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The two words for humid weather: 回南天 (huí nán tiān, warm damp air condensing on cold surfaces) and 梅雨季 (méi yǔ jì, the plum rain season) — plus why it's named after ripening plums.; The dampness trio everyone complains about: 潮乎乎 (clammy), 发霉 (going moldy), and clothes that 晾不干 (just won't dry).; How to fight back: the 除湿机 (dehumidifier), the tiny 干燥剂 (desiccant pack) you always throw away, and why opening the window actually makes it worse.
Xiao Yue, let me tell you something weird — the past few days, my walls and mirrors have been completely covered in water droplets, like they're sweating. What on earth is going on?
Haha, don't panic — it's not a leak. It's "return-south weather."
Return-south weather? That's the first time I've heard that word. What does it mean?
Simply put, there's too much water in the air, and when it hits the cold walls and mirror, it turns into little droplets.
Oh, like when I take a bottle of cola out of the fridge and the outside gets all wet?
Exactly! It's just that right now your whole room is "sweating."
Then how come your shop is nice and dry, not a drop anywhere?
Because this is a business, I keep the dehumidifier running all the time. But this is just the beginning — the whole month ahead is the plum rain season we dread the most.
Plum rain season? Why is it called "plum rain"? Does it have something to do with plum blossoms?
A little. This season is exactly when the plums ripen in Jiangnan (the lower Yangtze region), so it's called "plum rain."
I see — and here I thought plum blossoms were going to fall from the sky.
Haha, no plum blossoms falling — it just rains every single day, on and on with no end.
Around when is it? Does it rain for a long time?
Usually June to July, about a month — gray skies every day, with rain coming and going all the time.
A month? Isn't that miserable?
You bet — so we locals start moaning and groaning the moment it arrives.
"Jiào kǔ lián tiān" — does that mean complaining nonstop, endlessly crying about how awful it is?
Exactly — it's so unbearable you're grumbling day after day. Today let's have a good chat about this love-hate plum rain season.
So with it this damp, if I throw all the windows open to air the place out, wouldn't that fix it?
Absolutely not! That's a mistake a lot of people make.
Why? Doesn't opening the windows let the air circulate?
The air outside is even damper than inside, so opening the window is basically inviting more moisture in.
Oh, so that's how it works — I had it completely backwards.
So during return-south weather, keep the windows shut in the daytime, and only open them once the sun's out and things dry up a bit.
That's super practical — let me write it down: when it's damp, close the windows.
Right, especially morning and evening, when the humidity is highest — make sure they're shut tight.
So tell me first — what's the most unbearable part of the plum rain season?
Number one is the dampness. Everything's wet — the air, the floor, even the quilt feels clammy to the touch.
"Cháo hū hū" — what a cute word. Does it mean that slightly wet but not soaked feeling?
Yes — that damp, sticky, uncomfortable feeling. We call it "cháo hū hū."
Does the floor get wet too? Won't you slip and fall walking on it?
Oh yeah, tile floors are the most dangerous — you get up in the morning and the floor is as slippery as an ice rink.
An ice rink, haha — now that you put it that way, it really is.
Seriously, my mom slipped once during plum rain season, and ever since she walks holding onto the wall.
Then I'd better be careful. Oh — you said the quilt is damp too. Isn't it awful to sleep under at night?
So awful — the quilt is clammy, it's not warm at all, and it's got this weird smell.
A weird smell? You mean a moldy smell?
You guessed it — a musty smell. During plum rain season things go moldy really easily.
Mold — I know that word. Bread that sits too long grows green stuff, right?
Right, that's mold. And in plum rain season it's not just food — clothes, shoes, wall corners, everything can grow mold.
Even shoes go moldy? That's terrifying.
Let me tell you, I had a pair of leather shoes sitting in the cabinet for a week without wearing them, and when I took them out they were covered in white fuzz.
White fuzz? Sounds like they grew a beard.
Haha, pretty much — it looked so gross I had to throw them out.
So if the floor's wet, if I mop it a few more times, wouldn't it dry out a bit?
Haha, the opposite actually — the more you mop, the more water on the floor and the more slippery it gets.
Huh? Then what are you supposed to do about a wet floor?
You can use a dry mop, or lay down old newspaper or old towels to soak up the water.
Newspaper again — sounds like newspaper is a real treasure during plum rain season.
Exactly — don't underestimate it: soaking up damp, lining shoes, wiping glass, it does it all.
What about driving? Isn't driving a hassle in this weather too?
Really dangerous — the windshield fogs up inside and out and you can't see a thing.
Then what do you do? You can't exactly stop and keep wiping it.
Turn on the AC and blow it at the glass — the fog clears in a moment. That's another little trick.
What about clothes? With all this rain, how do you get them dry?
That's the second big headache of plum rain season — clothes won't dry.
Won't dry? You mean they just hang there staying wet?
Right — clothes that normally dry in a day still hang wet for three or four days in plum rain season.
