“sir, if you were my husband, I would poison your drink”.
– Lady Astor to Winston Churchill
“Madam, if you were my wife, I would drink it.”
-His reply.
We are going to have a very alcoholic post today: all about drink, how to drink and how to make cocktail.
Learn Mandarin Chinese, how to say -Why don’t you drink your cocktail through a straw?
[audio:http://www.chinesetolearn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/listen-to38.mp3|titles=listen to]
你为什么不用吸管喝鸡尾酒？
nǐ wèishénme bù yòng xīguǎn hē jīwěijiǔ ? nǐ (你 pronoun, you) wèishénme ( 为什么 why, for what reason) bù (不 negate word, not) yòng (用 verb, use) xīguǎn (吸管 noun, straw) hē (喝 verb, drink) jīwěijiǔ (鸡尾酒 noun, cocktail) ?
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients, and at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit. The ingredients can be spirits, sugar, water, juice, soda, cream, honey, herb, and others. Later, the word refers to almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol.
Let’s learn how to make Bloody Mary (血腥玛丽 xiěxīng Mǎlì ) with this recipe (食 谱 shípŭ ):
[audio:http://www.chinesetolearn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/listen-to39.mp3|titles=listen to]
This is for 2 servings ( 份 fèn ).
Ingredient (成分 chéngfèn):
2 oz 盎司 (Àngsī) Vodka 伏特加 (fú tè jiā)
6 oz tomato juice 番茄汁 (fānqié zhī)
4 red hot sauce 红辣椒酱 (Hóng làjiāo jiàng)
4 green hot sauce 绿辣椒酱 (Lǜ làjiāo jiàng)
2 dash 少许 (Shǎoxǔ )Worcestershire sauce 伍斯特沙司酱 (Wǔ sī tè shā Sī Jiàng )
1 oz lemon juice 柠檬汁 ( níngméng zhī)
2 pinch 小撮 (xiǎo cuō) salt 盐 (yán)
2 pinch peppers 黑胡椒 (hēi hújiāo)
2 stalk 秆 (gǎn ) celery 芹菜 (qíncài)
What you need to do:
Add Vodka, tomato juice, red hot sauce, green hot sauce, worchester sauce, lemon juice, pinch of salt, pinch of pepper. Mix well with celery stalk.
[audio:http://www.chinesetolearn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/listen-to40.mp3|titles=listen to]
加入伏特加， 番茄汁， 红辣椒酱， 绿辣椒酱， 伍斯特沙司酱，柠檬汁，一小撮盐， 一小撮黑胡椒. 用芹菜秆搅匀.
jiārù fú tè jiā , fānqié zhī , hóng là jiāo jiàng , lǜ là jiāo jiàng , Wǔ sī tè shā Sī Jiàng , níngméng zhī , yī xiǎo cuō yán , yī xiǎo cuō yán hēi hújiāo . yòng qíncài gǎn jiǎ yún .
Next, let’s learn about some English proverbs or phrases with the word ” straw”, and their Chinese counterpart.
[audio:http://www.chinesetolearn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/listen-to41.mp3|titles=listen to]
1 Do not care a straw.
毫不介意。
háo bù jiè yì.
háo (a bit) bù (not) jièyì (mind).
Not mind (at all, a bit) or to not care in the slightest.
2 Not worth a straw.
一文不值。
yī wén bù zhí .
yī (one) wén (tiny unit of money in ancient China) bù (not) zhí (worth) .
Worthless or no use whatsoever
3 A drowning man will catch or clutch at a straw.
快淹死的人连根草也会抓住。
kuài yānsǐde rén Lián Gēncǎo yě huì zhuāzhù .
kuài (almost) yānsǐ (got drown) de (particle) rén (person) lián (even) gēn (measure word for grass) cǎo (grass) yě (also) huì (will) zhuāzhù (grab) .
A person that is almost getting drown, will grab even one blade of grass.
4 A straw shows which way the wind blows.
草动知方向，一业知秋。
cǎo dòng zhī fāngxiàng , yī yè zhī qiū.
cǎo (grass) dòng (move) zhī (know) fāngxiàng (direction) , yī (one) yè (leaf) zhī (know) qiū (autumn).
Grass moving tells us the direction of wind. One leaf falling tells the coming of autumn.
5 It is the last straw that breaks the camel’s back.
最後一根稻草压死了骆驼。
zuìhòu yī gēn dàocǎo yā sǐ le luòtuo .
zuìhòu (the last) yī (one) gēn (measure word for straw) dàocǎo (straw) yā (crush) sǐ (to die) le (particle show action occurred) luòtuo (camel) .
The last straw crushed to death the camel.
6 That is the last straw.
到此为止。
Dào cǐ wéi zhǐ .
Dào (to) cǐ (here) wéi(be) zhǐ (stop) .
Stop here or that’s it.
So, after you finish today’s one Chinese sentence a day, can you recall what the ingredients in our Bloody Mary recipe?
Hope you won’t give me this answer:
“Booze is the answer. I don’t remember the question.”
Anonymous
Listen to this song, it is nothing to do with cocktail or drinking. Just something tranquil and beautiful. Enjoy! When you got sad, don’t drink. Listen to songs instead.
Celtic Woman / Chloe Agnew – ”O Holy Night”