User Comments - RJ
RJ
Posted on: Hello and Goodbye
August 28, 2012 at 1:55 PMthere are 1.4 billion answers to every question in China, and they are all correct. Here is one view but I think its safe to say that "ni hao ma" does happen, but its not popular.
http://www.italki.com/groups/3423/topic/16095.htm
and here is John's explanation:
http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2011/09/29/a-greeting-with-training-wheels
Posted on: Preparing for the HSK
August 28, 2012 at 11:17 AMno you are not hearing things. I can definitely hear what you mean in this lesson. Kind of like she is tacking an "a" on the end as women do.
Posted on: Hello and Goodbye
August 27, 2012 at 10:18 PMmy understanding of it is that "ni hao ma" is not used as a greeting like in the US when we say how are you? or how's it going? It is a genuine question and is used this way. If someone really wants to know your status they will ask, but it is not used as a rhetorical greeting as the textbooks imply. So good friends with a genuine concern can ask ni hao ma? but it would not be used as a general greeting to a stranger or someone you do not know well.
Posted on: Manly Beards or Pretty Boys?
August 24, 2012 at 11:46 AMTo me a "boy toy" is a boy (young man) that is used as a toy (usualy by an older woman). A toy boy would be made out of plastic. Something children play with. To pronounce goatee the way it is apparently pronounced in Australia, would be spelled
'goaty" and would sound like baby talk to
an American. As does much of Aussie slang. John is an adult red blooded American. Oh and you said cpod was "playing up" on your browser, I assume you mean "acting up". Never heard playing up. Playing up is like kissing up. Brown nosing. And the list goes on.
Oh and just to be clear, I believe John caught and corrected himself, boy toy (or toy boy) was not the concept he was after.
Posted on: Manly Beards or Pretty Boys?
August 24, 2012 at 8:44 AMwell I think this is another example of UK vs American English. I have never hear it said "toy boy" but rather boy toy is very common and a quick google will confirm they have the same meanings.
Posted on: Manly Beards or Pretty Boys?
August 23, 2012 at 7:58 PMyes of course. I didnt mean to imply anything different. I just hate getting old any faster than need be.
Posted on: Manly Beards or Pretty Boys?
August 23, 2012 at 7:38 PMyes Podster,
it did cross my mind. I didnt want to end up looking like I had black shoe polish on my face however. Fake can be worse than gray, if you know what I mean. I think it would be rather high maintenance too, since a neat 一圈胡子requires a good trim every few days. I actually liked the salt and pepper look at first, but as it became more salt than pepper, I gave in and cut it off. I can always grow it back. Maybe it was just a temporary ailment of some sort. hehe. My mustache is going down the same path, but Ive had it since I was 17 and a mustache changes ones face more than a beard in my experience. Dont know if I could get used to life without it.
Posted on: Manly Beards or Pretty Boys?
August 23, 2012 at 1:28 AMI think women are about evenly split based on similar sentiments world wide, although China may slightly favor the clean shaven. My wife has always favored the beard, as did I, until it finally betrayed me by turning grey. Old trumps mama's boy I guess. I still catch grief for shaving it off.
Posted on: A Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
August 22, 2012 at 5:01 PMbtw, the voice acting and sound effects for this lesson were 5 star. Definitley one of my favorites. Nice work.
Posted on: What'll it be?
September 1, 2012 at 5:53 PMWell, that is a mystery. Other dishes such as 糖醋里脊 that are similar seem to have names that make more sense. 咕咾肉 is a Cantonese dish so as time has juggled recipe names back and forth between Mandarin, Cantonese, and English we may never know for sure, but here is a clue or two. The first website explains in Chinese that the pungent smell made one "grunt" to swallow saliva, or, that it could have meant "old meat". (that would require a different character for lao).
http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hant/%E5%92%95%E5%9A%95%E8%82%89
名稱由來
咕嚕肉的名稱有兩個傳說。第一個傳說指由於這道菜以甜酸汁烹調，上菜時香氣四溢，令人禁不住「咕嚕咕嚕」地吞口水，因而得名。第二個傳說是指這道菜歷史悠久，故稱為「古老肉」，後轉化成「咕嚕肉」
This fellow seems to agree with the "old meat" theory:
http://linuxhacker.ru/d/?q=node/53
If the menu stealer were still around, then we would know for sure but as it stands, I hand the baton back to you, for further research. I have run out of gas on this one.