lost in translation
The "Tariff talk": https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/08/treasury-secretary-bessent-says-chinas-escalation-was-big-mistake-country-playing-with-losing-hand.html
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday the U.S. holds a substantial advantage over China as the two nations exchange threats in a burgeoning trade war.
“I think it was a big mistake, this Chinese escalation, because they’re playing with a pair of twos,” Bessent said during an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “What do we lose by the Chinese raising tariffs on us? We export one-fifth to them of what they export to us, so that is a losing hand for them.”
In many Chinese card games, especially popular trick-taking or climbing games, the "2" is often the highest card in rank. This is particularly true in games derived from or influenced by Big Two (also known as Choh Dai Di in Cantonese), which is widely played in Hong Kong and other parts of East and Southeast Asia, including mainland China.