I had my Chinese lesson last night, and I learned new stuff. I was practicing with my driver. I was feeling pretty cool. Well, my driver had said a really funny sounding word the other day, and couldn't get across to me what it meant, so I asked my teacher. The word was Ma ma hu hu (sounds like hoo). I found out it means So-so. I told Jiang (our driver) that I knew what it meant now, and then I made my mistake. I thought it was a perfect segway into me telling him another word she taught us...San Ba. Well, my teacher told us it means crazy woman. I thought that was pretty funny,and thought certainly Jiang would be impressed that I know a "slang" word. Well, you know, there is always that one key word that you don't know how to say. It is usually a word that really puts the sentence together. Well, the word in this instance was "taught". I was trying to tell him that my teacher taught me the word San Ba. Well, he thought I said she "called" me San Ba. He acted very surprised and was most insistant when he told me that I am NOT San Ba! Well, here's where it gets pretty devastating... I found out tonight from my Chinese friend, that it doesn't really mean "crazy woman". It is much more derogatory...More like that one word that we never call women and rhymes with witch! I am so embarrassed. First of all, I used that bad word in front of my driver...AND I said my teacher called me one, AND most of all, because I can't do anything to fix it! Yes, I am EXCELLENT at Chinese!
But I do at least know the moral...
Don't get cocky about your Chinese when it's Ma Ma Hu Hu at best!
