User Comments - bodawei

Posted on: A Visit to the In-laws

poorctive, I love your styles.

Posted on: Merry Christmas!

I wonder if names become self-fulfilling prophesies in China; there is so much belief that the name will have an impact on outcomes in life, that it may indeed have an impact.

Posted on: Merry Christmas!

Hi Jenny

Thanks for that - I love the reasoning. And the saying.

Actually it makes good sense - it is natural to want these things for your children, a good education and a healthy body.

Posted on: Merry Christmas!

I'd like to have a stab at Sunix's Chinese name: 孙家斌

I am least confident of 家 because I find that the sound jiā is not too common in names. Of course I may have all three wrong. :)

My second choice would be 嘉 but only because it is a good sounding character.

Any comments on meaning? I know it is just a name, but 斌 is not uncommon and all I get from the dictionary is 同彬，彬彬有礼的彬 (suave, courteous, refined).

Posted on: Merry Christmas!

Not so much wrong as awkward and unnatural. Also, this zhu ni is normally written, not so much spoken. You write 'zhu ni shengri kuai le, but you just say 'shengri kuai le'. Same for 'sheng dan kuai le'.

Posted on: Merry Christmas!

Great show - like the mix of language and culture.  And interviewing people behind (and not so behind) the scenes is a good move.  Hey sunix (yeah I am one of your fans), I gather you were talking about 关羽 Guān Yǔ who in mythology wielded a 关刀 guāndāo (a big curved sword).  He came from 山西省 Shānxī Province.  Wikipaedia says that he was born in present day 山西运城市 (Yuncheng)。运城是你的家乡， 对吧？   

Posted on: A Special Christmas Gift

Definitely, a big part of the language, hence culture.

Since posting I have received this 'poem' from a couple of students, a QQ 'greeting card':

夜幕降临

月亮与我们一起

哼着圣诗

带上真挚的祝福

共度平安夜

Here 平安夜 translates as Christmas Eve.

I guess I should be helpful and translate but I am not too sure with such things. The first four characters I think is a 成语 ('nightfall' according to mdbg.) My take is:

Together on Christmas Eve

With the moon in the night sky

Singing a hymn

Brings us great blessings.

(I have changed the lines around of course.)

But of course yesterday was Winter Solstice - there was a large yellow full moon in the sky, close to the horizon at about 9 pm - spectacular.

And I heard on the radio today that 'Christmas' was (cleverly?) created as an embellishment of traditional celebrations of the Winter Solstice.

Living in China, and seeing that moon at this time of year, suddenly it makes more sense.

Posted on: A Special Christmas Gift

The classic Chinese Christmas gift is the 苹果 (apple). 平安 pīngān (peace) sounds like苹果的苹 pīng (apple)。

在圣诞节前夕我们可能和睦相处。。zài shēngdānjié qiánxī wǒmen kēnéng hémùxiāngchù

Christmas Eve is a time we can get on with each other in peace.

Posted on: Dad behind the Video Camera

Hi QiuXiang

There's nothing deeper going on. :) The verb follows 地 and precedes 得.

And in spoken Chinese they sound exactly the same anyway, at least when these characters are used this way to modify verbs.

Posted on: Don't Eat the Snow

Yes, I guess it would be tricky if your parents had given you three middle names. You might have to stick to your initials. :)