China Adventures

By Simon

This week I’ve mainly been in China, and have had little time to add new material to Omniglot. Normal service should resume when I return to the UK. I’m planning to do so towards the end of January 2026, but we’ll see.

A nearby street leading to Zhaoqing University
A nearby street leading to Zhaoqing University

It was quite an epic journey to get here. I left Bangor at ridiculous o’clock far too early on Tuesday morning, and got a lift to Manchester airport with friends. Then I flew to Beijing on Hainan Airlines (海南航空) with one of those friends. The flight took 10 hours and went smoothly, though I wasn’t able to sleep much, so was very tired when we arrived in Beijing. After filling in some pointless forms, going through immigration and collecting our bags, we checked in for our flight to Guangzhou, which took about 3 hours. Then we took a rather rickety old bus to Zhaoqing, which took another 2 hours, and a taxi to where we’re staying. The whole journey took just under 24 hours door-to-door.

The building I'm staying in and the view from my window
The building I’m staying in and the view from my window

I’m staying with M, the friend I travelled with, his Chinese wife YR, their two daughters (my goddaughters), Mia (5) and Isla (4), and YR’s mother. They’re renting a large, comfortable apartment in a new gated complex near Zhaoqing University (肇庆学院), where YR works as a teacher trainer. It’s quite a lively area full of students with plenty of places to eat and other shops, and the university campus has some quite picturesque parts, particularly the lake. It kind of reminds me of parts of Taipei, and even smells quite similar.

The lake on the campus of Zhaoqing University
The lake on the campus of Zhaoqing University

There’s a much bigger lake near the centre of Zhaoqing which I saw on the way here. It’s called 星湖 (xīnghú) or Star Lake. I’ll go to explore the area soon. We were going to go last night, but got distracted with eating and other things.

Zhaoqing (肇庆 [肇慶] – zhàoqìng / siu6-hing2 in Cantonese) was established during the Qin Dynasty in the 1st century BC. It was originally known as Sihui (西会 [xīhuì]), and has also been known as Gaoyao (高要 [gāoyào]) and Duanzhou (端州 [duānzhōu]). Gaoyao and Duanzhou are now districts of Zhaoqing, and Sihui is a separate city. It became Zhaoqing in 1118 AD. It’s a port on the Xi River (西江) in Guangdong Province (广东省) about 50 miles / 80 km west of Guangzhou (广州).

The first and only other time I visited Mainland China was in 1991, when I spent nearly 2 months travelling around the south of the country. It has changed quite a bit since. Back then, travelling in China was an interesting experience, but not always a particularly comfortable one. The roads were full of bicycles, motorbikes, mopeds, buses, trucks, tractors, and even horses and donkeys, but very few private cars. The buildings were mostly grey, unadorned concrete, the air wasn’t particularly clean, except in rural areas, and foreign tourists were a novelty.

Me in Yangshuo (阳朔) in 1991
Me in Yangshuo (阳朔) in 1991

There were two currencies back in the 1990s: RMB (人民币 [rénmínbì]) for locals, and Foreign Exchange Certificates (外汇券 [wàihuìquàn]) for foreign tourists. There were restrictions on where you could visit, where you could stay and how you could travel, both for locals and tourists. FECs were used for certain hotels, flights, train tickets, and so on, and the locals were keen to exchange their RMB for FECs whenever they could.

Now there are fancy electric cars and scooters everywhere, there are a lot more local people and tourists, the cities are bigger and full of mostly smart, modern tower blocks, although you still see some unadorned concrete around, and they have built a whole network of high speed trains and many new roads. You could say that China is very much a work in progress, as there seems to be endless construction of new buildings, roads, railways, and so on. If you’re looking for a quiet, peaceful place to stay, most Chinese cities are best avoided.

There is only one currency now – RMB, and while cash is used to some extent, most people pay for everything with the WeChat app. It’s like WhatsApp, in that you can use it for messaging and calls, but has various other functions. Apparently shops and street vendors are keen to use WeChat as they get bonuses for doing so. Everybody has a QR code which you scan with your phone, which makes transactions much easier, and saves you having to carry around cash. I set it up before I left the UK, and finally got it working yesterday after getting hold of a local SIM card.

On the planes on the way here, I heard people speaking both Mandarin and Cantonese, and expected to hear Cantonese being spoken here in Zhaoqing. So far though, I’ve only heard a few people speaking Cantonese – most people seem to speak Mandarin as their first language. I’ve spoken plenty of Mandarin so far, but haven’t had any opportunities to speak Cantonese yet.

YR and her mum speak Mandarin and a variety of Mandarin from Guangxi Province where they come from. It sounds similar enough to Mandarin that I can sort of get the gist of what they’re saying. Apparently their dialect / language is known as Guangxi Mandarin or Jia Zhuang (嘉庄), as it is influenced by the Zhuang language [source].

