Expressing "so-called" with "suowei"
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所谓 (suǒwèi) is the Chinese way of expressing "so-called." It can also be used in scenarios you would use sarcastic air quotation marks. Just keep in mind that "so-called" often comes with a negative connotation in English, but this is not always so in Chinese.
Structure
所谓 + "so-called name"
Examples
- 学 中文 少不了 要 学 拼音 和 汉字 。Studying Chinese always involves studying pinyin and Chinese characters.
- 回家 过年 少不了 要 带 点 礼物 给 家人 。When you return home for CNY, you will definitely have to bring back some presents to give to your family.
- 过 生日 少不了 要 吃 生日 蛋糕 。There are always birthday cakes when we spend birthdays.
- 大家 都 是 邻居 ，以后 少不了 要 麻烦 您 。We're neighbors, so we'll definitely have to trouble you.
- 他 负责 联系 客户 ，所以 少不了 要 请 客户 吃饭 。
Sources and further reading
Books
