Vocabulary
Beijing dialect typically uses many words that are considered slang, and therefore occur much less or not at all in Standard Chinese. Speakers not native to Beijing may have trouble understanding many or most of these. Many of such slang words employ the rhotic suffix -r. Examples include:
- 倍儿 bèir – very, especially (referring to manner or attribute)
- 别价 biéjie – do not; usually followed by 呀 if used as an imperative (Usually used when rejecting a favor or politeness from close friends)
- 搓火儿 cuōhuǒr – to be angry
- 颠儿了 diārle – to leave; to run away
- 二把刀 èrbǎdāo – a person with limited abilities, klutz
- 撒丫子 sayazi – to let go on feet, to go, leave.
- 怂 sóng / 蔫儿 niār – no backbone, spiritless
- 消停 xiāoting – to finally and thankfully become quiet and calm
- 辙 zhé – way (to do something); equivalent to Standard Chinese 办法
- 褶子了 zhezile – ruined (especially things to do)
- 上 shang - often used in place of 去, meaning "to go".
- 搁 ge - often used in place of 放, meaning "to place".
Some Beijing phrases may be somewhat disseminated outside Beijing:
- 抠门儿 kōumér – stingy, miserly (may be used even outside Beijing)
- 劳驾 láojia – "Excuse me"; heard often on public transportation
- 溜达 liūda – to stroll about; equivalent to Standard Chinese 逛街 or 散步
Note that some of the slang are considered to be tuhua (土话), or "base" or "uneducated" language, that are carryovers from an older generation and are no longer used amongst more educated speakers, for example:
- 迄小儿 qíxiǎor – since a young age
- 晕菜 yūncài – to be disoriented
Others may be viewed as neologistic expressions used amongst among younger speakers and in "trendier" circles:
- 爽 shuǎng – cool (in relation to a matter); cf. 酷 (kù) (describes a person)
- 套瓷儿 tàocír – to toss into the hoop; used of basketball
- 小蜜 xiǎomì – special female friend (negative connotation)
Read more about this topic: Beijing Dialect
Famous quotes containing the word vocabulary:
“One forgets words as one forgets names. One’s vocabulary needs constant fertilizing or it will die.”
—Evelyn Waugh (1903–1966)
“Institutional psychiatry is a continuation of the Inquisition. All that has really changed is the vocabulary and the social style. The vocabulary conforms to the intellectual expectations of our age: it is a pseudo-medical jargon that parodies the concepts of science. The social style conforms to the political expectations of our age: it is a pseudo-liberal social movement that parodies the ideals of freedom and rationality.”
—Thomas Szasz (b. 1920)
“[T]here is no breaking out of the intentional vocabulary by explaining its members in other terms.”
—Willard Van Orman Quine (b. 1908)