Mandarin Monday: Taking Homonyms to the Next Level

Mandarin Monday is a weekly column where we help you improve your Chinese by detailing learning tips, fun and practical phrases, and trends.

It's common knowledge among Chinese learners that tones play a crucial role in this language and can change the meaning of a character drastically. Yet, discerning the differences between the tones and pronouncing them correctly is still just the first step if you want to master this language. As you may well know, there are quite a few characters that acquire more than a few meanings even it pronounces and writes the same in all contexts, especially in casual dialogues. But if that seems confusing, just wait till you take a look at the following brain-melting, tongue-twisting phrases.

今天下雨，我骑车差点摔倒，好在我一把把把把住了！ jīntiān xià yǔ, wǒ qí chē chàdiǎn shuāi dǎo, hǎo zài wǒ yī bǎ bǎ bǎ bǎ zhùle!

It was raining today and I almost fell when cycling. Luckily I grabbed the handlebar in time and regained my balance.

The first 把 bǎ should be read as part of the phrase 一把 yī bǎ which mean complete an action with your hands and arms in one move, such as 一把抱住 yī bǎ bào zhù ，一把提起 yī bǎ tíqǐ. The second ba is the one that has confused many people. It means to get something done. The next one is an abbreviation for 车把 chē bǎ, the handlebar of the bicycle. The last ba is part of the verb 把住 bǎ zhù which describe the action of holding or grabbing something to prevent it from falling or straying away.

多亏跑了两步，差点没上上上上海的车 duōkuī pǎole liǎng bù, chàdiǎn méi shàng shàng shàng shànghǎi de chē

Thank god I hurried, I was this close to missing the train to Shanghai.

The first 上 shàng in this example means the action of boarding a vehicle, such as in 上飞机 shàng fēijī to board an airplane. When the character is doubled, it expresses the status of already having gotten on board. The third 上 shàng means the status of going somewhere. You can find it used in a common question, 上哪儿去 shàng nǎ'er qù？ Where are you going? The last 上 shàng is part of the name of Chinese’s metropolis 上海 Shanghai. 

用毒毒毒蛇，毒蛇会不会被毒毒死？ yòng dú dú dúshé, dúshé huì bù huì bèi dú dú sǐ?

Will the poisonous snake die from the poison if we poison it?

The first and fifth 毒 dú both are a noun that means poison, while the second and the last 毒 dú means to poison (in verb form). The third and fourth 毒 dú are part of the word 毒蛇 dúshé poisonous snake.

校长说：校服上除了校徽别别别的，让你们别别别的你非得别别的！xiàozhǎng shuō: xiàofú shàng chúle xiàohuī bié bié bié de, ràng nǐmen bié bié bié de nǐ fēiděi bié bié de!

Headmaster: Don’t clip anything besides the school’s emblem on your uniform. Why do you have to do it when I have told you not to.

The first and fourth 别 bié both mean don’t, like the one people may use in 别过来 bié guòlái don’t come here. The second, fifth, and seventh 别 bié all mean the action of clip something on a surface, usually clothes. The rest 别 bié indicates others, in this sentence which are things other than the school’s emblem. 

货拉拉拉不拉拉布拉多，取决于拉布拉多拉的多不多 huò lā lā lā bù lā lā bù lā duō, qǔjué yú lā bù lā duō lā de duō bù duō

Whether Huolala (the name of a moving company) will give Labrador a ride depends on how much it may poop.

This is a tricky one since it gets more than one character that repeats with different meanings and also has two different characters share the same pronunciation.

The first pair of 拉拉 is part of the name of the moving company 货拉拉 huò lā lā lā. The following 拉不拉 lā bù lā is a question for the company as to whether they will ship something in which la means giving something a ride. The next one is 拉布拉多 lā bù lā duō. Even though this may sound like 拉不拉 lā bù lā, it is just the phonetic translation for Labrador in Chinese. Then, the next 拉 lā means to poop. Finally for the 多不多 duō bù duō at the end of this sentence is the condition for the company to decide whether they can give the Labrador a ride, which is how much it may poop. 多 duō means a lot here.

Ok, I think we have taught you enough about some of the characters that have multiple meanings and can appear in the same sentence in Chinese. Now it’s quiz time, can you figure out what are all the 意思 yìsi meaning of these 意思？

阿呆给领导送红包时，两人的对话颇有意思。ādāi gěi lǐngdǎo sòng hóngbāo shí, liǎng rén de duìhuà pǒ yǒuyìsi

领导：“你这是什么意思？” nǐ zhè shì shénme yìsi?

阿呆：“没什么意思，意思意思。” méishénme yìsi, yìsi yìsi.

领导：“你这就不够意思了。nǐ zhè jiù bùgòu yìsile

阿呆：“小意思，小意思。” xiǎoyìsi, xiǎoyìsi

领导：“你这人真有意思。” nǐ zhè rén zhēn yǒuyìsi

阿呆：“其实也没有别的意思。” qíshí yě méiyǒu bié de yìsi

领导：“那我就不好意思了。” nà wǒ jiù bù hǎoyìsil

阿呆：“是我不好意思。” shì wǒ bù hǎoyìsi

领导笑了：呵呵，我对你有点意思了。hēhē, wǒ duì nǐ yǒudiǎn yìsile

阿呆心想：嘻嘻，我就是这个意思。xī xī, wǒ jiùshì zhège yìsi

The conversation between Mr. Fool and his boss was quite interesting as he tried to give his boss a hongbao
意思: Interesting

The boss: What do you mean by this?
意思: Agenda
 
Mr. Fool: I didn’t mean anything besides showing my gratitude
意思: Agenda
 
The boss: You are way too polite
意思: Should be comprehended as part of the phrase bugou yisi which means someone being overly polite or doing something without taking your own benefits into the consideration

Mr. Fool: It’s just a humble gift and means nothing
意思: Should be comprehended as part of the phrase  xiao yisi, a way to persuade people to take your gift or bribe by claiming they are nothing fancy

The boss: You are such an interesting lad
意思: Interesting. Can imply people who are good at reading people’s intentions and needs

Mr. Fool: You know what I mean 
意思: Agenda

The boss: Well then, I guess it will be inappropriate for me to reject it
意思: Should be comprehended as part of the phrase buhao yisi, a modest expression that can be used when you receive the gifts from others.

Mr. Fool: It’s my pleasure
意思: See above.

The boss: Now I am interested in you
意思: Having an interest in someone or something and may give them potential benefits

Mr. Fool: Hehe, that’s exactly what I am expecting
意思: Agenda

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Images: 小鸡词典, Pinterest