Sometimes people like to use diff erent words to express the same idea, that is, they may use “fi gurative” terms, ྨဝ䇁wěiwa ˇ nyu ˇ or 䱤䇁yî ˇ nyu ˇ . These terms are used to say things in a roundabout way, to avoid being too direct, to avoid embarrassment or to express things in a more colorful manner. “Death or to die, ⅏ sî ˇ ” has to be the most widely tabooed word, and there are about 500 diff erent ways of saying “sî ˇ ” in Chinese without actually using the word.
The following are samples of fi gurative expressions:
English and Chinese Figurative expression argue 㑶㜌hónglia ˇ n, redden the face ѝ䆎zhēnglùn,
ਉᶊcha ˇ ojià
bathroom ि⫳䯈wèishēngjiān, hygiene room ३᠔cèsuo ˇ ⋫䯈xî ˇ sho ˇ ujiān, wash hand room
ϔো yíhào, number one blind ⵢxiā ༅ᯢshīmíng, lose brightness brag, boast ⠯chuīniú, blow a cow
༌kuādà 䇈䆱 shuōdàhuà, speak big words break up (a relationship) chuī, to blow it
ߚ f ēnsho ˇ u 䑀dēng, to kick ᦄ bāi, to break into two change jobs
ᤶऩԡhuàndānwèi
䏇ῑtiàocáo, to jump to another trough
chaperone (derogatory) ♃⊵dēngpào, light bulb
Ԉ䱣㗙bànsuízhě ⬉♃⊵diàndēngpào, electric light bulb
chase women, fi nd a girlfriend
ங㳰xiùmì, sniff for honey
䗑ཇҎ zhuīnu ‥ˇ ren
commit suicide ᇏⷁ㾕xúndua ˇ njiàn, seek short view
㞾ᴔzìshā ᢍ㛪ᄤmo ˇ bózi, slash neck 䕏⫳qīngshēng, make light of life
ॠϪyànshì, sick of the world 㞾ሑzìjìn, self fi nish
㞾ᇏⷁ㾕zìxún dua ˇ njiàn, self seek short view of life
cuckold (a man) ᠈㓓ᐑᄤdài lü ` màozi (wear a green hat; in ancient times, such a person had to wear a green hat or turban)
ཌཛⱘϜ
jiānf ùde zhàngfu Р啳 wūguī, tortoise death, die ᅝānmián, peaceful sleep
⅏sî ˇ ᅝᙃānxī, peaceful rest ϡњbúzàile, no longer here 䭓chángmián, long sleep 䭓䗱chángshì, left forever 䕲Ϫcíshì, quit the world 䑀㝓dēngtuî ˇ , kick legs
ᮁ⇨duànqì, break off breath ᬙϪgùshì, pass away from the world
ᔦguītiān, return to heaven ᔦ㽓guīxī, return to the western heaven where paradise is
㻍ሌguo ˇ shī, wrap up the corpse, to die on the battlefi eld
䖛এguòqu, pass away
㾕ϞᏱjiànshàngdì, to meet with God
㾕偀ܟᗱjiàn Ma ˇ kèsī, to meet with Karl Marx
ᤤ䒃juānqū, donate one’s body to the country
2.20 Figurative expressions
≵Ϫmòshì, to disappear from the world
≵᳝њméiyo ˇ ule, no more, no longer here
⍙Ⲭnièpán, death of a monk or nun
⇨㒱qìjué, breath terminated ᓗϪqìshì, abandon the world এqù, go, leave, depart
এϪqùshì, go away from the world छshēngtiān, rise up to heaven Ԍ㝓shēntuî ˇ , stretch out legs 䗱Ϫshìshì, disappear from the world
ᇓ㒜ℷᆱshòuzhōng zhèngqî ˇ n, fi nish life for a proper sleep
⥽ܓᅠwánrwán, fi nish playing ਰઔઝwūhu āizai, alas, how sad
⡎⡆xīshēng, sacrifi ce oneself for one’s country
⅝xùnguó, die for one’s country
⅝ᬭxùnjiào, die for religion
⅝ᚙxùnqíng, die for love
⅝㘠xùnzhí, die on duty
ઑ⇨yànqì, swallow up the breath
༁䗱yāoshì, disappear young
༁ᡬyāozhé, broken young ϔ⮙ϡ䍋yíbìngbùq, once sick, never get up
∌߿yo ˇ ngbié, part forever
∌䗱yo ˇ ngshì, disappear forever ϢϪ䭓䕲yu ˇ shì chángcí, bid farewell to the world forever 㩀䑿剐㝍zàngshēnyúf ù, buried in a fi sh belly
䍄њzo ˇ ule, left, gone, departed
সzuògu ˇ , become a person of the past
deaf 㘇㚠ěrbèi, ear out of the way 㘟lóng ༅㘾shīcōng, lose faculty of
hearing
༅shītīng, lose hearing
diarrhea ᢝ㙮ᄤlādùzi, evacuate the tummy
