My China Connection

“Step up to the plate” means to assume responsibility for a task.

I live in the Silicon Valley, which is about an hour’s drive from San Francisco, home of the 2010 and 2012 World SeriesBaseball champions, the San Francisco Giants.    Their winning ability showed that they could step up to the plate to win both the National League Championship and the World Series.

What does it mean to step up to the plate?

First of all, “step up to the plate” is an allusion or reference to the game of baseball.   The offensive player, “the batter” (击球手) comes to the home plate to hit the ball thrown to him by the defensive player known as the pitcher.

In day to day English, we use “step up to the plate” meaning that someone puts out some effort to do something or take responsibility to make certain something is accomplished.  It means to take charge of some activity.

Examples of step up to the plate

“Ben, if you want to get into a good university, you need to step up to the plate, get good grades, do well on the SAT and ACT, and show that you are involved in your community.”

“While her father was in the hospital, Quentin had to step up to the plate and run the family business until his father recovered.”

OK, now it is time for you to step up to the plate and try out this idiom.  Try thinking of an example and leave your work in the comment section.   I’ll be very happy to provide you feedback on how you did.

Practicing idioms such as “step up to the plate” will make you stand out from others and you will sound more like a native speaker.

How do you say “step up to the plate” in Chinese?

When the US government wants to raise a tax on a certain group, more groups are certain to follow! It is classic “camel’s nose in the tent”.

Have you ever heard of the phrase, “give him an inch and he’ll take a mile“?   Today’s phrase “the camel’s nose under the tent” is a simliar story.

What does “camel’s nose under the tent” mean?  To explain, let me tell you the story behind this phrase.

It comes from an old story about an Arab bedouin who set up camp in the desert.   As he was going to sleep, his camel stuck its nose in the tent.

“It cold outside, may I keep my head inside to stay warm?”, asked the camel.  The bedouin allowed him to do so.

Later the came woke up the Arab, “I am still cold and it is uncomfortable to stand.  May I place my front legs inside?”.   The sleep Arab again granted his request. Read More→

Do you think he is thinking “my eyes are bigger than my stomach”?

Some times we are famished or we defer eating in anticipation of a huge celebratory meal.  We stuff ourselves to the gills, only to sigh and say “my eyes are bigger than my stomach!”

What does “my eyes are bigger than my stomach” mean?

It means that we took too much food and became full sooner than we anticipated.   As a result, food is left on the plate and possibly wasted or perhaps it  an be stored away for a later meal.

My understanding of Chinese culture is that is a good idea to eat until you are 70% full.   So perhaps “my eyes are bigger than my stomach” isn’t uttered too often by Chinese people?

Examples of “my eyes are bigger than my stomach” Read More→

This couch potato appears to be stuffed to the gills.

In America, there are plenty of places to eat too much.  At McDonald’s you super-size your meal.   Then there are plenty of American buffets and I’ve even been to a few Chinese buffets.   Plenty of opportunities to get stuffed to the gills.

What is the meaning of “stuffed to the gills”?

It means that you have eaten so much full that you are uncomfortably full.  It is a very descriptive way to say one is stuffed after gorging themselves.

It means that one is really satiated because one has engaged in gluttonous behavior. Read More→

Why eat crow when you can eat at Chick-Fil-A?

Recently there has been much controversy over a company called Chick-Fil-A.  The CEO of this company is a Christian and stated in an interview that he believes marriage is only between a man an a woman.  His words have caused a few mayors of major American cities to eat crow.

What does “eat crow” mean?  It means to be shamed, to be proven wrong in a very public way.

The mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, said that Chick-Fil-A was not welcome in Chicago because it did not reflect Chicago’s values.  Since when do politicians get to say who can and cannot do business in a free society?   People should vote with their wallets.  Well, they did.

Mike Huckabee, who is a former governor of Arkansas and now a talk-radio host, encouraged people to show their support for Chick-Fil-A by doing business at a  local franchise on August 1.     There were huge lines all across the nation to show their support, even in Chicago. Read More→

"Up to your neck" means to be deeply involved in something. This guy is up to his neck in keeping his balance!

I’ve been up to my neck with on a certain project, so I haven’t been able to make posts to My China Connection on a daily basis over the past few days.

What is the meaning of up to my neck?

Up to my neck means that  something is taking up your time or resources, it means that you are deeply involved in something that is overwhelming.

Things in life often pose challenge, especially things that suck up or time, so this phrase, up to my neck, can come in handy.

Examples of up to my neck Read More→

"Go whole hog" means to do something without reservation or holding back.

Many students in China, Taiwan, and Korea study very hard to make it to college.  Here in the Silicon Valley, the story is the same.  The students work hard too.  They go whole hog to make it into a good school.

What is the meaning of go whole hog?  It means to do something without any reservation or holding back.  To do something as completely, throughly and with as much vigor as possible.  To be assiduous in effort.

We recently learned the phrase pull out all the stops.  This idiom has a similar meaning.   In the correct context, you could also use the phrase hook, line, and sinker synonymously.

Examples of go whole hog Read More→

"pull out all the stops"

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What does pull out all the stops mean?  That’s today’s point of discussion.

When you have a big event or a objective that you wish to reach, you will do everything in your power to do it.   An American high school student may be studying for tests such as the SAT, ACT, or even AP tests.   In China, students study for the 高考 tests.  Such students often pull out all the stops, by attending special classes on how to take the test, not to mention simply mastering the content they are expected to know.

Pull out all the steps means to do everything possible in order  make something successful, It means to reserve or hold back nothing to achieve a goal.  It is to be assiduous in doing a task or pursuing a goal.

Pull out all the stops is an allusion to organ stops, which control the loudness and tones of a pipe organ. When all are pulled out, the organ can play all tones simultaneously.

Examples of pull out all the stops
Read More→