When I was staying in Taiwan, I remember many people using a phrase - usually said in a somewhat sarcastic tone - which sounded like “奶油” (nǎiyóu), and means something like “B.S.” in English. However, when talking with my current Chinese friends in the U.S. (all mainlanders), I discovered that none of them have ever heard this phrase. I searched Google for it in an attempt to find a source that would explain it to them and at the same time confirm my memories of the phrase, but came up with nothing. Has anyone here ever encountered this…“nǎiyóu?”
na you “哪有.” Not sure where this comes from, maybe short for “哪裡有.” There’s a taiwanese equivalent “nawu” which is kind of strange as “哪” for where is not used in Taiwanese. “若” “na” in Taiwanese means “if” which doesn’t quite fit as the phrase is used, meaning something like “I don’t believe it/no way” as you said. Not sure if Taiwanese got this from Mandarin or the other way around.
I know we’ve had lots of arguments on this board about whether tones are important; this is a perfect example of their importance. The OP almost certainly heard na3you3 哪有, which changes to na2you3 of course, and means ‘not!’, ‘no way!’, ‘hardly!’, ‘I don’t THINK so’, and so on, as the bear and Tempo Gain pointed out. 奶油 ‘butter’ is a different pronunciation and different tones: nai3you2.
I’ve not heard that; have others? As an aside, I’m told 奶油小生 means ‘pretty boy’.
I was just told two weeks ago that “vuu3 sai4” (or something like those tones) means “bullshit” in Taiwanese: a Scottish colleague of mine kept saying “horseshit” in response to some nonsense our Aussie counterparts were stating, and after the Taiwanese we work with asked what he was saying, I asked for the Taiwanese version of it, to which I got “vay SAI” which apparently literally means “horseshit”, as in the substance.
I am almost certain that it is borrowed from Taiwanese na2-u7. Na2 is not the same as the Taiwanese word for “if”, which is na7. No “official” character for either word, although 那， 哪 for the former and 若 for the latter are commonly used. It is often used in responseto a statement, an accusation or accusation-like question, meaning “it is simply not true”. The you3/u7 in this context indicates past, the same construction can be used na2-e7/na3-hui4, indicating future or possibility, but at least the Mandarin version of that is far less common than na3-you3.
Since mainlanders don’t seem to say it, it most likely comes from a commonly used Japanese expression (doko ga!?) - directly translated, it means the same thing - ‘where is!?’
Let’s say I tell you you’re being an idiot. You say ’ 哪有!?’
It’s like saying, ‘OK, so you say I’m being. Tell me exactly how I’m being an idiot.’ (‘where on me is stupid?’ for nonsensical more literal translation.)
And so… is used how we use ‘no way!’ ‘nu-uh’ ‘I don’t think so’ in conversation
The 哪有 reply is also in cantonese and vietnamese. I use it all the time.
As for BS in mandarin 屁話 (pi4 hua4) is used the most which literally is “butt talk” and usually translated as BS or nonsense.
There shouldn’t be any disagreement that 哪有 na2you3 is what the OP is referring to. 哎喲 doesn’t fit the bill. My Taiwanese is pretty basic, but it seems to me this is actually the shortened form of 哪裡有 since I have heard it used in that context as well. Besides, if you’ve ever studied Mandarin in China the common phrase they teach foreigners to say when someone compliments your Chinese is to say 哪裡, 哪裡(where) which is a polite way to deny what the speaker is saying. It’s as if to say in English, “Where did that come from?”
Here’s another good phrase for B.S. – 屁啦！ pi4la1 (literally fart) as 放屁 fang4pi4 - to fart can also mean to lie or to bullshit.
Taiwanese will often use a hand gesture to express the same thing. Starting with a closed fist and opening the palm with all fingers in an outward flicking motion towards the other person.
Thanks.
