what does that have to do with the price of tea in China

English

Alternative forms

• what does that have to do with the price of corn, what does that have to do with the price of fish

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Phrase

what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

1. (rhetorical question, colloquial) Used to indicate that a previous comment is irrelevant or non sequitur.

   A: "I read that aliens built the Egyptian pyramids." – B: "What medications are you taking?" – A: "What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?"

   • 1972, American School Counselor Association, The School counselor, volume 20, page 7:

     My reaction is "What does this have to do with the price of tea in China?"

   • 2000, United States Senate, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Agricultural trade options: hearing before the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, →ISBN, page 103:

     To quote the old saying, "what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?" Talk about totally irrelevant.

Translations

a comment used to indicate that a previous comment is irrelevant or unimportant

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 八竿子打不著 (bā gānzi dǎbùzháo), 八竿子打不着 (bā gānzi dǎ bù zháo), 風馬牛不相及／风马牛不相及 (zh) (fēng mǎ niú bù xiāng jí), 驢唇不對馬嘴／驴唇不对马嘴 (zh) (lǘchún bùduì mǎzuǐ)

• Finnish: mitä tekemistä sillä on tämän kanssa?, miten se tähän liittyy?
• French: quel rapport avec la choucroute, aucun rapport avec la choucroute (fr)
• Galician: e iso que ten que ver?
• German: nachts ist es kälter als draußen (literally “at night it's colder than outside”)
• Greek: τρία πουλάκια κάθονταν και πλέκανε πουλόβερ (tría poulákia káthontan kai plékane poulóver, literally “three little birds were sitting, knitting sweaters”)
• Hebrew: מה עניין שמיטה אצל הר סיני (má 'inyán shmitá étzel hár sináy)
• Persian: چه ربطی داشت به ۲۲ بهمن؟ (če rabti dâšt be 22-(e) bahman?), چه ربطی داشت به دهه فجر؟ (če rabti dâšt be dahe-(ye) fajr?)
• Polish: co ma piernik do wiatraka (pl), gdzie Rzym, gdzie Krym (pl)
• Portuguese: o que tem a ver o cu com as calças? (literally “what does the arse have to do with the trousers?”)
• Russian: в огоро́де — бузина́, а в Ки́еве — дя́дька (v ogoróde — buziná, a v Kíjeve — djádʹka, literally “there's elderberry in the vegetable garden but an uncle in Kiev”)
• Spanish: qué tienen que ver los cojones con comer trigo (es) (Spain, colloquial), ¿De dónde vienes? Manzanas traigo, manzanas traigo
• Turkish: ne alakası var