User Comments - Kyle
Kyle
Posted on: Please let me through!
October 23, 2007 at 2:29 AMA common way of doing this is to say: 对不起,打扰以下. (dui4buqi3, da3rao3 yi2xia4) literally: excuse me, bother/disturb a moment
Posted on: Pricey Beer
October 21, 2007 at 1:49 PM@ riceeater Her tone of voice is actually on the politer side of what many Chinese would actually say/do in said situation. I personally find that many characters / voices are more or less devoid of emotion and natural intonation simply because such a "natural" influence may skew proper tones. But, maybe I'm alone this one....
Posted on: Yang Jie's Diary: Date with a Nerd
October 21, 2007 at 1:24 PMI'm being told that "computer nerd" is 网虫 (wang3chong2).
Posted on: Good Morning!
October 21, 2007 at 9:36 AM@ bluewater I highly recommend the New Practical Chinese Reader series as an intro to everything Mandarin. Good stroke-by-stroke introduction to writing, as well as practical dialogues to practice reading and build vocabulary. There are currently 5 volumes, with the 6th to be available soon (or so I've read).
Posted on: Gymnastics
October 21, 2007 at 9:31 AMThat could be a good "Dear Amber" discussion. Amber, you could bring in resident spiters and ask them what the deal is. Perhaps also a foreigner or two that has converted to "the dark side". I heard once that the Chinese believe that phlegm and whatnot is spat out because it doesn't belong in the body in the first place. We westerners swallow it out of courtesy, but may in fact be doing more harm than good. Perhaps a 中医医生 as a guest speaker to state some supporting evidence?
Posted on: Familiar Face in Jizhou
October 20, 2007 at 10:35 AMGreat to finally have the right word. Thanks, chinkerfly!
Posted on: Number Two
October 19, 2007 at 2:57 PMHow would one say "smart ass" in Chinese? I looked up facetious and got 爱开玩笑地, but that doesn't seem to quite catch all of the nuances.
Posted on: Driver's Licenses and Business
October 19, 2007 at 12:06 PMI really like the idea of doing a bit on 关系. It really is key to founding a successful business in China, particularly for foreigners.
Posted on: Where are you from?
October 19, 2007 at 4:50 AMI would think that as a beginner you would need as many resources as possible (e.g. pdf, flashcards, the fix, etc). It's the more advanced learners that may not need all of those extra features / crutches. Regardless, this is the best and most invaluable tool to boost your studies that you'll find. =)
Posted on: Pricey Beer
October 23, 2007 at 3:04 AMI'd think your rationale would lie in the fact that no local Beijing or Shanghai resident is going to stay in a 5-star hotel. The only people that stay in hotels in those cities, let alone 5-star hotels, are probably tourists, and foreign tourists at that. The same could be said for the surrounding night life and restaurants. Locals know where to go and where not to go for good deals and cheap beer. It's the tourists that generally don't know any better. It's also not beyond tourists to rationalize that a 100 RMB bottle of beer is "only" = x amount of American dollars and therefore justified.