Saturday, December 18, 2010

How do you say "No s***, Sherlock" in Mandarin?

Behind our apartment building is a narrow road that runs past some rice paddies and small factories. I often use this route as a shortcut to get to work in the mornings and evenings. For most of its length, the lane can accommodate cars and small trucks, but at one end it narrows to the extent that only scooters and motorcycles can safely navigate it. There is a sign that clearly warns cars not to proceed on to this point, and, to be blunt about it, only a visually impaired person would be unable to see that the way ahead is just too damn narrow. And yet, several times a year, large vehicles still attempt to go all the way, with predictable results. This was the scene that greeted me this morning:


It would be tempting to say this could only happen to the very dense, but last year a fire department vehicle ended up in the same predicament. Usually what follows in these incidents is that a forklift from a nearby factory is summoned to lift the car or truck up, out and away. Still, thanks to this idiot, I had to take a detour and was, therefore, late for work. Well, I suppose if I hadn't paused to take the photo, then stopped at a 7-Eleven to buy a newspaper and a cup of coffee afterward, I might have made it on time. But then what's the point of having the stupid around if you can't use them as scapegoats?

*UPDATE* It seems the answer to the question posed in the subject line is 廢話, or feihua. Thanks Michael!

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