Speak Mandarin like a Chinese by repeating certain words (Part 2)

We often use 白白胖胖 (báibái pàng pàng fair-skinned and fat) to describe a chubby baby with cheeks that invite an affectionate pinch. And, 高高兴兴 (gāo gāoxìng xìng glad, gladly) is usually the first phrase that comes to mind when we want to describe being in a good mood.

上图显示著一些大大小小的纽扣.
Shàng tú xiǎnshì zhe yīxiē dà dà xiǎo xiǎo de niǔkòu.
The above picture shows a handful of buttons of various sizes.

Theoretically, you could apply this AABB pattern for any Chinese adjective or adverb. However, many adjectives and adverbs are customarily not repeated in this way. For example, I’ve never heard “美美丽丽” for 美丽 (měilì beautiful), or “悲悲伤伤” for “悲伤 (bēishāng sorrowful)”, or “小小气气” for 小气 (xiǎoqì stingy).

Following are a number of adjectives and adverbs that are commonly duplicated, usually for emphasis.

快快乐乐 (kuài kuàilè lè) happy, happily
和和气气 (hé hé qì qì) polite and amiable, in good spirits
轻轻松松 (qīng qīng sōng sōng) relaxed, easily, without effort
痛痛快快 (tòng tòng kuài kuài) open and direct, without hesitation, with alacrity
大大方方 (dà dà fāng fāng) generous, gracefully
方方正正 (fāng fāngz hèng zhèng) square or upright
高高低低 (gāo gāo dī dī) uneven in height
普普通通 (pǔ pǔ tōng tōng) ordinary
稀稀疏疏 (xī xi shū shū) sparse
朦朦胧胧 (méng méng lóng lóng) hazy
疯疯颠颠 (fēng fēng diān diān) crazy, deranged, erratic
昏昏沉沉 (hūn hūn chénchén) groggy, dizzy and sleepy
慌慌张张 (huāng huāng zhāng zhāng) in a hurry-scurry
恍恍惚惚 (huǎng huǎng hū hū) vaguely, confused, as if in a trance
窝窝囊囊 (wō wo nāng nāng) cowardly
舒舒服服 (shū shū fú fú) comfortable, comfortably
服服贴贴 (fú fú tiē tiē) docile and obedient
安安稳稳 (ān ān wěn wěn) safe and sound
邋邋遢遢 (lā lā tà tà) sloppy, slovenly
踏踏实实 (tà tà shí shí) down-to-earth
地地道道 (dì dì dào dao) authentic, to the core
仔仔细细 (zǐ zǐ xì xì) in great detail, thoroughly, (checking) carefully
清清楚楚 (qīng qīng chǔ chǔ) very clearly
浩浩荡荡 (hào hào dàng dàng) in a grandiose way, said of an army or a large crowd of people

Hungry for more? Here are a bunch of Chinese idioms containing duplicated characters.

气势汹汹 (qìshìxiōngxiōng) aggressive, overbearing
喜气洋洋 (xǐqìyángyáng) full of joy
洋洋大观 (yángyángdàguān) spectcular, extensive
比比皆是 (bǐ bì jiē shì) can be found everywhere, great in number
落落大方 (luòluò dàfāng) graceful, at one’s ease
多多益善 (duōduōyìshàn) the more the merrier
格格不入 (gégébùrù) not fitting in or out of place (said of people)
苦苦哀求 (kǔ kǔ āiqiú) to entreat piteously
赫赫有名 (hèhè yǒumíng) very famous, illustrious
楚楚动人 (chǔchǔ dòngrén) lovely and enchanting (said of delicate women)
卓卓有余 (zhuō zhuó yǒuyú) more than sufficient, having enough to spare
姗姗来迟 (shān shān lái chí) jokingly or sarcastically said of people who arrive late
沾沾自喜 (zhānzhānzìxǐ) to feel smug
津津有味 (jīnjīnyǒuwèi) with keen interest or with relish (as in reading a book)
津津乐道 (jīnjīn lè dào) to talk abut something with enthusiasm.
谦谦君子 (qiānqiānjūnzǐ) a modest gentleman
代代相传 (dài dài xiāngchuán) passed down from generation to generation
头头是道 (tóutóushìdào) clear and logical, well argued, making good sene
口口声声 (kǒukǒushēngshēng) saying repeatedly
家家户户 (jiājiāhùhù) each and every family

四月通常有很多雨天.
Sì yuè tōngcháng yǒu hěnduō yǔtiān.
The month of April generally offers many rainy days.

