Intermediate - Noisy Renovations
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 02:46 AM posted in Transcripts with TalLesson here.
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 08:55 AM
12:35
Dilu: 但是 luckily 我们有这个 law，所以呢，如果你的 neighbour 还是这样很吵的话，你可以去敲他们的门，跟他们说：七点以后不准再敲啊。
John: Everybody's got to sleep.
Dilu: 好。那今天的课就先到这边。如果你有什么问题，记得到ChinesePod去给我们留言。
John: See you on ChinesePod.com.
John & Dilu: 再见。
Right-Wingnut
April 14, 2013 at 07:46 AM
Thanks Marina, you might be right. Any idea about the question mark?
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 08:48 AM
Dilu: 因为那些工人他都是住在这些房子里面的，他晚上也没有什么事情做呀，你让他就睡觉嘛。还有他如果说做得比较快一点，他会有时间去做其他的［或］他可以早［？一下］再去装修。
John: These are migrant workers usually, they live at the workplace, the place that they're decorating/renovating, and if they can finish early then they can move onto the next job then they can make more money, which they probably send back to their family in the countryside, so they really want to finish as soon as possible.
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 08:12 AM
11:27
Dilu: 对。因为在这个对话里面，就是这个 worker 他好像很 polite。说：我们一定注意，以后尽量轻点。但是我觉得大部分的人都是会一天、两天还可以，但是过了两天又会就是一大早就会在那边吵。
John: And at the time I was thinking 'what is with these people, its already night time, just go to sleep, call it a day'. So why is it that they insist on working so late into the night and starting so early in the morning?
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 08:09 AM
11:04
Dilu: 那弄有没有去找他们？
John: Yes, so I did.
Dilu: OK. 那他们说什么呢？是不是说：不好意思，我们一定会注意，或者我们以后尽量轻点儿？
John: They weren't quite that nice, but they were like 'Oh, 知道了，知道了'. And then you leave and you go back, and then you hear them pounding again, but they stop really quick. [?] maybe if we do just a little bit he won't come up again.
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 07:58 AM
Dilu: Its not a good idea.
John: ... you're going to be 吵死了。
Dilu: 会被吵死的。那 John，我再问你啊，你有没有去找过你的邻居，跟他们说：别吵了，太吵了？
John: At the beginning I didn't do anything because ...
Dilu: It is polite.
John: ...well just everyone has to renovate, so I just tried to stay out of the apartment as much as possible.
Dilu: 但是后来 ...
John: But there were a few apartments that would keep doing it way into the night, and then I found out that there really is a law, just recently it came out at the time, that you're not supposed to do that past a certain time at night.
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 07:51 AM
Dilu: John，你好像对这种情况很有［？？］。你是不是遇到过这样的事情？
John: Actually the apartment where I'm staying now, I've been there for quite a while now, but when I first moved in it had just been built. And so everyone was moving in. And in China when its a brand new apartment, you have to 装修 from an empty shell.
Dilu: 对对对。
John: So there's a lot of construction that needs to be done to every single apartment.
Dilu: 就是每个人都在装修房子。
John: Right, so if you're one of the first ones to move into an apartment building like this ...
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 07:06 AM
8:36
John: So this is one of those words where the dictionary says one thing but most people actually pronounce it slightly differently. So the dictionary says there's a difference between jǐnliàng and jìnliàng, but really everyone just says jìnliàng so that's what we're going to say.
Dilu: 对。尽量轻点儿。尽量轻点儿。
John: 'As much as possible we'll be quieter'. That's the whole dialog. We're going to have a little bit more discussion about some of the likely situations behind the words.
Dilu: 好。再听一遍对话。
Right-Wingnut
April 14, 2013 at 07:42 AM
Yeah, I wasn't sure about that one - don't know why I didn't highlight it.
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 07:00 AM
8:01
Dilu: 听上去很不早。都快被你们吵死了。
John: A slight exaggeration. And then the reply?
