不客气
Búkèqi
You're welcome.
A: 中文的“不客气”是什么意思，一般在什么时候用呢？
Zhōngwén de " bú kè qi " shì shénme yìsi, yìbān zài shénme shíhou yòng
ne?
What does "不客气" mean, and when it is used?
B: 当别人对你说“谢谢”时，你就要说“不客气”。意思就是你很愿意为别人做
事，不用谢了。
Dāng biérén duì nĭ shuō "xièxiè" shí, nĭ jiù yào shuō "bú kè qi." Yìsi jiù shì
nĭ hĕn yuànyì wèi biérén zuòshì, bú yòng xiè le.
You should say "不客气" when others say "谢谢" to you. It means that you
are willing to help others.
A: 那刚才王俊没有说“谢谢”，为什么他老师说“不客气”？
Nà gāngcái Wáng Jùn méiyŏu shuō "xiè xiè," wèi shénme tā lăoshī shuō
"bú kè qi?"
But Wang Jun didn't say "谢谢" just now and his teacher said "不客气" to him.
B: 哦？那王俊的老师怎么说的？
Ò？Nà Wáng Jùn de lăoshī zĕnme shuō de?
Really? What did his teacher say?
A: 如果你再敢迟到，我就对你不客气了！
Rúguŏ nĭ zài găn chídào, wŏ jiù duì nĭ búkèqi le!
If you are late again, I won't be so easy on you.
Analysis
The Chinese phrase "不客气" has two meanings and in this joke "A" doesn't distinguish the two meanings. The first meaning is you're welcome, which is used when others say thank you to you. The second meaning is unkind or impolite which is used when someone is angry and unkind or impolite.
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富与贵
Fù yŭ guì
Rich and Expensive
老师: 三中全会后，中国最大的变化是什么？
Lăoshī: Sānzhōngquánhuì hòu, zhōngguó zuì dà de biànhuà Shì shénme?
Teacher: What was the greatest change in China after the Third Plenary
Session?
学生: 三中全会后，中国最大的变化是农民越来越贵了。
Xuésheng: Sānzhōngquánhuì hòu, zhōngguó zuì dà de biànhuà Shì nóngmín yuè lái yuè guì le.
Student: The greatest change was that the farmers became more and more expensive after the Third Plenary Session.
老师: 是富不是贵。
Lăoshī : Shì fù bú shì guì.
Teacher: It is rich, not expensive.
Analysis
In this joke, the student can't distinguish between the two words 富(fù) and 贵(guì). They both mean prosperity. 富(fù) means rich and wealthy, so people usually use it to refer to someone who is very successful, while 贵(guì) means expensive, so people usually use it to describe something expensive to buy.
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方 便
Fāngbiàn
Convenience
A: 你们中国的服务业真是周到。
Nĭmen zhōngguó de fúwùyè zhēn shì zhōu dào.
The service industry in China is really thorough.
B: 你从哪看出来的？
Nĭ cóng nă kàn chū lái de?
Where did you come up with that?
A: 你们的服务行业常常贴着“为顾客提供方便”，这样就可以很方便找到卫生间。
Nĭ men de fú wù háng yè cháng cháng tiē zhe "wèi gù kè tí gōng fāng
biàn," zhè yàng jiù ké yĭ hĕn fāng biàn zhăo dào wèi shēng jiān.
The service industry here in China has put signs up everywhere with the
sentence: "providing customers with convenience,"which helps us find
the toilet so easily.
Analysis
In China, the phrase 方便(fāngbiàn) has two meanings. One means "convenient" and the other means "going to the washroom." But, in China's service industry, it only means convenient. So in this joke, 'A' only knows the second meaning, thereby misinterpreting the meaning of the sentence.
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处处漂亮
Chùchù piàoliang
Everywhere is beautiful.
A：你长得真漂亮。
Nĭ zhăng dé zhēn piàoliang.
You are so beautiful.
B：哪里哪里！
Nălĭ nălĭ.
You flatters me.
A：眉毛、眼睛、耳朵、鼻子、嘴处处都漂亮！
Méimao, yănjing, ĕrduo, bízi, zuĭ chù chù dōu piàoliang!
Your eyebrows, your eyes…everywhere (on you) is beautiful.
Analysis
In China, 哪里(
nălĭ) is used not just for asking directions, but also as a way of being modest when someone offers you a compliment. The use of 哪里哪里(
nălĭ nălĭ) here is a way of deflecting the compliment as if by saying, "Where? I don't know what you're talking about." The punch line, then, comes from A's literal response to the question: "Your eyebrows, your eyes…everywhere (on you) is beautiful."
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早点
Záodiăn
Breakfast
卡尔:你们中国人的确是一个勤奋的民族。
Nĭmen zhōngguó rén díquè shì yí gè qínfèn de
mínzú.
Your Chinese are really a diligent nation.
张力:你怎么看出来的？
Nĭ zĕnme kàn chūlái de?
How do you know that?
卡尔:我在街上走的时候，常常可以看到路旁的招牌写着
“早点”两个大字，提醒上班的人不要迟到。
Wŏ zài jiēshàng zŏu de shíhou, chángcháng kéyĭ
kàndào lùpáng de zhāopai xiĕ zhe "záo diăn"liǎnggè
dà zì, tíxĭng shàngbān de rén
búyào chídào.
I can always see the two words "早点" on the
signboard when walking on the street, which
reminds people of not being late.
Analysis
早点(
zăodiăn) in Chinese has two meanings. One refers to breakfast and the other means coming early. But 早点(
zăodiăn) in the joke means breakfast.
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