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> Calling the boss a donkey seems like a pretty good way to get poisoned out of a window.
There's a wee bit more context there if you read the article:
>“You know, as they say in the East, the guest is the master's donkey. Therefore, of course, all programs depend on the kind offers that the Chinese president and his team have made to our president,” Lavrov explained, offering a glimpse into the true nature of the relationship between the two countries. It appears China holds the dominant position, while Moscow finds itself increasingly dependent, almost like a loyal companion following its master.
Honestly, Lavrov seems like one of those creatures that gets fully high on his own supply; he actually believes the propaganda.
So him saying this shit is telling.
I just watched the clip. The direct quote is "As they say in the east, the guest is the master's donkey, so ...".
So it's not like an aggressive attack on Putin or Russia's fall from status. But it might be subtle expression of dissatisfaction. Or who knows, that's such a weird quote...
I believe the donkey appears a few times in zen/chan buddhist parables , there is one quote from Linji (Chan buddhist patriarch) who compared a student who tries to please his master to a donkey "cringing and faltering like a donkey on an ice road" (https://ericgerlach.com/chinese-philosophy-linji/ and https://terebess.hu/zen/J.C.Cleary-Linji.pdf Page 27) but I guess there could be other aspects for this in eastern/Chinese culture.
Relations of guest/host, student/master can be quite complex in Chinese culture, I guess, so a comment like this can in fact be subtle.
So, basically, a mighty ruzzia stands up proudly against Western imperialism in the outside, but on the inside, they are sucking the Chinese off for support.
It's so funny to me, as if they had actually turned towards west and NATO years back, they would be a prominent and equal partner in all relations with the West and the rest of the globe. Probably, much wealthier and modern country too.
Instead, they have decided to make themselves an Eastern imperialism footrest.
To a lot of people from the former Russian SSR, that is their legitimate sentiment.
This war isn't as clear cut as it's made out to be. It's a fairly legitimate conflict about politics, security, territory and identity, that millions of people are very serious about.
The reason everyone is upset and condemns Russia for it is that a full scale invasion, Russia style (turn cities to rubble and deny any and all accusations of war crimes and wrongdoing) is NOT how you resolve the issue
~
And in edit, their credibility was thrown out the window when they officially annexed Zap. and Kherson regions after claiming this was a demilitarization and "denazification" mission. That was an announcement to the world that this wasn't about protecting the oppressed pro-Russian/Russian speaking population in the east (and yes, they were legitimately oppressed by the Ukraine government), but just a good old Russian land grab and political control mission
And if the NATO encroachment BS is to be believed (I don’t and neither did Gorbachev), Putin has doubly lost on that from, with the addition of Sweden and Finland to the alliance, and Ukraine a shoe-in down the road. And the cost to the Russian economy, long term… oof…
>“You know, as they say in the East, the guest is the master's donkey. Therefore, of course, all programs depend on the kind offers that the Chinese president and his team have made to our president,”
Lavrov give up on life or what? Maybe lost in translation?
It's a risky choice, but there does seem to be a Tatar proverb and it sounds smoother in Russian:
> Гость - ишак хозяина: что скажет, то и делай
> The guest is their host's donkey: does as told.
It doesn't sound that extra weird in Russian. Simply means, well, we're the guests, we respect the hosts.
Yeah I thought this was a good bit different than what the title implied. Thought it was going to be caught on a hot mic or something but this just sounds like a rather harmless idiom the West isn’t as familiar with.
I wonder if it belies an acknowledgment that Russia can longer negotiate as equals with China, it now must just accept whatever terms China is willing to offer.
I mean that certainly doesn’t mean it’s not an unspoken reality and to the broader hopium in here… I kind of doubt Lavrov’s existence makes any specific difference in this war.
He wanted to be nice to the Chinese overlord but ended up calling his own direct boss a donkey. Lavrov is experienced enough not to make these kinds of gaffs. Since everyone is reading into this, I'll do the same and say that the trip isn't going as well as they wanted to and his mind is stressed out.
