hideous (奇丑无比): extremely ugly
Did you see her new boots – the ones with silver and red buttons? They're hideous! (你看到她的新靴子了吗？带银色和红色扣子的那双。简直是奇丑无比！)
tacky (没品): tasteless
I can't believe she decided to wear that low-cut blouse to the party. How tacky is that? (简直不敢相信她居然穿了低胸衣去参加晚会。多没品啊!)
unbecoming (不合身，不搭调): doesn't look good on someone
His bright red bowtie is very unbecoming. Perhaps he should have just stuck with convention and worn a normal necktie. (他系那个鲜红色的领结太不搭调了。他可能还是应该传统一点系条普通的领带。)
flashy (俗艳，低劣): showy, drawing unwanted attention
Those red pants are too flashy for my taste. Do you have something a little more anonymous? (红色的裤子对我而言太俗了。有没有低调点的？)
cheesy (俗气可笑): ridiculous
I nearly burst out laughing when I saw him in that cheesy top hat. Where in the world did he find it? (看见他戴那顶俗不可耐的高帽子我都快笑出声了。他从哪儿翻出来那么顶帽子啊？)
More families without kids
CHINA's family structures have experienced a dramatic change over the past 50 years. This core unit of society has evolved from "extended family" to "nuclear family" and now to "DINK family" and "pets-only DINK family".
Joint family / Extended family: 数代同堂的大家庭
Three or four generations live under the same roof. This was the ideal family structure in the 1900s-1960s in China.
Nuclear family: 核心家庭
Compared with the joint family, the nuclear family consists of only children and their parents. In the late 1970s, China carried out its family planning policy. Nuclear families gradually took the place of extended families.
Bi-cultural family: 父母双方来自不同国家或地区的家庭
In this kind of family, the children's father and mother do not share the same national and cultural background
Solo parent family / Single-parent family单亲家庭
The single-parent family includes children under 18 headed by a parent who is widowed or divorced and not remarried, or by a parent who has never married
DINK family: 丁克家庭
DINK is an acronym for "Double Income No Kids".
Pets-only DINK family: 丁宠家庭
Such families prefer to have pets rather than children.
The signs
Keep right/left 靠右/左通行
No passing 禁止通行
No U turn 禁止掉头
No honking 禁止鸣喇叭
Do not pass 禁止超车
Reduce your speed / Slow 减速行驶
Road closed ahead. Detour 前方道路关闭，请绕行
One way 单行道
No cycling 禁止骑车
In shopping malls:
Lost and found 失物招领处
Luggage depository 行李存放处
Hands off 请勿用手摸
Do not litter 勿乱扔杂物
For use only in case of fire 火警时专用
Beware of pickpockets 谨防扒手
No admittance 闲人免进
Do not enter 请勿入内
No photos 请勿拍照
Help wanted 招聘员工
On goods:
Keep in the shade 置于阴凉处
Keep in a dark place 避光保存
Guard against dampness 防潮
Handle with care 小心轻放
This side up 该面朝上
MAN:生产日期 (manufacture)
EXP: 保质期，该日期前使用 (expiration)
In toilets:
Occupied (厕所)有人
Vacant (厕所)没人
Slippery when wet 地板湿滑
back in a minute
1. Be back in a minute/bit. 我很快回来
2. Hang/hold on. 等一下
3. Don't go away. 别走开哦
4. Away from keyboard. 暂时离开(键盘)
Note: When you come back, you can say, "Back at keyboard" (回来了).
If you have to log out (especially when you're chatting on QQ or MSN), you can say:
1. Keep in touch. 保持联系
2. It's a pleasure talking with you / Nice talking to you. 与你谈话很愉快
3. Talk to you later / See you later 以后再聊
4. Over and out. 结束了，走了
5. Bye for now. 再见
人山人海
A sea of faces.
Looking out upon the sea of faces, Mr Green delivered a touching speech.
天下没有不散的宴席
All good things come to an end.
Eventually, even close friends drift apart
一箭双雕 Kill two birds with one stone
一言既出，驷马难追
1) A word once let go cannot be recalled.
2) 2) You can't take back what you've said. (你说出去的话，就不能再收回来。)
祸从口出，言多必失
Careless talk leads to trouble
The less said the better
Loose lips sink ships (from World War II).
