The trouble with “my aunt said”

This is a tricky one.

I just saw a comment about an alleged frequent, unfortunate transliteration from American English into Chinese. A respondent with a PhD in Chinese said it ain’t so and provided a thorough explanation showing where and how the confusion arises.

The OP writer’s answer? “Sorry if I’m wrong. But I don’t think so—my Chinese aunt taught me that.”

Now, native speakers’ takes are not to be lightly dismissed. But, then, they can be wrong. If you don’t believe me, consider the number of native American English speakers who mess up words and phrases like “hardly,” “comprise,” “complimentary” and “complementary,” “used to” or “supposed to,” and when to use “I” versus “me.” A foreign national with a PhD in English would likely know better.

But then, PhDs can be and often are wrong.

So, do we side with the fellow with a PhD in Chinese or the fellow whose aunt told him otherwise?

In this case, my money is on the dude with the PhD in Chinese. But I could be wrong.