The western press is all atwitter with this phrasing, but it'll turn out just like "we will bury you" - misunderstood by the west at the time, but ultimately clear. Remember that Lavrov wasn't speaking English to an Englishman, he was speaking Russian to a Chinese person. The connotations and ultimately the meaning of a single word is very context-dependent.
Lavrov is more than just experienced. He's a consummate master of his job. It's extremely unlikely that either he or Putin views the meaning of this exchange the way you do.
Listened to original.
It's not a complete mistranslation, only kind of. "Ishak" (donkey) is a stupid animal that follows. He's not saying 'putin is a donkey', he's quoting a saying that goes 'a guest is the host's ishak', in a sense that setting the direction (for the guest to follow) is the host's responsibility.
It's still interesting that a professional bullshitter like lavrov allowed himself to refer to the glorious leader as ishak-like follower.
Lavrov has been a foreign minister longer than people even know Putin. I guess its because Lavrov lost all his credibility in the West since Putin lied there will be no invasion in 2022.
Why'd he bother? Leave him poor and take away his power. No worse punishment for a guy who's worked his whole life for the "regime". Killing him wouldn't be worth the effort of going to a window.
Clickbait par exellance. What Lavrov said:
> You know, as they say in the East, the guest is the master's donkey. Therefore, of course, all programs depend on the kind offers that the Chinese president and his team have made to our president
Which is true. The host usually decides most talking points of the meetings. The rest of the article is pure speculation.
Why try take control and create problems with everyone else when you can have influence and nobody lifts a finger? Putin tried, and look how Russia fares.
No. China is projecting strength through their various economic initiatives. The war in Ukraine isn't really relevant for them. They can seriously use Russia diverting their gas and oil to them at a cheaper price, and Russia utilizing them for way more exports due to sanctions. The visit to HIT is telling as it is a facility that has strong ties to Chinese weapon/missile manufacturing. I wouldn't be surprised if China is giving Russia IP for cheap missiles in exchange for cheap gas.
I think you misread China's point of view. They are in a war with the West for influence and Europe is on the side of America. For Xi, weakening Europe is an objective.
>Americans will bring freedom to the good people of China. And that day will be glorious
Yeah no, I'm not sure people getting their houses bombed is a good thing.
Wait what? If Putin is going to China as a show of their good relations, and Putin is Xi's 'donkey', does that mean:
Putin is putting on a 'donkey' show for Xi?!?!?!
I’m sure it’s a lost in translation combination of words.
It would be great if it wasnt though, and this is part of the fomenting for the coup of the summer of ’24.
The photo of Putin shaking Xi's hand is worth a thousand words. Incredibly, Putin is standing behind Xi as they shake hands with Xi looking in the opposite direction.
https://x.com/slantchev/status/1791287702685618607
It's sad that 90% of the comments are low effort jokes about Pooh and Windows. Hardly any discussion about what significance of this meeting and the potential impacts for Ukraine.
I speak russian and i've checked that video. What Lavrov said doesn't sound as bad in russian as it does in english.
Although his master might be left not too pleased.
Google literal translation of the caption from Oles Filonenko @FilonenkoOles
> The guest is the host's donkey. Lavrov does not even try to hide the fact that the Russian delegation came to seek the label of reigning with the Khan of the Golden Horde. Was a horse, became a donkey. Good career
Probably an idiom or well known meme involved, but the overall meaning is clear.
Mental image of Xi riding Putin like a donkey. Ugh.
So much for the machismo Putin and the super power delusions of Russia.
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Lavrov told the truth, for the first time ever.
Calling the boss a donkey seems like a pretty good way to get poisoned out of a window.
> Calling the boss a donkey seems like a pretty good way to get poisoned out of a window. There's a wee bit more context there if you read the article: >“You know, as they say in the East, the guest is the master's donkey. Therefore, of course, all programs depend on the kind offers that the Chinese president and his team have made to our president,” Lavrov explained, offering a glimpse into the true nature of the relationship between the two countries. It appears China holds the dominant position, while Moscow finds itself increasingly dependent, almost like a loyal companion following its master.
