Just when you think you are getting a sense of the language, you realize that you have no clue what's going on and that people are going to 开玩笑 ('kai wan xiao' or 'make fun of') you. This is how I got my name 小朋友 ('xiao pengyou' or literally, 'little friend')。My blue haired Shanghainese friend Jonny started calling me 小朋友 on our hike up 黄山 ('Huang Shan' or 'Yellow Mountain')。I loved it!! However, I soon learned that what I thought to be an endearing name was actually Jonny making fun of me. 小朋友, in Chinese, means 'child.' The term is only used when speaking to children...Jonny was mocking me and everyone knew it except me.
I still adopted the name though and it has since become my rap persona. In my latest 'shuo chang dazhan' (rap battle), I was proudly introduced as 小朋友. What can I say, people seem to love it.
yo, yo 我是小朋友， 我要说‘别热我‘
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