Learning Chinese: Stating the Obvious

Home » Humor March 20, 2009 No Comment
The following conversation happened a little while ago with my co-worker while walking through the gates of my school to go to class.  This is an approximate translation of the Chinese:

Me: “Good afternoon, Ms. Wang.”

Wang: “Good afternoon.  Are you going to work right now?”

Me:(a bit humored by the fact that we had just walked through the school gates)“Oh wait, you mean this is where I work? I always wondered why kids kept asking me how to say English words here.  It all makes sense now.”

Wang: (looking at me quite confused)“Uhh…what?”

This conversation, short though it may be, is an example of one of the funniest problems I ran into when first learning Chinese: the art of stating the obvious. In the American culture, stating the obvious is just asking for a joke.  I love it how comic Bill Engvall has actually made a name for himself with the “Here’s Your Sign” segment of his act.  One of my favorites was when he was finding his car in a big supermarket parking lot and happened across a man with a coat hangar down the driver’s side window.  Before he could stop himself he blurted out:

“You lock your keys in your car?”

“Nope,” the man replied. “I just washed it and I was getting ready to hang it out to dry.”

Here’s your sign (ie “wear this sign that says I ask stupid questions”).  You may laugh, but my co-worker would still be starring at me with that same quizzical look. It seems that stating the obvious is just part of the conversation here in China.  In fact, I’ve noticed that it’s one of the primary ways to begin a conversation.  When you see someone in the supermarket you ask “Hey, are you buying groceries?”  Maybe if you meet someone you know at the gym you would say “Wang! Are you going to exercise?”  Even if you’re walking through the door of your common workplace it would be common courtesy to ask “Are you heading to work?”

 

My knee-jerk reaction to all of these questions is “OF COURSE I AM!” I’ve never actually said that to someone here in China, but it’s been through my head more than once.  It doesn’t annoy me, just catches me off guard.  I can’t help but think to myself “Are they serious?”

 

Anyway, I thought that was hilarious and you’d enjoy hearing.  If anybody has any funny experiences themselves, or even a good “Here’s Your Sign” joke, I’m up for a good laugh or two so please add your two cents below.  Have a great weekend everybody.
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