⋏㙮xièdù ᢝ⿔lāxī, evacuate watery 䯍㙮ᄤnào dùzi, belly stirs 䎥㙮ᄤpa ˇ odùzi, belly runs divorce ߚf ēnsho ˇ u, part hands
⾏ီlíhūn drug addict
↦㗙xīdúzhě Ⱂ৯ᄤyî ˇ njūnzî ˇ , addicted personage fl irt (with women),
to tease (women)
ৗ䈚㜤chī dòufu, eat beancurd (which is soft)
䇗ᚙtiáoqíng
foolish, stupid person ー㲟bèndàn, dumb egg ーҎ bènren 㷶䋻chu ˇ nhuò, dumb goods
ѠⱒѨèrba ˇ iwu ˇ , two hundred and fi fty: no full understanding of things ڏ⪰sha ˇ guā, silly melon
ڏᐑܓsha ˇ màor, silly hat foreigner 㗕la ˇ owài, old outsider
Ҏwàiguorén funerals
㩀⼐zànglî ˇ
ⱑџbáishì, white event (white is the color of mourning)
ⱑ୰báixî ˇ , white happiness, especially an old person’s funeral
ৢџhòushì, event afterwards go to the washroom ֓dàbiàn, big convenience Ϟ३᠔shàng cèsuo ˇ ᮍ֓f āngbian, convenience
㾷jiěsho ˇ u, loosen hands ޔjìngsho ˇ u, clean hands এ⋫qùxî ˇ sho ˇ u, go wash hands
2.20 Figurative expressions
Ϟ⋫䯈shàng xî ˇ sho ˇ ujiān, go to the hand-washing room
Ϟϔোshàngyíhào, go to number one
ᇣ֓xia ˇ obiàn, small convenience have sex
ᗻѸxìngjiāo
᠓џfángshì, bedroom business:
husband and wife
Ϟᑞshàngchuáng, go to bed ⴵ㾝shuìjiào, sleep
ѥ䲼yúnyu ˇ , clouds and rain
⠅zuò’ài, make love homosexual ৠᖫ tóngzhì, comrade ৠᗻᘟtóngxìngliàn ܨܓtùr, rabbit jealous ৗ䝟chīcù, eat vinegar ᖠསjìdu ⴐ㑶 ya ˇ nhóng, eyes red
⢃㑶ⴐ⮙f àn hóngya ˇ nbìng, suff er red eye disease
ᆇ㑶ⴐ⮙hài hóngya ˇ nbìng, suff er red eye disease
lay off ϟቫxiàga ˇ ng, leave sentry duty 㾷䲛 jiěgù
lose one’s job, to be fi red
༅Ϯshīyè ♦剓剐cha ˇ oyóuyú, fry squid, fried squid (fried squids roll up like the bedroll a fi red person has to carry)
⸌佁záf ànwa ˇ n, smash the rice bowl
make things diffi cult for Փϡᖿshî ˇ búkuài (a subordinate)
こᇣ䵟chuān xia ˇ oxié, wear tight shoes
marriage ៤ᆊchéngjiā, establish home
ီ࿏hūnyīn, џdàshì, great event 㒧ီjiéhūn ୰џxî ˇ shì, happy event
㒜䑿џzhōngshēn dàshì, great event of the whole life
menstruation, period ՟؛lìjià, regular holiday
᳜㒣yuèjīng ᇣ᳟টxia ˇ opéngyou, little friend old age ⱑ佪báisho ˇ u, white head
㗕ᑈla ˇ onián 㭘ᲂbómù, early evening
ᲂmòmù, late evening ᲂ᱃mùjî ˇ ng, evening scene
Ϟᑈ㑾shàngniánji, move up in age 䳰থshuāngf à, frosted hair
pickpocket ϝাsānzhīsho ˇ u, three hands ᠦpásho ˇ u
pornographic movie 㡆ᚙ⬉ᕅsèqíng diànyî ˇ ng
咘㡆⬉ᕅhuángsè diànyî ˇ ng, yellow movie
pornographic video ↯⠛máopiān, fuzz fi lm 㡆ᚙ⠛sèqíngpiān
poor かqióng
ᧁϡᓔ䫙jiēbukāi guō, cannot open the cooking pot
poverty-stricken person
かҎqióngrén かܝ㲟qióngguāngdàn, poor as a smooth egg
ೄ䲒᠋kùnnánhù, diffi cult household
pregnant ᢅ࿗࿗bào wáwa, hold baby ᗔᄩhuáiyùn ᗔ䑿huaíshēn, harbor a body
ᗔ୰huáixî ˇ , harbor happiness
᳝њ䑿ᄤyo ˇ ule shēnzi, have a body
᳝୰yo ˇ uxî ˇ , have happiness prison 䪕にtiěchuāng, iron window ⲥ⣅jiānyù
refused entry
㹿ᢦ䖯ܹbèijù jìnrù ৗ䯁䮼㖍chī bìméngēng, eat close-door soup
shoot the breeze, chat 䯆䇜xiántán
ⷡቅka ˇ ndàshān, chop big mountain
㘞liáotiānr, chat about the day 䯆⺩⠭xiánkēyá, leisurely click teeth
sick ϡᅝbù’ān, not at ease
⮙bìng ϡᖿbúkuài, not happy ϡ䗖búshì, not fi t
ϡ㟦᳡bùshūfu, not comfortable
2.20 Figurative expressions
ᅝqiàn’ān, lack wellness
⠑qiànshua ˇ ng, lack well-being thief
䌐zéi, ᇣًxia ˇ otōu
ṕϞ৯ᄤliángshàng jūnzî ˇ , gentleman on the beams tidy up someone else’s mess ᪺ሕ㙵cā pìgu, wipe bottom ᬊᣒshōushi
weddings
ီ⼐hūnlî ˇ
㑶џhóngshì, red event (red being the color of happiness)