Chinese Proverbs

Table topics in translation

The theme was Chinese proverbs, and the Table Topics session turned into a workout. “Tonight’s Table Topics really made everyone rack their brains,” one member wrote afterwards. The questions were built on sayings that resist translation. One member was called on to handle the proverb “a widow’s doorstep draws gossip” and stopped to ask the Table Topics Master why, of all people, she had been picked for that one.

Another member confessed the only thing she retained all evening was the proverb “taking off your pants to fart” (an idiom for doing something entirely redundant), which sent the group chat down a rabbit hole of a British actress using the same proverb on a talk show.

Prepared speeches

Kristin spoke on two experiences applying Charlie Munger’s principles (Pathway 1.5), which completed a run of one meeting manager turn plus two speeches and collected the club’s 100-yuan bounty that night. Anna delivered “When Love Makes It Hard to Say No” (Innovative Planning 3.4).

The Word of the Day was “insightful.”

Afterwards

A member driving home wrote: “Listened to a song on the way home and it brought back a warm memory. Really nice.” To an absent member, the report was blunter: “Tonight was so much fun, you missed a lot.” The reply came back from the office: “shedding a working person’s tears.”