Doesn't that leave you with nothing to wear?
So a lot of people have no choice but to head out in half-dry clothes, and let me tell you, it feels awful.
Half-dry clothes clinging to your body — just thinking about it gives me goosebumps all up my arms, in little bumps.
And clothes that won't dry get that smell too — the same musty smell we just talked about.
Then is there any solution? You can't just keep wearing wet clothes.
Of course there is. These days a lot of families have a dryer — wash them and dry them right away.
A dryer — that's the machine that heats clothes up and dries them?
Right, but for dealing with the damp, the real hero is the one I run in my shop — the dehumidifier.
Speaking of "chú shī jī" — "chú" means to remove, "shī" means damp — so that's where the name comes from!
Exactly. It pulls the water right out of the air — leave it running overnight and it fills up a whole bucket.
A whole bucket of water, all from the air — every time I empty it I can't believe it.
Right? So this thing is something no household can do without once plum rain season hits.
So if you didn't have a dehumidifier, what did people do in the old days?
The older generation had all sorts of homemade tricks — like putting newspaper or desiccant packs in the cabinet to soak up the moisture.
Desiccant — is that the little packet in the box when I buy shoes, the one that says "do not eat"?
Haha, that's the one! A lot of people don't realize it, but if you keep that little packet, it's really useful in plum rain season.
So that little packet is that powerful — I always used to throw it straight out.
What a shame — next time keep it, put it in your shoe cabinet, and it'll help your shoes grow a little less mold.
I've also noticed that even delivery boxes go soft during plum rain season.
Right, once a cardboard box gets damp it goes soft and warps, and sometimes the stuff inside gets crushed.
So doesn't online shopping easily leave you with crushed stuff?
That's why when I buy anything important this season, I always make a point of telling the seller — watch out for moisture.
Oh right — you run a dessert shop. Does this weather affect your business?
Hugely. Even with the dehumidifier running all the time, there are some things you just can't guard against — that's my biggest headache.
How so? Cake isn't afraid of a little damp, is it?
You don't realize — my flour and sugar clump into hard lumps the moment they get damp, totally unusable.
Sugar clumps up too? I thought sugar keeps forever.
Normally it's fine, but come plum rain season the sugar jar is full of hard lumps.
What about cookies? Your cookies are my favorite.
Don't even mention it — cookies are the worst. Half a day after they're made they go from crispy-crunchy to limp and soggy.
"Crispy-crunchy" to "limp and soggy" — haha, those two phrases are so vivid.
So in plum rain season I don't dare make too much — make too much, can't sell it all, and it all goes damp.
What about your cat, Xiao Hua? How's she doing in this weather?
Xiao Hua's all listless too — lies around all day not moving, and her fur feels damp to the touch.
Even the cat's out of energy — looks like everyone's been beaten by this weather.
Yeah, she's even lazier than me — once plum rain season hits, she can't even be bothered to eat.
We've covered things — what about people? Does plum rain season affect people's moods?
A big effect. No sun day after day, muggy and damp, and your mood goes moldy right along with it.
"Your mood goes moldy" — haha, what a vivid way to put it.
Really, in that weather people get irritable so easily and don't feel like doing anything.
I get it — that listless, can't-be-bothered feeling.
Right, and it's really "mèn." Do you know the character "mèn"?
I've heard it, but I'm not quite sure — is it that hot and stuffy, no-air feeling?
Yes, that's the feeling. In plum rain season it's often hot and damp with no wind — like you're wrapped in a wet towel.
A wet towel — just hearing that makes me feel like I can't breathe.
So a lot of people break into a sweat the moment they move, clothes sticking to their back — really uncomfortable.
This "yì shēn hàn" I want to remember — it means covered in sweat all over, right?
Right, and there's an even stronger way to say it — "hàn liú jiā bèi" — so much sweat your whole back is soaked through.
"Hàn liú jiā bèi" — that's a handy phrase. I can use it next summer after a run.
Exactly, you learn fast. Oh — plum rain season has another feature: a lot of elderly folks complain about aching joints.
Aching joints? You mean pain in the bones and knees and places like that?
Right — whenever it rains, the humidity is high, and old folks say their bones and legs ache.
My grandma says that too! The moment she complains her legs hurt, chances are it rains the next day — more accurate than the weather forecast.
Haha, we have that saying here too — an old person's knees are the most accurate weather forecast.
Looks like grandmas all over the world are the same.
Well put — this is probably a superpower old folks everywhere share.
What about food? With it this damp, does food go bad especially fast?
Yes, that's another big problem. Leftovers turn sour after one night, and fruit rots in two days.
What does "sōu" mean? I've never heard that character.
It's when food goes bad — sour, with a weird smell. We say it's "sōu le."
Oh, so when it smells sour and off, that's "sōu le."
Right, that's the smell. So during plum rain season I buy groceries a little at a time and eat them right away — I never stock up.