The building I'm staying in and the view from my window Thanks to the Great Firewall of China, many of the sites I normally use are not accessible here, which makes things difficult. So unless I can find ways round this, I plan to spend my time here improving existing content on Omniglot, rather than adding new stuff. I will add some new pages when I have time and it’s possible to do so.

Before comning here, I made some bilingual English and Chinese name cards. They include a QR code which links to my page on Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/omniglot. I just found out that this site is blocked here. Oh well.

A Complete Canard!

By Simon

One of the words that came up in the French conversation group last night was canard, which means duck in French, but is also used in English.

canard

In French, meanings of canard [ka.naʁ] include:

  • A duck, duckling, drake (male duck)
  • A canard, hoax, fake news, a lie
  • A newspaper (of little value), a rag (slang)
  • A lump of sugar dipped in a liquid, especially coffee or brandy, before being eaten.
  • A high-pitched, false note produced by a wind instrument, most often a reed instrument [source].

It comes from Middle French canard (duck), from Old French canart, quanart (duck), from cane (female duck, boat), perhaps from caner (to cackle, prattle), or from Frankish *kanō (boat, floating vessel), from Proto-Germanic *kanô (vessel, vat, tub, boat), from Proto-Indo-European *gan(dʰ)- (vessel, tub) [source].

Some expressions featuring canards include:

  • canard boîteux = lame duck
  • vilain petit canard = ugly duckling
  • ne pas casser trois pattes à un canard = not worth writing home about, not all it’s cracked up to be – to be very ordinary, to be on the verge of mediocrity
  • faire le canard = to suck up to; to flatter too much
  • froid de canard = bitter cold, brass monkeys weather
  • il y a plusieurs façons de plumer un canard = there’s more than one way to skin a cat [a problem generally has more than one solution] [source].

Ce matin, il a fait froid de canard ici à Bangor avec du givre partout. (This morning it was rather chilly here in Bangor with frost everywhere).

Words from the same roots include can in English, kanna (jug, pot, can) in Swedish, kane (swan-shapped vessel) in Norwegian, Kahn (a small flat-bottomed boat such as a punt, used on inland waters; a ship, especially when old or in need of repair) in German, and canot (dinghy) in French [source].

In English, canard [kəˈnɑːd / kəˈnɑɹd] can mean:

  • A false or misleading report or story, especially if deliberately so.
  • A type of aircraft in which the primary horizontal control and stabilization surfaces are in front of the main wing.
  • Any small winglike structure on a vehicle, usually used for stabilization.

Apparently, the meaning of a hoax or false or misleading story comes from the Medieval French expression “vendre un canard à moitié”, which means ‘to sell half a duck’ or ‘to half-sell a duck’. It perhaps comes from a joke or story [source].

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Better Safe than Sorry

By Simon

In the past week or so I’ve had a number of vaccinations to prepare for my trip to China, and have more to come. As they say, better safe than sorry, but what do they say in other languages?

The Big Spill

The phrase better safe than sorry means it is preferable to be cautious in one’s choices and actions than to act recklessly and suffer afterwards.

Phrases with similar meanings in English include:

  • err on the side of caution
  • measure twice, cut once
  • play it safe
  • prevention is better than cure
  • an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

Equivalent phrases in other languages include:

  • Azerbaijani – htiyat igidin yaraşığıdır
    (“prudence is the adornment of a brave man”)
  • Bulgarian – който сам се пази и Бог го пази (koĭto sam se pazi i Bog go pazi) – (“He who protects himself and God protects him”)
  • Chinese (Mandarin) – 小心驶得万年船 [小心駛得萬年船]
    (xiǎoxīn shǐ dé wànnián chuán) – (“If you are careful, you can steer your ship safely for a myriad of years”)
  • French – mieux vaut prévenir que guérir
    (“prevention is better than cure”)
  • German – Vorsicht ist besser als Nachsicht
    (“caution is better than clemency”)
  • Greek – κάλλιο γαϊδουρόδενε παρά γαϊδουρογύρευε (kállio gaïdouródene pará gaïdourogýreve) – (“Better to tie a donkey than to ride a donkey.”)
  • Irish – is fearr glas ná amhras
    (“better a lock than a doubt”)
  • Japanese – 転ばぬ先の杖 (korobanu saki no tsue) – (“a walking stick before stumbling”)
  • Korean – 돌다리도 두들겨 보고 건너라 (doldalido dudeulgyeo bogo geonneola) – (“even if you cross a stone bridge, test it first.”)
  • Polish – żeby kózka nie skakała, toby nóżki nie złamała
    (“if the goat had not been jumping, it would not have broken its leg”)
  • Welsh – gwell diogel nac edifar
    (“better safe than sorry”)

Source: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/better_safe_than_sorry

How about in other languages?

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Once in a Blue Moon

By Simon

If something doesn’t happen very often, you might say that it happens once in a blue moon English. What about in other languages?

