Can I say “Have a Good Shower” in Chinese? (Intermediate)
Howard Wolowitz in American sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” can say “have a good shower” in six different languages, including Chinese. See the video clip below:
In fact, Chinese people seldom wish others to “洗个痛快澡 (Xǐ gè tòngkuài zǎo) have a good shower.” However, the phrase “痛快 (tòngkuài)” is always used to express wishes. For example, when people want to have a good time they would say “让我们今天晚上玩儿个痛快 (Ràng wǒmen jīntiān wǎnshang wánr gè tòngkuài) let’s have fun tonight.”
“痛痛快快 (tòngtòngkuàikuài)” is the reduplicative form of “痛快 (tòngkuài).” Reduplicative words have stronger tones than the single words and are employed mostly to emphasize the emotion of the speaker. For example, “有什么话你就痛痛快快的说出来吧 (Yǒu shénme huà nǐ jiù tòngtòngkuàikuài de shuō chūlái ba) Speak out what you want to say directly.” “痛痛快快 (tòngtòngkuàikuài)” in this sentence shows that the speaker is eager to know what’s on the other person’s mind.
Here are some frequently used reduplicative words. “高高兴兴 (gāogāoxìngxìng) happily,” “迷迷糊糊 (mímíhūhū) in a daze,” “辛辛苦苦 (xīnxīnkǔkǔ) take great pains and hard work,” “支支吾吾 (zhīzhiwūwū) make an ambiguous statement.”
生词 (shēngcí) Vocabulary
高高兴兴 (gāogāoxìngxìng) happily/ happy
Example:
Tā měitiān dōu gāogāoxìngxìng de qù shàngxué.
他 每天 都 高高兴兴 的 去 上学。
He happily goes to school everyday.
迷迷糊糊 (mímíhūhū) in a daze
Example:
Wǒ zuótiān wǎnshang méiyǒu shuìhǎo, xiànzài gǎnjué mímíhūhū de.
我 昨天 晚上 没有 睡好， 现在 感觉 迷迷糊糊 的。
I didn’t sleep well last night, so I feel like I’m in a daze now.
辛辛苦苦 (xīnxīnkǔkǔ) take great pains and hard work
Example:
Wèile néng yǎnghuó yìjiārén, tā yìnián dàotóu dōu xīnxīnkǔkǔ de gōngzuò.
为了 能 养活 一家人， 他 一年 到头 都 辛辛苦苦 地 工作。
In order to support his family, he has to take great pains all year long.
支支吾吾 (zhīzhiwūwū) make an ambiguous statement
Example:
A: Bié zhīzhiwūwū de, kuài gàosu wǒ zěnme huíshìr!
别 支支吾吾 的，快 告诉 我 怎么 回事儿！
Please stop making an ambiguous statement. Tell me what’s going on right now!
B: En, zhège zhēnshì bù hǎoshuō.
嗯，这个 真是 不 好说。
Well, it’s really hard to talk about it.
Learn another reduplicative word related to animals.
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Hi there. I really appreciate the points you made. I dont think Ive actually thought about it in that way. I can really appreciate how you approached the subject matter and what you said really gave me a new perspective. Thanks for taking the time to write this all out.
There is a mistake. 他 一年 到头 都 辛辛苦苦 的 工作。
should be 辛辛苦苦 地 工作。
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