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element of Chinese culture, so you can bet there are everyday
Chinese saying involving tea. Let's learn some of them.
Translation is not easy.
Forgive Kam if he is not doing a good job. (Well, you wouldn't
have known anyways) 
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 You
have "more saliva then tea" 
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Tone: can
be cute, can be offensive |
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Meaning:
you are talking too much. |
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Let's
"have tea" 
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A
Cantonese saying. The "have tea" here doesn't mean the serious
kind of tea drinking/tasting, it means Dim Summing. |
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"Let's
have tea some other time" 
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Situation:
when you run into a long-tim-no-see friend on the street but don't have
time to chat at that moment. |
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A
Cantonese saying. Sort of the same as "let's catch up over dim
sum". But, such invitation may or may not be
serious, ie., you can say that to your respected school teacher as well as
your ex-girl/boyfriend who ditched you for a rich someone (yes, being
hypocritical). |
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"cool
tea, hot beer" 
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Tone:
very negative |
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Yuck! That is a
rating for a bad restaurant. Tea should be hot and beer should be cold.
Cool tea hot beer meaning a restaurant is not serving you well. |
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"man walks, tea cools" 
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Tone:
negative |
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When someone leaves a
position, the relationship network on the position dies. Meaning the
relationship only exists when someone has certain authority. People are
being realistic and they don't give a damn any more after that some leaves
the position. |
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"have tea in place of liquor" 
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Setting:
on dinner table or any place where you have a cup of wine or tea. |
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When you
want to show respect to someone or thank someone, you raise your cup of
wine, say "for my respect", and then finish the cup. If you do
the non-alcoholic version with tea, you say "for my respect, (I'll
use) tea in place of liquor". |
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"unrefined tea and unflavored rice"
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Meaning
living a very simple life. |
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