💇 Learning Chinese Through Real Life: Getting a Haircut
Getting a haircut in another language can be surprisingly stressful 😅
Imagine sitting in the chair and the barber asks:
✂️ 怎么剪好看?
(zěn me jiǎn hǎo kàn?)
What style would look good?
And all you can say is:
😶 …
Here are some useful phrases:
💇 我想剪个头发。
(wǒ xiǎng jiǎn ge tóu fa.)
I’d like a haircut.
✂️ 剪短一点。
(jiǎn duǎn yì diǎn.)
A little shorter, please.
🙅 不要剪太短。
(bú yào jiǎn tài duǎn.)
Don’t cut it too short.
👌 稍微修一下就行。
(shāo wēi xiū yí xià jiù xíng.)
Just a little trim.
💰 多少钱?
(duō shao qián?)
How much is it?
One thing I like about learning Chinese through real-life situations is that you quickly learn the phrases people actually use every day.
You may never need to discuss advanced grammar at a barbershop…
But “Don’t cut it too short” can save your hairstyle 😂
#learnchinese #learnmandarin #chinese #langtwt #studytwt #languagelearning #everydaychinese #barbershop #travelchin
Did someone go easy on you…
and pretend it was a fair win? 👀
In Chinese, that’s called 放水.
💬 Meaning
放水 (fàng shuǐ)
Literally: “release water.”
But in daily Chinese, it means:
👉 to go easy on someone
👉 to not use your full strength
👉 to let someone win on purpose
📖 Examples
🏀 他打篮球的时候故意放水。
(Tā dǎ lánqiú de shíhou gùyì fàng shuǐ.)
→ He went easy on purpose when playing basketball.
🎮 你别放水,我想认真玩。
(Nǐ bié fàng shuǐ, wǒ xiǎng rènzhēn wán.)
→ Don’t go easy on me, I want to play seriously.
😅 这次考试老师是不是放水了?
(Zhè cì kǎoshì lǎoshī shì bú shì fàng shuǐ le?)
→ Did the teacher go easy on this exam?
💡 When to use it
✅ Games, sports, competitions
✅ Exams or evaluations
✅ Casual conversations
Tone: informal, sometimes joking
⚠️ Cultural note
放水 can be:
😄 friendly (letting someone win)
😏 or slightly negative (unfair advantage)
So the tone depends on context.
✨ Wrap-up
Next time someone goes easy on you…
you’ll know exactly what to say 😏
The fastest way to stop mixing up 但是 / 可是 🇨🇳
Both can mean “but”.
But they don’t feel exactly the same.
但是 = but / however
Use 但是 for a clearer, more direct contrast. It can feel a bit more formal.
他很聪明,但是不努力。
tā hěn cōngmíng, dànshì bù nǔlì
He is smart, but he doesn’t work hard.
我想去,但是我没有时间。
wǒ xiǎng qù, dànshì wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān
I want to go, but I don’t have time.
可是 = but / however
Use 可是 for a softer or more spoken contrast, often with surprise or regret.
我想买,可是太贵了。
wǒ xiǎng mǎi, kěshì tài guì le
I want to buy it, but it’s too expensive.
我想去,可是没有时间。
wǒ xiǎng qù, kěshì méiyǒu shíjiān
I want to go, but I don’t have time.
Easy rule:
但是 = stronger / clearer contrast
可是 = softer / more spoken contrast
Writing something more formal?
Use 但是.
Speaking naturally?
Use 可是.
Words/phrases you’ll hear constantly at work that were never in JLPT:
• 根回し (nemawashi) — pre-meeting consensus building
• 稟議 (ringi) — internal approval process
• 朝イチ (asa ichi) — first thing in the morning
• 巻き取る (makitoru) — take over someone’s work
• 握る (nigiru) — get informal agreement
• 落とし込む (otoshikomu) — finalize details
• リスケ (risuke) — reschedule
• ペンディング (pending) — on hold
Plus all the vague instructions:
• いい感じで (ii kanji de) — “make it look good” ???
• 適当に (tekitou ni) — casually? appropriately? who knows
No textbook prepares you for this. You just absorb it by osmosis over months of confusion😅
#BusinessJapanese #WorkingInJapan #JapaneseLearning #RealJapanese #JLPT #OfficeJargon