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2014年1月22日 星期三

[Word of the Day] 是洋蔥! onion ninjas


The other day I was procrastinating as usual, visiting random webpages containing no valuable content, when I stumbled upon this post. judging from the title, I anticipated some "Awwww" moments, but did not expect any tear-jerking moments, like when I saw item #31. I am not homosexual, but I have some homosexual friends, and the article just reminds me of all the people who cannot embrace their true selves just because of their sexuality. 

With watery eyes and a stuffy nose, I read the comments section, and found something really interesting. Apparently others shared the same emotion toward the post, and some comments read "onion ninjas!" Apparently "onion ninjas", or "onion-cutting ninjas", refers to when a post or situation is not expected to be touching or tear-jerking, but ends up having the effect of making people cry, because ninjas are invisible, and onions can water up your eyes, self-explanatory and genius!

What intrigues me most is that we have a similar expression in Taiwan. When faced with a unexpected tearjerker, people might exclaim "是洋蔥! " or "是誰偷偷加了洋蔥!". This is a catchphrase from a Stephen Chow movie 食神 (God of Cookery) , in one of the most important scenes, Stephen Chow makes Sorrowful Rice in a cooking competition, which makes the judge cry and ask why she feels overwhelmed by sorrow, to which Chow answers, "It's onions. I added onions." Stephen Chow movies are wildly popular in Taiwan amongst the young generation , so this catchphrase is used widely in the online community and sometimes in real life, much like the phrase onion ninjas.


Maybe next time you are navigating through forums and find unexpected tearjerkers, you can comment by using the phrases "onion ninja" or "是洋蔥".

Did you know the two phrases before this blog post? 
Is there any other interesting internet expressions you would like to share?

2 則留言:

  1. I learned something new today! ^^ Onion ninja. I'd surely use that next time! :)

    I'm inviting you to the giveaway I'm currently having on my blog:

    Sammy Dress Giveaway

    Hope you join! ^^

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    1. Hi, your giveaway looks cool, browsing through your posts now :)

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