Surprisingly, many Taiwanese viewers have developed a fascination for Japanese TV programs featuring eating competitions, such as “元祖！大食い王決定戦“, “ブラマリのいただきっ (腹ペコ!なでしこグルメ旅)”, and “デカ盛りハンター“. These shows (reruns) continue to claim prime-time slots on TV, captivating audiences several times a week. Have you ever wondered how to express the idea that no matter how much these competitive eaters indulge, they never seem to gain weight in Japanese and Chinese? Let’s delve beyond the buffet in today’s episode and find out!
⬇️ Here’s a recommended episode to listen to if you haven’t:
① No matter how much you eat, you won’t gain weight. 🎌：いくら食べても太らない／どんなに食べてもふとらない。 🀄：(不管)怎麼(么)吃都吃不胖。
② No matter how much I run, I can’t lose weight. 🎌：いくら走っても痩せない／どんなに走ってもやせない。 🀄：(不管)怎麼跑步都瘦不下來(来)。
③ No matter how hard I look, I can’t find it. 🎌：いくら探してもみつからない／どんなに探してもみつからない。 🀄：(不管)怎麼找都找不到。
④ No matter how much I sleep, I can’t get enough sleep./it’s not enough. 🎌：いくら寝ても寝足りない／どんなに寝ても寝足りない。 🀄：(不管)怎麼睡都睡不飽(饱) / (不管)怎麼睡都睡不夠(够)。
⑤ No matter how hard I try to squeeze, I can’t squeeze/shed a single tear. 🎌：いくら泣こうとしても涙が一滴もでてこない／どんなに泣こうとしても涙が一滴も出てこない。 🀄：(不管)怎麼擠(挤)都擠不出一滴眼淚(泪) / 眼淚怎麼擠都擠不出(一滴)來。
⑥ No matter how much I work, I can’t save enough money. 🎌：いくら働いてもお金がたまらない／どんなに働いてもお金がたまらない。 🀄1：(不管)怎麼工作，我都賺(赚)不到足夠的錢(钱)/我都賺不夠錢。 🀄2：(不管)怎麼賺都賺不到錢。
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In this episode, Lori and Mai talk about the sounds that Japanese people make to respond to certain situations. We were inspired by Nakagawa Haruno-san’s very interesting short videos on this topic and decided to record this episode.
In this Q&A episode, Lori and Mai discuss different ways to say goodbye in Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, depending on the level of formality and situation.
The Trilingual Chatbox returns this week with a special guest who has been living nomadically over the past three years. Candice is an advocate of portfolio careers and a simple, wholesome lifestyle. Tune in today as she talks with Lori about her cultural shock experiences and gives advice on leading a life full of fun challenges.
In today’s episode, Lori and Mai have a conversation about some surprises you might encounter when you travel in Japan and Taiwan. Also check this one out for useful patterns to use in Japanese and Taiwanese Mandarin when you unintentionally break a taboo.
*We would like to apologize to our listeners about the audio quality on this episode. Thank you for continuing to listen and all your support. We will make every effort to present better production.
Pattern: Apologize + Explain yourself + A lesson learned
Examples: (1) 對不起、對不起，我沒有注意到。謝謝你提醒我。[TC] …….对不起、对不起，我没有注意到。谢谢你提醒我。[SC] …….duì bù qǐ 、duì bù qǐ ，wǒ méi yǒu zhù yì dào 。xiè xiè nǐ tí xǐng wǒ …….Sorry, I didn’t notice that. Thanks for reminding me. (2) 真的很抱歉，我不知道這樣做會冒犯到人。我會多注意的。 …….真的很抱歉，我不知道这样做会冒犯到人。我会多注意的。 ……..zhēn de hěn bào qiàn ，wǒ bù zhī dào zhè yàng zuò huì mào fàn dào rén …….wǒ huì duō zhù yì de …….I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t know this would come off as offensive here. …….I’ll pay attention next time. (3) 不好意思啦，我不是故意的。這樣我下次知道了。 …….不好意思啦，我不是故意的。这样我下次知道了。 ……..bù hǎo yì sī la，wǒ bú shì gù yì de 。zhè yàng wǒ xià cì zhī dào le …….I’m so sorry. It was an honest mistake. I won’t make the mistake again.
