Comments on: Stating the Obvious

By: Roger Dempsey (anglo-sounding enuff?)

Roger Dempsey (anglo-sounding enuff?) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 04:35:47 +0000

It’s a reflexive release of anxiety, like a sigh.

By: William Fitzgerald

William Fitzgerald — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:21:06 +0000

This is very common but I would like to know if this happens to any Chinese people or perhaps a I don’t know what to say to the 老外 thing? I will go ask them now actually…

By: Chris Watkins

Chris Watkins — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:27:12 +0000

When I lived in Java I noticed that friends often asked questions I’d already answered. Is my Indonesian that unclear? No, no, I was told.

It was only when I overheard them talking (once I learnt enough of the local language, Javanese, to follow conversations) that I realized it’s perfectly normal for them to ask the same question, perhaps worded a little differently, 3 times. I felt much better.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:36:58 +0000

Mitch. This two-year-old post is still active, isn’t it? Am I stating the obvious?
I was taught that to start a conversation with an English speaker one has to talk about the weather. ‘Nice day!’…well, obviously. I see it too.

By: Mitch

Mitch — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 05:45:51 +0000

Can one comment on a 2-year-old blog post? Let’s see…

Being a westerner in Australia, I don’t have much chance to talk with Chinese people, so I have to find some way to break the ice with random Chinese people, for example, when I’m on the train.

You can’t really start a conversation with “nihao” – it’s too widely known by westerners who can’t speak Chinese. But after I read your blog post, I realised that there’s no reason why *I* can’t state the obvious too! It shows you have some ability, in a non-threatening way.

Lady with bag: “去过购物”. Man with sandwich: “午饭”. And so on! Turn-about is fair play, and I’m really getting into it!

By: Zoe

Zoe — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 05:35:30 +0000

i tend to see it alot here too. (aka the us). its more of a confirmation. when you ask someone “what is (blank)” and they respond by saying “you don’t know what (blank) is?” well obviously if i asked i didnt know. right? it’s like saying “i’m surprised you didn’t know what (blank) is. I assumed you knew”. Also when you come out of your room in the morning and someone says “your up?” well i’d hope so, or else i have a sleepwalking tendency. it’s like saying “Oh! your up. good morning!” its just a confirmation

By: Bob

Bob — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:31:09 +0000

Hi, I teach Chinese in the states and study how to teach it in the summers. In our linguistics classes, the ‘experts’ all support what everybody is saying here: making observations about people is a way to show you’re paying attention and that your relationship is on talking terms. Obviously, if you just walk by and say nothing, that’s not very friendly. If you always say ‘Ni hao!’ it sounds like you’re never getting past the initial stage of the relationship. Another common greeting that I got used to via English from my Chinese roommate is to just say someone’s name, nothing more. My roommate would walk into my room and say, “Bob.” and I would say, “What?” And he would just smile. Probably the strangest observation I’ve heard of is “Chu han le.” “You’re sweating.” Said to someone coming home on a hot day. Great thread!

By: Rachel

Rachel — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:49:28 +0000

This post is great and confirms what I have referred to for years as the “Howard Cosell” syndrome in Chinese culture. For you youngins out there, Cosell was a famous sports commentator who, like all commentators, would report the blow-by-blow of the athletes’ actions. One thing that most posts seem to say is that it is used as a greeting. I’ve noticed that, but also noticed it can be used at any time, as one post mentioned seeing a large dog. The other thing not discussed much, is how the heck to respond. One time I asked a Chinese friend: “Why do Chinese people always say what I am obviously doing?” She said that people do that because it shows the speaker is noticing the listener and this shows kindness and respect. Then I said “But what do you say when someone does that? How am I supposed to respond?” She said the best way to respond is to repeat exactly what was said. So if someone sees you leaving work and says 下班了！ You can respond likewise with 下班了！Or if it is clearly raining and someone says 下雨了! You can echo that with 下雨了！ One other way to respond is to add to the thread of stating the obvious. So if some says “It’s raining”, you can respond with “It’s cold” or “getting soaking wet”, or if some says “You’re eating!”, you can respond with “It’s good”.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:05:46 +0000

Scott did you noticed the different tones of your parents-in-law? In fact I guess, your father-in-law really meant “look, there is a large dog” and your mother-in-law meant “yes, i saw it”
That’s not simply stating the obvious.
When one says that he or she does well at fitting into Chinese culture, it means he or she has not really realized what a Chinese culture is.

By: Scott

Scott — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 06:40:46 +0000

Yes, definitely true about stating the obvious.

I am Aussie, but my parents-in-law are Chinese. When I return home and they call out, “Hui lai le,” sometimes I respond, “Mei you. Wo mei hui lai le.”

I can tell they’re just thinking, “Yeah, nice one. Very funny.”

Of course, there is no way that they could understand that I do this just to stay sane sometimes. I do pretty well at fitting into Chinese culture with them, but sometimes you have to express yourself.

One hilarious thing I find is driving in the car with my wife and her parents. Not only do you get statements of the obvious, but echoes of the statements. Say you drive past a person walking a large dog. My father-in-law says, “Da gou.” Then my mother-in-law will say, “Da gou.” I often add my own repetition just to add to the joy: “Da gou.”