Popular Words-淡定 (dàndìng) Be Calm 唠嗑 (làokē) Chat

It is said that the phrase 淡定(dàndìng) first appeared in the work 空山灵雨•银翎底使命(kōngshān língyŭ•yín líng dĭ shĭmìng) 许地山(Xŭ Dìshān): “Only several wild flowers in front of us are 淡定(dàndìng) enough to look at the fish thrashing in the stream, which eat their residual petals.” In today’s usage, the phrase often appears in the literary works of new writers, e.g. Ming Xiaoxi. During the talent search Super Girl, the judges’ panel use the phrase 淡定(dàndìng) a lot, making it even more popular. The meaning of the phrase 淡定(dàndìng) is similar to “be calm,” and it is widely used to describe a kind of inner state of mind. 淡(dàn) means light and indifferent and 定(dìng) means being settled.

Examples:

Lĭ Lěi,  bú yào nàme jīdòng, dàndìng yì diǎnr!
李 磊，不  要  那么  激动， 淡定      一  点儿。
Li Lei, don’t be so excited, keep calm!

Nĭ zhè cì wŭtái biǎoxiàn búcuò, cóngróng dàndìng.
你 这  次  舞台   表现      不错，  从容         淡定。
Your performance was pretty good this time– you did not rush anything and appeared very calm.

唠嗑(làokē) Chat

Origin and Meaning

phrase 唠嗑(làokē) comes from the northeastern dialect of China. With the development of northeastern opuscula, especially those performed by the famous actors 赵本山(Zhào Běnshān) Zhao Benshan and 宋丹丹(Sòng Dāndān) newmovie Dandan, the phrase 唠嗑(làokē) is used very frequently throughout these opuscula. Since then, the phrase 唠嗑(làokē) became a popular phrase, widely known and used by people now. 唠(lào) means chatting and 嗑(kē) means cracking something between the teeth. When you want to chat with others, you can use the phrase 唠嗑(làokē).

Usage of the Phrase

Examples:

Wǒ nǎinai méi shìr shí jiù ài zhǎo rén làokēr.
我   奶奶   没  事儿 时 就 爱  找    人  唠嗑儿。
My grandma loves to find someone to chat with when she has free time.

Hǎo jiŭ dōu méi jiàn nĭ le,  lào huìr  kē ba!
好    久  都   没  见  你了，唠  会儿嗑  吧！
Long time no see, let’s chat for a while!