Suitable responses to tea ceremony or art student scams?
mandomikey
May 30, 2008, 11:42 PM posted in General DiscussionHi all... in just under a week's time I'll be embarking on my long-awaited journey to China, and one question remains: What would be an appropriate way (in Chinese) to respond to invitations from the infamous tea ceremony or art student scammers, while still maintaining some levity? I'd like to engage these folks in conversation while letting them know I'm onto their plan. The English responses that come to mind include: "Do I look like a sucker?", "Puhhhhh-lease", or "I'm allergic to tea/art". Many thanks!
mayor_bombolini
May 31, 2008, 12:47 AMThe following may not be exactly grammatically correct or real Chinese, but you will be understood and you can have some good clean fun.
我买好了. "I've already bought some."
现在我没有钱。明天我回来. "I don't have any money right now. I'll come back tomorrow."
我不可以决定。我需要我的老婆。"I can't decide. I need my wife." This on is a great conversation starter.
mandomikey
June 01, 2008, 02:17 PMThanks. Can others offer some more witty suggestions?
frances
May 31, 2008, 12:38 AMHere's a nice quick newbie lesson on how to tell someone you have an allergy. (allergies) Although, if you tell someone you're allergic to art they might not think you're a sucker, but they're likely to think you're not as fluent in Mandarin as you'd like to think.