When things go wrong, human nature sometimes takes over. Whether it's office politics, bureaucratic runarounds, or family drama, there are a few dramatic phrases that people in Taiwan use in daily conversation. Today, let's explore words related to shifting blame, taking the blame for someone else's mistake, and cleaning up a terrible mess left by others.
踢皮球
The literal meaning is "to kick a rubber ball."
Imagine a group of people just kicking a ball back and forth to each other to avoid being the one stuck with it. This describes the act of passing the buck. In Taiwan, it is commonly used to express frustration with unhelpful situations, such as poor customer service or government departments evading responsibility.
- 我打電話給客服，三個部門互踢皮球，最後還是沒有人幫我解決問題。
I called customer service, and three departments just passed the buck to each other. In the end, sstill no one resolved my issue..
揹(背)黑鍋
Literally translating to "carrying a black, dirty wok (or pot)," this phrase means to take the blame for someone else's mistake, or to be made a scapegoat.
In the past, cooking woks were used over open fires, which made the bottom covered in thick, black, dirty soot. If you carry someone else's dirty wok, your hands and clothes get ruined!
It is a casual, everyday term. While you wouldn't use it in a formal legal document, it is perfectly natural and very common when venting to friends, family, or coworkers about an unfair situation.
Scenario: An employee feeling betrayed by their coworker, complaining to another friend.
- 我以為我們是朋友，沒想到出問題時，他竟然讓我背黑鍋。
I thought we were friends. I never expected that when a problem occurred, he would actually make me take the blame!
You might notice this written with two different characters: 揹 or 背. As a verb meaning "to carry on the back," both are pronounced the same: “bēi”.
However, when the character 背 is pronounced bèi, it completely changes! It can be a noun meaning "the back of the body," or a verb meaning "to turn your back on" or "to do something behind someone's back."
- 因為生氣，所以她轉過身背對著我。
Out of anger, she turned around and turned her back on me.
Scenario: Your mom catches you opening the fridge in the dark in the middle of the night. She stands quietly behind you and says...
- 你背著我在偷吃什麼！
What are you sneaking to eat behind my back!
替死鬼
The literal meaning is "a ghost who dies instead of someone else." It is a dramatic term for a "scapegoat." According to Chinese folklore, drowning spirits can trick living people into dying so that the spirits can leave the place where they died and be reincarnated.
In social or criminal cases, if someone makes you their "替死鬼," it means that an innocent person is pushed forward to take the blame for the real culprit. This informal phrase is useful. You can use it when someone is punished unfairly for something they did not do.
- 大家都知道那件事是老闆決定的，經理只是被推出來當替死鬼。
Everyone knows the boss made the decision; the manager was just pushed out to be the scapegoat.
收拾爛攤子
"收拾" means to tidy up or pack away.
"爛" means rotten or messy.
"攤子" is a vendor's stall.
Together, this phrase means to clean up a terrible mess left by someone else. You can comfortably use this with coworkers when venting, though you still wouldn't use it in a formal report to your CEO.
Scenario: A friend texting a reason for missing a get-together.
- 同事突然離職，留下了一堆爛攤子給我收拾。
A coworker suddenly quit and left behind a huge mess for me to clean up.
There is an even harsher, more emotional expression: 擦屁股
It literally means "to wipe a butt." In conversation, it means cleaning up someone else's mess or finishing a botched or irresponsibly abandoned job. However, the tone here is much stronger and angrier. As you can probably guess, this is highly informal and slightly crude, though not a swear word.
Crucial note: Never use this in polite, professional settings!
Scenario: An older sibling complaining to their parents.
- 我不想再幫弟弟擦屁股了，他惹的麻煩他要自己解決！
I don't want to clean up my younger brother's messes anymore. He needs to fix the trouble he caused by himself!
Thanks for reading! If you want to hear the correct pronunciation and intonation, don't forget to watch the video at the beginning of this post. See you next time! 
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