User Comments - amber

Posted on: Salt and Pepper

hi edgar_brasil,

小姐 (xiǎojie) or (xiǎojiě), both pronunciations are acceptable.

Posted on: How's the weather?

hi user10405,

Yes, you can also say 击 (jī) for beating a drum, however, this is less commonly used than 打 (dǎ).

Posted on: How's the weather?

hi medenuevo,

Yes I work at ChinesePod :)

Posted on: How's the weather?

hi edgar_brasil,

We don't use 玩 (wán) when speaking of 'playing' instruments.  Different instruments take different verbs... here are a few:

弹吉他  (Tán jíta)  to play the guitar
弹钢琴 (Tán gāngqín)  to play the piano
拉小提琴 (Lā xiǎotíqín)  to play the violin
拉大提琴  (Lā dàtíqín)  to play the cello
吹萨克斯  (Chuī Sàkèsī)  to play the sax
吹小号  (Chuī xiǎohào)  to play the trumpet
打鼓 (Dǎgǔ) to play the drums

Also, 玩 can be pronounced either (wán) or (wánr).  Both are acceptable, sometimes it just depends on which region of China a person is from, how they pronounce it.

Posted on: 麻烦你 (Máfan Nǐ) to Say Please

hey Art,

You could say:

不行就是不行。Bùxíng jiùshì bùxíng.

or

你听不懂“不”的意思吗？Nǐ tīngbudǒng “bù” de yìsi ma?

Posted on: 麻烦你 (Máfan Nǐ) to Say Please

hey everyone, we have a QW coming up soon on the many uses of 请 (qǐng) as well!  So stay tuned...

Posted on: 麻烦你 (Máfan Nǐ) to Say Please

hi tvan,

麻烦你帮我一下。Máfan nǐ bāng wǒ yīxià.
请帮我一下。Qǐng bāng wǒ yīxià.

Both are natural.

Posted on: 麻烦你 (Máfan Nǐ) to Say Please

hi furong,

Often 麻烦你 (máfan nǐ) and 请 (qǐng) are interchangeable, as in the following example:

麻烦你帮我翻译一下这个句子。Máfan nǐ bāng wǒ fānyì yīxià zhège jùzi.
请你帮我翻译一下这个句子。Qǐng nǐ bāng wǒ fānyì yīxià zhège jùzi.

However, some set phrases aren't interchangeable with 麻烦你 (máfan nǐ), such as:

请进!  (Qǐngjìn!)
请坐！(Qǐngzuò!)

Posted on: Shikumen vs. Hutongs and Chinese vs. Western School

Hi martyang,

Thanks so much!  I knew there would be an expert amongst us. :D

Posted on: No Walking on the Grass

hi tmod5862,

Chinese doesn't really have an equivalent for 'coming out' in the gay sense.  Instead, they would just say something like:

他承认自己是同性恋。
Tā chéngrèn zìjǐ shì tóngxìngliàn.