Dilu: 不好意思，以后尽量轻点。
John: 尽量轻点 - be a little bit more quiet. What is this 尽量？
Dilu: 尽量就是尽可能。
John: As much as possible, we'll do our best.
Dilu: We'll try. 对。
John: Now notice you said 尽量 is two 4th tones.
Dilu: 我知道词典上面是 jǐnliàng，第三声和第四声，但是我们平时大部分的时候都会说 jìnliàng。
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 06:49 AM
7:32
John: And then ...
Dilu: 都快被你们吵死了。都快被你们吵死了。
John: So here we have 吵 again - being noisy.
Dilu: 对。
John: And then in this case 吵死了 - being so noisy that he dies.
Dilu: 对。而且是被你们吵死了。
John: 'Be noisied to death by you people'.
Dilu: 对。
John: And then 都快. This 都 is 'even to the extent that'.
Dilu: 就是＇已经快要＇。
John: I'm even about to be killed by all your noise.
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 06:43 AM
Dilu: 一...什么什么...就...什么什么。
John: As soon as this happens, then something else happens.
Dilu: 我们看一下，发生的事情是什么。听到榔头，电钻的声音。
John: 榔头 - 2nd tone, neutral - that means 'hammer'.
Dilu: 对。And a 电钻 - 两个第四声。
John: Two 4th tones. 电钻 is 'electric drill'.
Dilu: 对。
John: So these two noises - as soon as he hears them ...
Dilu: 就紧张。
John: He gets nervous.
Dilu: 一听到榔头，电钻的声音就紧张。
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 06:35 AM
6:33
Dilu: 我们一定注意。我们一定注意。
John: 'Definitely pay attention'. Could you say 一定会注意？
Dilu: 也可以。我们一定会注意。我们一定注意。
John: 注意, two 4th tones.
Dilu: 对。两个第四声。
John: But this guy still has some more stuff to get off his chest.
Dilu: 他说：我现在一听到榔头，电钻的声音就紧张。
John: So here we have a pattern. What is it?
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 06:30 AM
6:02
John: He's going to take serious measures like calling the police.
Dilu: 对。
John: Because there actually is a law about this. You're not supposed to make all that noise after a certain time at night.
Dilu: 是吗？好像［听靠你］说是这样子的。
John: After 6 pm at night you're not supposed to bang, and then before 7 in the morning you're not supposed to.
Dilu: 就是早上七点以前和晚上七点以后，都不可以敲。
John: 不准。
Dilu: 对对对。不准。
John: The worker, his response is pretty cooperative. What does he say?
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 06:21 AM
5:32
John: So its the morning now, but he's getting into what they usually do at night that he hasn't brought up before. So 'you're not allowed to bang again after 7 at night'.
Dilu: 对。晚上七点以后不准再敲了。
John: 不准 means 'not allowed to'.
Dilu: 是说：绝对不可以。
John: So its pretty severe.
Dilu: 对。
John: Absolute, its not as weak as 不可以。
Dilu: 对。一定是不可以的。你要是做这个事情，可能他就会叫警察。
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 06:15 AM
John: So what's the reply from the worker?
Dilu: 那我们等会儿再敲。那我们等会儿再敲。
John: 等会儿再 do something. 'Wait a little while, then do it'.
Dilu: 对。等会儿再敲。
John: I think a more natural way to express this in English would be 'wait a while before doing it again'.
Dilu: 没错。
John: Anyway, the guy continues.
Dilu: 他说：还有，晚上七点以后也不准再敲了。
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 06:10 AM
4:33
John: So 'furthermore', how do we say that? 'Furthermore'.
Dilu: 再说。再说。第四声和第一声。
John: 4th tone, 1st tone. Literally 'to say even more'.
Dilu: 对。Further explanation.
John: OK. Notice in Chinese you can say 今天是周末， ＇today is the weekend'.
Dilu: 对啊。
John: It sounds a little weird in English. I'd say 'It's the weekend'.
