Learn The Versatile Chinese Word

By Author: james toma
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When you are learning Chinese culture, you could find that Chinese have developed a rich culture around the use of the versatile Chinese words. When you learn Chinese, you can meet a lot of the versatile Chinese words. In Chinese lessons, Chinese teachers will talk about the meaning of many Chinese the versatile Chinese words. Today，I learn a versatile Chinese word: 方便 (fāngbiàn) on my Chinese lesson.

The Chinese phrase “方便 (fāngbiàn)” plays on the different meanings in our daily lives. How many meanings of “方便 (fāngbiàn)” can you understand?
In its simplest form, the word “方便 (fāngbiàn)” is an adjective that means “convenient.” A good example is “方便面 (fāngbiàn miàn) instant noodles,” literally “convenient noodles.” However, in the video, Focke only knew this word as a verb with the colloquial meaning “to go to the toilet/use the restroom” (much like the British expression “to use the convenience”). When at dinner with a Chinese woman, for example, she might excuse herself ...
... by saying, “我要去方便一下 (Wo yào qù fāng bian yí xià).” Knowing only this meaning, Focke misunderstood when someone asked him, “你什么时候方便，我想请你吃饭. (Nǐ shénme shíhou fāngbian, wǒ xiǎng qǐng nǐ chīfàn.)” He thought this meant, “When do you go to the bathroom? I want to take you to dinner.” Of course, he was shocked!
Actually, when used as a verb, “方便 (fāngbiàn)” can have different meanings, only one of which is “to go to the toilet.” The second meaning of “方便 (fāngbiàn)” is to ask someone if he/she has time, or whether something is suitable. For instance, if a boy wants to take a girl to dinner, he might say, “请问你什么时候方便, 我想请你吃个饭 (Qǐng wèn nǐ shénme shíhou fāngbian, wǒ xiǎng qǐng nǐ chī ge fàn),” which means “When are you free? I would like to treat you to dinner.” This is the same question that Focke is being asked in the video.
Lastly, this word can be used as a noun meaning “favor.” If someone says to you, “行个方便嘛! (Xíngge fāngbian ma!)” they mean “Please do me a favor!”
“方便 (fāngbiàn)” is a great word to know because it is very versatile and can be used in a variety of different situations.
There are many extremely the interesting versatile Chinese words. If you want to learn more about the versatile Chinese words, you should learn Chinese at once! Are you interested in learning Chinese? Do you want to take Chinese lesson? Are you eager to learn Chinese? Come and join us.

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