There are a lot of memes around the idea that the Chinese word for “penguin” can literally be translated as “business goose”. Whilst this is quite attractive as penguins do look like they’re waddling around in little business suits, unfortunately this etymology is not actually accurate. The Chinese word for penguin is 企鹅 (qǐ’é).
An answer is that The word for penguin in mandarin is 企鹅, which translates roughly to “business goose.” Indeed, penguins always look like they’re dressed in suits. Does Penguin mean business Goose?
I wouldn’t be surprised if plenty of Chinese speakers think of it as “business goose” simply because that’s more memorable and interesting. Shh I prefer to continue believing in business goose. But geese stand too Don’t you take this from me. Yeah standing goose should be the correct one.
What is the Chinese word for Penguin?
The Chinese word for penguin is 企鹅 (qǐ’é). The second character 鹅 does indeed mean “goose”. The first character 企 is also the first character of the word for “business”, 企业 (qǐyè), in the sense of “business enterprise”.
A penguin is a black and white sea bird found mainly in the Antarctic. Penguins cannot fly. Read about the team of authors behind Collins Dictionaries. 中药 (zhōng yào) or 重要 (zhòng yào)? Which version is correct? Drag the correct answer into the box.
What is the meaning of 鹅 in Chinese?
The second character 鹅 does indeed mean “goose”. The first character 企 is also the first character of the word for “business”, 企业 (qǐyè), in the sense of “business enterprise”.
What does 企鹅 mean in English?
The first character 企 is also the first character of the word for “business”, 企业 (qǐyè), in the sense of “business enterprise”. This combined with the appearance of penguins as cute little business people has led some people to assume that the literal translation of 企鹅 into English would be “business goose”.