Sunday, November 4, 2007

Aiya!

This is me being Asian (again, haha). Last week we learned one of the most amusing - and ubiquitous - Chinese phrases in class: 哎呀 (pinyin = aiya; pronounced like "eye-ya"). It's an interjection used to express wonder, shock, admiration, or complaint. I sometimes use it as the Chinese equivalent of "oops" or "crap." Yes, I do use it sometimes . . . albeit rarely.

Now I leave you with two YouTube vids, both by the Taiwanese group 2moro. Both are really cute (in more ways than one).

The first is called:
少了 which translates to "Less."


The second is called: 朋友出去走走 which sort of translates to "Friend goes out for a walk."


So enjoy (it's cuter if you know what the lyrics say, but whatever).

3 comments:

Cody said...

Dude, I sometimes say aiya. Then Asian people look at me funny 'cause I used it correctly. LOL

It's a carry-over from watching Jackie Chan Adventures as a young lad. That show was so great. My brother and I would watch it everyday after school and run around the house yelling "Aiiiieyyaaaaa!!!!" or "Hot-cha!!!" Yes, those were good times. Good times indeed.

Aek said...

Dude! I would've looked at you funny too, lol. That was one of my favorite shows too. In another life, we probably would've been really good friends if for no other reason than just that. :P

Anyway, best Chinese phrase ever. I wish I could tag 20 years to my undergrad (and not age in that time) and learn more languages, like French, Italian, Greek, Polish, Japanese, and maybe Hindi.

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