BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- "Old no go, new no come."

"You swan, he frog."

"Cry, cry, cry what cry?"

Confused? This isn't a new episode of "Mind Your Language," but the comment section of a social media post from a foreign blogger who lives in China.

Earlier this month, the blogger, who goes by Yourkris, posted two pictures of a sentimental moment when she parted with her boyfriend to her account on Xiaohongshu, a lifestyle social media platform in China. Much to her surprise, her post was soon overrun by Chinese users sending consoling comments in "Chinglish" -- a mix of Chinese and English that often results in humorous or awkward phrasing.

Without understanding the context of the post, Chinese netizens offered the blogger the words of encouragement or comfort that they deemed appropriate.

Did she break up with her boyfriend? Then it was "Old no go, new no come" -- one user's attempt to express an ancient Chinese saying to advise her to leave the past behind and look forward.

Did her boyfriend break her heart? Then it was "You swan, he frog" -- another user's bid to tell Yourkris that she deserves someone better.

"Cry what cry" is a simplified translation of a Chinese expression meaning "snap out of it."

These comments, most of which are literal translations of Chinese sayings or expressions, amazed and amused English speakers after photos of the comments were posted on the X social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Some X users began discussing the use of the word "abandon" in some of the comments, with many thinking that urging the young woman to "abandon" her boyfriend was far more impactful than advising she "leave" him.

Literal translations of Chinese idioms or expressions are not unknown to the English-speaking world. Take "Long time no see" as an example. The expression is a literal translation of a Chinese exclamation used by people who haven't seen one another for some time, and it has long been a widely used phrase in everyday English.

Despite its ubiquity, Chinglish used to be embarrassing for many Chinese people learning English -- so much so that even today, many Chinese learners still spend considerable time trying to master the most elusive details of English grammar to seem like native speakers.

But among younger generations of netizens growing up amid the growing global influence of Chinese culture, the idea of "language-shaming" seems to be fading. And as Chinglish phrases like "Add oil" are being included in the Oxford English Dictionary, it is understandable that speaking like a native no longer seems so important.

Returning to the Yourkris comment section, we can assume that many of these Chinese netizens speak English far better than their comments would suggest. However, instead of crafting grammatically impeccable sentences, it seems they chose to console the blogger with Chinese wisdom in its crudest, literally translated form: Chinglish.

To them, Chinglish is more of an amusement than an embarrassment and, judging by the ongoing popularity of their comments, it has the potential to become a new viral meme.

Xiaohongshu is a Chinese app, so why not show "laowai" -- a Chinese slang term meaning "foreigners" -- what being Chinese is all about while having fun at the same time? Enditem

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