How do you use the term 'xiaojie'?

So the poll can’t be fixed; chop it and do another. No need for so many age ranges, and add the option for those who don’t use it.

You’re quite welcome to do so. :slight_smile:

Done.

Or the option “I learned my Chinese on the mainland and, out of habit, never call anyone xiaojie.”

On a related note: Ian, I believe that xiaojie only has that connotation in the P.R.C.

I hear locals use the term ‘xiao jie’ all the time.
And they certainly are not using it to be demeaning or insulting.
Don’t know where that claim is coming from. Maybe those people are just pricks anyway.

[quote=“TainanCowboy”]I hear locals use the term ‘xiao jie’ all the time.
And they certainly are not using it to be demeaning or insulting.
Don’t know where that claim is coming from. Maybe those people are just pricks anyway.[/quote]

In English conversations?

[quote=“Poagao”][quote=“TainanCowboy”]I hear locals use the term ‘xiao jie’ all the time.
And they certainly are not using it to be demeaning or insulting.
Don’t know where that claim is coming from. Maybe those people are just pricks anyway.[/quote]
In English conversations?[/quote]
I hear it when they are speaking Chinese and occasionally in english. I should say that these folks range from basic to fluent in their english and may be a bit older (35 +) than the persons spoken of earlier.
Its just used as a term to denote a woman/female. Sometimes younger - sometimes not.

[quote=“TainanCowboy”][quote=“Poagao”][quote=“TainanCowboy”]I hear locals use the term ‘xiao jie’ all the time.
And they certainly are not using it to be demeaning or insulting.
Don’t know where that claim is coming from. Maybe those people are just pricks anyway.[/quote]
In English conversations?[/quote]
I hear it when they are speaking Chinese and occasionally in english. I should say that these folks range from basic to fluent in their english and may be a bit older (35 +) than the persons spoken of earlier.
Its just used as a term to denote a woman/female. Sometimes younger - sometimes not.[/quote]

Yeah, I’d be surprised if anyone in Taiwan had a problem with it in a Chinese conversation. In China, it’s different. What I was curious about was why people felt the need to use it in English conversations. It seems to me that most of the “connotations” they come up with that supposedly cannot be expressed adequately in English say a lot more about them than are actually contained in the word.

In Chinese is usually comes with someone’s name or to call someone’s attention.
When you refer to someone as “A XiaoJie” it has a different meaning.

Poagao wrote: [quote]What I was curious about was why people felt the need to use it in English conversations. It seems to me that most of the “connotations” they come up with that supposedly cannot be expressed adequately in English say a lot more about them than are actually contained in the word.[/quote]

You’re obsessed with xiaojies, you dirty bugger. I think that you’re reading to much into this mate. Mostly it is just fun wordplay - xiaojie is just a word that sounds right and fits the spot.
Seriously, I don’t see why this bugs you.

You’re obsessed with xiaojies, you dirty bugger. I think that you’re reading to much into this mate. Mostly it is just fun wordplay - xiaojie is just a word that sounds right and fits the spot.
Seriously, I don’t see why this bugs you.[/quote]

Yeah, it’s trivial curiosity, that’s all. Haven’t ever heard a decent explanation that made any sense to me, so I thought maybe I’d ask. But you’re right, I might as well drop it so we can focus our attention on the more weighty matters contained in other threads.

I agree with Poagao. I don’t think people use the term in English to simply refer to any young Taiwanese female. Just the good-looking, flirty ones. Not many lads willing to fess up to it I think. :wink:

GBH wrote: [quote] I don’t think people use the term in English to simply refer to any young Taiwanese female. Just the good-looking, flirty ones. Not many lads willing to fess up to it I think. Wink[/quote]
An over-fertile imagination there my good man. Well, you are partly right. However, it is just as often used in a dismissive way. Here are some examples of how i use the word.

(scene - standing outside a 7-11 with some fellow drunkards) “God, check out those xiaojies over there. Look like they need a bloody good spanking.”
(scene - at work)“The boss is a bloody wimp. He lets the xiaojies run the F&*%ing show.”