Ganbei!!

Ganbei with Mengs Uncles on her Mum's side

A word to the wise China traveller. The custom at all meals is to drink, tasty but very potent, rice wine and for various members of the assembled company to toast the guests (us) and each other for any and all reasons. I've learned a couple of important lessons on this custom.

First don't drink between toasts. There are more than enough toasts to make anyone merry on 60% proof alcohol so drinking in between is just asking for trouble.

Second, ganbei doesn't mean cheers. After the first couple of meals I tried to expand my rapidly growing Chinese vocabulary of three words with an additional one – ganbei. It seemed that this word was often used in conjunction with drinking and I assumed it meant the equivalent of cheers. So, whether it be with Meng's family, or the vice Chancellor of Jinan Architectural University I've happily shouted “ganbei !!” whenever I pick up my glass. This call was invariable followed by surprise but ultimately enthusiasm as the guests making the toast proceeded to down their drinks. In the last few days I must have gained the reputation of an enthusiastic drinker if not an alcoholic to the point where I managed to break a chair last night during a particularly enthusiastic ganbei moment. The problem is, I found out yesterday, that Ganbei means “down in one”. We've now substituted ganbei with “cheers” which, unfortunately hasn't worked since our hosts now assume that cheers is the English equivalent of ganbei. This has hastened my learning of a new phrase “Bu Ganbei” or “No down in one” in English or “no cheers” in Chinglish.