# What's Chinese for "Incoming!" ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 30, 2018, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465 "2018-03-30T10:00:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/1 "2018-03-30T10:00:08Z")
Chinese space lab, Tiangong-1, is expected to fall sometime this weekend. The Chinese space agency lost control of it a couple of years ago, so it’s not a controlled re-entry. Best estimates are that it’s going to come in somewhere between 43° North and 43° South. That’s a rather large margin of error. :rolleyes: But, the boffins think it’ll burn up/break up and no-one will be hurt. It’s academic to me, sitting here north of 49° North. 😛 [China’s Tiangong-1 space lab set to fall to Earth this weekend](https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/29/asia/tiangong-1-china-space-lab-intl/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/2 "2018-03-30T13:32:24Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > But, the boffins think it’ll burn up/break up and no-one will be hurt. I have little to add besides the fact that I had to look up the word “boffins.” It even _sounds_ British. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/3 "2018-03-30T13:53:24Z")
When I was a kid, Spacelab fell out of orbit. I was _terrified_. I had this incredible fear that it was going to hit our house. I was 5 or 6 I guess. Anyway, I love the word boffin. One of my career aspirations is for _The Register_ (a technology site) to refer to me as a boffin. I doubt I’ll reach it, but it’s a nice goal. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/4 "2018-03-30T13:55:40Z")
As to the OP question, 即将到来 apparently (according to google translate) means “coming soon”, which I guess is close enough. And since I live at 34 North, I’m in the potential hit zone (not something I’m going to worry about, however; driving in Alabama on the weekend is stressful enough). ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/5 "2018-03-30T14:02:42Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > I have little to add besides the fact that I had to look up the word “boffins.” It even _sounds_ British. So does ‘snog,’ a delightfully delicious word. The ESA has a nifty [graphic](https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcGFjZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA3NS8yOTUvb3JpZ2luYWwvdGlhbmdvbmctMS1yZWVudHJ5LW1hcC1lc2EuanBnPzE1MjIzNjM3NjY=) showing the impact zone, the population at each latitude, and the impact probability at each latitude. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/6 "2018-03-30T14:21:34Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > I have little to add besides the fact that I had to look up the word “boffins.” It even _sounds_ British. I see it in British articles sometimes. It seems to me to be pretty derogatory and demeaning. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/7 "2018-03-30T14:46:51Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I see it in British articles sometimes. It seems to me to be pretty derogatory and demeaning. In ‘The Economist’ all the time. Somehow I always picture a very stereotypical Brit (maybe something like Austin Powers but with an octave or so higher voice) saying it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/8 "2018-03-30T14:51:47Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I see it in British articles sometimes. It seems to me to be pretty derogatory and demeaning. No, it would be too strong to say that it’s derogatory. If it has a slight negative connotation it’s the implication that a boffin is so tied up in advanced research that he’s perhaps quirky or eccentric; but it’s respectful and almost affectionate. It’s fundamentally a positive term, with the emphasis on the status of the boffin as expert scientist, it’s not a word anyone would use to denigrate somebody’s social skills. It’s definitely _not_ synonymous with “nerd”, which emphasizes the lack of social skills but doesn’t imply much status. I would be proud to achieve the status of boffin. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/9 "2018-03-30T15:27:20Z")
Would you invite a boffin to tiffin? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/10 "2018-03-30T16:59:54Z")
If I hired him to teach, then yes… > **[Tiffin University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffin_University)** > > Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}41°7.08′N 83°11.10′W / 41.11800°N 83.18500°W / 41.11800; -83.18500 > Tiffin University is a private university in Tiffin, Ohio. It was founded in 1888 and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The university offers un... ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/11 "2018-03-30T17:05:16Z")
The sky is falling, and most of you just want to chat about my vocabulary ?!? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/12 "2018-03-30T17:21:23Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Would you invite a boffin to tiffin? I could serve him a muffin. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/13 "2018-03-30T17:22:23Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > The sky is falling, and most of you just want to chat about my vocabulary ?!? Thread successfully (but unintentionally) derailed. My work here is done. _Rides horse into the sunset_ ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/14 "2018-03-30T17:28:51Z")
Last I heard it was due to fall into Oregon, which that article does not mention. My favorite part is the first chart with its optimistically phrased “average altitude”. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/15 "2018-03-30T17:40:23Z")
Hopefully no one gets hit by a toilet seat this time. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/16 "2018-03-30T17:48:40Z")
So long as no boffins are harmed, I don’t think most of us care. Boffin does get used as almost derogatory sometimes, but generally by the sort of newspapers in which if they insult you, you’re probably doing something right. I want a puffin boffin to share tiffin and a muffin. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/17 "2018-03-30T17:58:41Z")
As far as space stations go, this one is tiny - 8.5 tons, 10.4 meters long. Skylab was **77 tons**. Though of course it’s still big enough that it should have been deorbited under control. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/18 "2018-03-30T18:35:05Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > As far as space stations go, this one is tiny - 8.5 tons, 10.4 meters long. Skylab was **77 tons**. > > Though of course it’s still big enough that it should have been deorbited under control. The Chinese seem to be somewhat cavalier about flight hazards and safety. They’ve also left a number of objects in non-graveyard orbits that have to be tracked. Of course, the US and USSR did this, too, in the early days of spaceflight before anyone appreciated the potential for damage and hazard but now we know better and most nations and operators agree to standard protocols to minimize hazards. The Chinese have basically not agreed to any of those and do as they please, which will be ‘interesting’ the first time they drop something in a populated area. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/19 "2018-03-30T18:59:54Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > The Chinese seem to be somewhat cavalier about flight hazards and safety. [You think??](http://spaceflight101.com/chinese-villagers-capture-falling-long-march-rocket-booster-on-video/) > [@](#): > > Evacuation orders are typically sent out one or two days in advance to villages expected to be right in the path of crashing rocket parts and are usually enforced by military personnel deployed to the impact sites to take locals to safe locations / shelters and deal with the recovery of wreckage. However, as seen through videos like those captured on Friday, these procedures are not always in effect or ignored by those who wish to remain in place at their home. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465/20 "2018-03-30T19:52:39Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > The Chinese seem to be somewhat cavalier about flight hazards and safety. They’ve also left a number of objects in non-graveyard orbits that have to be tracked. Of course, the US and USSR did this, too, in the early days of spaceflight before anyone appreciated the potential for damage and hazard but now we know better and most nations and operators agree to standard protocols to minimize hazards. The Chinese have basically not agreed to any of those and do as they please, which will be ‘interesting’ the first time they drop something in a populated area. > > Stranger Let’s face it. Early on in a nation’s space program, they seem to always cut out the hard parts and pass the savings on to themselves. “Once the stations are up, who cares where they come down? That’s not my department” says Chinese Wernher von Braun [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-chinese-for-incoming/811465.md?page=2)