The Economics of Iron Ore – or ‘not everything is cheap in China’

小区内means小区的中心，the center of the 小区。

"靠+something" means "close to" something. For example,if you have 2 chairs in your room,one is in the center of your room,while the other is close to the door,so we can call the latter "靠门的椅子".

So you may have many 卧室,but one is close to the center of your 小区, so that is "靠小区内的卧室".

Hi suansuanru

I am indeed happy that you have drawn a plan of my 小区 sight unseen! :)

You are absolutely right because last night my landlord sent a dozen photos of the damage in question. The whole affair has challenged my Chinese! We will have workman around for a few days soon fixing it up - I will have to learn some vocab such as: water damage, stains, mould, damp, leaks, etc. :)

But I am still wondering about the expression “靠小区内的卧室” - could the landlord have made a mistake? I don't think it is 方言 - he is a Kunming native but he always speaks standard Chinese with me.

I don't really think so.

Actually,I don't know what it exactly means,just guessing it would be something like this…… 呵呵

Hi suansuanru

Good job! I believe that bodawei would be very happy with the drawing. Incidentally, I have a question. Is the phrase “靠小区内的卧室” correct/standard Chinese?

suansuanru - you need to check the uploading. I can't see a photo - just a kind of blurred image of the name of the site fotop.net. I wasn't sure whether this is what you want me to see. Or have you got a real photo? :)

Hi suansuanru

I'm in China, and I can't see the photo either.

Can't you see my photo?

Hi suansuanru

Are you recommending this site for uploading photos? I gather it works in China? (I'm in Australia at present.) Sorry if I did not catch the meaning of you post.

Hi Zhenjljiang - I really liked your inventive interpretation. But I think Changye nailed it - it is almost certainly what he means, although it is a construction I have not seen before I can see how it works. I imagine 靠 as 'leans' - so the bedroom 'leans toward' the middle of the 小区。

I would like to put the landord's writing on record - once I get back to China I will be finding and posting more photos, I can do that. He writes with such care .. a lovely bloke ... Actually his wife speaks Japanese, not that that is any use at all for communicating with me! :)

Oh 不好意思 Bodawei for letting you think the light was dawning.

So it's 靠～内 meaning "facing into"? You could also say 靠～other directional words I guess?

You had a 牌子 post on handwritten signs that I enjoyed. I guess this isn't a sign, but I'd like to see your landlord's handwriting!

Hi Changye

I replied yesterday, and it posted fine, but today my post has gone! Most curious.

In essence I was thanking you for making the meaning of 靠小区内的卧室 clear to me - I realise now that it refers to a bedroom which does indeed face into the 小区. This contrasts with our other two bedrooms which face the bush. (I was also thanking Zhenlijiang for her help earlier.)

PS Is the bedroom located that way?

Hi bodawei

I guess what your landlord wants to say is something like "the bedroom, which faces toward the center of the district" (靠小区内的卧室), although I don't know if the Chinese phrase is grammatically correct.

Zhenlijiang - aaah, the light is dawning - thank you so much. I am aware of and understand several applications of 靠 (even if I find it hard to use them myself) but I did not think of 'rely on the evidence'. I am sure you are right - it makes sense to me now.

And your rationalisation of 小区内的 is also feasible, even if quite strange to me. In English we would just say 'the' bedroom, not even 'the' flat, because context has already confirmed which bedroom we are talking about.

I like to study my landlord's missives because he is such a literate person I am sure it is correct, I just need to learn the expressions he uses! His hand writing is also beautiful - on a par with my daughter's. :)

Ow, no edit function. 痕迹 is not the damage, but rather the traces left behind.

While we wait for Suansuanru to come back--about 小区, just seeing this sentence cold I assume it means your building. I don't know why your landlord said 小区内的; I wonder if it's a way to form a good written (and to sound formal maybe?) sentence without making such (strictly speaking) inaccurate references such as 你们的.

靠痕迹 I am interpreting as "rely on the traces left (to deduce or draw conclusions)." From the stains, or whatever traces of the water damage that are apparent to the eye, what we can see is--and he lists the damage done and not done.

thanks Zhenlijiang for your help but I am very dim about this - I don't know what either 靠 or 小区内 means here

靠 - in the area of ??? what does 靠痕迹 mean?

小区内 - this I don't understand. He is talking about some water damage (some 痕迹) inside a flat - can you think of why he refers to 小区内? Is he just saying/meaning the bedroom in the 'flat in the housing complex'? I am not sure why it needs this context - this came at the end of extended correspondence about a flat that is well know to both of us!

Bodawei I think 小区内的卧室有水流下来的 is one phrase specifying what 痕迹. It's 靠痕迹 blahblahblah.

哦谢谢，

我的房东联系我：

靠小区内的卧室有水流下来的痕迹,主要的情况是: 水影响了两面墙, 衣柜有点受潮, 卧室门暂时关不上,床头滴过一点水,

你们的衣物和被子看上去没有大问题.

多半我明白，‘’靠小区内的卧室’‘我不明白。

有人确切地告诉我句子的意思吧？

靠小区内的卧室.. ?

看不懂。

bump. I just wanted to try that - the first time I think that I have bumped anything with a bump.

Anybody know what this means?