听不懂 (ting bu dong)

You can't live in China without hearing this phrase on a regular basis. A Chinese individual will ask you a question, then if it seems that you can't answer they will respond with: 听不懂 ting bu dong. This means "hear but don't understand." So far, I have judged my progress by the amount (or lack of) 听不懂 ting bu dong's I get on a daily basis. When we first arrived (and to be honest, throughout our first year), it would frustrate me to no end. A person would fire a rapid question at me, wait 2 seconds, laugh, and then tell me 听不懂 ting bu dong! But this phrase has come to show me just how far I have to go in this marathon of learning Chinese. Because every time I start to think, "I am really starting to understand people" or "I had a really good conversation - ALL in Chinese", then I will talk with someone and understand NOTHING coming out of their mouth except 听不懂 ting bu dong. (sigh) Have I mentioned before that learning Chinese is a way God helps to keep me humble? Because seriously, I have to put aside my pride in everything I am (my background, education, ...) and realize that to a Chinese person I sound very uneducated. It also serves to remind me of how often I am quick to judge. You know what I mean, you are somewhere in the U.S. and someone has really poor English. We are quick to think certain things about that individual. And honestly, I am sure that the Chinese that I meet have certain judgements about me as well. But if living here is teaching me nothing else, I hope that I am learning to withhold judgements about people and realize that we are each unique and gifted in some way.