I take it gao means tall?
It’s not going to be fun, unless with a guide, since I won’t know what everyone is saying about me but I will know that they are talking to me.
[quote=“Raven”]I take it gao means tall?
It’s not going to be fun, unless with a guide, since I won’t know what everyone is saying about me but I will know that they are talking to me.[/quote]
Also hen
hen gao
You will learn how to tell them they are very small. If you get it wrong with tones you will be telling them you love them.
[quote=“Ironman”]
You will learn how to tell them they are very small. If you get it wrong with tones you will be telling them you love them.[/quote]
either way it should have the desired effect.
That’s the first adjustment to living in Asia as a foreigner - and the sooner the better. Just chill with it, cos if you don’t, it will really get at you.
When their parents die–age varies.
I’m 6’4 and even at that height I get more than my fair share of attention… Like I say to my wife, being tall in Taiwan is like being a celebrity in the West, except that you get all the unwanted attention without any of the perks… :s
You should be prepared to find out that the “it’s not polite to stare and point” lesson is never learned or taught in Taiwan, people will spot you and call their friends over to stare at you like a group of bloody Easter Island statues… if they get on your nerves the classic Taiwanese phrase “li kwa sha shiao!” will clear the onlookers like mace in a crowded room, but similarly, won’t win you many friends, so be very cautious how you use it 
…
On the plus side, you could just stock up on NBA / Nike wear set up a table outside any department store on a Sunday afternoon and you’ll have half the Taiwanese population lining up to pay you for your autograph…
You’re all making me feel like a midget at 6’1". I want to feel special too 
But I’m still the tallest in my company, and in my family, and on the bus :raspberry:
Heck my Taiwanese neighbor’s got a middle schooler who stands at least 6’2".
Maybe it oughta’ be ‘Medium Fluffy Matthew’.
OOC
[quote=“supernaut”]You’re going to hear the word ‘gao’ around you alot.
supernaut[/quote]
That and you’ll probably get asked by a lot of teenage boys if you’re a basketball player. No harm; they’re just avid basketball fans over here.
[quote=“Ironman”][quote=“Raven”]I take it gao means tall?
It’s not going to be fun, unless with a guide, since I won’t know what everyone is saying about me but I will know that they are talking to me.[/quote]
Also hen
hen gao
You will learn how to tell them they are very small. If you get it wrong with tones you will be telling them you love them.[/quote]
You’ll also hear “hao”, which when preceding an adjective means “so”, “very”, or, coincidentally, “how”. “Hao gao!” means “How tall!”
I’m a mere 6’2", and I hear kids say “Wa! Hao gao o!” (“Wow! How tall!”) a lot, though not as much as I did when I first came to Taiwan in 1990.
Chinese people who speak English will not shy away from commenting “You are very tall.” Hell, they won’t even shy away from telling a fat person “You are very fat.”
Nonetheless, I have seen some Taiwanese who tower above me. Not many, but some. I wonder where they get their clothes and shoes.