Ni Shuo ShenMe?
Creepy Guy on SkyTrain: [to a pair of Chinese-Canadian high school students] What does Tung Kwa mean?
Student 1: [startled] What?
CGOS: Tung Kwa. What does it mean?
Student 1: [to student 2] Ni zhidao ma?
Student 2: Bu zhidao. Ni ne?
Student 1: "Tong Kwa?" I don't think I know that. I mean, it doesn't mean anything.
CGOS: It's gotta mean something. You just said it.
Sudent 1: I said it? When?
CGOS: Just a second ago. To your friend.
Student 1: [looks at friend]
Student 2: [looks back. both think for a few seconds.] Ah! TongGuo?
Student 1: Oh! TongGuo.
CGOS: Sure. What's it mean.
Student 1: A test. Pass. I was asking him if he passed the test earlier today.
CGOS: Mandarin is such a beautiful language. I'm going to learn it one day. I mean, Chinese — that's the new language of business right? I mean, all the time I run into more and more Mandarins. Especially here. Don't you agree?
Student 1: [obviously perplexed at the use of Mandarin as an ethnic term rather than a title for a government official] Um, sure.
CGOS: You guys are lucky. That you already speak it.
Student 1: [startled] What?
CGOS: Tung Kwa. What does it mean?
Student 1: [to student 2] Ni zhidao ma?
Student 2: Bu zhidao. Ni ne?
Student 1: "Tong Kwa?" I don't think I know that. I mean, it doesn't mean anything.
CGOS: It's gotta mean something. You just said it.
Sudent 1: I said it? When?
CGOS: Just a second ago. To your friend.
Student 1: [looks at friend]
Student 2: [looks back. both think for a few seconds.] Ah! TongGuo?
Student 1: Oh! TongGuo.
CGOS: Sure. What's it mean.
Student 1: A test. Pass. I was asking him if he passed the test earlier today.
CGOS: Mandarin is such a beautiful language. I'm going to learn it one day. I mean, Chinese — that's the new language of business right? I mean, all the time I run into more and more Mandarins. Especially here. Don't you agree?
Student 1: [obviously perplexed at the use of Mandarin as an ethnic term rather than a title for a government official] Um, sure.
CGOS: You guys are lucky. That you already speak it.