign language than in their own. My Dutch colleagues definitely have a quicker response to the word "hangover", even though there's a perfectly good Dutch expression for it ("kater").

And to answer your query: Yes, Chinese people do get hangovers; and 宿醉 is not a foreign novelty.

[Guest realmayo]

The title asking if Chinese people have hangovers was a bit tongue-in-cheek: if people don't use the word hangover, can they feel hungover? If a culture doesn't have the concept of "teenager", can they have teenage angst?...

Such questions aside, it seems on balance that the word 宿醉 is not used the same way in China that "hangover" is used in the UK, that people in China tend to prefer to say they drank a bit too much the night before.

[Yang]

As a chinese, i can say that i have never use 宿醉 in my daily life. Trust me it's not because i dont drink :rolleyes: .this word is totally bookish, sounds really weird when you tell a friend 我今天宿醉. 我昨天喝多了 could be much more better.

肠胃炎 is worse then 拉肚子, if you're just feeling bad in your stomach, just say 我肚子不舒服 or 我拉肚子.

Hope it would helps.