You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Chinese’ category.
One thing I noticed in Chinese was how the language separates what English just calls “knowing”. There isn’t just one “to know”. There are different kinds of knowing, and if you mix them up, things can get strange fast.
Take 知道 (zhīdào) and 认识 (rènshi). Both translate to “know”, but they aren’t interchangeable.
知道 is for information – knowing facts, data, whether the meeting is at 4 PM or whether penguins can fly (they can’t, in case you didn’t 知道).
认识, on the other hand, is for knowing people – when you’ve met someone, when you’re acquainted beyond just recognizing a face.
So what this basically means is:
• You can 知道 about Einstein, but you can’t 认识 him (unless you’ve time travelled).
• You can 认识 your neighbor but not 知道 their life secrets (unless they overshare).
• Misusing it might lead to saying something like: 我知道你 (wǒ zhīdào nǐ), which sounds like “I know of your existence” and not “I know you personally”.
That’s kind of nice, isn’t it? That the language reserves a different word for people, and it marks the difference between information and connection.
In English, “I know” can mean anything from “I’ve heard of them” to “they’re one of my closest friends”. But in Chinese, the word itself asks: do you know the fact, or do you know the person?
During my early days of learning Chinese, I remember being surprised by how overly simplistic its sentences looked when translated literally. A sentence like “他昨天去学校” literally means “He yesterday go school”. While I could understand that it’s supposed to be said like this, something about it didn’t seem very.. sophisticated. It seemed less like a sentence and more like just bare essentials.
I often noticed how in Chinese dramas/movies, the English subtitles tend to be much longer than the actual, concise dialogues really being spoken. Even idioms turned out to usually be only 4 characters in Chinese.
Compared to English or Hindi, where language often feels built around structure and rules, where sentences have to include changing verb forms or connecting words – this simplicity felt almost unfinished. I kept wondering if these statements were really “complete”.
But over time, I began to see it differently.
Chinese isn’t about overly complicated structure. It relies on simple words, trusting that you’ll understand the message without spelling out every part. Rather than lacking completeness, it strips away the unnecessary. A sentence could seem basic and still communicate exactly what was meant, without all the layers I used to think were essential.
Its complexity in its context, tone, and idiomatic use, and it doesn’t need the kind of rules we have in our languages. Its minimalist grammar isn’t a lack of sophistication, rather it’s a totally different system that prioritises efficiency, context, and implied meaning.
It made me reconsider what I once associated with being “refined” or “complex” – and I guess, precision is a kind of sophistication too.
One day during my usual routine of learning Chinese, I was trying to understand the difference between 我很高兴 (wǒ hěn gāoxìng) and 我高兴 (wǒ gāoxìng). Both mean “I am happy,” but someone online explained it in a way that stuck with me.
They said the first (我很高兴) is a more open and sincere way of expressing happiness, like simply saying, “I’m happy.”
While the second (我高兴) can come across as sharper, more assertive, like when someone questions your choices or your way of being, and you respond, “I’m happy with it. What does it matter to you?”
The exact comment was:
It made me think of how we don’t really have a phrase in English that captures that tone, or that hits that same balance: calm yet sharp, and sure of itself.
When I saw this answer, I thought of how people often tell me to act differently, speak differently, think differently, or how I should be more like others, whether it’s about my habits, my personality, my preferences or something else. And often it’s not about real flaws or things I could work on, but rather just harmless things about me that I’m actually fine with.
And every now and then, I think of that phrase, 我高兴 – and wish I could say it as effortlessly in English, in such a simple way and without further explanation: No thanks, I’m fine with how I am.
The Jojo character is not played by Charmee Kaur. It was playec by Charmee Shah.
Bear hugs for your kind words. Still getting used to people actually being proud of me 😅
Aren't you a bright ray of sunshine! I am so glad you wrote this. It's like a whole new you.…
Well said as always. Thats food for thought to me that I'm going to definitely ponder.
So wonderfully said. I love your thoughts too much <3