A Caucasian person who spoke fluent Mandarin was asked by a Chinese journalist: "您方便的时候我能问您一些问题吗？”(Can I ask you a few questions when it’s convenient?)
To which the Caucasian replied, “什么是‘方便’?”, confusing ‘convenient’ with what the guy below is doing:
I found this story really interesting, as it was surprising to discover that such a simple turn of expression could be lost on a non-Chinese who otherwise speaks fluent Mandarin – especially when it’s one which even the person with the poorest command of Mandarin i know would understand.
Singaporeans (of Chinese descent at least?) therefore still possess a certain amount of cultural advantage when dealing with the Chinese due to our heritage, environment and upbringing, and should use this to our advantage.
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