Arrival in Jizhou

Apologies if I've mistaken allison for someone else here--I should have known from certain giveaways--but really can you blame me? Those socks all smell the same.

What you're doing is dumb enough already, why do it under a different identity? Afraid people here will think less of you or something?

Don't bother answering, just stay away. We're discussing Sebire's transcript here.

connie, 你太棒了！多谢！

接下来是这样的：

John: Desolate. Kind of oppressive and depressing.

Jenny: 嗯，比如说很小的村落啊，或者一个城市。我上次看一个纪录片，底特律，某些地方的底特律现在就很荒凉。

John: Detroit!

Jenny: 啊，对呀。

John: Detroit is desolate!

Jenny: 有些地方。就是汽车工业衰败，衰落了以后。

哎呀，我不希望如此！

Sebire, I think Jenny was just speaking 'off the cuff' when she said 上次. I'm sure she just meant 'recently'.

No need for (any further) drive-by spammers I hope.

我觉得 tal_ 新的名字是 "Tally baby" :)

I love life's surreal moments. Or should I say 我爱生活古怪的时候？

Interesting stuff, but I wonder if 我上次看的纪录片 is right. It's the 上次 bit. What would that mean? Before I watched the documentary for the first time? Hmm. We need a drive-by spammer to come and do something useful here.

你放心！She's probably had too much of that mushroom.

I wasn't even thinking of her up there--Too Many Names--but now feel like I've brought this on. God I hope she doesn't think that was a dig on her, some inside joke between you and me or something. Excuse me for shouting allison, but it was not! I would NEVER do anything so insulting to a poem like that. It spoke to me in a very personal way at a time I've been contemplating life and how short and overwhelming it is. None of us should have the time for these games.

呵呵, oh definitely, only thing is I'm what's generally known as a miserable drunk, hence I do all my drinking alone, hence I can only conclude the lovely allison is mistaking me for another. Ah well... on with the show.

That'll teach you to get drunk in dodgy bars and wake up with no memory of the previous evening eh?

Actually I don't have the remotest idea who you are or what you're talking about, but hey, have a nice day!

Hi Tally baby,

Are there any more people you'd like me to tell off?

You know I'd do anything for you hunny bunny.

Mwahhh

呵呵，you beat me to it zhen, I was just about to post again.

I think though that should be 某些地方，对不对？

Worth noting another frequent use for this character:

某人

My guess:

嗯，我上次看的纪录片，底特律——摹写（móxiě, also seen as 模写 my dictionary says）地方的底特律现在就很荒凉。

* edit--yeah I thought that first, not sure why I didn't stick with it esp. as I didn't hear any "de" after it. Guess you're right Tal.

So as not to waste a learning opportunity and explain why I made that mistake, 摹写 (模写) is "to describe, depict".

Hi sebire

That next sentence is about 底特律 - Detroit, but I'm afraid I can't catch all of it myself. Here's how it sounds to me (with blanks.)

Jenny: 嗯，比如说很小的村落啊，或者一个城市... 嗯，我想是 ？？底特律，？？地方的底特律现在就很荒凉。

John: Detroit!

Jenny: 啊，对呀。

John: Detroit is desolate!

Maybe Connie can help us out here?

Thanks everyone!

在日常生活中：in daily life

It's the right 中 sebire! This is one of those times when 中 has the meaning of 'in'. The line is:

但是讲在日常生活中啊...

It could be translated something like:

'But spoken in daily life...'

经常杭州被说成，还有苏州都是人间天堂

This just means something like: 'people often say Hangzhou, and Suzhou too, are like Heaven on Earth'. The Chinese like to say: 上有天堂，下有苏杭！

You're right, I just listened to the Piano Class lesson, and that seems a bit easier. Oh well, can't give up now I'm halfway through! I've got the rest of the series to do yet... :S

Here 生活 is the verb "to live", 着 indicating a continued state.

And I was missing the 在. Should be 对。那在这个地方呢，生活着一个少数民族。

被说成~ = "is said to be ~"

I'd never heard this either, but it sounded like this so I baidued it and found lots of results that made sense.

