Episodes

  • A Sprinkle of MSG: Lie Flat!

    A Sprinkle of MSG: Lie Flat!
    Jun 1 2021
    I saw most of this on Twitter from @chenchenzh so go follow her! This is the Sixth Tone article I mentioned: https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1007589/tired-of-running-in-place%2C-young-chinese-lie-down And the 知乎 Zhihu post I mentioned: https://www.zhihu.com/question/60293871 And a seminal post about 躺平: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/7337991441 1. 躺平 (tǎng píng) Literally “lie flat,” it means to ignore society’s demands and lead a peaceful, quiet, non-overachieving life. Opposite of 内卷，or the culture of forced overachievement. 2. 躺平族 (tǎng píng zú) The lie-flat clan! 3. 躺平教 (tǎng píng jiào) The religion of lying flat! 4. 低欲望 (dī yùwàng) “Low desire.” It’s a core tenant of flat-lying. After all, desire is the root of suffering! Got questions? Want flash cards? Join the WeChat or Facebook groups! WeChat: msgpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/msgpodcast Twitter: @msgmandarin WeiBo: 这好像是个树华吧 MSG is bringing you the delicious Chinese le...
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    11 mins
  • MSG037: Slang & Mental Health (Ivy Li)

    MSG037: Slang & Mental Health (Ivy Li)
    May 18 2021
    To learn more about Mind China, search for the "心生 Mind" WeChat Public Account! Listen to The Waves 海浪FM:https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/pb3i6-15b353/%E6%B5%B7%E6%B5%AAFM-Podcast Follow Ivy on Douban:https://www.douban.com/people/181463412/ 1. 神经病 (shénjīngbìng) Literally means “a neurological disorder,” but is often used as a serious or playful insult a la “crazy.” Very common but also somewhat insensitive. Why not replace it with something else, like, for example: 2. 勺子 (sháozi) Literally “spoon,” it’s an insult from NE China that could be offensive to spoons, but fortunately I don’t think the spoons mind too much. 3. 社恐、自闭 (shè kǒng、zì bì) Literally “social anxiety” and “autism,” these are both commonly used to describe yourself when you feel like staying in and not being social. Both are clearly problematic, so why not swap them for: 4. 我想静静 (wǒ xiǎng jìng jìng) A cutesy way to say “I just want some peace and quiet.” Also a pun...
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    34 mins
  • A Sprinkle of MSG: Traitor???

    A Sprinkle of MSG: Traitor???
    Apr 6 2021
    1. 卖国贼(màiguózéi) “Country-selling thief,”someone who sells out their country. Can be used for someone from any country. 2. 汉奸(hànjiān) “Chinese traitor”, or, literally, “Han traitor,”where Han is the dominant ethnic group of China. Honestly I don’t think it’s particularly healthy to have a special word just for people branded as traitors to your country - or ethnicity - but I suppose I do have a limited, outsider’s perspective to the language. Got questions? Want flash cards? Join the WeChat or Facebook groups! WeChat: msgpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/msgpodcast Twitter: @msgmandarin WeiBo: 这好像是个树华吧 MSG is bringing you the delicious Chinese learning content that you need. We go inside the language to bring you the culture and stories behind the words that your textbook just isn’t giving you. Likes, subscribes, comments, and ratings help ensure that I'll be able to keep doing it! Thanks. I love you, no matter what Thomassays.
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    8 mins
  • MSG036: Chinese Slang of DEATH (Anita Xu)

    MSG036: Chinese Slang of DEATH (Anita Xu)
    Mar 23 2021
    Listen to Anita’s podcast, 井号键 here or on your podcast app: https://gravetalk.typlog.io/ Visit Anita’s website: https://anitaxu.com/home/en/ 1. 死(adv)(sǐ) “Very,”“extremely,”“--to death” 2. 社会性死亡(shèhuì xìng sǐwáng) A “society death,”or, a situation so embarrassing that one may wish for death 3. 人老心不老(rén lǎo xīn bùlǎo) “Person old, heart not old,”to be young at heart 4. 死鬼(sǐguǐ) Literally “dead ghost,”a pet name between lovers. Thank goodness Anita told me what this means... otherwise, if I had a girlfriend and she called me 死鬼 in public I would probably experience a 社会性死亡 5. 翘辫子(qiàobiànzi) Literally, “lift the queue/ponytail”， meaning “die” In the Qing Dynasty, many Chinese were required to wear their hair in a queue that had to be lifted in order for a beheading to happen. 6. 卒(zú) An ancient word for “death”in a military context. Now used to mean “dead”in a comical way, you know, for hyperbole. Got questions? Wa...
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    31 mins
  • MSG035: Chinese Sports Slang (Hunter Shi)