你听到外面下雨的声音了吗?
Nǐ tīng dào wàimiàn xià yǔ de shēngyīnle ma?
Do you hear the sound of rain outside?

这些自然声音已被证明有助于放松心情.
Zhèxiē zìrán shēngyīn yǐ bèi zhèngmíng yǒu zhù yú fàngsōng xīnqíng.
Such nature sounds have been shown to help relax the mind.

放松下来; 让雨声帮助你集中精力学习这些成语.
Fàngsōng xiàlái; ràng yǔ shēng bāngzhù nǐ jízhōng jīnglì xuéxí zhèxiē chéngyǔ.
Relax; let the sound of rain help you focus on studing these idioms.

Speak Mandarin like a Chinese by repeating certain words (Part 1)

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, time to get my snowpea seeds planted in the garden. With luck there will be sweet pea shoots (豆苗 dòu miáo ) and crunchy pea pods (豆荚 dòujiá) to enjoy during summer. When it comes to waiting to harvest the fruit of your labor, time crawls … like a snail. To celebrate the occasion, there you have it, a green snail (蜗牛 wōniú).

Snails move slowly, very slowly. Simply using the word 慢 (màn) doesn’t do justice to its suggishness. Perhaps one might imagine it crawling forward at one mile per hour, stopping every minute to swallow some saliva before moving on. That is the picture painted by the adverb 慢吞吞地 (màn tūn tūn de very slowly).

Now compare the following two sentences:

她慢慢地吃饭.
Tā màn man de chīfàn.
She eats the meal slowly.

她慢吞吞地吃饭.
Tā màn tūn tūn de chīfàn.
She eats the meal very slowly.

The exaggeration in the second sentence adds interest to the description as well as authenticity to your spoken Chinese.

Repeating certain words in Chinese can produce a number of diverse effects. It could help smooth out a sentence, pinpoint emphasis, indicate plurarity, or achieve exaggeration (as we’ve seen above).

When referring to your older brother, you would normally say 我的哥哥 (wǒ de gēgē) instead of just 我的哥 (wǒ de gē). Similarly, when referring to your older brother’s wife, you woud say 我的嫂嫂 (wǒ de sǎosǎo) or 我的嫂子 (wǒ de sǎo zi). It sounds less abrupt than just uttering 嫂 once. See Chapter 3 of “Learn Chinese through Songs and Rhymes” for how to address the various members in the family as well as the extended family.

Many adjectives and adverbs are also repeated to improve the fluidity of the speech. Some examples:

弯弯的眉毛 (wān wān de méimáo) curved eyebrows
这件事怪怪的. (Zhè jiàn shì guài guài de.) This thing is weird.
慢慢地工作 (màn man dì gōngzuò) working slowly
轻轻地哼着歌 (qīng qīng de hēngzhe gē) humming a song softly or gently
呆呆地坐着 (dāi dāi de zuòzhe) sitting blankly

Everyone knows 人 (rén) means a person. When you double this word, the meaning changes to people. Similarly, when you say 天 (tiān day) twice in a row, it means every day or daily. Here are some additional examples: 日日 (rì rì day by day), 夜夜 (yè yè every night), 年年 (nián nián every year), (个个 gè gè all), 某某 (mǒu mǒu so and so – person), 处处 (chùchù everywhere).