Express your 'busy' life accurately
bustling 忙乱的
This word refers to someone who is in a hurry.
All over the streets of New York City, people are bustling in and out of shops, buying Christmas presents. (在纽约的大街小巷上，人们行色匆匆地穿梭于店铺之间，忙着购买圣诞礼物。)
hectic 紧张而忙碌
This word refers to circumstances that are very stressful.
Fridays are always the most hectic days for me. There's so much to do that I almost lose my mind. (周五是我最紧张忙碌的一天。要做的事太多了，我都快晕菜了。)
in tearing hurry 手忙脚乱
The expression means that someone is so busy that he or she cannot do something in an orderly way. Several important tasks are "tearing" the person apart.a
There's no tearing hurry. Just stay a bit longer. (也没有太急的事情，就多待一会儿吧。)
up to one's ears (in work) (工作)忙死了
The expression gives the picture of someone nearly drowning (溺毙) in work.
I've got so much to do these days. I'm up to my ears in paperwork.
keep it a secret!
EVERYONE has secrets. Are you a person who can keep secrets for others, or are you a big-mouth? If you find that you often talk in the following ways, then you are probably the latter.
Listen, don't tell anyone else... 不要告诉别人哦
Obviously, you didn't hear this from me... 别说是我说的哦
There're a lot of rumors going around… 很多人传言说……
Keep this on the down-low (or DL)… 不要传出去哦，不要宣扬哦
别发火
Keep your shirts on: 保持冷静，别发火
The idiom means to "control your temper". In the past, people sometimes fought only after removing their shirts (so as not to get blood on them). If you tell someone to keep their shirts on, you're telling them to control their temper and avoid getting into a fight.
take it easy: \Take a "chill pill". \Chill out.放松点，别激动
Stay cool. 别激动
Around BBS
论坛 —— forum / Internet bulletin board
帖子 —— post (n./v.)
潜水 —— lurk (v.)
签名档 —— sig (signature, n.)
A unique text phrase, link or graphic that appears below a member's post. Users often "sign" their names with interesting or humorous quotes and graphics.
头像 —— avatar (n.)
The small graphic or icon that represents an individual user. Forums usually give users the ability to select or upload an avatar graphic of their choice. This image identifies the member each time he or she posts.
沙发 —— first post
The first reply to an article or entry.
English abbreviations
Tsup? = What's up?
(怎么回事？发生什么事了？)
lol = laugh out loud (狂笑)
cya = see you (回见)
ic = I see (明白了)
gtg = got to go (我得走了)
gl = good luck (祝你好运)
FYI = for your information (供你参考)
Describe the taste of food
Just thinking of all that yummy food makes my mouth water.
光想到那些可口的食物我就会口水直流。
We have quite a few words to describe food that tastes especially good: tasty, yummy, scrumptious, || 'skrʌmpʃəsmouth-watering, toothsome, luscious || 'lʌʃəs], delectable, savory, marvelous. (Note: tasty is mild and common; yummy, scrumptious, mouth-watering, and toothsome are all colloquial kə'ləʊkwɪəl; luscious, delectable and savory are more educated; marvelous is educated speech)
The fish hotpot here is not authentic Sichuan cuisine. 这儿的水煮鱼不是正宗的四川菜。
The bread tastes like cardboard. 这种面包吃起来味同嚼蜡。
Take those gross noodles away! 把那些恶心的面条端开！
For food that tastes not so good, we have other expressions like "an unsavory meal" (一顿难吃的饭) and "disgusting, gross, and nauseating food". (Note: "unsavory" (难吃的) is very polite English; "disgusting" (令人厌恶的) is harsh but commonly-used; "gross" is very popular teen speech; "nauseating" (令人作呕的) is a very strong word.)
What's the specialty of the house? 你们店有什么招牌菜？
The food in our dining hall is the pits! 我们食堂的东西难吃极了。
Here, "pits" is an adjective very popular with teens and 20-somethings, meaning "the worst". For example, "That apartment the company gave me to live in is the pits, no bathroom, a tiny kitchen, and no air conditioner." (公司提供的公寓糟糕透了，没有洗手间，厨房只有巴掌大，还没有空调。)
