User Comments - Purrfecdizzo
Purrfecdizzo
Posted on: "Thinking" in Chinese: 觉得 (juéde), 认为 (rènwéi) and 以为 (yǐwéi)
August 28, 2012 at 5:33 PMHere is my effort at a summary of the sample sentences and ideas in this Qingwen lesson, but please feel free to provide corrections if you spot mistakes. I am not too confident of the accuracy.
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# 觉得 vs 认为
more conversational more formal
以为
used when someone originally thought something, but later realized they were wrong.
#1
我觉得我很漂亮 more conversational
我认为我很漂亮 sounds stronger, more
confident
#2
我以为我很漂亮但是我看了照片以后觉得自己不漂亮
I thought I was very beautiful, but after looking at a photograph, realized I wasn't.
#3
我觉得他爱我 I think he loves me
我认为他爱娃 Im certain he loves me
我以为他爱我可是他不爱我 I thought he loved me, but
in the end, he didnt
#4
因为中国人认为吃辣_ _ (see note below)青春痘 {Amber should be careful
about eating spicy foods} because
Chinese people think that spicy food
causes pimples
(Two notes for example #4... 1st, sorry, there are two characters I could not quite understand. They are indicated by the two underscores. I played the mp3 several times and it sounds to me like she is saying 'guìzhàng' but I couldn't figure it out. If I had to guess, I might think she may have said 'huìzhǎng'会长, but honestly, I really don't know. 2nd, 觉得 can also be used in this example.)
#5
爱因斯塔认为什么什么。。。 Einstein believed that ....
#6
你觉得在Chinesepod上班开心吗 Are you happy working at
Chinesepod?
#7
你觉得中文好学吗 Do you think Chinese is
easy to study?
原来我以为中文很难，其实中文很简单 Originally, I thought Chinese
was difficult, but it is actually easy.
Posted on: Hello and Goodbye
August 28, 2012 at 3:47 PMI don't hear it used much around here in Baoding. I have heard it used as a greeting though, mostly in large cities with a larger expat population. For example, when I was in Dalian, some of the venders would say to me 'ni hao ma'. My theory is that they know that is what many foreigners learn, so they want to use language that we are likely to understand. Actually, I think 'chi fan le mei' is more common than 'ni hao ma', but 'chi fan le mei' is something that is somewhat more personal.
Another greeting you will likely hear frequently is "Hello!". It is usually shouted from across the street by some Chinese person who you have never met before.. Anyone who has lived in a small city in China will probably relate to this.
Posted on: Commuting Options
August 28, 2012 at 5:08 AMI was actually requested to put my seatbelt on for the first time last month. I was a bit surprised. The driver explained to me that it was the result of a new regulation that had recently passed in that town. I can't remember for sure, but I want to say that I was in Ganyu, in Jiangsu, but it may have been a different city.
Posted on: Talking about Illness
August 28, 2012 at 2:19 AMHey guys, I have a question, and I can't seem to find the answer on my own, hope someone can help. What if I am in a situation where I was sick, but now I feel better, how could I naturally express this in Chinese? Is there a construction that I can learn that can be used in many situations like this? I.e.,
Last year, I was injured, but I have since recovered.
before, I was heartbroken, but now I am OK.
Yesterday, I was sick in bed, but today I am much better.
Thanks,
George
Posted on: Buying Goods from Abroad Online
August 28, 2012 at 2:02 AMI learned a new English word as the result of this lesson =)...
Transship: 1) To transfer something from one vessel or conveyance to another for onward shipment. 2) (of goods) To be transferred from one vessel or conveyance to another for onward shipment.
Hope this is helpful.
George
Posted on: Commuting Options
August 27, 2012 at 3:29 PMI also read the article found in the link above, and here are some thoughts;
1. 13 million new cars were sold in 2010, does not necessarily mean that there are 13 million new drivers. I can mean this, but not necessarily so.
2. I don't know if it being a status symbol or not plays a role, it may or may not. I guess I don't have an opinion on this.
3. I have seen traffic rules enforced, and maybe it is just me, but I think that the quality of driving has improved in the three years I have been here (or maybe I am just not sensitive to the differences).
When I first started dating my ex-girlfriend, she used to scare me with the way she drove. I felt it was very aggressive, far more than I would have been, and I felt nervous. I don't think I should get a license here, I am too cautious.
Most of the complaints I have about driving are minor things, like horn honking. In some places, it is as if they use their horn as a worry stone. Everytime they see someone on the road, the honk the horn. Then you get the people who are just complete douches, but I have had my bouts of douchieness myself, so I guess I have no place to complain.
The other thing I wanted to comment on was about the idea about the role of safety and driving culture (bodawei's comment above). I notice as well that Chinese people have a very strong sense of safety and security. Actually, I think this is true everywhere. The difference isn't in the fact that people don't appreciate safety, it is just that we have different ideas about what is safe and unsafe. For example, last month, I went on a bike trip and I was riding through Jiangsu province, and I ended up in Lianyungang. I booked a hotel for the night, then the next day I asked a police officer how to get to the highway so I could head north to Ganyu. The policeman went on to explain how it was too far and that I had better not try riding my bike to Ganyu because it is too dangerous. From my perspective, I figure that the most dangerous part is the ride through town. Once I get to the highway, it is pretty safe, because I am not dealing with other commuters (Im not speaking just about China, this is true in my home country as well). Chinese people sometimes make comments about the things I do because they seem unsafe, or even dangerous. My exgirlfriend told me not to drink cold liquid in the morning because it would make me sick. She would alway play it safe and heat her milk up in the morning before drinking it. I didn't bother to explain to her that I used to drink cold milk every morning as a child.
Yeah, the driving here sucks, but it is improving, and my attitude toward it is changing.
Posted on: Negating Verbs: When to Use 没有 (méiyǒu), When to Use 不 (bù)
August 27, 2012 at 1:42 PMI want to take a shot at this (at the risk of talking out my .... so please forgive me if I am way off the mark). When I read your example, I can see that the event occured yesterday, so one would think that the rule should be to use 没有 but actually, here we are talking about a situation where 他 is not there in each case. I think, and please forgive me if I am wrong, that the reason is that the 不 is not describing one instance, but all instances. 我昨天找了他很多次， 他（所有的次）都不在. Anyone else with a take on this question?
Posted on: Name-Calling, Chinese-Style
August 27, 2012 at 11:03 AMOK. Got it.
Posted on: Commuting Options
August 26, 2012 at 1:43 PMI know that routes can vary widely within a city as well. Some are crazy (in terms of crowding), others are not as bad.
Posted on: "Thinking" in Chinese: 觉得 (juéde), 认为 (rènwéi) and 以为 (yǐwéi)
August 28, 2012 at 5:40 PMI have a question about this lesson. It is about Amber's use of the Chinese word 简单. I learned that this word means 'simple' in English. She used it to mean 'easy'. In my mind, simple and easy are not the same, Although sometimes, something can be simple and easy.
Does 简单 mean easy as well as simple? If so, how method could I use to determine whether I should use 简单, or 容易? Up to this point, I have been using 简单 in cases where I mean 'simple' and 容易 in cases where I mean 'easy'.