Do you really know about emojis? | Know China Learn Chinese

In last episode, our US expat Erik Nilsson talked about the untold stories behind China's china. This time, his colleague Mary Kate White, faces a "big" problem and needs her Chinese friends' help!

Mary came across an essay online titled "Chinese people mean something very different when they send you a smiley emoji" and realized that she might have been offending some of her Chinese friends without knowing.

She thought the smiley emoji is supposed to mean that one is happy. So she send this to them whenever she wants to say "hi".

But after reading that online story, she really wants to know whether this smiley emoji really mean "I despise you" when Chinese people send them?

Her co-host's answer is "sort of".

Mary is quite upset that she became a jerk to most of her Chinese friends without knowing it. So she raised her second question: Does goodbye with a smiley face also mean despise?

Not exactly despise this time. "I don't want to talk to you anymore" is more precise. Her co-host said. It is mostly used when two friends are joking, and you sent this when your friend when he or she says something deliberately to tease you.

Mary started to understand that those emojis with negative meanings are mostly used in a light-hearted, joking manner anyway. So she doesn't need to worry too much about sending the smiley emoji to her Chinese friends.