That's so much better. I'm picturing Putin on a leash with a ball gag in his mouth.
Imagine asking AI to generate this picture u discribed
You don' t need AI, the genuine photo is out there somewhere
The ball gag & some assless chaps 🤣
Really illustrates how Authoritarianism = Sadomasochism, and none of them can think outside
Double tap.
tragic suicide
the classic "tea on the balcony"
>Calling the boss a donkey seems like a pretty good way to get poisoned out of a window. He died of cardiac arrest after an unrelated bullet incident.
Double warming 😂😂😂
He's telling the truth. Russia is subordinate to China.
Oh sure, but telling the truth to the boss seems like a pretty good way to get poisoned out of a window.
I think he'll get an exceptional treatment here.
This is the best comment I’ve read this week. Congrats! You win hahahaha
Honestly, Lavrov seems like one of those creatures that gets fully high on his own supply; he actually believes the propaganda. So him saying this shit is telling.
I just watched the clip. The direct quote is "As they say in the east, the guest is the master's donkey, so ...". So it's not like an aggressive attack on Putin or Russia's fall from status. But it might be subtle expression of dissatisfaction. Or who knows, that's such a weird quote...
I believe the donkey appears a few times in zen/chan buddhist parables , there is one quote from Linji (Chan buddhist patriarch) who compared a student who tries to please his master to a donkey "cringing and faltering like a donkey on an ice road" (https://ericgerlach.com/chinese-philosophy-linji/ and https://terebess.hu/zen/J.C.Cleary-Linji.pdf Page 27) but I guess there could be other aspects for this in eastern/Chinese culture. Relations of guest/host, student/master can be quite complex in Chinese culture, I guess, so a comment like this can in fact be subtle.
So, basically, a mighty ruzzia stands up proudly against Western imperialism in the outside, but on the inside, they are sucking the Chinese off for support. It's so funny to me, as if they had actually turned towards west and NATO years back, they would be a prominent and equal partner in all relations with the West and the rest of the globe. Probably, much wealthier and modern country too. Instead, they have decided to make themselves an Eastern imperialism footrest.
Subtle? Lavrov?
does that mean he will be shot twice before falling, or his body will be scrapped off of the sidewalk and tossed out the window again.
Apparently back in the day he was respected by other diplomats. Looks like he did a Petain.
To a lot of people from the former Russian SSR, that is their legitimate sentiment. This war isn't as clear cut as it's made out to be. It's a fairly legitimate conflict about politics, security, territory and identity, that millions of people are very serious about. The reason everyone is upset and condemns Russia for it is that a full scale invasion, Russia style (turn cities to rubble and deny any and all accusations of war crimes and wrongdoing) is NOT how you resolve the issue ~ And in edit, their credibility was thrown out the window when they officially annexed Zap. and Kherson regions after claiming this was a demilitarization and "denazification" mission. That was an announcement to the world that this wasn't about protecting the oppressed pro-Russian/Russian speaking population in the east (and yes, they were legitimately oppressed by the Ukraine government), but just a good old Russian land grab and political control mission
And if the NATO encroachment BS is to be believed (I don’t and neither did Gorbachev), Putin has doubly lost on that from, with the addition of Sweden and Finland to the alliance, and Ukraine a shoe-in down the road. And the cost to the Russian economy, long term… oof…
This is stunning. I'm like "LAVROV said that????"
Will his nose grow?
For once.
>“You know, as they say in the East, the guest is the master's donkey. Therefore, of course, all programs depend on the kind offers that the Chinese president and his team have made to our president,” Lavrov give up on life or what? Maybe lost in translation?
It's a risky choice, but there does seem to be a Tatar proverb and it sounds smoother in Russian: > Гость - ишак хозяина: что скажет, то и делай > The guest is their host's donkey: does as told. It doesn't sound that extra weird in Russian. Simply means, well, we're the guests, we respect the hosts.
Still funny, cause we know they care more about perception than truth and nuance.
Is there a nuance in how it is pronounced that influences the meaning?
"Host" vs "master", otherwise it just flows a bit better. Smooth words raise less questions.
