In this final 2024 edition: Trump vs Harris, how do Chinese view Americans, Liziqi’s Comeback, deciding not to go back to China and discussing your recent divorce with your YouTube-followers.
How Do the Chinese See Trump vs Harris? | Street Interview
In this street interview by Asian Boss, the interviewer asks random Chinese people who they think should win the American elections and which outcome will be best for China. Where do they get their information from and what are the key differences between American and Chinese elections (the interviewer really did ask that question)?
Summarizing: the people interviewed feel more familiar with Trump, even have more sympathy for him, although he’s very hostile towards China, and they think he has a good chance of winning. At the same time, they don’t have strong feelings about the elections results which is reflected by the 吃瓜看戏的一个心态 expression. They’re not really clear on which candidate would be better towards China and which are the main topics for this election. One interviewee even mentions 流浪汉 as the most urgent problem.
Difficulty level: HSK 5-6
候选人hòuxuǎnréncandidate偏见 piānjiànbias; prejudice客观 kèguānobjective; impartial谁更有资格当总统shuí gèng yǒu zīgé dāng zǒngtǒngwho is more qualified to be president翻墙fānqiáng to climb over a wall; bypass internet censorship (figurative)我希望有那一天wǒ xīwàng yǒu nà yītiānI hope that day will come出口经济chūkǒu jīngjìexport-driven economy流浪汉liúlànghànhomeless person和谐关系héxié guānxi harmonious relationship地球村dìqiúcūnglobal village吃瓜看戏的一个心态chī guā kàn xì de yī gè xīntài a bystander mentality (literally, the mindset of eating melon and watching a show)
What Do Chinese REALLY Think About Americans? – Intermediate Chinese – Chinese Street Interview
In this Mandarin Corner video, Eileen interviews random people in her hometown to explore their opinions on Americans and the United States. Participants share their impressions of the US, associating it with things like freedom, technology, and Hollywood stars, and describe Americans as optimistic, independent, and creative, though sometimes arrogant or culturally unaware. They admire American innovation, education, and entertainment but criticize certain global political actions. Many follow American celebrities like Elon Musk and some express interest in the US presidential election, sharing their preferences and predictions about potential outcomes.
Difficulty level: HSK 5
特朗普TèlǎngpǔTrump哈里斯HālǐsīHarris傀儡KuǐlěiPuppet有气质 Yǒu qìzhìGraceful; charismatic有女强人范Yǒu nǚ qiángrén fànHas the demeanor of a strong woman称霸世界 Chēngbà shìjièTo dominate the world
开放 KāifàngOpen-minded乐观 LèguānOptimistic宽松 KuānsōngRelaxed; Easy-going外向 WàixiàngOutgoing自信 ZìxìnConfident太够与奔放Tài gòuyǔ bēnfàngToo bold and unrestrained太随意了Tài suíyì leToo casual该吃的苦我孩子还是要吃的Gāi chī de kǔ wǒ háizi háishì yào chī deThe hardships that should be endured, my child still has to face.
What Chinese Say about Liziqi’s Comeback | Understand Chinese Memes
Discussing internet slang related to the comeback of famous Chinese vlogger Liziqi.
Difficulty level: HSK 6
让人心情非常的平静Ràng rén xīnqíng fēicháng de píngjìng手工 ShǒugōngHandmade; craftwork白月光Bái yuèguāngWhite moonlight (refers to something idealized, pure, or deeply cherished in one’s heart)笑不活了Xiào bù huó leLaughing so hard that I can’t live anymore (a humorous or exaggerated way to say something is extremely funny)貔貅旺财 Píxiū wàng cáiPixiu brings wealth (Pixiu is a mythical Chinese creature believed to attract fortune and wealth)应该在疫情刚嘎嘎开始的那段时间 Yīnggāi zài yìqíng gāng gāgā kāishǐ de nà duàn shíjiānProbably during the time when the pandemic had just started待在家里开始刷 Dāi zài jiālǐ kāishǐ shuāStayed at home and started browsing (e.g., on social media, videos, etc.)最近我更了解她身世Zuìjìn wǒ gèng liǎojiě tā shēnshìRecently, I learned more about her background
After 11 Years, Why I Choose to Stay in Thailand
Mandarin teacher Shuo from the popular Chinese learning channel ShuoshuoChinese explains why she left China back in 2013 and the personal reasons why she prefers to stay in Thailand.
Difficulty level: HSK 3/4
聊得来liáo dé láiGet along well (in conversation); have a good rapport没有选择的压力méiyǒu xuǎnzé de yālìNo pressure to make a choice被社会淘汰bèi shèhuì táotàiEliminated by society; left behind by societal competition内卷nèijuǎnInvolution; excessive competition without meaningful progress个人成就的通货膨胀gèrén chéngjiù de tōnghuò péngzhàngInflation of personal achievements生命力shēngmìnglìVitality; life force私人时间sīrén shíjiānPrivate time; personal time鸡娃 JīwáOver-parenting; pressuring children to succeed excessively (literally “chicken baby,” a slang term derived from “pumping up” a child like feeding a fighting chicken)因人而异Yīn rén ér yìIt depends on the individual; varies from person to person
我们分开的真相是什么？为什么拒绝上《再见爱人4》？
Afu Thomas and Julie answer questions and refute rumors about their recent divorce. Maybe this shouldn’t be learning content, since it’s very private, but as they decided that the world needed this video I included it here anyway.
Difficulty level: HSK 4-5
我们看到不太真实的言论Wǒmen kàn dào bù tài zhēnshí de yánlùnWe see comments that are not very truthful你是跟我录视频现在很尴尬吗？Nǐ shì gēn wǒ lù shìpín xiànzài hěn gāngà ma?Are you feeling awkward recording a video with me right now?我们是生活目标不同了Wǒmen shì shēnghuó mùbiāo bùtóng leWe now have different life goals大家的发展方向不同了Dàjiā de fāzhǎn fāngxiàng bùtóng leEveryone’s development direction has become different我觉得用力过猛并不是一个贬义词啊Wǒ juédé yònglì guòměng bìng bùshì yīgè biǎnyìcí aI don’t think “trying too hard” is a derogatory term说我倒贴啊 Saying that I am desperate or clingycolloquial, often used as a critique implying self-deprecation in relationship刻薄KèbóMean; harsh; sharp-tongued很多人有意无意的在欺负他Hěn duō rén yǒuyì wúyì de zài qīfù tāMany people are bullying him, intentionally or unintentionally
That’s it for 2024. Hope you enjoyed this edition. I’ll be back with more Chinese vocabulary notes in the new year!
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