OK. Two questions. You have 生活着。I suppose that means "in a state of existence" ? Rather than 生活 which just means "life" or "living" as in "life's not fair" or "Life in London is busy"?

Secondly, what is 杭州被说成? I thought it sounded like that, but didn't know what it meant.

I listened again. Actually when John says it it sounds to me like Google not 谷歌；我已经 Google 过。Perhaps that's what he did do here?

Actually, I think it's the second Google that sounds like gugou, whereas John's sounds more guge. Ah, the joys of real speech!

Sorry but I honestly do think it sounds like guge guo ,but it's really subtle.

Gotta hit the sack,sorry .But now that I've had a look at it [up until the dialogue plays first time] I'm really impressed [particularly with that fast talk leading up to the first dialogue...some of that stuff is so hard to catch and I had to listen a few times but I think you nailed it]...I don't know what you were talking about....my jobs have always had way more holes in 'em.Keep up the good work. :) wan an

I did wonder that. However, do you think it sounds like gu gou guo rather than gu ge guo? I'm sure it is Google. Is it an alternative pronuncation, or am I deaf?

因该不存在。我？？

I think should be:

应该不存在。我进谷歌过 。。though I'm particularly unsure about 过

生活这【？儿？】一个少数民族

你google?以后存在吗？

。。。yep I think it's google,but in its transliterated form 谷歌

也没有。也是虚构【的】啊。

I see what you mean about the question marks...sorry,I misinterpreted

是 then a something then a 有, which makes no sense at all to me

...yeah,I'm not too sure either ,but I thought 讲 might be right and being used in the sense "to explain" and then the 有 makes sense because there has been a pause [acting like a colon :]

Hey, I'll have a proper look later.

I don't have a proper question mark convention either, my first question mark is actually refers to the 讲. I can't tell whether I am hearing jiang, zhang, zhe yang or what. I am mainly confused because there is a 是 then a something then a 有, which makes no sense at all to me, so I am assuming I have no idea what the 2/3 characters before the 有 are.

是讲(?)有四个人

Typically, I don't do a proper transcription as such, I often miss out little 对s etc. For me, that takes time and I don't gain anything from it. I need to understand the main sentences, and learn the new vocab.

I think this is a really hard lesson. I hope this rumour about it being easy is a lie, otherwise I'll never get to UI!

啊，谢谢你分享那首诗，很精悍。

Hmm... there's another title for my reading list! Certainly easy to collect names in life if one isn't careful! I am trying to find my voice again sis, what I need is more hours in the day!

PS. Okaay, beautiful. Gonna have to reflect on that though. I'll give you another in return.

We miss hearing from you I mean.

Of course you're entitled to go quiet too.

(Pablo Neruda's Too Many Names seems particularly relevant to me now, thanks again.)

Hey my friends, don't give up on me so quickly! Trust me I'm always around here someplace, even if I go quiet! Truth is I have been pretty busy and self-absorbed recently, so haven't had much time for these boards, been trying to study seriously when I've got the time. Great to see you guys though!

就是。。great to see you tal. Don't give up on the community mate. :)

I like it. I'll send it to my friend who thinks mountain climbing is pointless.

Hey 好久没见你 Tal——I was wondering if we were ever going to see you back here.

Thanks for bringing us the poem (and the great link).

Don't be a stranger!

Only had a quick glance sebire, but it looks like you're off to a sterling start. If I get a chance later I'll see if I can work out anything or not,but for now I've gotta dash. Jiayou :)

Hey guys,

This is what I have done so far. Please don't laugh! Arrival in Jizhou - first draft. Tal, I haven't added your key words down there yet, but you've solved at least one mystery that bugged me a lot!

Also, I don't usually bother transcribing the English accurately, so I hope that's not too annoying.

What a great idea sebire, I'm very fond of that Jizhou series, it'd be great to see it back in the spotlight. (I've toyed with the idea of transcribing it myself more than once.)

I'll go through the podcast again later and make some notes. In the meantime if you do decide to just go ahead and 'publish' what you've done on the web, I second baba on the concept of collaborative effort to 'chip away' at it to get it right, something I'd be glad to help out with!