Like 慢吞吞 (màn tūn tūn), there are many expressions containing repeated sounds to further characterize a description. Here are a few examples:

凶巴巴 (xiōng bābā) fierce
软趴趴 (ruǎn pā pā) soft and limp
软绵绵 (ruǎnmiánmián) soft as cotton
硬棒棒 (yìng bang bàng) hard as a rod
笑眯眯 (xiàomīmī) smiling genuinely, squinting the eyes
笑哈哈 (xiào hāhā) laughing heartily
热乎乎 (rèhū hū) hot or very warm
胖嘟嘟 (pàng dū dū) chubby
雨蒙蒙 (yǔ méng méng) rainy and drizzly
湿答答 (shī dā dá) dripping wet – Do you hear the sound of the water dripping?
湿淋淋 (Shī línlín) showery wet
光秃秃 (guāngtūtū) bare or bald
乱糟糟 (luànzāozāo) very messy
脏兮兮 (zāng xī xī) icky dirty
假惺惺 (jiǎxīngxīng) hypocritical
黑黝黝 (hēiyǒuyǒu) black, dark, dusky
雄赳赳气昂昂 (xióngjiūjiū qì áng’áng) courageous and spirited

那是猫哭老鼠, 假惺惺.
Nà shì māo kū lǎoshǔ, jiǎxīngxīng.
That’s a cat crying over a mouse, hypocrisy.

我们的战士雄赳赳气昂昂.
Wǒmen de zhànshì xióngjiūjiū qì áng’áng.
Our soldiers are brave and spirited.

For those of you who love four-character Chinese expressions, here is a bunch of easy ones:

日日夜夜 (rì rì (yè yè) day and night, all the time
男男女女 (nánnánnǚnǚ) men and women, or male and female persons
婆婆妈妈 (pópomāmā) garrulous or fussy like old women
马马虎虎 (mǎmǎhǔhǔ) so-so, passable, sloppy
风风雨雨 (fēng fēngyǔ yù) the trials of life
嘻嘻哈哈 (xīxīhāhā) laughing cheerfully
哭哭啼啼 (kūkūtítí) crying ones eyes out
来来回回 (lái láihuí hui) back and forth, to and fro
来来往往 (lái lái wǎngwǎng) passing by in great numbers
扭扭捏捏 (niǔ niǔniē niē) shy, not self-assured or straightforward
战战兢兢 (zhànzhànjīngjīng) trembling with fear, exercising caution
是是非非 (shì shìfēi fēi) scandals or gossips
拖拖拉拉 (tuō tuōlā lā) procrastinating, dilatory, dragging one’s feet

你准备好了吗？不要总是拖拖拉拉.
Nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎole ma? Bùyào zǒng shì tuō tuōlā lā.
Are you ready? Don’t keep dragging your feet.

圣帕特里克节快乐!
Shèng pàtèlǐkè jié kuàilè!
Happy St. Paatrick’s Day!

Regrets in Chinese

In my humble opinion, the Italian composer (意大利作曲家 Yìdàlì zuòqǔ jiā ) Enrico Toselli’s Nightingale Serenade is one of the most beautiful melodies that can pull on your heartstrings and stir your soul. Whether played on the violin or on the piano, it can convey to you a feeling of the regret of lost love and the yearning for what is no more. The vocal version is more concise and not as repetitive.

Here is my Chinese interpretation, and I think it follows the original lyrics quite closely.

爱的回忆
Ài de huíyì
The reminiscence of love,

像金色的梦,
xiàng jīnsè de mèng,
like a golden dream,

虽已成過去,
suī yǐ chéng guòqù,
although a thing of the past,

但依然深深地刻在心里.
dàn yīrán shēn shēn di kè zài xīnli.
is still deeply engraved in my heart.

依稀看见
Yīxī kànjiàn
I can vaguely see

你那微笑的脸庞;
nǐ nà wéixiào de liǎnpáng;
your smiling face;

无限的欢乐
wúxiàn de huānlè
and the boundless joy

点亮了我们青春的时光.
diǎn liàngle wǒmen qīngchūn de shíguāng.
that lit up our happy youth.

