Psychological Warfare in Chinglish

At a time when US-China relationships are pretty much in the toilet, the worst that can happen is — psychological warfare in Chinglish, apparently…

The fact that the shop also “codes” the real price makes this appear a bit more like a Chinglish national security operation… except for in place of big tanks, you get big signs — full of iffy, linguistical gibberish.

The sign, of course, wanted to make it clear in Chinese that what you see is what you get — price-wise — and it’s the real deal. It’s not funning with your perception of price, as it has nothing to hide. The Chinese “心理战” bit, I guess, may work in vernacular slang — in saying it’s being honest.

Of course, in English, the translation of this as “psychological warfare” is hilarious-bordering-on-nefarious. Things are made easier with the statement below — “Fixed price, no bargain please” — but this quip on “psychological warfare” still appears pretty sinister.

To defuse this bit of awkward Chinglish, consider replacing that with “This is the real deal” or “No hidden surcharges” (or extras) — unless, of course, you enjoy tormenting (would-be) customers with the threat of pricing psyops!…

Kaifeng, He’nan (Central China), 11 August 2025


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