💠 Dialogue
– English –
(Mai and Lori are having dinner at a restaurant.) A: I need to use the bathroom. Where should I leave these pairs of chopsticks? Ah okay, I’ll just stick them into my bowl of rice…. B: No, no, no. What are you doing? You’re not supposed to do that. A: Why not? B: It’s considered a taboo to do that in our culture. A: ________ B: It’s okay. No worries.
– Japanese –
(Mai and Lori are having dinner at a restaurant.) A: I need to use the bathroom. Where should I leave these pairs of chopsticks? Ah okay, I’ll just stick them into my bowl of rice…. B: ダメ、ダメ、ダメ！何してるの！？ごはんに刺しちゃダメだよ！ A: どうしてダメなの？ B: 日本ではそれはやってはいけない事なんだよ。 A: ごめんね、やってはいけないことだって知らなかった。次から気を付けるね。 B: 気にしないで。次やらなければ大丈夫。
– Chinese (Taiwanese Mandarin) –
(Mai and Lori are having dinner at a restaurant.) A: I need to use the bathroom. Where should I leave these pairs of chopsticks? Ah okay, I’ll just stick them into my bowl of rice…. B: 不行不行，你在幹嘛？你不要這樣。 ……不行不行，你在干嘛？你不要这样。 ……bù háng bù háng ，nǐ zài gàn ma ？nǐ bù yào zhè yàng 。 A: 為什麼不行啊？ ……为什么不行啊？ ……wéi shí me bù háng ā ？ B: 因為台灣人覺得這是禁忌。 ……因为台湾人觉得这是禁忌。 ……bù hǎo yì sī la ，wǒ bú shì gù yì de 。zhè yàng wǒ xià cì zhī dào le 。 A: 不好意思啦，我不是故意的。這樣我下次知道了。 ……不好意思啦，我不是故意的。这样我下次知道了。 ……bù hǎo yì sī lā ，wǒ bù shì gù yì de 。zhè yàng wǒ xià cì zhī dào le 。 B: 沒關係啦，這沒什麼。 ……没关系啦，这没什么。 ……méi guān xì lā ，zhè méi shí me 。
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If you: – enjoy learning Chinese through movies and TV series,- – are curious about how Taiwanese people interleave Taiwanese Mandarin with Taiwanese Minnan when they speak, – are usually intrigued by thought-provoking plots, – constantly search for info about effects of trauma on the mind, – are willing to understand what a traumatized soul’s inner world is like, then today’s show is for you. The content roughly corresponds to HSK5-6.
3女字旁 = 部首是「女」。例如：她(女+也)、妈(女+马)。 4Netflix悬疑影集《她和她的她》主题曲：小宇(宋念宇)Xiao Yu《破碎的完整 Shattered Fullness》Official Lyric Video
– English –
The title of the Taiwanese TV series I am introducing today is “Shards of Her.” The series currently ranks in the top ten on Netflix Asia, starring Taiwanese actors Tiffany Hsu and Toby Lee. The story begins with murder investigations at a nursing home. Though remaining as breaking news on all forms of mass media, it seems that the case has nothing to do with our heroine Lin Chenxi. She goes on with her own life and excels as a headhunter. As the plot thickens, we gradually glimpse traces of gender inequality in the workplace. Chenxi’s reactions to these incidents have dropped hints that she has been going through hardship stemming from a traumatized past. Then there follows a drastic change after Chenxi has a car accident.
