人山人海：

“Ren shan ren hai, dui bu dui?” This is what we often say to people as we squeeze onto crowded subways and buses. They laugh and wonder where we are from. It’s one of those cool Chinese idioms meaning, “Mountains of people, seas of people!” Though it seems like a natural part of the conversation at the time, thinking back it’a kind of a ridiculous thing to say. The equivalent in English would be a random Chinese person walking up to you and say with a grin on his face: “Birds of a feather, flock together! Am I right?!” Yup. I would laugh too. I love interacting with the people around me on these crowded subways and buses. Each person has their own individual story and outlook on life.

Riding the subway, it’s a lot of fun to listen to some of my BYU-Idaho friends practicing their Chinese with those around them. Here are a few of our funnier moments together:

Talking with the nice old gentleman, he asked her where she was from.

Emily: I am from… (not know the Chinese word) …Michigan.

Old Man: Where?

Emily: Michigan zhou.

Old Man: Oh, you live in Moxige?

Emily: (Not sure what he just said, she shook her head in agreement.)

Leaning forward I whisper to the man:

Me: “No, she’s not from Mexico.”

Studying flashcards on the subway:

Really random, and in a kind of a ‘know-it-all’ tone, she announced to everyone around her:

Abby: “Jing ji. It means lawyer.”

(A short pause…)

Me: “No it doesn’t.” haha

Tina got “lost” and wandered around Beijing for an entire afternoon. The first thing she wants to know when we see her next, is how to say “tobacco” in Chinese. Coincidence? Yeah, I thought it was pretty sketchy too.

Josh’s dating advice to Tina:

After telling a confusing story that didn’t seem to go anywhere, he remarked:

Josh: “I’m just saying, if you like a guy, touch his arm a little bit. Maybe caress his hand.”

(After a few seconds of it sinking in…)

Me: “Josh… that is possible the worst advice I’ve ever heard.”

An excerpt from Abby Paulsen’s blog:

#2 “I like it.”

“So, there I was talking to this guy on the subway. He had kind of a strong accent that was hard to understand. My friend Adam, who served a mission in Taiwan, Chinese speaking, later told me what the guy said. This is how it went. We will call the guy on the subway “Joe.”

Me: Have you eaten Beijing Duck? (Beijing is famous for their duck)

Joe: Oh, yeah it’s really good.

Me: Do you like it?

Joe: Yeah, have you tried it?

Me: I like it.

Joe: But have you tried it?

Me: … …I like it.

Joe: Ok, so you’ve tried it?

Me: (I just shook my head “no” at this point, because I had no idea what he kept asking.)

#3 “Your Chinese is very good”

“This conversation took place with Josh and a Chinese guy on the subway, but Adam and I were listening in. We’ll call the guy he was talking to “Ted.” So Ted and Josh were talking for a short time and Josh was able to carry on a conversation with him pretty well, and then…

Ted: Ni shuo han yu shuo de hen hao. (Your Chinese is very good)

Josh: huh?

Ted: Ni shuo han yu shuo de hen hao. (Your Chinese is very good)

Josh: Wo ting bu dong. (I don’t understand)

“My friends who have served foreign speaking missions have told me that the motto when you don’t understand what someone is saying to you is, “When in doubt, bear your testimony.” Here, I’ve found that the motto is, “When in doubt, say ‘bu cuo’ (not bad) and ask another question.” You can never go wrong.”