HSK 4 5 Got a Cold Drink Hot Water China Culture Chinese Mandarin Podcast

Hello everyone welcome to Chinese Insider I'm Teacher Li Whew Hello everyone I'm Mike Oh no Mike are you okay That jet blast was way too loud Sorry Teacher Li I've been feeling under the weather lately The weather has turned suddenly cold these past few days and I think I've caught something Caught something You mean you're coming down with a cold Yeah my throat hurts my head aches and I feel completely drained— I think I might have a fever Poor Mike have you seen a doctor or taken any medication yet Not yet I've been resting at home for a day Did you know that to feel a bit more comfortable I drank a lot of ice-cold Coke What Ice-cold cola Mike are you crazy How can you drink ice-cold cola with a cold Why not In my country if you have a sore throat doctors often recommend drinking cold beverages or eating ice cream because it numbs the throat and reduces the pain Oh my gosh in China that's absolutely taboo—don't even think about it If you told your Chinese mom you ate ice cream for a cold she might break your leg Break my leg That's way too violent Well Teacher Li according to Chinese customs what should I drink There's only one answer—hot water Oh no here we go again What's wrong Don't you like hot water Teacher Li this isn't a matter of liking or disliking—it's that I feel Chinese people have a kind of obsession with hot water Obsession Maybe so Seriously last time I had a stomachache my Chinese friend told me to drink hot water last month I had a leg pain he told me to drink hot water again even once when I was in a bad mood he still told me to drink hot water What exactly is hot water Is it Harry Potter's magic potion In Chinese culture it's somewhat like a miracle cure—everything can be fixed—because traditional Chinese medicine believes illness stems from coldness in the body and hot water can drive that cold away Chasing away chill by drinking hot water sounds almost mystical and I've noticed that Chinese people don't just drink hot water at home—they do it even when they're out and about Yes your observation is quite insightful I often see elderly men and women even young ladies on the subway holding silver bottles in their hands That's called a thermos Thermos thermos Yes this is the standard for Chinese people—inside is always hot water or soaked with goji berries Looks like I'll need to buy a thermos if I want to survive in China You should definitely get one but Mike even though the hot water is great there's one thing I need to specifically warn you about What is it Is there danger in drinking hot water Drinking hot water isn't dangerous but some people claim it is There's one thing you must never casually say to a Chinese girl What's that It's "drink more hot water " Drink more hot water—doesn't that show you care about her This is a trap—if your girlfriend gets sick and you just say "drink more hot water " she might get really angry even break up with you Breaking up Breaking up over water That’s crazy Because this phrase now just sounds like a lazy excuse A lazy excuse—that word is kind of hard to pin down That means you don't actually care about her you don't want to spend time looking after her you just said something empty like a robot Oh I see it's lazy caring That's right to help you understand just how serious this is let's do a listening exercise Alright time to test your skills Next I'll play my girlfriend who's feeling sick and increasingly upset emotionally What about me You'll play my clueless boyfriend who's deep into gaming and has no idea what girls are thinking Alright I'll be the lazy boyfriend Pay close attention friends— I'm going to speed up the pace Please answer a question: in this argument how many times did the boyfriend say "hot water " and why was he ultimately scolded Count the hot water got it Ready 3 2 1 Hey honey could you turn down the game volume a bit I'm getting dizzy Head dizzy Maybe you're coming down with a cold There's a kettle on the table—drink some hot water I just took my temperature—looks like I'm running a fever 39 degrees and I'm shivering all over You're feverish so you should drink even more hot water sweat it out and you'll be fine by tomorrow Oh no hurry up that person's running away I haven't eaten all day my stomach is really upset I want to have some warm porridge Oh no it's too late now all the delivery services are closed Good girl go get a cup of hot water to drink—the water's warm and it'll soothe your stomach Hot water hot water—now you know about hot water I'm telling you I've got a fever my head hurts my stomach hurts—can't you say anything else but that What are you getting so worked up about I'm just concerned about you Is it wrong to tell you to drink water You call this caring Are you some kind of automated reply ninja robot I want your attention not you acting like a water cooler Go live with the hot water yourself—leave me out of it Alright Mike did you feel that storm just now Wow Teacher Li you were so scary just now—I felt like if I were really that boyfriend I’d be dead already Answer our question—how many times did the boyfriend say "hot water" He said it three times no matter what I asked he always replied "hot water " Yes that's why her girlfriend finally snapped—she felt her boyfriend was being careless and half-hearted Careless careless—that word I'll remember this time In this situation the key isn't water—it's action What should I do You should put down the game go get him water buy him medicine or cook him a bowl of porridge—just placing your hand on his forehead would mean more than telling him to drink more hot water Got it—don't just say it do it That's right so even though hot water is great don't use it as an excuse Looks like being a boyfriend in China really isn't easy In this episode we learned many words related to being sick so let's review them Audience friends have you learned it If you'd like the full script for this episode a vocabulary list and a guide on how to properly care for a sick girlfriend check the pinned link in the comments section Finally today's interactive question In your country if you have a cold what does your family make you drink Is it ginger ale chicken soup or something else Tell us in the comments section in Chinese See you in the next episode Bye Remember to drink more hot water