What about the body? Is that "heavy damp" old folks always talk about a real thing?
A lot of people believe in it. So this season we love drinking a kind of soup called red bean and barley water — supposedly it "clears the damp."
"Clears the damp" — meaning it gets rid of the excess moisture in your body?
Right — whether it actually works is hard to say, but drinking it makes you feel reassured.
I've also noticed you girls seem especially annoyed during plum rain season.
Haha, you noticed? The thing that annoys us most is our hair.
What's wrong with your hair?
You spend all morning getting your hairstyle just right, step out the door, and five minutes later it's flat and messy.
So in this weather, doing your makeup and hair is all wasted effort?
You could say that — so in plum rain season I basically just tie my hair up any old way and head out.
Honestly, my first plum rain season I made a total fool of myself.
Oh? Do tell — I love stories like this.
When I'd just moved back to Hangzhou, I saw the walls covered in water, thought the house was leaking, and nervously called the landlord.
Hahaha, and what did the landlord say?
The landlord laughed for ages on the phone and said, "Kid, don't make such a fuss — it's like this every year this season."
So cute — this is probably something every newcomer from out of town runs into.
Another time, I went a week without running the dehumidifier, came home and found my favorite leather jacket covered in mold.
Oh no, that's such a shame.
I know it all in theory, but I'm just lazy — I run it a few days and then forget, which is exactly why my place is sweating again today.
Haha, looks like you still haven't fully learned this lesson.
Speaking of weather, it just hit me — London rains every day too. Isn't it kind of like plum rain season?
I've always been curious about that — tell me, what's London rain like?
London is mostly that cold, fine drizzle, drifting down all day, but never heavy.
Isn't that pretty similar to our plum rain?
Not quite. London is cold and wet; here it's hot and wet, muggy to the point you can't stand it.
Oh, I get it — one is a cold damp, one is a hot damp; the way they're miserable is different.
Right, and in Britain, when the weather's bad and you're not feeling great, we have a saying — "under the weather."
"Under the weather" — literally "below the weather" — what does it mean?
It means feeling unwell, a bit off — it's actually got nothing to do with the real weather.
Oh, what an interesting expression — in Chinese we also say "the damp's heavy these days, everyone's low on energy."
There's an even more famous one — for heavy rain we say "raining cats and dogs."
Raining cats and dogs? Haha, you Brits have quite the imagination.
We do — actually we Brits love talking about the weather; the first thing we say when we meet is often "how's the weather today?"
That's one difference between us — the first thing we say when we meet is more like "have you eaten yet?"
Haha, one opens with the weather, the other with food — what a fun contrast.
But then again, plum rain season isn't all bad — it actually has a really beautiful side too.
Oh? Damp and moldy, and it can still be beautiful? This I've got to hear.
Picture it — a little Jiangnan alley, gray flagstone paths, fine rain falling slowly, walking through it under an umbrella — it's got a special charm.
When you put it that way, a picture really does appear in my head, like something out of a movie.
Right — lots of classical poems are about Jiangnan rain; we learn them by heart from childhood.
So on rainy days, what do you usually do?
Days like today, best to stay in the shop, brew a pot of tea, listen to the rain outside, and chat slowly.
That's true — rain outside, tea inside, and you actually feel really at peace.
So you see — same rain: if you can't stand it, it's annoying; change your mood, and it can be beautiful too.
Xiao Yue, the way you put that, you really do sound a bit like a philosopher.
Haha, it's philosophy squeezed out of me by the plum rain season.
We've learned so much today — could you sum it up for me?
Sure. First, this weather where everything sweats water is called "return-south weather," and the whole season is the plum rain season.
Mm, and then things go moldy easily, clothes won't dry, and the quilt is clammy.
Right, people feel muggy, break into a full-body sweat the moment they move, and in bad cases their whole back is soaked.
The solutions are a dehumidifier, a dryer, and that desiccant pack I always used to throw away.
You remember it so clearly! Looks like today's lesson really sank in.
Of course — living in Hangzhou, I'll be using these words every single day.
Exactly — the best way to learn Chinese is to learn what's happening right around you.
Well said — rather than cramming a textbook to death, better to just chat about the rain outside the window.
I've got to write that down — it could honestly be our show's slogan.
Let's wrap up here for today, and I hope none of you get beaten down by the damp weather.
Right — plum rain season is annoying, but get through this one month and the lively heat of summer is on its way.
If it's raining where you are too, tell us in the comments what the rain is like in your part of the world.
Remember to like and subscribe, and share our show with friends who are learning Chinese.
See you next time — and hopefully by then it'll be a bright sunny day that dries your clothes in a single afternoon.
From your lips to the heavens — here's hoping it comes true. See you next time under sunny skies!
Adapted from a Simply Natural Chinese YouTube episode into a complete three-line website reading. This is not a word-for-word transcript.
The reading may differ from the original video or audio.
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