一切瞬间消灭了;
Yīqiè shùnjiān xiāomiè liǎo;
Everything was wiped out instantly;

爱的蜜汁干枯了.
ài de mì zhī gānkū liǎo.
the nectar of love has dried up.

好梦一场
Hǎo mèng yī chǎng
The sweet dream

换来满心痛苦和悲伤.
huàn lái mǎnxīn tòngkǔ hé bēishāng.
left me with a heart full of pain and sorrow.

前途多晦暗!
Qiántú duō huì’àn!
What gloom lies before me!

教我懊悔不堪.
Jiào wǒ àohuǐ bùkān.
It makes me regret unbearably.

岁月不返,
Suìyuè bù fǎn,
Time doesn’t return,

独自愁肠断.
dúzì chóu cháng duàn.
and I’m alone and heartbroken.

你是我唯一良伴.
Nǐ shì wǒ wéiyī liáng bàn.
You are my only ideal companion.

没有了你, 这世界多么黯淡.
Méiyǒule nǐ, zhè shìjiè duōme àndàn.
Without you, this world is dark and bleak.

啊！我心爱的阳光！
A! Wǒ xīn’ài di yángguāng!
Ah! My beloved sunshine!

你不再照耀我的前程.
Nǐ bù zài zhàoyào wǒ de qiánchéng.
You no longer illuminate my future

今世, 今生!
Jīnshì, jīnshēng!
in this life, ever.

一场 (yī chǎng) means a bout, a scene, an episode or an occurrence of some event. 一场好戏 (yī chǎng hǎo xì) means a good show. When spoken sarcasticaly, it refers to some funny or scandalour incident.

悲伤 (bēishāng) can be used as a noun (sorrow), a verb (to be sad) or adjective (being sad).

前途 (qiántú ) and 前程 (qiánchéng) both mean the road ahead. These words refer to the future or what lies ahead.

消灭 (xiāomiè) means to destroy, eradicate or to perish.

晦暗 (huì’àn) and 黯淡 (àndàn) both refer to a dim and gloomy condition.

后悔 (hòuhuǐ), 懊悔 (àohuǐ), and 悔恨 (huǐhèn) are different ways of saying regret or remorse, increasing in intensity.

后悔来不及.
Hòuhuǐ láibují.
Too late to regret.

愁肠寸断 (chóu cháng cùn duàn) is a Chinese idiom describing the extent of one’s sadness, likening it to having one’s insides broken into pieces.

陪伴 (péibàn) means to accompany or to keep somebody company. 伴侣 (bànlǚ) are companions. 良 (liáng) and 良好 (liánghǎo) mean good. Therefore, 良伴 (liáng bàn) is a good companion. 爱情 (àiqíng) means feelings of love. Therefore, 情伴 (qíng bàn) and 情侣 (qínglǚ) are lovers.

今世今生 (jīnshì jīnshēng), 今生今世 (jīnshēng jīnshì), or 此生 (cǐshēng) means in this life, or as long as I live.

今生今世我再也不想见到他了.
Jīnshēng jīnshì wǒ zài yě bùxiǎng jiàn dào tā le.
As long as I live, I never want to see him again.

On this Valentine’s Day, I suppose you’d expect to hear something like the following instead:

今生今世我将永远爱你.
Jīnshēng jīnshì wǒ jiāng yǒngyuǎn ài nǐ.
In this life I shall forever love you.

Chinese words and idioms associated with the dragon

The dragon, 龙 (lóng), is a supernatural being that has huge eyes, long whiskers, a pair of horns and clawed feet extending from a gigantic snake-like body covered with scales. It is able to dash on the ground, swim in water, and fly in the sky. In a rage, it can call up a storm to rouse the ocean and turn over boats. This is why a tornado is called 龙卷风 (lóngjuǎnfēng dragon whirlwind) in Chinese.

