All true language is incomprehensible,
like the chatter of a beggar's teeth.

-Antonin Artaud

10.28.2011

Loanword in Mandarin Chinese




Could you understand the following story?


I got a call from a friend inviting me to go to a pàiduì tonight when I was lying on my shāfā, after doing yújiā. I said while sipping my píjiŭ, "Kù! Let's go xuĕpìn this afternoon?"


After my friend had put her new clothes on, I heard her whispered to herself, "I am beautiful, I look like a mótèr!"

At night in the pàiduì we drank xiāngbīn and ate sānmíngzhì, while someone was playing jítā in the background.

When we left a friend asked me if I cared for a ride in his jípŭ chē. "No, you have had too much xiāngbīn, I'd better take a bāshì!" I turned down his suggestion and walked away.


Hightlight here to see the pinyin in English:

pàiduì party

shāfā sofa

yújiā yoga

píjiŭ beer

xuĕpìn shopping

mótèr model

xiāngbīn champagne

sānmíngzhì sandwich

jítā guitar

jípŭ chē jeep

bāshì bus

2 comments:

  1. Well the following are English loan-words:
    sofa is Turkish,
    yoga is Hindi,
    party and model are from French/Latin,
    champagne is French,
    guitar is Spanish/Arabic,
    bus is short for omnibus from French/Latin!
    So: we're all loaning our words about!

    Tea, of course, comes from Chinese!

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  2. Wow this is great I didn't know sofa is Turkish! Thank you so much!!!

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