Ma ma hu hu (马马虎虎, mǎmǎhūhū) is a common Chinese idiom meaning "so-so," "just okay," "careless," or "mediocre," describing something that isn't great but isn't terrible either, like a casual response to "How are you?" or a clumsy action. Literally, it means "horse horse tiger tiger," and it comes from folklore about a painter whose inconsistent art led to comical, tragic mix-ups, giving it a connotation of being imprecise or sloppy.
The tale behind 'mamahuhu' is a little bit squirrelly, but its everyday usage in Mandarin has become ubiquitous. It's a commonly used Chinese phrase that can be translated to "so-so" or "just okay" - even “careless”.
One of the most frequently uttered examples is 馬虎 mahu which Mandarin learners come across in the phrase 馬馬虎虎 (horse horse tiger tiger) which they're erroneously taught means "so-so". The origin of this word is actually the Manchu lahu which means more like "to be bad at hunting" and by extension "sloppy, unskilled".
In Mandarin, ma means horse and hu means tiger; the idiom mamahuhu literally translates, then, as “horse horse tiger tiger.” In one of the fables that explains its origins, a slapdash artist paints a tiger's head but changes his mind midway and completes the creature with a horse's body.
To say 1 through 8 in Mandarin Chinese, you say: yī (一), èr (二), sān (三), sì (四), wǔ (五), liù (六), qī (七), bā (八), with each number having a specific tone, though the simplified pronunciations sound like "ee," "ar," "san," "suh," "woo," "lee-oh," "chee," and "bah," respectively.
The Chinese internet slang 666 (liù liù liù) basically means “awesome” because the number six in Chinese sounds like “溜” (liù), meaning “smooth”. 666 started as gaming slang to praise a skilled player, like “GG” in English, but is now used generally to praise someone for doing something very impressively or “smoothly”.
1. Cantonese Numbers 0-9
Fun fact: Taylor Swift's name in Chinese is Taile Siweifute 泰勒·斯威夫特, a transliteration of her English name. Her Chinese nickname is Meimei/霉霉, which means something like “unlucky,” although to my knowledge it is only used for Swift and not applied to other unlucky people.
妈妈 (māma), like most people in the world call their mothers, is the most common way to address mother. When children are young, they'll call their mother 妈妈(māma), then as adults, it shortens to 妈(mā). It is just like the switch from "mommy" to "mom/mum" in English.
From left: Brandon Jew, Ben Moore and Anmao Sun are the founders of Mamahuhu, a fast-casual Chinese American restaurant that recently opened in Palo Alto. Behind them, paintings of horses and tigers reflect the restaurant's name, which literally translates to “horse-horse tiger-tiger.” Courtesy Mamahuhu.
模糊 : vague, indistin... : mó hu | Definition | Mandarin Chinese Pinyin English Dictionary | Yabla Chinese.
Today, Ma is frequently adopted by Chinese Muslim and Turkic ethnic groups, as a translation of the surname 'Muhammad', and as a reminder of their nomadic culture and ancestry.
Mahu, or transgendered individuals and transvestites, were in fact viewed by the ancient Hawaiians as a normal element of the old social culture that preceded missionary days and American and French military missions.
If someone is angry and cursing at someone, they could say “草你妈” (cao ni ma)—“f*ck your mom”
妈妈 : mama, mommy, mo... : mā ma | Definition | Mandarin Chinese Pinyin English Dictionary | Yabla Chinese.
semi-syllabary used for transcribing Chinese languages, particularly Mandarin. Zhuyin Fuhao, often shortened as zhuyin and commonly called bopomofo, is a type of sound-based writing for the Chinese language. In Chinese, "bo", "po", "mo" and "fo" are the first four of the conventional ordering of available syllables.
What do couples in China call each other? The most common and popular terms used by couples are 宝贝 (Bǎobèi) and 亲爱的 (Qīn'ài de). These are the go-to phrases for most couples, similar to "babe" or "honey" in English.
Cute Nicknames for Mom
[I call my mom] Margaret, Peggy, Ma or Nanny. Anyone one of those, depending on the situation.
Travis Kelce gifts Taylor Swift luxury items like Rolex watches, Dior handbags, Prada winter wear, and Cartier jewelry, often totaling significant amounts for birthdays and holidays, while Swift gifts him items supporting her hobbies like sourdough bread tools (e.g., a bread slicer), showing their mutual appreciation for thoughtful, personalized presents, reports The Sun and E! News.
The term Swiftie refers to a fan of musician Taylor Swift. It is commonly used as a self-identifying term by Swift fans and by others to refer to Swift fans. Calling someone a Swiftie often implies that they are a very passionate and loyal fan—as opposed to just a casual listener.
Sounds mysterious, but you already know who she is. “Fruit Sister,” or “shui guo jie,” is what people in China call Katy Perry – referring to her tendency to wear fruit costumes and bring giant fruit with her on stage.
Meaning: Bye-bye. Whilst the number eight is considered lucky and symbolises wealth in other usages in Cantonese, the double eight “88” usually used in text messages doesn't wish luck or wealth upon the other person.
Cantonese Key Phrase List
Suk suk is cantonese for uncles. In Chinese it's pronounced as Shu Shu.