To the Chinese, this fearsome figure symbolizes supreme power, vitality, nobleness, honor, and success. This is why it is prominently featured on the emperor’s robe 龙袍 (lóng páo) and also on the rooftops of palaces and temples. People born in the year of the dragon are said to be endowed with great intelligence, confidence and tenacity. In 2024 they are expected to enjoy increased responsibilities, prosperity, and good fortune. As for the entire world, we will see new opportunities as well as face challenges and conflicts in politics, international relations, and the environment. Hopefully, those in authority will remember the Golden Rule and act accordingly to let the world have the much needed peace.

Understandably, the Chinese character for dragon is found in many words and expressions as well as names for boys. Let’s take a look at some of these terms.

龙王 (lóngwáng) is the powerful Dragon King featured in many Chinese legends and chilcren’s stories. In the novel Journey to the West, there is a Dragon King for each of the Four Seas: Dragon King of the East China Sea 東海龍王 (Dōnghǎi Lóngwáng), Dragon King of the South China Sea 南海龍王(Nánhǎi Lóngwáng), Dragon King of the West China Sea 西海龍王(Xīhǎi Lóngwáng), and Dragon King of the North China Sea 北海龍王 (Běihǎi Lóngwáng).

龙船 (lóngchuán) or 龙舟 (lóngzhōu ) are the dragon boats that participate in the dragon boat race in mid May on the lunar calendar. You can read about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival in Chapter 24 of “Learn Chinese through Songs and Rhymes“. This video on YouTube shows you how to wrap glutinous rice to make the steamed rice dumplings that are customarily eaten on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival.

龙头 (lóngtóu) or 水龙头 (shuǐlóngtóu) refers to the faucet.

龙头老大 (lóngtóu lǎodà) is the leader of a group.

龙头产品 (lóngtóu chǎnpǐn) refers to the leading products.

龙虾 (lóngxiā) are lobsters. 变色龙 (biànsèlóng) are chameleons, and 恐龙 (kǒnglóng) are dinosaurs.

龙眼 (lóngyǎn) is a fruit called longan, which has a thin brown shell and a large seed wrapped in sweet and translucent white flesh.

九龙 (Jiǔlóng) is the place called Kowloon, a district in Hong Kong.

沙龙 (shālóng) is a transliteration of the English word “salon”.

If you play the game of mahjong, occasionally you might get a hand that lets you easily form a straight flush (a sequence of 1 through 9 of a suit), which is referred to as 一条龙 (yītiáo lóng).

Most parents have high expections for their children. Some want their children to become great scientists, some train them to become famous musicians, and some spur their children to study hard and become medial doctors. This is summarized in the Chinese idiom 望子成龙 (wàngzǐchénglóng), i.e. wishing one’s offspring high achievements.

生龙活虎 (shēnglónghuóhǔ) is a phrase describing someone who is lively and energetic.

球场上的队员们個個生龍活虎.
Qiúchǎng shàng de duìyuánmen gè gè shēnglónghuóhǔ.
The players on the court are all in full swing.

车水马龙 (chēshuǐmǎlóng) describes the condition of heavy traffic.

台北市街上有如车水马龙.
Táiběi shìjiē shàng yǒurú chēshuǐmǎlóng.
Taipei city streets are busy with traffic.

乘龙快婿 (chēshuǐmǎlóng) is an excellent son-in-law. This term is normally used in praising someone else’s son-in-law.

希望你早日找到一位乘龙快婿.
Xīwàng nǐ zǎorì zhǎodào yī wèi chēshuǐmǎlóng.
I hope you will soon find an outstanding son-in-law.

群龙无首 (qúnlóngwúshǒu) is a metaphor referring to a group of dragons without a leader.

自从彼得离开后，这个组织就一直群龙无首.
Zìcóng bǐdé líkāi hòu, zhège zǔzhī jiù yīzhí qúnlóngwúshǒu.
Ever since Peter left, the organization has been without a leader.

