User Comments - auntie68
auntie68
Posted on: Taipei
May 25, 2008 at 2:17 AMOkay, you've tripped over something that took me a while to figure out for myself. The Chinese ü is keyed in as a simple "u" only where the sound is clear from the context (Eg. "qu"; would never be pronounced as "choo"). If there is any doubt (eg. 女 nü), then you have to type "v" instead of "u".
Posted on: Welcome to ChinesePod
May 25, 2008 at 1:50 AMDear pandaluver11398, I just want to say, "hi, welcome!" and also offer you a few extra good wishes. I don't know how old you are, but the New York Times ( http://www.nytimes.com ) has a wonderful series of features dedicated to international adoptees. Every single story that I read there concerning adoptees from Chinese orphanages tells a story of how much love the children received from their very loving and dedicated 阿姨 (a1yi2; "Aunties") who looked after them, and missed them after they were adopted. The staff turnover is high because of the very low pay for these ladies, but in the few cases where adoptees were able to track down their Ayi's, they seemed to have been recognized without fail because each child's face is etched in these ladies' hearts. My personal wish for you is that you will be able to make a meaningful connection one day with somebody who knew you in your earliest life, and you will be able to thank her in Mandarin that you have learned from CPOD. Perhaps that might be a useful lesson request... words for an adoptee to greet her former Ayi, thank her for her care, and assure her that she (the adoptee) is well and happy...
Posted on: Taipei
May 24, 2008 at 11:17 PMHi standuke. I believe Jenny was recounting the story of how she had a brief layover in Taiwan once whilst flying from Singapore (新加坡) to Hawaii (夏威夷；xia4wei1yi2) for a holiday (旅游; lü3you2) with her family? Hope that helps!
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Xinjiang
May 24, 2008 at 1:40 PMHello. This is a lesson about food, but I don't think it will hurt to share something about a very unique art form from this part of China. Namely, Chinese-style Arabic calligraphy. Unlike most traditional Arabic calligraphy, it's done with a horsehair brush, and the strokes are executed very quickly (like Chinese brush calligraphy, and unlike Arabic calligraphy, which is usually done with a reed pen). As an overseas Chinese who is now a newbie in Arabic, I really treasure the one and only piece of such calligraphy that I was able to afford, by this calligrapher: http://youtube.com/watch?v=cg7LHTlsI50&feature=related http://youtube.com/watch?v=WZ9FkAojVBs&feature=related This kind of art really does underscore what a melting pot the culture in China's Muslim West is. This style of Arabic calligraphy uses subjects that would be familiar to any Arab/ Muslim (eg. the "Bismillah"). Yet it reflects Chinese culture too, if the artist's comfort with the Classical Chinese poems that he recites in one of the video clips is anything to go by. Eg. I've seen one work where the word "Allah" was executed in a way that suggested the Chinese word "主" (zhu3; God or Lord). Hope this post isn't too far off-topic!
Posted on: When will he return?
May 24, 2008 at 3:35 AMOn my iPod/ iTunes, I find the transcript under the "Lyrics". Good luck!
Posted on: Taipei
May 23, 2008 at 12:25 AMlinreigu, I've never been to Taiwan before, and I seem to know nothing about Taiwan that hasn't been filtered through the NYT, but aren't those betel nut girls those chickbabes in micro-mini skirts who stand by the roadside (literally) stopping enormous trucks (truckers are their best customers)? And I'm quite sure I read a NYT feature about "naked sushi" being popular in some parts of Taiwan. As in the sushi is arranged on the nekkid body of a young chickbabe, instead of on a platter (she IS the platter)?
Posted on: Good Morning!
May 21, 2008 at 3:37 PMBut it can also refer to the early hours of the morning...
Posted on: Good Morning!
May 21, 2008 at 3:35 PMHi grenouille. 清早 is a very lovely -- and well-used -- Chinese expression meaning, "at first light (of day)".
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Xinjiang
May 21, 2008 at 12:53 PMlight487, do you like that dimsum dish called, char1siu1so4 in Cantonese? They're small puff pastry patties with a charsiu filling. Health/Religious warning: The puff pastry is made with pork lard, which gives the patties the "porky" flavour -- over and above the charsiu filling -- that Chinese people are nuts for. On the very rare occasions when my family goes to a dimsum restaurant for Sunday brunch, instead of our Italian friends' trattoria, my brother actually reserves two or three plates of the "charsiu so" right at the beginning to the meal, because we know they'll be sold out before noon. For once, the Cantonese sounds can be approximated with Mandarin tones, so maybe you can try ordering "char1 siu1 so4", just for fun, just to see how the waitress reacts. Provided the restaurant doesn't sell it openly (meaning, that they would have to ration it out between their Chinese customers), that would be a special order that they'd be really excited to make for you!
Posted on: Taipei
May 25, 2008 at 1:05 PM不用客气。。。