你是什么意思 What Do You Mean in Chinese

中午zhōngwǔ，同学tóngxué看kàn着zhe我wǒ的de饭fàn，说shuō：“你nǐ太tài挑食tiāoshí了le！”

At noon, my classmate looks at my food and says: "You're too picky about food!"

我wǒ不bù知道zhīdào，就jiù问wèn她tā：“挑食tiāoshí是shì什么shénme意思yìsi？”

I don't know what that means, so I ask her: "What does 'tiāoshí' mean?"

她tā说shuō：“挑食tiāoshí就jiù是shì这个zhège不bù吃chī，那个nàge也yě不bù吃chī。”

She says: "'Tiāoshí' means you don't eat this, and you don't eat that either."

我wǒ说shuō：“我wǒ不bú是shì挑食tiāoshí，我wǒ只zhǐ是shì不bù喜欢xǐhuan吃chī鱼yú。”

I say: "I'm not picky, I just don't like fish."

她tā笑xiào着zhe说shuō：“你nǐ真zhēn有意思yǒuyìsi。”

She smiles and says: "You're really interesting."

我wǒ说shuō：“你nǐ是shì什么shénme意思yìsi？你nǐ是shì说shuō我wǒ不bù好hǎo吗ma？”

I say: "What do you mean? Are you saying I'm bad?"

她tā说shuō：“不bú是shì，我wǒ是shì说shuō你nǐ很hěn有意思yǒuyìsi。”

She says: "No, I mean you're really interesting."

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

意思yìsimeaning

挑食tiāoshípicky about food

有意思yǒuyìsiinteresting

知道zhīdàoto know

喜欢xǐhuanto like

同学tóngxuéclassmate

你是什么意思？（asking what someone means）

This asks about a person's intention behind what they said — are they joking, criticizing, or something else?

你是什么意思？你是说我不好吗？— What do you mean? Are you saying I'm bad?

……是什么意思？（asking what a word means）

Put a word or phrase before 是什么意思 to ask what it means, instead of what someone intends.

挑食是什么意思？— What does 'tiāoshí' mean?

我是说……（clarifying what you meant）

我是说 introduces a clarification, used to explain your real meaning after a misunderstanding.

不是，我是说你很有意思。— No, I mean you're really interesting.

1. What does 挑食 mean, according to the classmate?

2. Which food does the narrator say he doesn't like?

3. What did the classmate actually mean by 你真有意思?

After this reading

I'm Fei, and I teach Mandarin one-on-one on Preply. Bring this text to a trial lesson — we'll fix your tones and turn it into a real conversation.