HI

haha oops my bad- i meant some ppl might have already been scarred from a damage in theat sitch. not scared. well some might be. .. idk??

it also depends on how close u r- if u just became friends and u guys are lets say -awkward- then yea it will be imbarrassing- and girls get there feelings hurt ALOT. even if ya don't mean anything. like maybe if ur boyfriend and girl friend and the girl tells the guy that he has gained some weight, its not that big of a problem. but if a boy tells a girl that, he is most likely to get slapped.lol sorry guys thats the way the dice rolls.

it also depends on populatiry in some countrys. some ppl think that the people telling them arn't worthy enough to come to the conlusion that he or she has gained weight. they might be offended- or have been offended and has already benn left a scare. i'm just guessing this. :)

Hi rjberki,

Point taken. I wouldn't recommend telling any ladies directly that they have 丰满了. My phrasing was not clear. Really, the phrase is best used for talking about someone, especially someone you know and like, as it sounds better than saying 她胖了. 

Men are a little different. Telling a man that he's gained a bit of weight (or showing concern by saying how thin he looks) is definitely not rude. More often than not the person will agree, and then tell you why they have changed.

But if you're speaking to a lady, it's best to stick with compliments about their complexion, etc.

gosh SO many ppl! hehe

Haha, welcome to CPod and the CPod community!

some women don't care what guys say- light 487, BUT some are so self concience that they will die if u say it, i guess it depends on what she is like. I think the news said that 87% of people around the world are over weight (YOUCH!) but they just spes. mean only about 5 or so more pounds over than the usual weight of there age.

but honestly- who cares, we ALL gain weight once in a while. in less ur a stick. :)

greetings from, Jlynn B.

wow- even typing chinese looks scary, haha i dont think that i will be fluent, but ill try. :)

gosh SO many ppl! hehe

-Jlynn

rjberki, very true...did you find out about it the hard way?  ;-) (just kidding...)

hey Pete,

 I dont care where you are, pointing out that a woman has gained weight is very dangerous and not a good idea. I was surprised in China how conscious the young girls are of their weight, and how many are on perpetual diets. Chubby may have once meant prosperity, but thin is in.

Hi light487,

It's not really rude, especially if you are talking about her rather than to her face...Traditionally it was very hard to be fat, so a little bit of chubbiness was a sign of prosperity. When talking to older ladies, I guess the best is the old stand-by, 阿姨的气色很好啊！

So it wouldn't be taken as rude then? I know lots of women who wouldn't be too happy with me saying they have put on weight.. haha..

And if a middle aged woman has become a bit chubby, you can say 她丰满了-- abundance and satisfaction.

Hi excuter,

You are right. Just like henning, a happy life easily makes you fat. And that is why people sometimes say "你发福了(ni3 fa1 fu2 le)" to mean "You've gained weight!" in China. This is much better than just saying "你胖了".

Cassie 我是说他肯定不减肥所以头像不更。。。henning的太太给他做饭吃所以他吃，他吃他不减肥没办法^_^

Yeah. Curry probably is the 3rd most popular indian offering after Yoga and bollywood :D

Sanskrit is actually taught in schools here in India but is not pursued by many as its hardly spoken . 

Hi vikram,

Thanks for the intriguing etymologies of "avatar", which makes me realize again the close relationship between Sanskrit and European languages. Furthremore, your comment just reminds me of the name of a curry shop run by an Asian Indian in my hometown in Japan. It is "Krishna". They serve a real naan and curry! Japanese people LOVE curry.

Hi bababardwan,

I got it. They are Kongzi (孔子), laozi (老子) and Buddha (佛陀). How gorgeous the scroll is! It's as gorgeous as a 孙中山-毛泽东-邓小平 scroll.

Talking of avatars, here's a interesting origin to the word:

An avatar is a computer user's representation of himself or herself, whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games,^[1] a two-dimensional icon (picture) used on Internet forums and other communities,^[2][3] or a text construct found on early systems such as MUDs. It is an “object” representing the embodiment of the user. The term "avatar" can also refer to the personality connected with the screen name, or handle, of an Internet user.^[4]

In English, the word has come to mean "an embodiment, a bodily manifestation of the Divine." However, the Sanskrit word Avatara means "the descent of God" or simply "incarnation." The term is used primarily in Hindu texts. For example, Krishna is the eighth avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu the Preserver, whom many Hindus worship as God. The Dasavatara are ten particular "great" incarnations of Vishnu.

hi bababardwan,

谢谢！

yeah, when you change you avatars, all you old posts will show the latest one! What's vikarm?

