So you are learning to speak Mandarin. That’s great! But can you speak with native Chinese people? The first step to doing so is to use a little slang or at least be able to understand when you hear it in conversation. Today’s slang word is used as an exaggeration for describing something in its entirety.
Have you ever been amazed by how some people are so impatient or careless that they seem to talk faster than thinking? In Chinese, we say "他们把话一股脑儿全说完了 (Tāmen bǎ huà yìgǔnǎo'r quán shuō wán le)。" or "他们把事情一股脑儿都做了 (Tāmen bǎ shìqíng yìgǔnǎo'r dōu zuò le)。" which mean "They said all the words very quickly." or "They have done everything in one go."Basically, it means they blurted out their entire thought process without considering their words first. The key phrase means, completely, "一股脑儿 (yì gǔ nǎo’r)".
Let’s break it down:
一股脑儿 (Yì gǔ nǎo’r): altogether; all in one package; completely.
一 (Yī): one.
股 (Gǔ): share.
脑儿 (Nǎo’r): brains.
Let’s say you had an intense week at work since it’s your first time working in China. There was laughter and there were tears. You get home and your new Chinese friend calls you on the phone to ask about your day. You may want to tell them all the stories, so you start with:
Wǒ jiù yìgǔnǎo'r dōu gàosù nǐ ba.
我 就 一 股脑 儿 都 告 诉 你 吧。
I'll tell you everything.
I hope you’ve never been unfortunate enough to...Read More
Quiz:
1. Read the dialogue below and answer the question:
Anna: Wǒ yìdiǎn’r dōu bù xǐhuān wǒmen lǎobǎn! Anna: 我 一 点 儿 都 不 喜 欢 我 们 老 板！
Jack: Wèishénme? Jack: 为 什 么？
Anna: Tā jīngcháng bǎ gōngzuò yìgǔnǎo’r quán rēng gěi wǒ. Anna: 他 经 常 把 工 作 一 股 脑 儿 全 扔 给 我。
Which of following statements is true?
A. Anna likes her boss because her boss often helps her at work.
B. Anna doesn’t like her boss because her boss often makes her do all of the work.
C. Anna likes to finish her work as soon as possible.
D. Anna doesn’t like her work at all.
See Answer Analysis 
