{"id":65,"date":"2018-03-14T13:00:01","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T05:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writtenchinese.com\/?p=65"},"modified":"2020-12-30T21:17:23","modified_gmt":"2020-12-30T13:17:23","slug":"ready-set-baijiu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.writtenchinese.com\/ready-set-baijiu\/","title":{"rendered":"\u767d\u9152 Ready, Set, Baijiu!"},"content":{"rendered":"

It will only take [est_time] to read this post!<\/span><\/p>\n

Whenever I’m in a new country, I always make it a point to brave the local firewater. In Chile, it was that tangy Pisco Sour, in Bulgaria it was the Rakia that knocked me off my feet, and when I arrived in China: Baijiu \u767d\u9152<\/a> (b\u00e1i ji\u01d4).<\/p>\n

WHAT IS BAIJIU?<\/h2>\n

It has been passed on to me that in Chinese business culture, Baijiu is often consumed as a symbol of good faith. After all, your true nature does tend to surface after a few “ganbei”s\u00a0(aka, bottoms up) and don’t let the locals convince you that this is anything close to white wine, which is often how the word baijiu gets translated. What we have here is a hard liquor made from various grains such as sorghum, rice, and millet, touting an average alcohol percentage similar to vodka or higher.<\/p>\n

Out of curiosity, I wandered into the baijiu section of a local grocery store here in Shenzhen this past weekend. They keep the expensive stuff locked up, and I noticed a bottle priced at 24,000RMB (roughly $4,000).<\/p>\n

If you’re planning on doing business in China, it’s nearly impossible to avoid a business dinner which includes an often pricey bottle of this truth serum.<\/p>\n

SOME DRINKING VOCABULARY<\/h2>\n

Here are the words you need to know to survive a real Chinese business dinner:<\/p>\n

\u5e72\u676f<\/a>\u00a0(g\u0101n\u00a0b\u0113i) bottom’s up \/ cheers<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u5e72\u676f (g\u0101n\u00a0b\u0113i)\u00a0does not literally\u00a0translate to ‘bottoms up’ or \u2018cheers\u2019\u00a0but translates to \u2018dry glass\u2019 (\u5e72 – dry, \u676f – glass). When your party host says\u00a0 \u2018\u5e72\u676f\u2019 (g\u0101n\u00a0b\u0113i) you are expected to down the glass of \u767d\u9152. From my experience, if you’re a woman, you’re less likely to have to participate\u00a0in the festivities, although as a foreigner I have never managed to get out of it!<\/p>\n

Like in the west, it is customary to \u2018clink\u2019 glasses when \u5e72\u676f (g\u0101n\u00a0b\u0113i)-ing. It is respectful to clink below the rim of your host’s glass.<\/p>\n

\u534a\u676f<\/a> (b\u00e0n b\u0113i) half glass<\/p>\n

You may also hear\u00a0\u968f\u610f<\/a>\u00a0(su\u00ed\u00a0y\u00ec) meaning \u2018at will\u2019, so you are free to drink as little or as much as you wish.<\/p>\n

\u4f60\u9189\u4e86\u5417<\/a>\uff1f (n\u01d0 zu\u00ec le ma?) Are you drunk?<\/p>\n

\u6211<\/span>\u559d\u591a<\/span><\/a>\u4e86\uff01(w\u01d2 <\/span>h\u0113 du\u014d<\/span> le) I\u2019m drunk!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u591a\u559d\u4e00\u70b9<\/a>\u3002(du\u014d h\u0113 y\u012b di\u01cen)\u00a0Drink more!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u6211\u4e0d\u80fd\u518d\u559d\u4e86<\/span><\/a>\u3002(w\u01d2 <\/span>b\u00f9<\/span> n\u00e9ng <\/span>z\u00e0i <\/span>h\u0113<\/span> le) I can\u2019t drink anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u5c11\u559d\u70b9\u513f<\/a>\u3002(sh\u01ceo h\u0113 di\u01cenr\u00a0) Don\u2019t drink so much!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u6211\u662f\u4f5b\u6559\u5f92<\/a>\u3002 (w\u01d2\u00a0sh\u00ec\u00a0f\u00f3 ji\u00e0o t\u00fa)\u00a0I’m a Buddhist.<\/p>\n

Get more useful vocabulary for drinking and eating with your Chinese friends and work colleagues<\/a>.<\/p>\n

THE FUTURE OF BAIJIU<\/h2>\n

Interestingly, baijiu has started to make an appearance in both the US and UK with companies trying to introduce the unique taste of baijiu to the western market<\/a>. I’m curious to know if there are many foreigners who really enjoy the taste of baijiu, or whether it’s the way it’s usually drank in China that puts us off?<\/p>\n

A BAIJIU COCKTAIL<\/h2>\n

Ingredients<\/strong><\/h3>\n