I assume this is related to
kanpai because of the phonetic similarity; at any rate, this is the
Chinese version of "
Cheers!" But there's
a twist--it literally means "
empty cup," so it's really closer to "
bottoms up." You are expected to swallow your drink in a
gulp, and it's extremely
rude to not follow the
directive. (As a corollary, it's extremely
difficult to be a
teetotaler businessperson in China!)
Often these are small
teacup-sized cups, but with
Chinese alcoholic drinks frequently sitting around
110 proof, this will still get you
totally smashed in record time.