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Chinese Test Answer
Why Did She Knock Over the Vinegar Jar?
Free Chinese Lessons - “醋坛子(Cù tánzi)"
The correct answer for this Chinese quiz is C.
              Zĕnme le, xiàbān hái bù huíjiā?
Wang Li:   怎么 了,下班   还 不   回家?
    
             What's wrong with you? The work day is over and you still haven’t gone home?
             Bù xiănɡ huí qù.
Li Ming: 不    想    回 去。
    
             I don’t want to go back.
              Hé nĭ lăopó chăojià le?
Wang Li: 和 你 老婆     吵架  了?
    
              What happened? You got into a squabble with your wife?
             Shì a! Zuótiān wŏ hé yí ge nǚ tóngshì yìqĭ chī fàn, tā jiù dă fān cù tánzi le.
Li Ming: 是啊。昨天     我 和 一 个 女   同事  一起 吃 饭,她 就 打 翻  醋 坛子 了。
    
              Yeah, yesterday I had dinner with one of my female coworkers…She got a little jealous.
Analysis:
"醋 ()" means vinegar and "坛子 (tánzi)" refers to a jar. "醋坛子 (cù tánzi)" literally means a vinegar jar. It’s often used in Mandarin as a metaphor to express romantic jealousy. In the dialogue, Li Ming’s dinner with a female coworker got his wife jealous. Now we can understand why Li Ming was afraid to go home. We can also use "吃醋 (chīcù) (which literally means taking or eating vinegar)" instead of “打翻醋坛子 (dă fān cù tánzi)” to convey the same meaning.
Example:
       Nĭ kàn qiánmian nà ge nǚshēng, tā de shēncái hăo mĕi ya.
Boy: 你  看    前面     那  个    女生, 她 的   身材    好    美  呀。
    
       Look at that girl up there, she’s got all the right curves.
       Bù zhǔn nǐ kàn bié de nǚshēng.
Girl: 不   准   你  看   别 的    女生。
    
       Don’t check out other girls.
       Nǐ zhēn shì ge cù tánzi./Nǐ chī cù le.
Boy: 你   真   是 个 醋 坛子。/你 吃 醋 了。
    
       You’re just jealous.

Discussion

I have learned Survival Chinese courses here for a week and noticed that in Lesson 4 of the Survival Chinese course there is the measure word "个." The usage of this is not very clear to me? Could you explain it? Thanks!

- Tina


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