Chinese Vocabulary

Ann from California asked:

So apparently “3.72平方” is a joke that no one will explain to me. All they’d say is that it means 3.72 squared (i.e. 13.8384) and that it’s a pun in Shanghainese. So since you’re in Shanghai, you could probably find people who get it. :D

13.8384 is read as shísān diǎn bāsābāsì (十三点八三八四), and it sort of sounds like shísān diǎn busānbusì (十三点不三不四).

十三点
shísāndiǎn
ditz, fool

不三不四
busānbusì
unlike anything, dubious

Chinesehelp.org has a better explanation of 不三不四:

For example someone that doesn’t have a job but also isn’t a beggar, but rather something between. Or someone in school who does neither socialize nor study, and nobody really knows what he is up to. It can also imply that the person has a dubious appearance or clothing.

So 3.72² or 13.8384 is probably used to call someone a dubious fool. It’s not a common phrase, but separately 十三点 and 不三不四 are both commonly used.