    MSG035: Chinese Sports Slang (Hunter Shi)
    Mar 9 2021
    Find Hunter on Twitter: @hualun14 Listen to his pod, 翻转体育 Sports Inverted, here or on your favorite podcatcher: https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/5e393a72418a84a046bd59a4 1. 好球(hǎo qiú) “Good ball!”as in “Good shot! Nice shot!” If someone goes in to score alone, that’s a 单刀球，dāndāo qiú, “lone sword ball” 2. 三不沾(sān bù zhān) “Three No-Touches”, an airball (it missed the backboard, the rim, AND the net) 3. 盖帽(gàimào) A hat; or, a law enforcement officer; or, a blocked shot. Wanna say “nice block?”好帽！ 4. 打得像蔡徐坤(dǎ dé xiàng càixúkūn) “You play like Cai Xukun,”an insult. Poor Mr. Cai made a music video wherein he displayed some... questionable b-ball skills, and was ridiculed The funny Taiwanese commentator who made up a lot of the colorful sports terms in Mandarin: 傅达仁，fùdárén Got questions? Want flash cards? Join the WeChat or Facebook groups! WeChat: msgpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/msgpodcast Twitter: ...
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    46 mins
  • A Sprinkle of MSG: 俺、晓得、没门儿

    A Sprinkle of MSG: 俺、晓得、没门儿
    Feb 25 2021
    1. 俺(ǎn)I, me, we, us, etc2. 晓得(xiǎodé)To know something, like 知道3. 没门儿(méi méner)“No way! Not gonna happen!”For more words & examples, check out the Beijinger article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/8EDVicH7NMbknumcNtcviwGot questions? Want flash cards? Join the WeChat or Facebook groups!WeChat: msgpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/msgpodcast Twitter: @msgmandarin MSG is bringing you the delicious Chinese learning content that you need. We go inside the language to bring you the culture and stories behind the words that your textbook just isn’t giving you. Likes, subscribes, comments, and ratings help ensure that I'll be able to keep doing it! Thanks. I love you, no matter what Gregorysays.
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    7 mins
  • MSG034: Hottest Words of the Year of the Rat (Part 2: Yang Yi)

    MSG034: Hottest Words of the Year of the Rat (Part 2: Yang Yi)
    Feb 2 2021
    Check out 杨一’s work as Co-Founder and COO of JustPod: https://justpodnews.com/en/1. 时间管理大师(shíjiān guǎnlǐ dàshī)Literally a “Time management master,”it’s a cheater who has to balance their time between multiple girl/boyfriends.2. 海王(hǎiwáng)Literally “Sea King”or Aquaman, it’s a player - someone who is at all the parties and whose response to “There are lots of fish in the sea”is “I’ll take them all, thanks!”3. 工具人(gōngjù rén)Literally “tool person,”it’s a person who is being used by their job or by someone else in their life. They’ve been reduced to a tool!4. 后浪(hòulàng)The “next wave,”it refers to the young generation that is coming after old people like me in the 前浪。Got questions? Want flash cards? Join the WeChat or Facebook groups!WeChat: msgpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/msgpodcast Twitter: @msgmandarin MSG is bringing you the delicious Chinese learning content that you need. We go inside the language to bring...
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    38 mins
  • MSG033: Hottest Words of the Year of the Rat (Part 1: Caiwei Chen)

    MSG033: Hottest Words of the Year of the Rat (Part 1: Caiwei Chen)
    Jan 14 2021
    Check out Caiwei's podcast, 定向跳转 Redirect (in Mandarin) here or wherever you pod: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ZeU05KVgETU8BruI42bPq1. 打工人(dǎgōng rén)“Laborers,”an ironic self-address used by the working class to commiserate and bond 2. 内卷(nèi juǎn)“Involution,”or curling inward, referring to the way competition forces people to put forth increasingly more effort and labor without receiving more benefits or creating better output. Originally a dry sociology term, it’s become hot as an explanation for many of China’s woes.3. 凡尔赛(fáněrsài)“Versailles.”It’s become a buzzword for rich people showing off their (usually inherited, as opposed to earned) flashy lifestyle.4. 阴间(yīnjiān)“The underworld,”or the dark place. Used in the way the kids are using “cursed”these days, to describe something you see online that you wish you hadn’t seen.Got questions? Want flash cards? Join the WeChat or Facebook groups!WeChat: msgpodcast Facebook: https://www.face...
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    49 mins