Dilu: Today. 反正在中文里面，你是说：今天是周末。
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 06:03 AM
John: And then we get into what time it is. What time is it?
Dilu: 还不到六点呢。还不到六点呢。
John: So 'it's not even 6 o'clock'.
Dilu: 应该是早上六点。
John: OK，早上六点。还不到六点。Can you say 还不是六点？
Dilu: 不可以。＇还不到＇就是现在大概是五点多钟，还没有到。
John: So 'not yet 6', you have to say 不到六点。
Dilu: 对。还不到六点呢。再说，今天是周末。
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 05:57 AM
Dilu: 举个例子吧。没有筷子让我怎么吃饭？
John: OK, how am I supposed to eat without chopsticks?
Dilu: 没有咖啡，让我怎么工作？
John: How am I supposed to work without coffee? Good question.Coming up is the phrase that we introduced before we listened to the dialog, but let's go over the tones.
Dilu: 装修房子。装修，两个第一声。
John: Two 1st tones.
Dilu: 房子，第二声和轻声。
John: 2nd and neutral.So, to renovate an apartment.
Dilu: 对。装修房子。
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 03:49 AM
3:01
Dilu: 对。第三声。吵。
John: And his question was ...
Dilu: 让我们怎么睡觉？
John: So this 让 is 'let', 'make'. In this case its 'let'.
Dilu: 对。
John: So 'let us how to sleep'.
Dilu: 就是我们没有办法睡觉。你们太吵了。
John: Its kind of like 'how would you have us sleep?', 'how are we supposed to sleep through this?'.
Dilu: 这个 pattern 很有用。让谁谁谁怎么干什么？
John: So its a rhetorical question meaning 'we can't do this because of you'.
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 03:41 AM
2:36
John: And why do the Chinese like to answer that way? Because 我住在你们楼下 seems to be answering the question 'where do you live?' when the question is 'who are you?'.
Dilu: I am the one who 住在你们楼下.
John: So its a subtle difference, but learning these things makes your Chinese more natural.
Dilu: Anyway, 他的 complaint 是：你们这么吵，让我们怎么睡觉？
John: Remember 吵 is 3rd tone.
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 03:36 AM
2:02
John: So its banging, pounding.
Dilu: 然后他说：我是住在你们楼下的。
John: So it ends in a 的 and this implies ...
Dilu: 就是说：我是住在你们楼下的人。
John: So he is asked 'who are you', and he says 我是 the guy that lives under you.
Dilu: 对。我是住在你们楼下的。
John: Now in English we would say something like 'I live under you'. 我住在你们楼下. Could you say that in Chinese?
Dilu: 可以呀。可以这么说：我住在你们楼下。或者你就说：我是住在你们楼下的。
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 03:30 AM
1:31
John: So right at the beginning of the dialog, this guy hears some banging.
Dilu: 对。然后他就去找他的那些邻居，跟他们说：你们停一下，别敲了。
John: So this verb, the banging is ...
Dilu: 敲。敲。第一声。
John: 1st tone. So like bang with a hammer on the walls or whatever. Is that the same verb though for knocking on a door.
Dilu: 对。是敲门的敲。但是呢，敲门是用手，那这个敲应该是用 hammer。
Right-Wingnut
April 09, 2013 at 02:53 AM
John: Hi guys, I'm John.This is an Intermediate Lesson on ChinesePod.
Dilu: 你好，我是 Dilu。欢迎收听中文播客。
John: And today we address a widespread social problem affecting China.
Dilu: 是一个很严重的问题，就是装修房子的时候会很吵。
John: So when people are renovating their apartments, and specifically when your neighbours are renovating their apartments in China, it is very noisy.
Dilu: 非常吵。
John：So what can you say to them, what can you possibly do. If you listen into this dialog, you'll find out.
Dilu: 好。先来听一下对话。
0:36 - Dialog
Right-Wingnut
December 29, 2013 at 11:45 PMPDF of transcript here.