User Comments - John
John
Posted on: Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
February 8, 2011 at 6:36 AM若果我整天都学中文，进步也许很快，但我可能很快就不耐烦了。所以我平时想学就学，觉得累或者无聊的时候就换个活动，做点别的。
(That's my translation. Native speakers might do it slightly differently...)
Posted on: 给力
February 8, 2011 at 4:28 AMI think it's just borrowing from the structure of "believable."
给力 = gelivable
不给力 = bu gelivable = ungelivable
Posted on: Of Kings, Emperors, and Presidents
February 8, 2011 at 4:19 AMYeah, it's strange... the Japanese prime minister is 首相 as well. We need a Chinese expert on political nomenclature! (definitely not me)
The Baidu Zhidao page (http://baike.baidu.com/view/88925.htm) has this to say about 日本首相:
"内阁总理大臣，简称总理大臣、总理，通称首相，是日本内阁的最高首长，也是日本实际的政府首脑，领导各行政机关运作。"
This leads me to believe that 总理 as actually the proper term, and 首相 is just a conventional usage for certain countries.
Posted on: Chinese Baijiu and the Best of the Worst
February 8, 2011 at 4:14 AMWell, logically 姐妹 should have the same meaning, but I don't think it gets used much. We'll have to ask the female native speakers when they get back from the break.
Posted on: Chinese Baijiu and the Best of the Worst
February 8, 2011 at 4:11 AMAs I understand it, yes, 啥 is 什么 "squished together."
The same is true of 咋 for 怎么, 甭 for 不用, and a few others.
Posted on: Chinese Baijiu and the Best of the Worst
February 8, 2011 at 4:08 AM咱们 always includes the speaker as well as the person being spoken to.
我们 always includes the speaker, but may at times exclude the person being spoken to ("us, but not you").
The English pronouns "we" and "us" act like 我们; we don't have any common equivalent of 咱们 in English that I'm aware of.
Posted on: Chinese Baijiu and the Best of the Worst
February 8, 2011 at 4:06 AMYou are correct!
Posted on: Chinese Baijiu and the Best of the Worst
February 8, 2011 at 4:05 AMWow, "moldy rice flavor"?? Harsh! (I'm not a fan of "rice wine" either, though...)
Posted on: Chinese Baijiu and the Best of the Worst
February 8, 2011 at 4:02 AMYou're right; in this context it basically just means flavor. When you discuss baijiu, you can also talk about how "smooth" it is, or how much "bite" it has. The "bite" is often referred to as 辣, but you can use 口感 to discuss these sensations too.
Posted on: Good Morning!
February 8, 2011 at 6:57 AMNow I'm getting the same issue we are. We'll have to get to this right after the Chinese New Year holiday. Thanks for your patience!