Teacher Liu, yesterday I ordered '土豆丝' in the cafeteria, but what I got was peanuts! I was so confused—shouldn’t it be potato?

Haha, you’ve run into a classic example of north–south word differences in China! In the north, '土豆' means potato, but in many southern areas, '土豆' means peanut.

I see! So why does this kind of difference exist? We’re all speaking Chinese, how can the same word mean completely different things?

This mainly has to do with history and geography. In the north, people mainly grow wheat and potatoes, so '土豆' refers to potatoes. In the south, peanuts are widely grown, so people got used to calling peanuts '土豆', and potatoes are called '马铃薯' or '洋芋'.

That’s really interesting! Are there any other similar examples?

Lots! For example '包子' and '馒头'. In the north, '包子' has filling and '馒头' doesn’t. But in some southern areas, '馒头' can also mean buns with filling, so people say '肉馒头' to make it clear.

Looks like I need to pay closer attention to these regional differences, or I’ll easily make a fool of myself.

Exactly! These differences actually reflect the richness and diversity of Chinese culture. Understanding them not only helps you avoid misunderstandings, but also lets you better appreciate the cultural features of different regions.