Tea Proverbs

more saliva then tea
Tone: can be cute, can be offensive
Meaning: you are talking too much.
Let’s “have tea
A Cantonese saying. The “have tea” here doesn’t mean the serious kind of tea drinking/tasting, it means Dim Summing.
Let’s have tea some other time
Situation: when you run into a long-tim-no-see friend on the street but don’t have time to chat at that moment.
<;”>A Cantonese saying. Sort of the same as “let’s catch up over dim sum”. But, such invitation may or may not be serious, ie., you can say that to your respected school teacher as well as your ex-girl/boyfriend who ditched you for a rich someone (yes, being hypocritical).
cool tea, hot beer
Tone: very negative
<;”>Yuck! That is a rating for a bad restaurant. Tea should be hot and beer should be cold. Cool tea hot beer meaning a restaurant is not serving you well.
man walks, tea cools
Tone: negative
<;”>When someone leaves a position, the relationship network on the position dies. Meaning the relationship only exists when someone has certain authority. People are being realistic and they don’t give a damn any more after that some leaves the position.
have tea in place of liquor
Setting: on dinner table or any place where you have a cup of wine or tea.
When you want to show respect to someone or thank someone, you raise your cup of wine, say “for my respect”, and then finish the cup. If you do the non-alcoholic version with tea, you say “for my respect, (I’ll use) tea in place of liquor”.
unrefined tea and unflavored rice
Meaning living a very simple life.

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