Mandarin Monday: How to Talk to Your Pets in Chinese
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I recently joined the 猫奴 māo nú "cat slaves" club (an expression used by the Chinese cat community but one that will be understood by anyone who has owned a cat) after taking in a young kitten that I found lying on the street on my way home from work. Stressed and lying on the hot pavement and unable to move on account of being partially paralyzed due to an injury to her back legs, Little Thirsty, as she's now called, caught my attention immediately and cried her way right into my heart. Several days on, she is now almost totally recovered and is getting into lots of trouble exploring and generally having a great time as kittens do.
My rescued cat soon became 小渴 xiǎo kě, "Little Thirsty," because she was so dehydrated when I found her
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As I slowly acclimatize myself to my new role as a cat mom, I've been learning important "cat language," and often find myself talking to her like she's a human. I know that Xiao Ke (小渴 xiǎo kě) can't understand exactly what I'm saying, but I do believe that animals can intuit emotional intention according to your tone of voice. For example, by using an informative tone or by saying "no" in an injunctive tone, animals can often gauge whether you are praising or scolding respectively. According to various scientific studies (read more via QR code below), talking to your pets also helps strengthen the bond between you, the natural byproduct of inviting an animal to share your home and life.
So, if you talk to your pets like they're human, you're certainly not alone. Whether you are a proud pet owner, or simply can't stop yourself from falling to your knees for a scratch and cuddle when you see a cute dog or cat on the street, here are some of the useful words and phrases you can use to communicate with your fluffy friends.
嘿 小宝贝/小家伙！
Hēi xiǎo bǎobèi/xiǎo jiāhuo!
Hey little cutie/little handsome!
你怎么跑到这儿来了？
Nǐ zěnme pǎo dào zhè'er láile?
What are you doing here?
你怎么了/你没事吧？
Nǐ zěnmele/nǐ méishì ba?
Are you alright?
你长得真可爱！
Nǐ zhǎng dé zhēn kě'ài!
You're so cute!
你怎么这么萌？
Nǐ zěnme zhème méng?
Why are you so cute?
好了好了，没事了。
Hǎole hǎole, méishìle.
There there, it's alright.
来，过来，别害怕。
Lái, guòlái, bié hàipà.
Come here, don't be afraid.
过来吧，这有吃的。
Guòlái ba, zhè yǒu chī de.
Come, come and eat.
哪里不舒服？我看看。
Nǎlǐ bú shūfú? Wǒ kàn kàn.
Where does it hurt? Let me check.
Well on her way to a full recovery, Xiao Ke enjoys playing with cables, helping me write, and sitting in my colleague's hat
你要去哪儿？不要乱跑。
Nǐ yào qù nǎ'er? Bùyào luàn pǎo.
Where are you going? Stay here.
不可以。
Bù kěyǐ.
No.
这个不能抓/咬/吃。
Zhège bùnéng zhuā/yǎo/chī.
Don't scratch/bite/eat that!
这不是给你吃的。
Zhè bùshì gěi nǐ chī de.
This is not food for you.
是不是饿了？这就给你弄吃的。
Shì bùshì èle? Zhè jiù gěi nǐ nòng chī de.
Are you hungry? I'll prepare you some food.
过来，吃的在这儿呢。
Guòlái, chī de zài zhè'er ne.
Come here, food is served.
不要着急，慢慢吃。
Bùyào zhāojí, màn man chī.
Don't rush, eat slowly.
怎么就不吃了？再吃点儿。
Zěnme jiù bù chīle? Zài chī diǎn er.
Come on. Have some more food.
在家乖乖的哦。
Zàijiā guāiguāi de ó.
Be good at home!
睡觉了，晚安。
Shuìjiàole, wǎn'ān.
Bedtime, good night!
Photos: Huang Chenkuang
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