Blue Moon Daytime Moon

The phrase once in a blue moon first appeared in first around 1821 and refers to something that happens very rarely, very infrequently or almost never. An alternative version is apparently once in a purple moon [source].

A blue moon is a second full moon during a calendar month, which happens once every 32 months. A blue moon can also refer to a full moon that appears to be blue and bigger than usual [source].

In (Mandarin) Chinese, the equivalent is 千载难逢 [千載難逢] (qiān​zǎi​nán​féng), which means “an opportunity difficult to come by even in a thousand years”. This expression comes from folk tales, in which such rare opportunities might lead to success or life-changing events [source].

In Czech, the equivalent is jednou za uherský rok , which means ‘once in a Hungarian year’. Apparently this idiom dates from the Turkish wars, when Czech soldiers were hired in Hungary for a certain period of time, which was constantly extended [source]. The Slovak equivalent, raz za uhorský rok (“once a Hungarian year”), probably comes from the same roots.

In Polish, they say raz na ruski rok (“once in a Ruthenian year”), which refers to the fact that the Gregorian calendar used by East Slavs has longer months [source]. Alternatively, they say od wielkiego dzwonu (“from the big bell”), which refers to The Sigismund Bell, the largest of the five bells in the Sigismund Tower of Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, which is used only on special occasions [source].

In French, you might say tous les trente-six du mois (“every 36th of the month”) or une fois toutes les lunes (“once every moon”) [source].

In German, you could say alle Jubeljahre (“every jubilee year”), which refers to biblical jubliees that come round every 50 years [source].

In Russian, they say раз в сто лет (“once every hundred years”) [source].

In Spanish, they say cada muerte de obispo (“every death of a bishop”), or de Pascuas a Ramos (“from Easter (Day) til Palm Sunday”) – Palm Sunday comes before Easter Day [source].

In Welsh, one equivalent is unwaith yn y pedwar amser (“once in the four seasons”) and another is unwaith yn y pedwar gwynt (“once in the four winds”) [source].

Are there interesting similar idioms in other languages?

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Burgling Burg(h)ers

By Simon

Are the words (ham)burger, burgher and burglar related? Let’s find out.

Burghers of Calais

Burger [ˈbɜː(ɹ)ɡə(ɹ)] is a rebracketing of the word hamburger, which is:

  • A hot sandwich consisting of a patty of cooked ground beef or a meat substitute, in a sliced bun, usually also containing salad vegetables, condiments, or both.
  • The patty used in such a sandwich.

Hamburger is an abbreviation of Hamburger sandwich / steak, which comes from Hamburg steak, a patty of ground beef [source].

The idea of the Hamburg steak was brought to America by German immigrants in the 19th century, and is based on similar German dishes such as the Frikadelle, which have existed since the 17th century. It first appeared on menus in restaurants in New York in 1873. By the the 1930s, Hamburg steaks were being served as parts of sandwiches, and became known as (ham)burgers [source].

The name Hamburg comes from Old High German Hamme (bend, angle) and burg (castle, city), from Proto-West-Germanic *burg (fortification, (fortified) city), from Proto-Germanic *burgz (fortification, stronghold, (fortified) city), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (to rise up, to ascend, be elevated, to be up high) [source].

A burgher [ˈbɜː(ɹ)ɡə(ɹ)] is

  • A citizen of a borough or town, especially one belonging to the middle class.
    • A member of the medieval mercantile class.
    • A citizen of a medieval city.
  • A prosperous member of the community

It comes from Middle English burgher (a freeman of a borough, a burgess), likely merged with and reinforced by Middle Dutch burgher, from Middle High German burger, from Old High German burgāri (inhabitant of a fortress), from burg (fortress, citadel), from Proto-West-Germanic *burg (fortification, (fortified) city), etc. [source].

A burglar [ˈbɜːɡlə(ɹ) / ˈbɝɡlɚ] is

  • A person who breaks in to premises with the intent of committing theft.

It comes from Medieval Latin burglātor (a freeman of a borough, a burgess), from burgō (to commit burglary), from Latin Latin burgus (fortified town), probably from Frankish *burg (fortress), from Proto-Germanic *burgz (fortification, stronghold, (fortified) city), etc. It was possibly influence by the Latin word latro (thief) and/or the Old French word burgeor (burglar), which comes from Latin [source].

So, burger and burgher are related, and burglar is probably related to them.

Other words that share the same roots include: barrow, borough, burrow, comfort, force and fort in English, bourgeois in French, Burg (castle) in German, burcht (citadel, castle, borough, burrow) in Dutch, bwrw (to cast, throw, hit, precipiate) and brenin (king, monarch, sovereign) in Welsh, forte (fort(ress), strength, talent, strong, stressed) in Italian, fuerte (strong, loud, hard) in Spanish [source].

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