Hi Cassie

Vikram is an Indian name. 哈哈. A way too common one here in India.And my Avatar is the picture of Lemmy Kilmister, the lead singer of the heavy metal band Motorhead :d 

G'day changye,

I'm surprised you don't know the famous scroll painting[only because you are so knowledgeable;but hey ,ever since Leonardo da Vinci,the explosion of knowledge has meant no-one can know everything,not even changye,so thank goodness for the internet hey ].I love the story behind it.Yes,Confucius is right but the other 2 are not his disciples.They are 2 other very famous people in China's history.Whenever I show my friends this painting ,I like to get them to think about it and see what they can figure out by themselves.But if you want the answer right away it is here. Another interpretation is given here.I agree a photo of a woman would certainly be better than one of me,but perhaps when you read the links you will see that I am content with my current avatar.

Hi Cassie,

Your avatar really cheers poddies up, especially encourages a middle-aged Japanese man who keeps a chubby dog in northeast China, hehe. I always look forward to seeing your new avatar.

Hi bababardwan,

Who are the tipsy guys in your avatar? Confucius and his desciples? I just hope that you will use a photo of your girlfriend for the next avatar!

cassielin,

To reiterate,in the same vein as henning,I will update my avatar just as soon as I'm wiser than the 3 guys in my current avatar put together.It's only been about 2 and a half thousand years since they've been around ,so you've gotta give me a bit more time.Besides,I'm not as good looking as those guys either...[yikes!]...

So bababardwan,when will we see you picture?  I notice that you are one of the most active users on cpod recently!

excuter,

你是说henning的太太不再给他做饭吃吗？那样不是很可怜！

Thanks bazza, next time if I get a chance, I will try to be cool!^_^

cassielin says
13 minutes ago

bababardwan,

It's coincidence!  But I think vikram's new avatar is cooler than mine!^_^

You'll always be cuter though. ;)

cassielin 等Henning 减肥没用。他的太太不站作吃饭所以他不站吃而且他不用也不要减肥 ^_^

cassielin,

I won't enter into that one,but if you think so then perhaps you could don a cowboy hat or perhaps even try and outcool vikram in the dressup stakes...

bababardwan,

It's coincidence!  But I think vikram's new avatar is cooler than mine!^_^

cassielin,

thanks for explaining;nice to have the updated one.Vikram's new avatar can be seen on the discussion about vocab tour of the office which is here.

In the same vein as henning,I will update my avatar just as soon as I'm wiser than the 3 guys in my current avatar put together.

哈哈，henning, 你真幽默！

我很期待看到你的新头像！^_^

I will change my avatar as soon as I lost 15 kilograms.

:)

hi bababardwan,

谢谢！

yeah, when you change you avatars, all you old posts will show the latest one! What's vikarm?

The last avatar was taken two years ago and this one was taken last night! Just want to update! ^_^

Hey cassielin,

New avatar ! Very good.I just noticed that this also changes the avatars on all your old posts.Also vikram changed.Is that just a coincidence or is it a significant time to change?

ps huan1ying2 [welcome] jesslyn B

Hi jesslyn

You made the right choice! Chinesepod is the best! And chinesepod users are good learning partners！ Have fun learning here! Nice to meet you!^_^

Welcome Jesslyn,

I think it's very commendable that you've taken the initiative to learn what's made out to be the "scariest" language out there.  Actually, Chinese isn't that scary at all and this is a great place to start!

I wish I would have started studying at your age but I didn't have the guts yet. I'd probably be fluent living somewhere in Taiwan by now. 

加油！jiā yóu！

I'm still a long long way from fluent, sometimes I feel I'm not progressing at all but I guess it very slowly sneaks up on you.

Bazza. You have been quicker than that...

:)

Good luck, you'll probably be fluent by the time you're my age (32). :)