User Comments - John

Posted on: Taking a Shower

checkingoutchina,

Close!  You can say 听不到 (tīng bu dào) instead of 听不见 (tīng bu jiàn).

Posted on: 功夫之王

Lostinasia,

Sorry, but I hear "tian." Time for a study break? :)

Actually, 力捧 (lìpěng) here is more like "strong support."

Posted on: The Panda's Secret Wish

mattwhyndham,

You asked:

So, serious question, "pai zhao pian" can mean to take a picture or (less usually) to have a picture taken of one, right?  Same as in English, as in (of a not particularly photogenic person) "X doesn't always take a very good picture"?

That is correct. Actually, quite a few verbs in Chinese are like this. Another example is 考 (kǎo): you can test or be tested, using the exact same form.

Posted on: Is so-and-so there?

eunica,

You're right that 稍等 (shāoděng) is rather formal. It's most often used by those working in the service industry, so while the sentence 请你稍等，我想考虑一下 (qǐng nǐ shāoděng, wǒ xiǎng kǎolǜ yīxià) is possible, it's not likely. (The waitress isn't going to need time to consider whether or not she wants to serve you what you ordered, for example.)

And yes, 请你稍等 (qǐng nǐ shāoděng) is definitely more polite than just 稍等 (shāoděng).

Yes, you can definitely say 等一会 (děng yīhuì).

While there are no hard and fast rules for this, phrases tend to be grouped by meaning. So the sentence 晚点给你打电话 (wǎn diǎn gěi nǐ dǎ diànhùa) would be pronounced something like this: [wán diǎn] [géi nǐ] [dǎ] diànhùa)

Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 2: Welcome to the Team

lordstanley,

I agree that the American version of the Office is good in its own way, but I don't think it's better than the original. The original was actually believable (and was all the more hilarious for it), whereas in the American version the characters are slowly becoming parodies of themselves (the Homer Simpson effect). It's still funny... for now. But I have to say the original is superior, perhaps in part because it had a definite time limit.

Posted on: The Panda's Secret Wish

lostinasia,

Thanks for all the links!

You're absolutely right that the related lessons function needs to work better. This lesson makes a good reference point.

Posted on: The Panda's Secret Wish

shiqiangdan,

If you'll allow me to be shamelessly self-promoting for a moment, I once wrote a blog entry on humor in China: When Humor Runs Aground.

It might be the kind of thing you're looking for, but alas, it's not in podcast form...

Posted on: Taking a Shower

eiflerl,

Thanks! The sentence you're asking about doesn't come from this lesson, does it?

Anyway, there's no measure word because the speaker is asking which country: "哪国" (nǎ guó), not "which person." In other words, "which country are you from?"

Posted on: 为“龙”正名

Hi Advanced students!

This lesson has had some issues for a while, but it's fixed now. Sorry for the wait. Enjoy!

Posted on: Olympic Excitement

Just in case any of you forgot, we also have a Beijing 2008 Olympics mini-site.  Check it out!