Text:
“The grass mud horse I think first emerged in like a videogame. They play it very smart. They use words that sound very–like they use the word grass mud horse in Chinese, which is a normal name for like a llama, but it shares the same pronunciation as like f*ck your mom in Chinese so it was kind of in–it was kind of like cursing but kind of not directly kind of way. So if you say it:
Chinese: 草泥马
Phonetic: Cǎonímǎ
Transliteration: grass mud horse
Translation: llama
grass mud horse in Chinese it basically means
Chinese: 操你妈
Phonetic: cào nǐ mā
Transliteration: f*ck you mother
Translation: f*ck your mom
or f*ck your mom.”
Context:
Informant (ZZ) is a student aged 19 from Shanghai, China. He attended high school in the U.S. and currently goes to USC. This piece was collected during an interview over dinner in the dining hall. He first learned this from a videogame, where a llama was a character, and he has also seen it online. To him, it “represents the great creativity in the Chinese language.”
Interpretation:
In addition to the sentiments expressed by (ZZ), this insult/joke also demonstrates a desire to circumvent government censorship. Much like 2B, the Chinese netizens seek to create new folklore as a result of Chinese internet censorship.
Category Archives: general
Speak First and Die
Text:
“So well the game itself was from like a tv show. It’s uh–its uh basically a stupid party game that a host ask the other guests ‘who’s gonna die?’ and whoever talks first got shot because of the idiom ‘the gun shoots the bird that goes in the front.’ So I think thats like–I dont know–thats like one of those Chinese phrases that originated probably thousand or hundred years ago because of a story that got condensed into like four simple words or four to six simple words. The phrase itself is:
Chinese: 枪打出头鸟
Phonetic: Qiāng dǎchū tóu niǎo
Transliteration: Gun beat out head bird
Translation: The gun strikes the bird which sticks its head out.
which means literally again the gun strikes like the first bird and I think this is pretty funny because there is another proverb that conflicts with this one.”
Context:
Informant (ZZ) is a student aged 19 from Shanghai, China. He attended high school in the U.S. and currently goes to USC. This piece was collected during an interview over dinner in the dining hall. He learned the riddle from a tv show, and the proverb he learned from the tv show. He doesn’t really care much for its meaning.
Interpretation:
The riddle demonstrates how proverbs can be incorporated into other folk genres. The proverb itself demonstrates a desire within culture to conform rather than stick out.
Early Bird Gets the Worm
Text:
“As I say before, there is a proverb that conflicts with the one about the bird getting shot, and that is:
Chinese: 早起的鸟儿有虫吃
Phonetic: Zǎoqǐ de niǎo ér yǒu chóng chī
Transliteration: Early bird gets worm.
Translation: The early bird gets the worm.
which means early bird gets the worm. I don’t know I just think it’s interesting how they are contradictory. But also, these phrases come from, like, some dude from four thousand year ago, who was probably super racist or something.”
Context:
Informant (ZZ) is a student aged 19 from Shanghai, China. He attended high school in the U.S. and currently goes to USC. This piece was collected during an interview over dinner in the dining hall. He learned this proverb in school from a school book containing old Chinese proverbs. He doesn’t really care much for its meaning.
Interpretation:
This proverb demonstrates how wisdom can change within a culture over time. As (ZZ) mentions, this proverb conflicts with another proverb previously mentioned. Proverbs and wisdom can change within a culture and can vary significantly.
That’s what they called me in middle school…
Main Text:
“[talking about bland crackers] Bland cracker? That’s what they called me in middle school” Additional follow up: “That’s what we’ll call you in college” [can be elementary school, highschool etc.]
Context:
Informant first heard this from some friend in highschool. Was part of a friend group’s general language. Resurgence in college after a housemate said the joke again – has become part of college friend group language now. When asked when the joke is told: “The joke is usually told around close friends, but if there are other people in the vicinity who get caught in the crossfire, that’s on them.”
Thought:
My conversations with this informant are plagued by this joke. It is horrible.
The informant noted that there are sometimes people who get caught in the crossfire who, after hearing the joke for the first time, will then immediately use it in conversation. Alternatively, some new people who have heard the joke before will complete it, which serves as a quick way to find common ground.
I hardly know ‘er!
Main Text:
“Joker? I hardly know her!” Alternative: “Yummy? I hardly know-y” Alternative: [hands over water bottle] “Can you fill her up?” Fill her? I hardly know her” [removes any vague attempt at humor in the first place which itself is funny]
Context:
Any word ending in “er” followed up by I hardly know her. This joke has been repeated so much in our friend group, that any word or phrase can be turned into this joke i.e. “Free-lyft-ends-at-2am? I hardly know her”
Informant initially learned from dad in relation to playing Poker.
Thoughts:
Informant noted that in college this has become a staple for their friend group, but that it has become increasingly hard to say and hear which adds to the humour. The variations noted have breathed new life into the joke as some truly humorous alternatives have come by (allegedly). This is one of those jokes that’s super stupid but funny and easy to make. More often than not someone in the room might not have heard it which gets a single good laugh among a sea of groans which is a fantastic brand of humour (I hardly know’our)