Your colleagues ARE
enthralled by English; it is their chosen profession.
My 'ex' worked at the United Nations. I suffered through dinners of diplomatic jargon for a
decade.

You are correct, but I feel you may have missed my point. My ex-wife also had to deal with my never-ending drivel about work during dinner.

You've been here 10+ years and have no doubt worked alongside countless Chinese English teachers who ARE enthralled by English.

As I said, I have all the time in the world to help and assist them with their questions about English and how it works, however, there are certain contexts where there simply IS 'no why' when it comes to explanations in grammar or word usage. Maybe the reason has long since been forgotten, or perhaps nobody cares anymore.

Etymology is a hobby of mine (sad but true), so I love it when I'm asked why we say, for example, 'six o'clock'. The phrase 'o'clock' used to mean 'of the clock', but to cite my previous example of why we say that cows are IN the field, yet footballers are ON the field, probably has a reason that's long since been forgotten.

Chinese English teachers who persist in their quest for a reason 'why' we say or use something in English that we can't explain, drain me.

I am by no means condescending, nor do I belittle them. In fact, I welcome their enthusiasm. However, sometimes English is, well....'English', and some things defy all explanations, therefore the typical Chinese 'No Why' applies. My feeling is that 'Pig Dog' has also experienced the refusal to accept the 'No Why' response, hence my agreement with him.