User Comments - auntie68
auntie68
Posted on: Chinese New Year Fireworks
March 12, 2008 at 12:27 AMYou're welcome. 上 (shang4) used in this sense is a very "Chinese" thing. Eg. you would refer to your classmates as 班上的同学 (ban1shang4de tong2xue2). It would sound completely weird if you used 里 (li3; in/inside) instead, as in 班里的同学. Please don't ask me why! Other examples: 船上 (chuan2shang4) = on/in the boat 社会上 (she4hui4shang4) = in society 世界上 (shi4jie4shang4) = in the world 海上 (hai3shang1) = at sea Unfortunately, I don't think there are clear, reliable rules to tell us when to use 上, and when to use 里. I could tell you that 上 seems to be more "abstract" as a location marker, whereas 里 tends to emphasise being physically inside something. But that's not really helpful, because Chinese brains seem to have different notions about what is abstract, and what is not! Good luck!
Posted on: Chinese New Year Fireworks
March 11, 2008 at 11:57 PMhi calkins. Does the phrase make more sense to you if you try splitting up the components in a different way: [车上] [人很多] (chē shàng rén hěn duō) Literally: [car/bus on board] [people very many] = "On board the car/bus, there are many people." My guess is that you half-felt the need for a 的 (de) somewhere because you understood the phrase in THIS way: [车上人] [很多] (chē shàng rén hěn duō) Literally: [the people on the car/bus] [very many] = "The people, who are on the car/bus, are very many" Now that (ie. latter) meaning would definitely require a 的 (de) to flow correctly in Chinese: [车上(的)人] [很多] (chē shàng rén hěn duō) = "The people, who are on the car/bus, are very many" Any better?
Posted on: Flowers and Bugs
March 11, 2008 at 11:16 PMzhangwawa -- สว้สดี! You don't have to do anything! And like everybody, you can post any question, or offer any Chinese solution, ไม่ตอัจเกรงใจ. Hope to see you.
Posted on: Buying Batteries
March 11, 2008 at 3:44 PMCasie is back! Yay!
Posted on: Embrace your Fears! 怕 (pà)...Adj
March 10, 2008 at 10:40 PMRJBerki -- I just saw your post above. "Nothing to pa but pa itself" - hee hee! How true. 胜 for 胜利 (sheng4li4; "victory)! Btw, don't worry about "the look". Going by the good questions you ask at CPOD, I bet you seldom get it any more these days.
Posted on: Embrace your Fears! 怕 (pà)...Adj
March 10, 2008 at 10:30 PMurbandweller -- I think that in Chinese, you would say that in a different way, ie as "I am not scared of X now." = 我（就） 不怕 "X" 了 (not sure whether the 就 is right...) or 我现在不怕 "X" 了 (wo3 xian4zai bu4pa4 "X" le) or 我已经不怕 "X" 了" (wo3 yi3jing1 bu4pa4 "X" le) or 我都不怕 X 了 (wo3 dou1 bu4pa4 "X" le) But since I'm not a native speaker, I hope that somebody from CPOD will correct my answer. The 了 (le) in those sentences is a "completive particle", not a past tense marker. I think that rich posted a very good explanation about how this works in this thread: http://chinesepod.com/lessons/london/discussion I totally agree with him that there is no past tense in the Chinese language! ;-)
Posted on: 八卦周刊：大闹现场
March 10, 2008 at 10:35 AMThanks RJBerki. "Protective" custody - yeah...
Posted on: 八卦周刊：大闹现场
March 10, 2008 at 9:48 AMBtw, CPOD, I really hope that Chinese libel laws bear no resemblance to the law of libel(s) as it applies in Common Law jurisdictions. Because in Singapore, the UK, Australia, NZ, the US and Canada, if you were sued for libel by either spouse, you'd probably have to "prove" that the affair was a true fact. That's going to be difficult if the station has imposed a "gag order"! The only thing in your favour would be the fact that you might be able to argue that ZWW is a "public figure", in which case HE'D have to show that you were publishing with a "reckless disregard for the truth". Scary stuff!
Posted on: 八卦周刊：大闹现场
March 10, 2008 at 9:18 AMPoor lady. I'm glad they didn't rough her up.
Posted on: Buying Batteries
March 12, 2008 at 12:35 AMobitodkenobi, my goodness you are truly a Mandarin Jedi Master! I love that.