A Writing Prompt for Mandarin Speakers

Are you a bilingual writer? Try this prompt from Catapult instructor and poet Chen Chen.

Consider the word 疼 (Mandarin pronunciation: téng), how it can mean “to feel (physically) hurt, “to be sore,” or “to love fiercely and dearly.” When has someone in your life said that they 疼 you? What was the occasion for this saying, this sharing? 我疼你—did this utterance feel similar to someone saying 我愛你 or “I love you”? Or did it feel different? Different how so?

Write a poem (or story, or essay, or . . . ) in which you open up this memory of 疼 to your present associations with the word, its sound, its written character, its uses and meanings. Look up the etymology; fall into the etymology. Do you use another Chinese dialect/language? Is 疼 pronounced differently in that dialect/language? Does the different sound lead to a different feeling for you? Write from someone telling you they 疼 you and toward you telling someone you 疼 them. Use as much English and as much Mandarin/other form of Chinese as you need. Write out of and into this aching yet strong kind of love.

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Did you enjoy this prompt? Go to Chen’s Catapult page to check for upcoming classes with us.