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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
John: Chinese Slang Expressions Related to Food, Part 1
John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to ChineseClass101.com. I'm John Reyna.
Dehua: And I'm Dehua!
John: This is Must-Know Chinese Slang Words and Phrases, Season 1, Lesson 8. In this lesson, you'll learn chinese slang expressions using words and characters related to food.
John: Food is one of the most important elements in Chinese culture. No wonder there are so many expressions that contain food.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
John: The expressions you'll be learning in this lesson are:
Dehua: 完蛋 (wándàn)
Dehua: 小笨蛋 (xiǎo bèndàn)
Dehua: 帅又不能当饭吃 (shuài yòu bù néng dāng fàn chī)
Dehua: 刀子嘴豆腐心 (dāozizuǐ dòufu xīn)
John: Dehua, what's our first expression?
Dehua: 完蛋 (wándàn)
John: literally meaning "finish egg/finish zero." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to be killed; finished; doomed."
Dehua: 完蛋 (wándàn)
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Dehua: 完蛋 (wándàn)
John: Use this slang expression when you try to describe something terrible is happening to you.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Dehua: 我忘了我女朋友的生日!我完蛋了! (Wǒ wàng le Wǒ nǚpéngyou de shēngrì! Wǒ wándàn le!)
John: "I forgot my girlfriend's birthday, I'm doomed!"
Dehua: 我忘了我女朋友的生日!我完蛋了! (Wǒ wàng le Wǒ nǚpéngyou de shēngrì! Wǒ wándàn le!)
John: Okay, what's the next expression?
Dehua: 小笨蛋 (xiǎo bèndàn)
John: This literally means "little silly egg." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "silly little thing; little goofball."
Dehua: 小笨蛋 (xiǎo bèndàn)
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Dehua: 小笨蛋 (xiǎo bèndàn)
John: Use this slang expression when your girlfriend did something silly, in a cute way.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Dehua: 你这个小笨蛋,又把汤溅到衣服上了。 (nǐ zhège Xiǎo Bèndàn, yòu bǎ tāng jiān dào yīfu shàng le.)
John: "Silly thing, you spilled soup on your clothes again."
Dehua: 你这个小笨蛋,又把汤溅到衣服上了。 (nǐ zhège Xiǎo Bèndàn, yòu bǎ tāng jiān dào yīfu shàng le.)
John: Okay, what's our next expression?
Dehua: 帅又不能当饭吃 (shuài yòu bù néng dāng fàn chī)
John: literally meaning "pretty face can not feed you." As a slang expression, it means "can not charm one's way through life."
Dehua: 帅又不能当饭吃 (shuài yòu bù néng dāng fàn chī)
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Dehua: 帅又不能当饭吃 (shuài yòu bù néng dāng fàn chī)
John: Use this slang expression when warning a female not to choose a partner based on his appearance.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Dehua: A:他太帅了,我要嫁给他。 (A: tā tài shuài le, Wǒ yào jiàgěi tā.)
B:别想了,帅又不能当饭吃。(B: bié xiǎng le, shuài yòu bù néng dāng fàn chī.)
John: "A: He is so handsome. I want to marry him.
B: Forget about that. A pretty face can't feed you."
Dehua: A:他太帅了,我要嫁给他。 (A: tā tài shuài le, Wǒ yào jiàgěi tā.)
B:别想了,帅又不能当饭吃。(B: bié xiǎng le, shuài yòu bù néng dāng fàn chī.)
John: Okay, what's the last expression?
Dehua: 刀子嘴豆腐心 (dāozizuǐ dòufu xīn)
John: Which literally means "knife mouth tofu heart." As a slang expression, it means "speaks harshly but means well."
Dehua: 刀子嘴豆腐心 (dāozizuǐ dòufu xīn)
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Dehua: 刀子嘴豆腐心 (dāozizuǐ dòufu xīn)
John: Use this slang expression when you talk about someone who talk harshly but doesn't mean to hurt others.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Dehua: 我们了解她,她是刀子嘴豆腐心。 (Wǒmen liǎojiě tā, tā shì dāozizuǐ dòufu xīn.)
John: "We know her; she talks harshly but means well."
Dehua: 我们了解她,她是刀子嘴豆腐心。 (Wǒmen liǎojiě tā, tā shì dāozizuǐ dòufu xīn.)
QUIZ
John: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I’ll describe four situations, and you’ll choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready?
John: A child does a silly thing and people laugh and make comments about him.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Dehua: 小笨蛋 (xiǎo bèndàn)
John: "silly little thing; little goofball"
John: You have made a terrible mistake and think it’s the end of the world.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Dehua: 完蛋 (wándàn)
John: "to be killed; finished; doomed"
John: Your friend criticizes you but he means well.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Dehua: 刀子嘴豆腐心 (dāozizuǐ dòufu xīn)
John: "speaks harshly but means well"
John: Someone tells his opinion that good appearance is not everything.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Dehua: 帅又不能当饭吃 (shuài yòu bù néng dāng fàn chī)
John: "can not charm one's way through life"

Outro

John: There you have it; you've mastered four Chinese Slang Expressions! We have more vocab lists available at ChineseClass101.com so be sure to check them out. Thanks, everyone, and see you next time!
Dehua: 下回見 (xià huí jiàn).

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