Today, I learned what Schrödinger is in Chinese (薛定谔).

Yes, I know what Schrödinger's cat is. I watched Big Bang Theory just like everybody else. :P It wasn’t so much that I didn’t know what Schrodinger’s Cat is but whoever that first translated it did such a good job (and it happens to be three syllables as well) that I felt for sure that it was a legitimate Chinese name and that it was some Chinese celebrity or pop culture reference. Alas, the answer proved to be much more international than I had expected. =)

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Premise: MC likes ML. ML likes MC. MC’s brother would not let her date so the two’s relationship was in an undefined state.

A man hitting on MC, “Ah, Miss Chen is so cute. Say, do you have a boyfriend?”

MC found that question very difficult to answer.

Does she or does she not have a boyfriend?

Roommate A came to her rescue and answered it in a very philosophical way, “You can say yes and you can say no. If you say yes, it’s really a no. If you say no, it’s really a yes. It’s Schrödinger's boyfriend.”

Man, “What?”

Roommates B and C was so impressed by how elegantly it was phrased that they applauded her for her good work.

MC, too, nodded in agreement.

Later on, ML showed up.

Man, “And you are… ?”

ML punted the question over to MC, “And I am… ?”

MC blinked. What could she possibly say?

She pondered under the two men’s gaze for little while and said in the most serious manner, “He is Schrödinger's boyfriend.”