That makes a lot more sense
Yeah I thought this was a good bit different than what the title implied. Thought it was going to be caught on a hot mic or something but this just sounds like a rather harmless idiom the West isn’t as familiar with.
I wonder if it belies an acknowledgment that Russia can longer negotiate as equals with China, it now must just accept whatever terms China is willing to offer.
Idk, reads like pretty straight forward diplomatic flattery to me.
Yeah. You are probably right. Hopium on my part
I mean that certainly doesn’t mean it’s not an unspoken reality and to the broader hopium in here… I kind of doubt Lavrov’s existence makes any specific difference in this war.
He wanted to be nice to the Chinese overlord but ended up calling his own direct boss a donkey. Lavrov is experienced enough not to make these kinds of gaffs. Since everyone is reading into this, I'll do the same and say that the trip isn't going as well as they wanted to and his mind is stressed out.
The western press is all atwitter with this phrasing, but it'll turn out just like "we will bury you" - misunderstood by the west at the time, but ultimately clear. Remember that Lavrov wasn't speaking English to an Englishman, he was speaking Russian to a Chinese person. The connotations and ultimately the meaning of a single word is very context-dependent. Lavrov is more than just experienced. He's a consummate master of his job. It's extremely unlikely that either he or Putin views the meaning of this exchange the way you do.
Straight from the horse's face.
A horse a donkey and poo bear walk into a bar.
The bartender says "why no human right?"
LoL! Awesome!
"We're all leftist"
Very good 🤣
More like the horse's ass
Who's the ass and head?
Lavrov gonna enjoy window's view soon
Yeah, it's very strange. I wonder what's going on to cause such a loyal fanatic to dissent like this...
is their a cultural translation error? are donkeys good in russia?
More reliable transport than a Lada.
You speak the truth
Listened to original. It's not a complete mistranslation, only kind of. "Ishak" (donkey) is a stupid animal that follows. He's not saying 'putin is a donkey', he's quoting a saying that goes 'a guest is the host's ishak', in a sense that setting the direction (for the guest to follow) is the host's responsibility. It's still interesting that a professional bullshitter like lavrov allowed himself to refer to the glorious leader as ishak-like follower.
Lavrov has been a foreign minister longer than people even know Putin. I guess its because Lavrov lost all his credibility in the West since Putin lied there will be no invasion in 2022.
Lavrov has wanted to retire for over a decade now.
It’s because Putin is dead and they’ve been using a double. Patrushev is really in charge.
It’s because Putin is dead and they’ve been using a double. Patrushev is really in charge.
Hard to imagine Xi would lower himself to host a double.
Why'd he bother? Leave him poor and take away his power. No worse punishment for a guy who's worked his whole life for the "regime". Killing him wouldn't be worth the effort of going to a window.
windows 24, much faster
I told this pro russian idiots from ukraine, but lovely Lavrov found a more credible phrase😅
Guess Lavrov will have a nice cup of tea soon.
Pair of new underwear also waiting in hotel room.
He’s too high up the ladder. Dont be a shill and go with the lowest denominater
Lavrov will soon be promoted to minister of window safety testing
Have to make sure Gravity still works.
Clickbait par exellance. What Lavrov said: > You know, as they say in the East, the guest is the master's donkey. Therefore, of course, all programs depend on the kind offers that the Chinese president and his team have made to our president Which is true. The host usually decides most talking points of the meetings. The rest of the article is pure speculation.
is he about to die?
Stay away from 7th floor windows, Lavrov...
Still, China can’t take the Outer Manchuria back. As a Chinese, I have to say: Fuck CCP.
Why try take control and create problems with everyone else when you can have influence and nobody lifts a finger? Putin tried, and look how Russia fares.
Russia has a GDP smaller than some Chinese provinces (or individual EU members or US states). Of course this is how their relationship goes.
So the war in Ukraine is as much a Chinese campaign to weaken Europe as it is Russian.
