User Comments - bababardwan
bababardwan
Posted on: Pregnancy Series 3: Prenatal Checkup
February 18, 2009 at 11:50 PMThanks for explaining that.I knew of 大夫 but for some reason thought of it as more archaic.But I take it from what you're saying that it is still commonly used but is more informal than 医生。Am I right then in supposing that 医生 is still the more common of the two or do most people switch to 大夫 after a while? Does the 医生 usually invite the switch?
One thing I'm loving about these expansion sentences is how characters from new vocab are also turning up in other words in the expansion.It's cool to learn,for example,遗传 for hereditary and then see how the 传 on it's own means transmit as in the fourteenth sentence of the expansion.This gives an insight into the derivation of the words [hereditary does have the transmit component in its meaning ].Or see how 信 from 信任 turns up in 相信 in the 8th sentence from the expansion.While believe and trust have similar meanings and are quite likely to turn up in the same sentence,it's happening so often that it seems like more than coincidence and another deliberate CPod effort to help us.谢谢你们
Posted on: Pregnancy Series 3: Prenatal Checkup
February 18, 2009 at 11:00 PMI see from mdbg that 西医 refers to a doctor trained in western medicine.Following on from this one might expect 东医 to refer to a doctor trained in Chinese medicine,but it's not listed under doctor in mdbg.I would have thought that 医生 was a general term for doctor without specifying east or west,but does the lack of 东医 suggest that 医生 does refer specifically to a doctor of Chinese medicine.I guess this was historically the case,but what about now? I suppose the waters are muddied too as some would be practicing both.
Some ultrasound surprises:
Cartoon here
Posted on: Where Do You Live?
February 18, 2009 at 1:46 PMHey guys.Somehow this convo made me think of referring to oneself in the 3rd person as seen in the Seinfeld episode "The Jimmy".I mean I know it sounds strange even in English,but do Chinese ever refer to themselves in the third person? Oh yeah,Bababardwan likes this clip:
Posted on: Where Do You Live?
February 18, 2009 at 1:11 PMCalkins,
I know what you mean,but because I'm not at a level to make it sound natural and in one sentence,I would have resorted to baby talk and tried to get it across it in 2 sentences:
我是美国人。我住在台北。
unless I used 和 to combine the two:
我是美国人和我住在台北。
But I know what you mean.You want something a lot smoother and more natural.
Changye,麻烦你帮我们？
Ah,I see you've already come to the rescue as we were posting at the same time.谢谢你我的朋友
Posted on: Pregnancy Series 3: Prenatal Checkup
February 18, 2009 at 12:41 PM糟糕;I ran out of editing time.I meant to add after:
I've never personally known a cow to brag
...[unless we're referring to the homo sapiens variety]
Ok,now I have come across a 牛 that's 吹牛ing here.
The closest I had come previously to encountering such a specimen was in one of my favourite martial arts spoofs,kung pow,here [warning;may be seen as poor taste in parts by some]
Addendum.Having listened to the audio for that last sentence in the expansion,I'm now wondering if there was an accidental typing error as there is an extra 不看来 which doesn't seem to be in the audio.Sorry,not being picky;I was just confused by the sentence.
Posted on: Pregnancy Series 3: Prenatal Checkup
February 18, 2009 at 12:18 PM我喜欢这个词 from the expansion:
“个个”。。for each and every one.Not to be confused with two first tones in 哥哥 for elder brother.
Hey,another great word from the expansion:
吹牛..to brag
Breakdown:
吹..to blow or blast
牛...cow or ox
I've never personally known a cow to brag [I would think of that more with a feline species,or maybe a monkey,or even a horse perhaps],but it conjures up a bull snorting...yeah,I can see it now.A great word for the year of the ox.
I'm wondering if anyone can expound this last sentence of the expansion?:
看来不看来不加班不行了
I'm wondering if anyone can expound this last sentence of the expansion?:
看来不看来不加班不行了
I'm wondering if anyone can expound this last sentence of the expansion?:
看来不看来不加班不行了
Initially I thought the: 看来不看来 structure was going to lead to one of those something bu something questions.But it doesn't end up being a question by the looks of things.3 bu's !! Does that make it a triple negative? Please explain.
Posted on: Pregnancy Series 3: Prenatal Checkup
February 18, 2009 at 11:18 AMPete,
Yeah,I realised what the idiomatic was likely to be and then this was confirmed with the pdf.As I say,I was just initially amused by my initial literal translation [and as it is such a special time for people,plus hormones,add in some underlying anxiety about everything being ok,and it is such a sensitive area anyway,people can naturally have heightened sensitivities at such a time.Add to this if you were not a native speaker and the potential for lost in translation...and you definitely have a recipe for some misunderstanding/upset.An area to tread carefully].But thanks for pointing out more specifically how to precisely tell the difference between a more open ended question and the direct.Makes sense,and that really helps.
The conflicting advice between the 医生 和 婆婆 was also amusing.You have to feel for the poor old 老婆 at this stage,though she seemed to handle it pretty well,mainly due to the degree of 信任 she had in her 医生
胎心肯定是太神奇了!!
Posted on: Pregnancy Series 3: Prenatal Checkup
February 18, 2009 at 11:06 AMThe literal word by word translation of this sentence made me laugh:
家里有什么遗传疾病吗
I realise what the idiomatic meaning is,but if it had come out in English as:
Your family has what hereditary disease?
..then this might not be taken so well in the west if stated like that [especially if you had another child [older sibling to the foetus] with you.In the sensitive it might be taken the wrong way that the doc thought you had an flk...perhaps even the result of some consanguineous arrangement]
Posted on: Pregnancy Series 3: Prenatal Checkup
February 19, 2009 at 12:20 AMjimijames,
Many thanks again mate.Well explained.I now understand 医生 is the formal more respectful title.Your comment:
"the term 医生 would be used so as to understand this Doctor is a Doctor of Medicine"
made me wonder if 大夫 [while also being informal] is a little indefinite at specifying a Doctor of Medicine.I know from mdbg that it can also be a minister of state[in pre Han states],but as this seems archaic,I'm wondering if 大夫 can have other interpretations that could thus cause some ambiguity.Could it be used for doctor of philosophy,or allied health professionals? I also have a feeling I've seen 医生 used for a psychologist or some other health professional,but I might be mistaken here.
我喜欢词“烦死了".听's like I don't "fancy" that.烦 from 麻烦 and 死 to die.To trouble or bother someone to death [or till they'd rather die].
Thanks for your patience jimijames.I hope I'm not 烦死了 ing you.