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Quiz:

1. Which answer below is a scene that can be best described with the word "笑喷?"

     A. You failed the final examination
     B. You watched a funny movie with your friends
     C. You saw a homeless cat in the street
     D. You were given a gift that you love
     See Answer
If you are not sure about the answer, please read the following text first and then try again.
kongtie

Look at the photo above. What verb would you use to describe this act?

In Chinese, there are many ways as well, but the word that is flying around the internet lately is "笑喷 (xiàopēn)." The word "笑 (xiào)" means "laugh" and "喷 (pēn)" means "spurt, spray." It is the act of suddenly spitting liquid out of one's mouth when hearing something hilarious. This term originated as a showbiz term, but it now used in everyday life.

Although this word is the act of spitting something out while laughing, it has more of a broad meaning to describe something that is funny. It can literally mean you spit something out, or it can just mean you laughed until you were crying.

Look at the examples below to get a better understanding of this:

Examples:

Kàn dào zhè zhāng mànhuà, wǒ jiǎnzhí yào xiàopēn le.
看    到   这     张       漫画,   我   简直    要   笑喷    了。
I simply wanted to laugh until I spit when I read this manga.

Jack zài kètīng jiǎng le gè xiàohuà, jiārénmen dōu xiàopēn le.
Jack  在   客厅  讲   了 个   笑话,    家人们      都    笑喷    了。
The joke Jack told in the living room had everyone laughing on the spot.

Chīfàn de shíhòu zuìhǎo bú yào kàn zōngyì jiēmù, yībúxiǎoxīn jiù huì xiàopēn.
吃饭    的  时候    最好     不   要  看   综艺  节目,  一不小心    就   会  笑喷。
When eating its best not to watch variety shows, as soon as you are not careful you will laugh until you spit out food.

This word can also become an adjective to describe something that is hilarious. It uses the form "笑喷 (xiàopēn) + 的 (de) + [object]."

Examples:

Ràng rén xiàopēn de xiàohuà.
让      人   笑喷     的   笑话。
A joke that makes people laugh until they spit.

Shí bù ràng nǐ xiàopēn de diànyǐng.
10  部   让   你   笑喷    的   电影。
10 movies that make you laugh until you spit.

Learn more ways to describe something hilarious:

That's funny!
搞笑 (Gǎoxiào) Funny/ Provoke laughter

 
zhanpianyi

An old English expression says:

"Most burglaries are committed by casual opportunists."

We all know someone who will step over their neighbors to get what they desire. It happens in every country and every culture, unfortunately. When these opportunistic people take advantage of a situation, in Chinese we call this action "占便宜 (zhàn piányi)." It could mean taking financial advantage of someone or "turning the tables" to make sure things go in that person's favor. In addition to the aforementioned situations, "占便宜 (zhàn piányi)" also has a special meaning when females are being mistreated.

Let's take a closer look at "占便宜 (zhàn piányi)":

Knowledge Point:

占便宜 (zhàn piányi): to gain an extra advantage by unfair means; to profit at another person's expense; be in an opportunistic position

Examples of "占便宜 (zhàn piányi)" in daily life:

Nǐ gèzǐ gāo, dǎ lánqiú zhàn piányi.
你 个子 高,打  篮球    占    便宜。
A tall fellow like you has an advantage in playing basketball.

Tā hěn yǒu quánshì, dàn tā cóng bú zhàn piányi.
他  很   有    权势,    但   他   从   不  占    便宜。
He has found his castle but he doesn't take advantage of it.

And then the "additional meaning." Warning: Be careful when using "占便宜 (zhàn piányi)" around all those Chinese "女神 (nǚshén)" !

Sometimes in Chinese, we use "占便宜 (zhàn piányi)" to express when one "acts indecently towards a woman or women," and usually we would use this structure...Read more

In addition to friendly jokes, it's best not say "我要占你便宜 (wǒ yào zhàn nǐ piányi)" to a girl in any situation.

Quiz:

1. All of the following are examples of "占便宜 (zhàn piányi)" behavior except:

A. a student making friends with the smartest student in the class to copy their notes
B. a storeowner selling a product to a foreigner at a higher price
C. two friends opening a business together and sharing the profits
See Answer

 
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