来龙去脉 (láilóngqùmài) refers to the details that permits one to get the whole story.

他告诉了我这件事的来龙去脉.
Tā gàosùle wǒ zhè jiàn shì de láilóngqùmài.
He told me the whole story.

画龙点睛 (huàlóngdiǎnjīng) is an idom referring to adding the finishing touch. We’ve covered the story behind this idiom in Chapter 28 of “Learn Chinese through Songs and Rhymes“.

加了这一笔, 对这幅华起了画龙点睛的作用.
Jiāle zhè yī bǐ duì zhè fú huá qǐle huàlóngdiǎnjīng de zuòyòng.
The addition of this stroke provided the finishing touch to this painting.

活龙活现 (huólónghuóxiàn) is to be lifelike and realistic (said of an artwork), making the observer feel like watching a living dragon.

这部电影把泰山演得活龙活现.
Zhè bù diànyǐng bǎ tàishān yǎn dé huó lóng huóxiàn.
This movie makes Tarzan come alive.

龙飞凤舞 (lóngfēifèngwǔ) is an idiom used for describing flamboyant handwriting or calligraphy that looks like a flying dragon or a dancing phoenix.

你看得懂这卷轴上龙飞凤舞的书法吗？
Nǐ kàn dé dǒng zhè juànzhóu shàng lóngfēifèngwǔ de shūfǎ ma?
Are you able to read the flamboyant calligraphy on this scroll?

龙争虎斗 (lóngzhēnghǔdòu) and 龙虎相争 (lóng hǔ xiāng zhēng) describe two powerful leaders fighting each other.

龙潭虎穴 (lóng tán hǔ xué) are dragon’s pond and tiger’s lair, namely very dangerous places.

鲤鱼跳龙门 (Lí yú tiào lóng mén) depicts a carp leaping over the dragon’s gate. It refers to an ordinary person’s succeeding in the national exam in feudal China and subsequently attaining a prestigious government position. This theme of good fortune is often featured in Chinese brush paintings and New Year greeting cards.

Have you watched the film titled “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon”? 卧虎藏龙 (wòhǔcánglóng) is actually a Chinese idiom that refers to the talents one might have that are hidden from others. Years ago, while I was about to leave the post office of our small town after mailing a package, a tall middle-aged Caucasian man approached me and spoke to me in Chinese. Needless to say, I was taken aback by his perfect pronunciation and intonation. Who would have guessed just by looking at him?

May the Year of the Dragon shower you with vitality and good fortune, and make your dream of speaking fluent Chinese come true!

P.S. 冬天的暴风雨正在外面肆虐. 在我舒适的家里，我想向那些勇敢地面对冰冷危险的道路, 为有需要的人提供援助的医疗和急救人员表示敬意.

Dōngtiān de bàofēngyǔ zhèngzài wàimiàn sìnüè. Zài wǒ shūshì de jiālǐ, wǒ xiǎng xiàng nàxiē yǒnggǎn dì miàn duì bīnglěng wéixiǎn de dàolù, wèi yǒu xūyào de rén tígōng yuánzhù de yīliáo hé jíjiù rényuán biǎoshì jìngyì.

Winter storm is raging outside. In the comfort of my home, I want to give a shoutout to the medical and emergency personnel who brave the icy, hazardous roads to provide aid to those in need.

A Parody on Confucius Said

Another year of hard work studying Chinese is coming to a close. I thought we could get a taste of classical Chinese and have some fun as well.

As you know, Confucius is the most respected world-renowned ancient Chinese philosopher/teacher. He was born in the Shandong Provide of China in 551 BCE. He served as an adviser to various state governments, had many worthy disciples and a huge following among the elites as well as the common people. His teachings emphasized proper social relationships, the acquisition of knowledge, and the importance of moral values, such as justice, kindness and sincerity.

