{"id":2376,"date":"2024-09-12T20:03:51","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T12:03:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.chineseskill.com\/?p=2376"},"modified":"2024-09-13T10:51:16","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T02:51:16","slug":"you-swan-he-frog-in-chinese-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.chineseskill.com\/ja\/2024\/09\/12\/you-swan-he-frog-in-chinese-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Say \u201cYou Swan, He Frog\u201d in Chinese?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever come across a phrase that makes you chuckle while making a point? One such phrase that\u2019s been buzzing online is “You Swan, He Frog<\/strong>.”<\/span><\/p>\n

In early August, an Ukrainian influencer @YourKris shared an emotional photo with her boyfriend on Red (Xiaohongshu, Chinese Instagram). After the post, Chinese netizens used loads of interesting phrases to offer ‘comfort’ to the influencer. See her tweet here<\/a>. There was one intersting phrase which caught the internet\u2019s attention, and it read: “You pretty, he ugly, u swan, he frog.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What does the phrase mean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A netizen found the phrase so relatable that they turned it into this creative picture<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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According to <\/span>Daily dot<\/span><\/a>, the phrase describes a relationship where one person seems more attractive (the “swan”) than the other (the “frog”). In standard English, it should be \u201cYou are a swan, he is a frog\u201d. Though it started as “Chinglish”, it caught on online. Most people found it relatable and comforting. These days, it’s even used to talk about everything from politics to celebrity dating rumours.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a couple of more featured tweets:<\/span><\/p>\n

he ugly, u pretty, trump frog, you swan<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

u pretty he ugly u Swan he frog<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

How do you say it in Chinese?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
“You Swan, He Frog” can be traced back to an old Chinese saying “\u765e\u86e4\u87c6\u60f3\u5403\u5929\u9e45\u8089” (l\u00e0i h\u00e1 ma xi\u01ceng ch\u012b ti\u00e0n \u00e9 r\u00f2u) which literally translates to “a toad wants to eat swan meat” and means that someone is craving something they are not worthy of (e.g. an ugly man wants to be with a beautiful woman). Here’s what it sounds like in Chinese:https:\/\/blog.chineseskill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/\u765e\u86e4\u87c6\u60f3\u5403\u5929\u9e45\u80890.7.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/p>\n<\/article>\n

But if you want to keep things simple, go with a direct translation: \u201c\u4f60\u662f\u5929\u9e45, \u4ed6\u662f\u9752\u86d9<\/strong>\u201d (n\u01d0 sh\u00ec ti\u0101n\u2019\u00e9, t\u0101 sh\u00ec q\u012bngw\u0101) .<\/span><\/p>\nhttps:\/\/blog.chineseskill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/\u5929\u9e45\u9752\u86d91.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

This translation carries the same playful meaning, where “\u4f60” means “you,” “\u662f” means “are,” “\u5929\u9e45” means “swan,” and “\u9752\u86d9” means “frog.”<\/span><\/p>\n

In this sentence, one key grammar point is the verb \u201c\u662f<\/strong>\u201d (sh\u00ec). In Chinese, \u201c\u662f\u201d is used to equate the subject with the object, much like the verb “be” in English<\/span>. It\u2019s straightforward and essential when making simple statements about identity, characteristics, or relationships.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, in \u201c\u4f60\u662f\u5929\u9e45,\u201d “\u4f60” (you) is the subject, “\u662f” (are) is the verb, and “\u5929\u9e45” (swan) is the object, showing that “you” are being equated to a swan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"You<\/p>\n

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Other Examples<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Actually, this structure is pretty useful in everyday Chinese conversations. In self- introduction, you can use this structure\u2013\u201cSubject \u662f Object<\/strong>\u201d to talk about your name and nationality. <\/span><\/p>\n

For example:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n