We wake up with Chenxi in the second episode to a different world. At this point, she has already returned to her hometown. But it turns out that in this reality, her father and her younger brother, both supposed to be dead, are still alive. Her boyfriend no longer exists, and the company she has been working for has vanished, too. Now that she has come to this parallel world, the viewers have no choice but to follow her step by step to look for the truth behind this complete mayhem.
The Chinese title of “Shards of Her” utilizes the Chinese character “Tā” three times with the radical that refers to women, so apparently, it is a female-oriented series. The drama spent nine episodes exploring issues such as gender discrimination against women in the workplace, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. It is also intended to represent the mental state of the victims after such incidents happen. It tackles intense issues at a slow pace. Some critics suggested achieving the same result with fewer episodes. But as far as I’m concerned, I agree that the deliberate use of slow pacing might be necessary. It is like we’re facing the painful memories that are too hard to look back at from the first-person point of view with the protagonist. We try to slowly mend the hole in our hearts by interacting and conversing with people to learn about ourselves. The series is more of a psychological drama than a suspense thriller as it is. As watching it, I kept thinking about what was happening, and I felt like I was investigating the case just like the cop in the series and couldn’t help clicking on one episode after another.
The series possibly went viral for two reasons. Apart from the outstanding performance of most actors in it, there have been relatively fewer Taiwanese dramas that explicitly go over sensitive topics through a suspense genre like this one. Both my friend and I couldn’t help crying as we watched the last episode. We empathized with Lin Chenxi and her excruciating pain and almost understood why she grew desperate. After watching this series, I can better identify with the victim’s feelings. It’s just like the lyrics from the theme song of this series:
In a wounded soul, there are always invisible scars
The lasting pain of a victim is difficult to heal.
If you are like me, you wish to learn more about people who have been hurt — whether they are a family member or a friend — you want to know how they view themselves and this world, or how they make sense of the people around them, this drama does provide an answer that is well-rounded and pretty close to the truth. So here I recommend this Netflix series to you all.
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虛擬實境/虚拟实境 xūnǐshíjìng virtual reality (VR; used in Taiwan)
商機/商机 shāngjī business opportunity; commercial opportunity [TBCL6]
失序 shīxù to get into disarray [TBCL7]
醜聞/丑闻 chǒuwén scandal [TBCL6]
大肆 dàsì without restraint; unbridled [HSK6][TBCL7]
附和 fùhè to agree; to echo (what sb says) [HSK6][TBCL6]
任意 rènyì any; arbitrary; at will; at random [HSK6][TBCL6]
詩意/诗意 shīyì poetic quality or flavor [TBCL6]
捲/卷 juǎn to roll (up) (one’s tongue, etc) [HSK6]
💠Transcript
Hello, I’m Lori, your host of the Trilingual Chatbox today. Let’s begin today’s episode by answering the two questions from Listening Practice episode number 24. Feel free to skip ahead if you’ve already checked your answers, or you haven’t even listened to the previous episode yet. [……] All right. Those are the answers.
The meaning of the word “Liú Xíng Yǔ” in Chinese actually encompasses both “slang” and “buzzword” in English. “Lǐ Yǔ” means “slang” in Chinese, referring to words or phrases that have been used in a specific area for a long time. They are common and understood by most people. However, languages are like living organisms. New vocabulary is generated over time due to social changes, cultural trends, and so on. If a slang term is outdated, fewer people are likely to use it. It becomes easy to tell a person’s age based on the slang words they use. You’ll find that most of the buzzwords in Taiwan actually refer to slang words if you try googling the keyword.
By definition, the word “buzzword” is closer to “jargon,” though not exactly the same. A buzzword is a professional term derived from jargon and has been extended beyond its original fields. We don’t have any specific organization in Taiwan that puts together the most symbolic buzzwords of the year. There is one institute in China, though, called the “National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center.” It releases the top ten new words and cyber slang phrases of the year in December annually. These terms are actually closer to the definition of buzzwords. So today, I will select and share with you guys some buzzwords or slang terms that are still commonly used in Taiwan as of the time I speak right now.
