Quote from Barry Hughart's "Bridge of Birds"

[Alhazred]

I had to share it:

"Take a large bowl," I said. "Fill it with equal measures of fact, fantasy, history, myhtology, science, superstition, logic, and lunacy. Darken the mixture with bitter tears, brighten it with howls of laughter, toss in three thousand years of civilization, bellow kan pei - which means "dry cup" - and rink to the dregs." Procopius stared at me. "And I will be wises?" he asked. "Better," I said. "You will be Chinese."

[Yang Rui]

Take out the bit about "kan pei" and you could change the answer to "you will be human"

[Lu]

Should be 5000 years. But it's a great quote anyway :-)

[Yang Rui]

Actually when i went to China 4 years ago they were saying that, so it's 5004 years now. Exactly. Since civilization started.

[Ferno]

exactly, you sure?

and how many other things could kan pei mean

[HashiriKata]

Actually when i went to China 4 years ago they were saying that, so it's 5004 years now. Exactly.

And this is "exact science", no doubt!