User Comments - bodawei
bodawei
Posted on: Dialing a Nonlocal Phone Number
January 12, 2011 at 1:35 PMThanks Jason
Hmm, a reading of qing. If I get the chance one-on-one I will ask her about it..
Posted on: Dialing a Nonlocal Phone Number
January 12, 2011 at 3:15 AMYeah, but she was pronouncing '亲爱 qīnài' as qīngài. very strange.
I don't think you can use 情爱 as 'honey'.
But as tage says, maybe will come and enlighten us further.
Posted on: Subway Announcements
January 11, 2011 at 9:11 AM本 (original) also has a common application in 本部 (original, or old, campus). So where a Chinese university these days often has half a dozen campuses around the city, the old campus is referrred to as 本部.
Posted on: Dialing a Nonlocal Phone Number
January 11, 2011 at 8:41 AMHey Jason
I have a 'Dear Dorothy'.. hope you don't mind.
The other night I said to a non Chinese speaking friend (when he asked what he could call his Chinese girlfriend) that he could say '亲爱 qīnài'. His (Southerner) girlfriend overheard, and corrected me in front of a group of people. "No, no, NO, this 亲爱 qīnài is NOT a Chinese word. 'Ha ha ha' (she laughed), 'That is HILARIOUS! You MUST say 亲爱 qīngài!" She over-emphasised the 'g'. None of the other Chinese people present said anything, so I shut my mouth.
Okay, I didn't. I couldn't help one small sly comment.. I said, 'oh yes, even Chinese people sometimes make these 'n' versus 'ng' mistakes.'
What should I have said?
Posted on: Dialing a Nonlocal Phone Number
January 11, 2011 at 8:25 AMI don't know if there is a specific lesson, but it really is optional for room numbers. I fact, here 'yi' is more common. I still say 'yao' because it avoids potential ambiguity coming out of the mouth of a foreigner.
For years you should say 'yi'.
Posted on: Dialing a Nonlocal Phone Number
January 11, 2011 at 8:17 AM我的2G手机号码是14.. 是移动的。
Posted on: Dialing a Nonlocal Phone Number
January 11, 2011 at 8:11 AMHi John
Yes, I grant you the language value. I hadn't noticed this 外地手机 term before and thanks for that.
I guess you have established a reputation for authenticity in many of your lessons, which I appreciate, so when there is a clash with reality it is that much more obvious. (Who can forget the realistic sounding airline announcements lesson?)
Anyway, thanks for the feedback, glad you are listening to us.
While you're listening - how about a lesson on Android phones? :)
Locally I hear them being called either 机器的, or 安卓 anzhuo by the 多普达 DuoPuDa (HTC) people. Presumably a transliteration. You could have a couple of people discussing the experience of 谷歌。 :)
Posted on: Dialing a Nonlocal Phone Number
January 11, 2011 at 7:55 AMWhen calling a mobile phone from a landline I get the message in the dialogue, preceded by the English translation. The message you refer to I get when calling overseas using an IC 卡. You dial 17908 and the message is as you describe. Is that what you are thinking of?
Posted on: Chinatown Diary
January 12, 2011 at 3:31 PM'a fairly accurate transliteration of the "official" local name of the city.'
I think that transliterations of city names are kinda fun for native English speakers, but for Chinese speakers they do NOT generally function as a practical guide to the English. They are devised to fit the sounds available in Chinese. So when a Chinese speaker hears 'San Francisco' in English, they do not say 'Oh yeah, that sounds like 三藩市 Sān Fān Shì.'
Does anyone know any transliterations at all that would actually match the English and Chinese sounds? I have one that is close: 挪威 nuówēi (Norway). They are thin on the ground in my experience. (That should invite people who disagree to scratch around and find some.)