The first word is “Yuán Yǔ Zhòu,” which means “metaverse” in English. This concept comes from a novel titled “Snow Crash” published by an American science-fiction author, Neal Stephenson, in 1992. This term refers to the construction of a virtual reality world where it will be possible for people to engage in real-life activities, such as chatting and shopping. However, unlike a pure virtual world, the “metaverse” actually combines virtual and real worlds, allowing people to interact between the two worlds through internet access. Implementing this concept as well as utilizing technologies such as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality will help human beings use their imagination without limits and generate infinite business opportunities. So the term “metaverse” is now widely used by more and more people from all walks of life.
The second word is “Yán Shàng,” which means “flaming” or “flaring up.” This word comes from the Japanese word “えんじょう.” Chinese borrows its extended definition, referring to a state of being criticized on the internet for disorderly conduct such as gaffes or even scandals. So how do we use it in a sentence? For instance, you may see “So-and-so Yán Shàng” as a news headline. The title means someone continues to be flamed, or they have come under fire because of an incident, or they are being inundated with negative comments. This term can only be used in a negative sense.
The third buzzword, or buzz phrase, in this case, is “Xiàng Jí Le Ài Qíng,” which literally means “It’s so much like love.” The term came from a netizen. There was this music video circulating on the Internet. The netizen left this statement in the comments below the video, which got echoed by many others. A game began to go viral on the Internet accordingly. It’s said that you can simply end some random sentences with the phrase “Xiàng Jí Le Ài Qíng” and it will become a decent free verse poem. For example, I can say,
As soon as I opened the window The bird by the window flew away It was so much like love
The first two sentences aren’t particularly poetic, but when they’re combined with the buzz phrase, the free verse poem makes people ponder, “isn’t love just like the bird in the poem, disappearing as soon as I come near it?” Fascinating, isn’t it?
The last one is the slang phrase “Bā Bī Q Le.” The phrase stems from English. Can you guess what word it actually is in English? Yes, it’s the word “Barbecue” pronounced the Mandarin way with the retroflex R omitted. As for the word “Le,” I believe as Chinese learners, you’re probably quite familiar with it. It implies the completion of an action. So “Bā Bī Q Le” means “being barbecued” or “being roasted over an open fire.” In fact, the phrase came from a Chinese netizen when he got defeated in an online game. He said this as a cry of despair over the lost game. Isn’t it funny?
Let’s try creating your own Chinese poem today and win a chance to get a surprising gift! The poem can be as long or as short as you would like it to be. Just remember to end your poem with the buzz phrase: “像極了愛情/像极了爱情” Submit yours, right now!
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Hi, welcome (back) to The Trilingual Chatbox Podcast! In this episode, Mai introduces some of the Buzzwords that are nominated this year. It is spoken in Japanese first then followed by English.
In Japan, the best buzzword of the year is awarded every December, and 30 nominated words were announced the other day. On the list, there were some words I know and some words I`d never heard of. Today, I will introduce some of them to you. If you want to know all 30 words, you can google “2022 buzzwords in Japan”.
The first one is “Spy x Family”. This is an animation, and it was very popular this year. There were people who wore the costume of Anya, one of the main characters of “Spy x Family”, on the day of Halloween. Though I haven`t seen the animation yet, it is much-discussed animation this year for sure.
The second one is “Yakult 1000”. You guys know Yakult, right? It is a healthy drink. I heard this Yakult 1000 was released in 2021 but people started saying “the quality of sleep improved after drinking this Yakult 1000” and it became difficult to obtain. After all, good sleep is what everyone wants, right?
The third one is “face pants”. Actually, I didn’t know this word until it is nominated for this award. Have you heard of it? Or, can you guess what it is? It means that people think a face mask is something like underwear now and feel embarrassed to be seen without it. In some overseas countries, I know many people are no longer wearing a face mask outdoors, but in Japan, not many people walk without a mask outside.
