Posting neat Chinese phrases whenever I feel like #36

{马|mǎ}{上|shàng}

Literally: “on horseback”

Figuratively: “right away; soon”

@ProletarianDictator@hexbear.net

Yeah I should have explained it a little more in depth, haha. It’s hard to reduce these words to simple translations. All parts are weird enough on their own.

{如|rú} means “follow” more in the sense of “follow orders”, go along, comply, accord, be like, as if, etc. {果|guǒ} means fruit in a very broad sense as the “effect” of a tree or seed, think like “bear fruit”, “fruitless”, “the fruits of one’s labor”, etc. So in combination they mean, what happens if the results of a situation are according to some description.

The other variant I think is a bit simpler. {要|yào} means “ask for”, “demand”, “request”, “want”, “need”, “must”, sort of the inverse of the above {如|rú} here. So a hypothetical demands that a situation {是|shì} be a certain way. It places a restriction on the possible outcomes.

Sorry if this is nonsense, I might post other compounds with {果|guǒ} and delve deeper ... whenever I feel like™ 😎

Posting neat Chinese phrases whenever I feel like #35

{如|rú}{果|guǒ} / {要|yào}{是|shì}

Literally: “follow fruit / need be”

Figuratively: “if”

@ProletarianDictator@hexbear.net

I have a confession to make. I am actually {~~based~~|~~cringe~~} {cringe|based}.

WE HAVE RUBY?

{这|zhè}{极端|jíduān}{基于|jīyú}

Posting neat Chinese phrases whenever I feel like #33

{忐|tǎn}{忑|tè}

Remember {上|shàng} and {下|xià} (up and down)? If your {心|xīn} (heart) was going up and down, how would you feel? Perhaps perturbed, fidgety, upset, on edge, uneasy, nervous?

This is a 2-syllable word where neither {忐|tǎn} nor {忑|tè} make sense on their own, they are strictly parts of this word. I’m also 99% sure that the characters were invented specifically for this word.

@ProletarianDictator@hexbear.net

Posting neat Chinese phrases whenever I feel like #32

脑袋

(nǎo dài)

Literally: “brain bag”

Figuratively: “head” (informal)

@ProletarianDictator@hexbear.net

i can’t believe duolingo would do this to me

Posting neat Chinese phrases whenever I feel like #23

猫头鹰

(māo tóu yīng)

Literally: “cat head hawk”

Figuratively: “owl”

We love our owls don’t we folks?

@ProletarianDictator@hexbear.net

Posting neat Chinese phrases whenever I feel like #21

森林

(sēn lín)

Individually: “[lush] [milieu]”

Combined: “forest”

Remember 木 mù “wood”? Well here are some more of them! Both 森 and 林 can (at least could once upon a time) mean “forest” on their own, but their other meanings pull in different directions: 森 towards thick, dense, dark, strict, and 林 towards grove, circle, group.

@ProletarianDictator@hexbear.net

I think it's pretty telling that the original sea lion comic is just a guy being racist and getting annoyed when the sea lion calls him out on said racism

admittedly a rather gay drama but w/e (word of honor)