# Questions about the Chinese language(s) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 30, 2013, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-chinese-language-s/667565 "2013-08-30T04:54:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-chinese-language-s/667565/1 "2013-08-30T04:54:26Z")
Hello-- I’m wondering if there is a written form of Chinese that most Chinese-born-and-educated people would be able to read? If so, could someone who speaks Chinese type out a sentence for me that I could cut, paste, and print? I want to say: **Give me back my tomato plant!** Failing that, perhaps someone knows where I could reliably translate and transliterate this sentence online? I do not have full confidence in Google translate; I don’t want to accidentally end up saying “please emancipate my moustache” or anything like that. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-chinese-language-s/667565/2 "2013-08-30T05:36:53Z")
The intended audience of said note [being your landlord](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=16580124)? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-chinese-language-s/667565/3 "2013-08-30T05:40:31Z")
Print out a picture of someone angrily holding a tomato plant. Or 返回我的番茄！is good enough (return my tomato) ETA: And to answer your question, yes. [Simplified Chinese](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese) is readable by most Chinese speakers. People in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau prefer the Traditional characters, but they can usually at least guess enough of the simplified characters to figure out general meanings. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-chinese-language-s/667565/4 "2013-08-30T06:17:09Z")
还我番茄! 我番茄在哪? 搜寻失踪番茄. 如有琐闻, 请紧急拨打 555 1234. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-chinese-language-s/667565/5 "2013-08-30T08:49:43Z")
What tone are you aiming for? Angry, polite or Liam Neeson (I don’t know who you are, I don’t know what you want…)? Are you writing a poster, or a message to a specific person? > [@shijinn](#): > > 还我番茄! I don’t know if you meant this, but it sounds like a famous quote (return my country): > **[Yue Fei](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yue_Fei)** > > Yue Fei (Chinese: 岳飛; March 24, 1103 – January 28, 1142), courtesy name Pengju (鵬舉), was a Chinese military general of the Song dynasty and is remembered as a patriotic national hero, known for leading its forces in the wars in the 12th century between Southern Song and the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in northern China. Because of his warlike stance, he was put to death by the Southern Song government in 1142 under a frameup, after a negotiated peace was achieved with the Jin dynasty. Yue Fei Yue... Just thought most Dopers wouldn’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-chinese-language-s/667565/6 "2013-08-31T12:33:59Z")
well you got it 😉 and i believe most Chinese dopers will, even if they’re not sure where from. at least i think it sounds stronger and more authoritative than **Reply** ’s version, which sounds odd to me, like you’re directly beseeching the tomatoes or something.