Whenever shopping I’m hounded by promo people pushing their products on me. If I have my MP3 player on I ignore them. However sometimes I like telling them to bugger off.
Politely: wo bu yong ni bang wo, xie xie (I don’t need you to help me, thanks)
and less politely: wo zi ji kan yi xia, hao bu hao? (I’m looking by myself, ok?)
Am I correct? Thanks in advance for ya :help:
I just say
“Kan kan. Xie xie” (I’m just looking, thanks)
You mean they look over your shoulder while you’re browsing ? That’s because they think you’re a shoplifter because you’re a foreigner.
But if you do need help, they will just ignore you, because you’re a foreigner.
[quote=“Baas Babelaas”]wo bu yong ni bang wo, xie xie (I don’t need you to help me, thanks)
and less politely: wo zi ji kan yi xia, hao bu hao? (I’m looking by myself, ok?)
[/quote]
Those should work. Or ‘bu2 yong4 bang1mang2, xie4xie’. On your second one you can drop the ‘hao3 bu hao’ to be more polite.
They won’t understand you whatever you say, cos they will be thinking, ‘Oh my god, he is speaking,’ at which point they will realise you have spoken, and that they have failed to listen because they were so busy thinking. Always throw in some random Chinese sounding stuff as your first sentence. Give them time to process the fact that they are in a conversation with you.
I offer:
Bah ga offu, shay shay.
Boh lacks tu yu, shay shay.
But make it look like you are struggling to get the tones right. They’ll just hear the shay shay bit, then when they look blankly use your real Chinese. I like: Bu Yow Toe Kan. ‘I don’t want you looking at me.’
*All Pinyin here is written using the HillGiles system.
“Kan yi kan.” Then turn your back on them.
Or “ni yao shenme? Huh? HUH?” That usually does the trick for me.
“Is this a knock-off? Fakey Fakey?” while pointing.
They always drop their gaze and hurry away!
A smile helps wonderfully…
(yes I know…I’m setting Sino/Taiwano-relationships back decades)
[quote=“TomHill”] I like: Bu Yow Toe Kan. ‘I don’t want you looking at me.’
[/quote]
Haha, good job :bravo:
I am curious about their reaction when you say that to them.
Because “Bu Yow Toe Kan.” is more like no peeking. 
[quote=“msleft”][quote=“TomHill”] I like: Bu Yow Toe Kan. ‘I don’t want you looking at me.’
[/quote]
Haha, good job :bravo:
I am curious about their reaction when you say that to them.
Because “Bu Yow Toe Kan.” is more like no peeking. [/quote]
It means no peeking? Damn that lazy Chinese teacher of mine. Ha ha. I said that for nearly 3 years. Mostly they just smiled and walked off.
I like “Kan shenme kan?”. It usually gets a giggle from shop girls.
That’s almost what I say, except I add a “Ni1 niang2” in front. The reactions are priceless.
Ni niang kan shenme kan?
Translation please…
I’ve been in a filthy enough mood to tell the fruitfly buzzing around me to ‘tzo/zo kai’ (Pinyin sp?). He took it on the chin and let me be.
[quote=“Baas Babelaas”]Ni niang kan shenme kan?
Translation please…
[/quote]
Ni niang=Your mother…!!(It’s Taiwanese, the meaning is almost like “mother f*cker” leaving out the f word ) 
kan shenme kan?= What are you looking at?
I’d suggest you buy some insurance before you use this one.
I generally go with “Kan YI Ci Shi mianFei…Kan liangCi, Yao mai Piao!” (Looking once is free, look twice and you have to buy a ticket.)
But the “real” correct answer is probably to wave your hand, palm outward (the “Stop in the Name of Love” posture) back and forth while saying “XieXie, XieXie…” over and over. That’s the universal Taiwanese statement-gesture for “No thanks.” It’s completely counterintuitive to us that it does not include the word “no” or any negative, but that’s what they use.
I could also use my palm to do one of those bogus spiritual healings - ie. palm their faces hard enough to knock them back a couple of feet, or off their feet, all the while muttering blessings etc.
Ah, body language - truly universal.
i think the bast way
just say i can’t understand chinese
and speak your native language to them,they will run away.
or just ignore them.(if you talk to them more,they also wanna talk to you more :bluemad: )
and they promote to you not because you are foreigners,
i think they promote to everyone even taiwanese. :blah:
That’s all a bit rude…Hope this is all in jest…
Come to China. If you scream bloody murder, or take as shit on the floor, they might just bat an eye in your direction, sniff, and get back to their newspaper.
I’m back.
I’m ignored mostly. Otherwise, if they’re female, and between 18 and 45 I start hitting on them (I rediscovered my mojo, and my filthy, lecherous side)
I’m back.
I’m ignored mostly. Otherwise, if they’re female, and between 18 and 45 I start hitting on them (I rediscovered my mojo, and my filthy, lecherous side)[/quote]
Welcome to the City of Ashes
[quote=“ironlady”]But the “real” correct answer is probably to wave your hand, palm outward (the “Stop in the Name of Love” posture) back and forth while saying “XieXie, XieXie…” over and over. That’s the universal Taiwanese statement-gesture for “No thanks.” It’s completely counterintuitive to us that it does not include the word “no” or any negative, but that’s what they use.[/quote] Bingo! Never forget about saving face, even for people who bother you. I usually do a small bow as well (thinking about how I’ll kill them some day).