“Ketchup” And Other Words That Come From Mandarin Or Cantonese yin and yang You may tell your soulmate, “You are the yin to my yang,” which, to take a line from the movie Jerry Mcguire, means they complete you. Yin and yang stem from the word yīn-yáng, which combines yin meaning “feminine” and yang, meaning “male genitals.” It describes the Chinese belief that two principles—one related to the moon, shade, and femininity, and the other to daylight, sun, and male genitals— interact with one another to determine destinies. chin-chin You probably hear this phrase most often used as a toast these days, as drinkers clink glasses and proclaim, “Chin, chin!” But it’s also a noun for all that lighthearted party prattle, defined as “polite and ceremonious speech” or “light conversation; chitchat.” However, you choose to use it, know that it comes from the Chinese word qǐng-qǐng, meaning “please-please,” which was itself used as a toast and greeting. gung-ho You may say you’re gung-ho about something—be it for the latest Netflix series or a new project at work—if you’re really excited about it. While the term was used as a Marine training slogan in the mid–1900s in the United States, it stems from the Mandarin phrase gōng hé, which is the abbreviated name of the Chinese Cooperative Society, meaning “work together.” So, the next time you put some ketchup on your hot dog, or get gung-ho about eating healthy and buy some tofu in bulk, take a second to recognize how these words came to be. Maybe it will make you hungry to learn more about these languages … or just hungry for some Chinese food.