Chinese slang term: 抬杠

In this article, we will focus on the Chinese slang term "抬杠 (táigàng)".

本文我们将介绍“抬杠”一词。

Where does the phrase originate?

In the north of China in early times, there existed a custom called "抬杠会 (táigànghuì)" argue meeting. On the day of Lantern Festival, some strong men carried the bamboo "杠 (gàng)," on which there is a sedan. A clown with a ready tongue sits in it. They carried the sedan in the crowd and the crowd could have quarreling competitions with the clown. So this kind of meeting is the origin of "抬杠 (táigàng)" arguing .

“抬杠”的由来

很早以前，中国大陆北方有一种习俗，即所谓的“抬杠会（táigànghuì）”。在每年的元宵节这一天，由身强力壮的男子用竹杠抬着轿子，里面坐着一个伶牙俐齿的小丑。他们用竹杠抬着轿子在人群中穿梭，围观的人则可以和那个小丑比赛斗嘴。这就是“抬杠”一词的由来。 

What does this phrase mean?

The phrase "抬杠 (táigàng)" refers to a kind of cultural custom, which is a clever way for people to blame others or avoid others' blame. The famous cross-talk is a prominent example in which two people take part in a clever quarrel to blame each other. The word "抬 (tái)" means you lift something heavy such as a big stone, a sedan. And the word "杠 (gàng)" refers to a kind of pole to lift something."抬杠" is used when someone fervently argues with others about petty problems or unanswerable questions. In general, it is always meaningless.

“抬杠”的意思

“抬杠”是指一种很巧妙地指责别人、或闪避别人指责的文化习惯。“相声”就是“抬杠”的典型案例。说相声的两个人都非常巧妙地指责对方。“抬（tái）”的意思是指举起重物，例如大石头或轿子等。“杠（gàng）”指的是抬东西的杆子。“抬杠”是指费力地与人争论一些不值得讨论或难以回答的问题。一般都是无谓的争辩。

How to use the phrase?

You can use "抬杠 (táigàng)" like this: You can say "我受不了他了，他总是跟我抬杠 (wǒ shòu bù liăo ta le, ta zǒngshì gēn wǒ táigàng), which means "I cannot stand him, because he always argues with me." Or you can say "我们一见面就抬杠 (wǒmen yī jiànmiàn jiù táigàng)"，meaning "we argue with each other whenever we meet", to express that you can not get along well with that person.

“抬杠”的用法

抬杠的用法是这样的：你可以说“我受不了他了，他总是跟我抬杠（wǒ shòu bù liăo ta le, ta zǒngshì gēn wǒ táigàng)，英文意思为I cannot stand him, because he always argues with me. 或者你可以用“我们一见面就抬杠 （wǒmen yī jiànmiàn jiù táigàng），we argue with each other whenever we meet”来表明你无法与那人很好地相处。

Examples:

例句：

你怎么就爱与别人抬杠？

Nǐ zěnme jiù ài yǔ biérén táigàng ？

Why do you always have to have the last word?

老李是个好脾气的人，从来不抬杠。

LǎoLǐ shìge hǎo píqì de rén, cónglái bùtáigàng.

Lao Li is a man of good temper who never bickers with others.