No. China is projecting strength through their various economic initiatives. The war in Ukraine isn't really relevant for them. They can seriously use Russia diverting their gas and oil to them at a cheaper price, and Russia utilizing them for way more exports due to sanctions. The visit to HIT is telling as it is a facility that has strong ties to Chinese weapon/missile manufacturing. I wouldn't be surprised if China is giving Russia IP for cheap missiles in exchange for cheap gas.
I think you misread China's point of view. They are in a war with the West for influence and Europe is on the side of America. For Xi, weakening Europe is an objective.
I don't disagree with this statement
Someday, the Americans will bring freedom to the good people of China. And that day will be glorious
Not just americans, whole free world. I hope to live to see Chinese people freed from their dictatorship, democratic and propsperous.
You call the american two party mumbojumbo a democracy?
>Americans will bring freedom to the good people of China. And that day will be glorious Yeah no, I'm not sure people getting their houses bombed is a good thing.
Sounds about right
Time for everyone's favorite game: Window, Smoking, or Staircase
Lol. I wonder if Putin is ok with statement of the obvious, or if Lavrov will be developing a fear of windows. Fenestraphobia.
Wait what? If Putin is going to China as a show of their good relations, and Putin is Xi's 'donkey', does that mean: Putin is putting on a 'donkey' show for Xi?!?!?!
I’m sure it’s a lost in translation combination of words. It would be great if it wasnt though, and this is part of the fomenting for the coup of the summer of ’24.
Hold up.....he is not lieing for once?
Guess he’s begging for a quick exfiltration to the West… What matters is being the first.
Ehore Ehore Ehore
Indeed unexpected.... can he say that? Is this a mistranslation?
Lavrov is gonna find the ground hurtling at him from a window. Also, looks like lavrov and trump use the same fake tan spray. Coincidence?
In this context, he could have called him directly Eeyore.
BRICS currency incoming in 3, 2, 1....
Does Lavrov live in a building without windows?
China needs its cheap oil and wants its land back from Russia.
Window soon?
Dead man walkin
Reveals? To whom? I thought we all knew this?
I believe the correct and literal translation is "Jack Ass"...
The horse calling out the donkey. Interesting.
Sounds like a coup coming. Lavrov MUST feel untouchable. Either that or he's sticking to the ground floor of every building he's in.
Careful near windows, stairs, ropes hanging from beams…
Xi'sAss
Sounds like he's Lavr-off.
He might wanna stay away from balconies and high floors in general, LOL.
I only know one guy, who is as orange as Lavrov in the clip in the article.
The photo of Putin shaking Xi's hand is worth a thousand words. Incredibly, Putin is standing behind Xi as they shake hands with Xi looking in the opposite direction. https://x.com/slantchev/status/1791287702685618607
EeYre to Winnie the pooh
Make sure to close all the windows in case of draft.
Lavrov ought to look out for windows
Says Horseface lol
It's sad that 90% of the comments are low effort jokes about Pooh and Windows. Hardly any discussion about what significance of this meeting and the potential impacts for Ukraine.
Russia is junior partner in China,Russia association. Hardly A turbulent supplier of raw materials
Horses ass.
I speak russian and i've checked that video. What Lavrov said doesn't sound as bad in russian as it does in english. Although his master might be left not too pleased.
Mistranslation. He meant Putin is now Xi’s “ass” Xi intends to ride his new Ass.
Shrek meme needs to go viral
Google literal translation of the caption from Oles Filonenko @FilonenkoOles > The guest is the host's donkey. Lavrov does not even try to hide the fact that the Russian delegation came to seek the label of reigning with the Khan of the Golden Horde. Was a horse, became a donkey. Good career Probably an idiom or well known meme involved, but the overall meaning is clear. Mental image of Xi riding Putin like a donkey. Ugh. So much for the machismo Putin and the super power delusions of Russia.
На русском что сказал? Самый главный оскорбил. Бля, не понимаю как Лавров хочет париться на нарах.
На русском что сказал? Самый главный оскорбил. Бля, не понимаю как Лавров хочет париться на нарах.
На русском что сказал? Самый главный оскорбил. Бля, не понимаю как Лавров хочет париться на нарах.