Not to be confused with “confusion”, “Confucius” is the Roman literalization of 孔夫子 (Kǒng fūzǐ Master Kong), where 孔 (Kǒng) is his surname, and 夫子 (fūzǐ) means a master or a scholar. 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ) is simply the short form of 孔夫子 (Kǒng fūzǐ).

After Confucius died, his disciples and followers wrote down his teachings and remarks in a book called 论语 (Lúnyǔ), which is referred to in English as the Analects of Confucius, or simply the Analects. Throughout the Analects, you will see the expression “子曰 (Zǐ yuē)”, which means “Confucius said”. Please note that the 曰 (yuē) character is wider than the 日 (rì day or the sun) character. The 曰 (yuē) character is not used in present-day Chinese.

As Confucius was regarded as a sage, people listened to and took note of everything that he said. In fact, one of his sayings is akin to the Golden Rule valued in the western culture:

子曰: “己所不欲勿施予人.”
Zǐ yuē: “Jǐ suǒ bù yù wù shī yǔ rén.”
Master Kong said, “Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you.”

Another example is his general advice to the rulers of that time:

子曰: “导千乘之国，
Zǐ yuē: “Dǎo qiān chéng zhī guó,
Master Kong said, “To govern a country of a thousand chariots,

敬事而信
jìng shì ér xìn,
one must attend to the state affairs earnestly and be trustworthy,

节用而爱人，
jié yòng ér àirén,
be prudent with expenses and love the people,

使民以时.”
shǐ mín yǐ shí.”
and call for the people’s service at the proper time.
(Namely, not in conflice with their farm work.)

See how concise and terse written classical Chinese is in comparison with modern Chinese and English?

Among the disciples who closely followed Confucius, there were a few favorites, one of whom was 顏回 (Yán huí). One day, Confucius sighed and blurted out the following in praise of 顏回 (Yán huí), whom he referred to by the first name 回 (Huí).

子曰: “贤哉, 回也!
Zǐ yuē: “Xiánzāi, Huí yě!
Master Kong said, “How virtuous Hui is!

一箪食, 一瓢饮,
Yī dān shí, yī piáo yǐn, zài lòuxiàng.
He only has one bowl of rice to eat and one ladle of water to drink (for a meal);

在陋巷.
zài lòuxiàng
and he lives in a back alley.

人不堪其忧,
Rén bùkān qí yōu,
Other people would find the sorrow (of such poverty) unbearable,

回也不改其乐.
Huí yě bù gǎi qí lè.
yet Hui does not change his happy attitude.

贤哉, 回也!”
Xiánzāi, Huí yě!
How virtuous Hui is!”

As a Chinese saying goes, 知足常乐 (zhī zú cháng lè), i.e. happiness lies in contentment. 顏回 (Yán huí) was a paragon of this virtue.

I studied the Analects of Confucius at high school, and when I mentioned this part to my father, it reminded him of a parody that he once heard uttered in the Shandong dialect. It goes like this:

回儿也! 回儿也!
Huí er yě! Huí er yě!
Hui my boy! Hui my boy!

你真是个好人儿也!
Nǐ zhēnshi gè hǎorén er yě!
You are truly such a good person!

你用篮子吃饭, 瓢儿喝水.
Nǐ yòng lánzi chīfàn, piáo er hē shuǐ.
You eat from a basket and drink from a ladle.

三间破房没大门.
Sān jiān pò fáng méi dàmén.
Your three shabby rooms have no main door.

人家都为你掉眼泪儿.
Rénjiā dōu wèi nǐ diào yǎnlèi er,
Everyone sheds tears for you,

你还说: “没事, 没事.”
nǐ hái shuō méishì, méishì.”
but you still say, “No problem, no problem.”

As you may know, the Shandong dialect, like the dialect of many other Chinee provinces, sounds quite different from Mandarin Chinese. Click here if you would like to listen to my mimicking this parody in the Shandong dialet. For the fun of it, I also tried it in the Taiwanese dialect. Would you like to do it in your own language or dialect? Have a good laugh.