Toilet euphemism

Quick tip

方便：Aside from the common meaning, convenient, 方便 is also often used as a euphemism （婉辞）：

1. 方便 = 大小便：to go to the toilet
2. 方便 ：to have money to spare.

Number 1 is fairly self explanatory. Just as in English, it's sometimes impolite to explicitly say what kind of digestive function you need to perform, so - 我要去方便 - is like saying "I want to go to the bathroom."

Number 2 is often used when you didn't bring out enough cash to pay the bill, but you don't want to directly ask a friend for money. Just like you might say "I'm a little shy", in Chinese you can say - 我手头儿不方便 (手头儿 means "money at hand")

Tags: euphemism, chinese, mandarin, language