While scouring Shanghai for ironic gifts for Mrs. Greatsby’s birthday, I was fortunate enough to come across some Chinglish poetry in a stationery store. Chinese notebooks often have an inspirational or poetic message in English on the cover, and they usually make no sense, causing me to wonder what artistic influence the reading of these nonsense sentiments may have on the writing of the notebook owner.
This inspirational message really spoke to me:
‘Reme’s history
BE WORKED learned a thing or about loveit’s push and shovegiving
and giving in, giving up give, it’s push but nuthin’s given.’
It kind of sounds like a Google translation of a rap lyric, doesn’t it? I don’t listen to any rappers except The Sugarhill Gang, but does anyone else know of a rap that includes the word ‘shovegiving’? I’d probably listen to more rap if they rapped less about busting caps and more about shovegiving.
I love animals and I’m pretty sure I agree with the sentiments below:
‘Animals are natural
resoruces, care for animals.
starting from the side!’
I’m not sure but I suspect this was taken from some animal care manual recommending that you never approach an animal from behind.
Although it could also mean animals are a natural resource of food and you should always attack from the side. I can’t be sure.
…..
Make sure and check out the caption contest winner and submit a caption in the new contest so you can win one of the new caption contest winner buttons all the kids on your block are talking about.
The Good Greatsby 
k8edid
February 20, 2012
I don’t listen to much rap, either (only at stop signs or in parking lots – from other people’s stereos) but have to agree – nuthin’ is given. Ever.
The Good Greatsby
February 20, 2012
I tell my kids that every morning.
Adrienne schmadrienne
February 20, 2012
Shovegiving….sounds provocative
thelifeofjamie
February 20, 2012
I so enjoy these every Sunday!
The Good Greatsby
February 20, 2012
They add a bit of poetry to my Sundays as well.
Jackie Cangro
February 20, 2012
FYI – You can get Rapper’s Delight as your ring tone.
The Good Greatsby
February 20, 2012
The search for that ringtone starts now!
Kathryn McCullough
February 20, 2012
The first piece of stationary sounds psychotic to me. It’s what a psychiatrist would call a “word salad”–sometimes talking in word salads (word salad-ing, maybe?) is a symptom of psychosis–even of schizophrenia. Clearly, the stationary store has psychiatric (not Chinglish) issues.
The Good Greatsby
February 20, 2012
I may have missed a Chinese sign explaining that all the notebooks had been created by psychiatric patients.
susielindau
February 20, 2012
I especially love shovegiving when its about loveits push. What??? I am an alternative music girl myself.
I always start from the side. Don’t you?
These crack me up….
sabharwalgorav
February 20, 2012
Animals are natural
resoruces, care for animals.
starting from the side!
I believe we are at the top of the food chain, so i can stay at the Top side. 😉
Laura
February 20, 2012
Googling “about love it’s push and shove” led me to this poem. Apparently some of the words got shovepushed together.
The Good Greatsby
February 20, 2012
They do seem similar. I imagine all of these inspirational sayings were borrowed from the world wide web.
Laura
February 20, 2012
You’re probably right. The surprising thing for me is that this degree of Chinglification is being introduced when they’re just copying English text, with no translation involved.
nursemyra
February 20, 2012
great detective work Laura!!
melissakoski
February 20, 2012
The melodious sounds of Salt-n-Peppa’s “Push It” come to my mind. http://youtu.be/vCadcBR95oU
She's a Maineiac
February 20, 2012
Push It came to my mind too.
Dana
February 20, 2012
That first one reminds me a whole lot of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise”. Oh, the Dangerous Minds soundtrack… takes me right back to Grade 9, and not by choice.
Brown Road Chronicles
February 20, 2012
a few small edits and moving some commas around and it makes a little more sense…
BE WORKED learn a thing or two about love. It’s push and shove, giving
and giving in, giving up give, it’s push but nuthin’s given.
or maybe not…
The Good Greatsby
February 20, 2012
I think it’s kind of catchy; ‘it’s push but nuthin’s given’ might become my new life philosophy.
Michael
February 20, 2012
Shovegiving sounds like a weird sort of holiday….
The Good Greatsby
February 20, 2012
Happy Shovegiving!
Life in the Boomer Lane
February 20, 2012
My head is shovespinning.
Kim
February 20, 2012
Damn it… I WANT to care for the animals, but I don’t know which side they are referring to!!! Left side,right side, front side…. crap, it’s probably the back side
The Good Greatsby
February 20, 2012
I’ve also found myself paralyzed by my animal care approaches; I just never which side to take.
Rob Rubin
February 20, 2012
Hmmmmm. Why does shovegivng sound like some ghetto dude shoving his be-atch on the floor and “giving” her the business.
The Simple Life of a Country Man's Wife
February 20, 2012
Be still, Mrs. Greatsby’s heart! I bet you’ll do a wonderful job. Hope she has a happy birthday!
edrevets
February 20, 2012
A good one I found on something in Cairo (where everything is also made in China) is: have a brave, when you do something, feel good about yourself. And after I read it, I do feel good about myself.
gojulesgo
February 20, 2012
I’m pretty sure my dog would protest that guidance any day of the week and twice on Sunday in favor of a good butt scratch.
lynnettedobberpuhl
February 21, 2012
It sounds a lot like the spam I get in my comment section. Some Chinese person has been sending me poetry and I’ve been deleting it! Now I feel horrible. And bereft. Imagine how they feel.
Maggie O'C
February 22, 2012
When I went to school in France, I bought stationery that read:
“Let’ enjoy together with us!”
So I did.
HoaiPhai
February 29, 2012
Are you sure “Reme’s History” wasn’t a really dirty love story?