There is an old saying in China that goes, “Food is the paramount necessity of the people”. In the last article, we introduced to you that in China, it is OK to “chī (吃)” something that is not food, and we believe that you won’t be surprised when you hear someone say chī shí táng (吃食堂) next time. Today we’re going to teach you some other useful phrases involving “chī (吃)” in Chinese.
Literal translation: Eat vinegar
Correct translation: Get jealous
Wǒ hé nán tóng xué yī qǐ dǎ yóu xì, wǒ de nán péng yǒu chī cù le.
我 和 男 同 学 一 起 打 游 戏，我 的 男 朋 友 吃 醋 了。
My boyfriend got jealous because I played video games with my male classmates.
Literal translation: To eat leopard’s gall
Correct translation: How dare you？Or to pluck up some courage
Nǐ shì bú shì chī le bào zǐ dǎn? Gǎn zhè me hé wǒ shuō huà?
你 是 不 是 吃 了 豹 子 胆？ 敢 这 么 和 我 说 话？
You think you got the nerve huh? How dare you talk to me like that?
Literal translation: To eat interest
Correct translation: To earn interest
Bǎ qián cún zài yín háng lǐ kě yǐ chī lì xī.
把 钱 存 在 银 行 里 可以 吃 利息。
You will earn interest if you save your money in the bank.
Literal translation: To eat close-door soup
Correct translation: To be refused admission as an unwelcome guest; to be rejected or refused; get the cold shoulder
Mài kè zhǎo lǎo bǎn tán jiā xīn, què chī le bì mén gēng.
麦 克 找 老 板 谈 加 薪，却 吃 了闭 门 羹。
Mike wanted to talk to his boss about raising his salary, but he got the cold shoulder.
Literal translation: To eat strength
Correct translation: adj. Tiring; exhausting; strenuous; v. to need great effort; to be difficult
Zhè gè diàn shì tài chén le, jǔ zhòng xuǎn shǒu dōu jiào dé chī lì.
这 个 电 视 太 沉 了，举 重 选 手 都 觉 得 吃 力。
This TV is so heavy that even weightlifters might be struggling to lift it up.
There are a lot of interesting phrases involving “chī (吃)” in Chinese, and we’re sure you have mastered many of them in this and the last articles. So, what did you chī (吃) today?
“Do You Know You Can “Eat a Canteen” in China?（I）”
“All You Need to Know about “diàn tī (电梯) Elevator” in Chinese”
”Yì si (意思)-Most Misunderstood Word with So Many Surprising Meanings”
