Indirect Speech in Chinese

In class we studied indirect speech and how people do not really say what they mean. I thought about it for a bit after reading the passage and I wondered if there are any weird sayings and indirect speech in my own culture and there definitely is. Over the years my Chinese has declined, but there are still things I notice that do not necessarily make sense when they are taken directly.

For example, when someone wants to say that they are “almost there” or “immediately” they would say “马上“(ma shang). If you directly translate that, it means “on horse” which does not make sense directly. People are not actually on horses when they are trying to get somewhere fast, but it does imply that something or someone is coming fast. Although, I am not sure if this is a cultural saying or it's just language from old China when people actually used horses. This saying is so widely used that I do not know any other phrase for the word “almost” or “immediately”. “马上“(ma shang)  is the only phrase I know that implies speed. 

Another example of indirect speech in Chinese is when someone would say “我热的要死了“ (wo re de yao si le) which directly translates to “It's so hot I want to die”. This is an exaggeration that implies that it is super hot. I think people use this exaggeration in English, but it's a lot more common in Chinese. This saying could also be used differently. When describing something that is fast, someone could say “快得要命” (kuai de yao ming) which translates to “Their so fast they want their life” (similar to “it's so hot i want to die”) , but this saying is rarely used in life or death situations. When there is a fast runner or I drive a mile per hour above the speed limit my dad would use this saying. These sayings are very common and are second nature to Chinese speakers almost to the point where their implied meaning is their actual translation on many translation sites. 

My last example is when someone would say “不好意思“ (bu hao yi si) which directly translates to “i do not have a good reason”. People use this phrase to imply that they are embarrassed or sorry. I feel like this is more useful and it is more specific and detailed than just saying sorry. 

I’m sure there are thousands of other Chinese sayings or indirect speech, but like I said my Chinese has been on the decline lately so these are the best ones I can pull out of my head right now. If you're Chinese or know a bit of Chinese, what are some indirect speech you notice?