Word: weis
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...electronic sea. The world has now grown electronically dense, densest of all perhaps among the Japanese, who answer the phone with a crowded, tender, almost cuddling, quick- whispered mushi-mushi. The Russians say slushaiyu (I'm listening). The hipper Russians say allo. Italians say pronto (ready). The Chinese say wei, wei (with a pause between the words, unlike the Japanese mushi-mushi). Wei, wei is meaningless, except as a formula to answer the phone...
...move was trumpeted in a nationally televised address and was well received by foreign governments. But when China finally lifted martial law, which was imposed on parts of its capital eight months ago to crush the pro- democracy movement, the response in Beijing was "Wu suo wei" -- it makes no difference. Despite official repeal of the decree, the government appeared to have ended the crackdown in name only: soldiers who had switched into the uniforms of civilian police were cropping up all over town, and there was no sign that their orders to suppress any hint of new unrest...
...ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, summed up the reaction when he called Beijing's announcement "more blue smoke and mirrors ((that)) would not fool anybody in Congress into believing that the Chinese leadership was moderating its oppressive rule." He might as well have said, "Wu suo wei...