Meaning:

    Originating from Northeast China, dialect, this short sentence can be literally translated as “Why don’t you fly into the sky?” It became instantly popular after a video clip was posted online, in which a middle-aged woman talked into a phone trying to persuade her daughter, who is nearly 30, to start a family as soon as possible. When the persuasion turned out fruitless, the woman became angry and shouted at her daughter, “Why don’t you fly into the sky?” Since humans cannot fly into the sky without the help of other devices, this sentence simply means, “This is impossible!” or “You can’t do it!”

    Example:

    A: 你怎么教训你老婆？

    Nǐ zěnme jiàoxùn nǐ lǎopó?

    How do you teach your wife a lesson?

    B: 教训老婆？你小子怎么想的？你咋不上天呢？

    Jiàoxùn lǎopó? Nǐ xiǎozi zěnme xiǎng de? Nǐ zǎ bù shàngtiān ne?

    Teach my wife a lesson? What are you thinking? It’s impossible!