The fourth one is “Nunkatsu”. I don’t think you can guess the meaning of the word by just hearing it. To be honest, I didn’t know this word, either. The original word “Katu” came from “katsudou” and it means activity. Originally, it is used in the word “就活”. It is a shortened version of “就職活動 job-hunting in English”, then “katsu” started to be used in many different words such as “Konkatsu”, “Oshikatu” and “Asakastu”. “Konkatsu” means “activities to find a life partner”, “Oshikatu” means “activities to support your favorite singer, actor, anime character, and so on, and “Asakatu” means “activities you do in the early morning”. And this “Nunkatsu” means that people enjoy having afternoon tea at a hotel or a restaurant. Because of the pandemic, people refrained from going on a trip and they enjoyed things they can do nearby.
Also, I was surprised by the fact that there are 6 words related to baseball. It looks like baseball is still very popular in Japan.
In addition, there were words related to current news such as the New Japanese Invoice System, the Omicron Variant, and the depreciation of the yen. I wonder which one will be the best buzzword of this year. It will be announced on the 1st of December.
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What is it like to live in Taiwan? Today we have a conversation about the cost of living in Taiwan, benchmarked against US dollars. The content roughly corresponds to HSK3 to HSK4. See below for model answers to Lori’s questions.
A: Today let’s talk about the cost of living in Taiwan. Would you like to start by sharing how you feel about living in the biggest city in Taiwan?
L: Well, for starters, it is quite convenient to live in Taipei. You may have heard that there are a great number of convenience stores in Taiwan, especially in Taipei. You should probably be free from worrying about looking for food if you have one in the neighborhood. But convenient as it may be, generally speaking, the price of food there is usually a little bit higher than that of a supermarket. For example, it costs about NT$10 for an egg at the supermarket, which is around 30 cents in US dollars. But now buying a tea egg at convenience stores costs about NT$18, that is 50 cents. But still, many office workers will buy their breakfast or lunch there, which usually sets them back NT$80 on average for a boxed lunch, that’s 2 dollars 50 cents. I guess the price is rather cheap for a meal like this.
A: Yeah, I agree. It’s not too bad. What about the prices of multi-national chain stores?
L: In the last episode, Mai-san used Big Mac at McDonald’s as an example. A Big Mac Combo meal with fries here in Taipei costs NT$130. It’s almost the same price as in Japan. If you order a tall latte at Starbucks, you’ll pay NT$120. That’s US$4. So it seems like it costs a little more here in Taiwan than in Japan. But if you’re getting one at a convenience store, you only need to spend NT$50, that’s US$1.40. That’ll be much cheaper.
A: It seems that as long as you have a job, it is not too difficult to fix three meals a day in Taipei.
L: Right. But it’s not that cheap when it comes to housing. The price is really high whether you’re renting or buying a house in Taipei. According to the Property Prices Index ranking by country this year, Taiwan ranks 18th in the world. That is how hard for people here to afford a house, a difficulty ranking in the 18th place. If you want to buy a house in Taipei City, it will cost at least NT$11,250 to NT$14,000 per square foot. For example, if you buy a house of 1068 square feet in size, it may cost you at least US$400,000. Based on a middle-income office worker that earns NT$50,000 a month, even with no extra expenses on food, it would still take 20 years for anyone to be able to afford a house here. So many people are renting. The monthly rent for a suite ranges from NT$8,000 to NT$30,000 – that’s US$250 to US$940.
A: That’s tough. Owning a house in Taipei is not easy. Do you have a car?
L: Oh, I don’t. Car parking is inconvenient in downtown Taipei, so I usually ride a motorcycle and occasionally I take the bus or the MRT. Another advantage of living in Taipei City is that there is public transportation everywhere, which is quite convenient. The regular bus fare for a one-segment ticket is only NT$15, 50 cents in US dollars, and you pay two-segment tickets at most for NT$30. Taking the MRT is even faster. The minimum is NT$20 per segment. Even the farthest distance only costs you NT$65 at most, which is just over US$2. So I am really satisfied with the traffic in Taipei.
