Comment on Fake stamps circulating in the UK are originating from China, lawmaker says
palordrolap@kbin.social 8 months agoBecause people would lose attention if they tried to use a phrase longer than "China", and most people on this side of the world wouldn't know or retain a specific placename in China unless they had specific interest in the country.
The news could throw something like "Malingshu province" and most people wouldn't bat an eye.
... despite the fact that that province name is fake and is in fact a mangled transliteration of one of the Mandarin words for "potato".
feedum_sneedson@lemmy.world 8 months ago
马铃薯?
palordrolap@kbin.social 8 months ago
Yeah, that looks like what Google Translate gave me. The old horse-bell yam.
feedum_sneedson@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Honestly I am learning Chinese and those kind of bizarre mnemonic devices are the only thing that gets it to stick in your head. Horse with bell on neck eating a potato. I will think of that and remember the word, or at least be part of the way there!