A: The public transportation in Taipei is really convenient. In addition to that, I heard the healthcare system in Taiwan is quite an ideal one.
L: I also heard that many foreigners come to Taiwan to see a doctor because the medical care here is cheap and of good quality. Foreigners are qualified for National Health Insurance in Taiwan as long as they have an alien resident certificate. For example, if I go to a nearby clinic to treat my sore throat, the registration fee is about NT$200; that’s a little more than US$6. If I go to the hospital, it is about NT$500 each time, which is US$16. It is quite inexpensive, so Taiwanese people have become very used to seeing a doctor and getting prescriptions when feeling unwell, even the slightest. Well, every coin has two sides.
A: But I believe it’s a common wish in many other countries that seeing a doctor can no longer be a luxury!
L: Right, that is true.
Q1: Lori平常都使用什麼交通工具呢？
– Traditional Chinese –
Lori通常騎機車，偶而會搭公車和捷運。
– Simplified Chinese –
Lori通常骑机车，偶而会搭公车和捷运。
Q2: 今天Lori提到的台北物價當中，最貴的是哪一個部分呢？是飲食、居住、交通、還是看病？
– Traditional Chinese –
最貴的是居住(的部分)。
– Simplified Chinese –
最贵的是居住(的部分)。
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Hi, welcome (back) to The Trilingual Chatbox Podcast! In this episode, Mai introduces the current cost of living in Japan. It is spoken in Japanese first then followed by English.
You can find a full transcript at the bottom of this description area as well as on our WordPress website.
Japan is now having the lowest level of yen in twenty-four years. The Japanese yen has been weakening and making us worried. At the time of recording this episode, it is around 147 yen against the US dollar. It is unbelievable. The exchange rate between Euro and US dollar reaches parity. For those who are visiting Japan, the depreciation of the yen is a good thing, right? The other day, I saw foreign visitors enjoying massive buying in Japan on TV.
When I was overseas, people often told me that the cost of living in Tokyo was really expensive, but it is not as expensive as it used to be for people overseas, I guess. I am sure the cost of living in Tokyo is still more expensive than the cost of living in the small city I live, but it seems that the image of Tokyo has been changing.
It is said that we can tell the country`s cost of living by comparing the price of menus at fast-food restaurants. Chain store pricing is the same in both Tokyo and the suburbs. For example, a Big Mc meal at McDonald`s is 600 yen (US$4) and a cup of coffee at Starbucks is 390 yen (US$2.60), and a cup of latte is 455 yen (US$3). Are they reasonable or expensive compared to your country? Coffee at a convenience store is a bit more reasonable. It is easy to get and the best company for a drive. A cup of regular coffee is 100 yen （US￠70）, and large coffee is 150 yen （US$1）.
Besides food, a train ticket is about 1850 yen（US$13）for 100 km outside of big cities. It is not clear, isn’t it? The monthly rent of a one-room apartment is 60,000 or 70,000 yen ($US 400, 500) in a big city and 30,000 or 40,000 yen ($US 200, 300) in a small city. It looks very cheap if you convert it into US dollars.
It is not like I`ve been to all the countries in the world, but I noticed that there are quite many countries that do not have many one-room apartments. In Japan, there are a great number of one-room apartments in cities like Tokyo. In recent years, stylish share houses are getting popular, but I think most students and people who live alone still live in one-room apartments.
Then, a regular movie ticket costs 1800 yen (US$12) and 1200 yen (US$8) if you use a discount. The regular price is a bit expensive but if you become a member of the movie theater or go to the movies in the morning on weekdays, you can see a movie at a discount price though it depends on the movie theater.
I picked out some items and introduced their prices today for your reference. What do you think of the cost of living in Japan compared with your country?
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The Trilingual Chatbox 