User Comments - bodawei

Posted on: Of Kings, Emperors, and Presidents

我觉得他们(Wikileaks)决心查出真相。 据我看来Julian Assange是一位真正的男人,诚实的，从今以后大概他大多数人同意他是勇士。 可是我理解这是争论的。

Posted on: Using a Character Dictionary

Ouch, don't get me in an argument about who's the laziest. I work one day a week and I've been thinking of ways to cut down my hours. I win.

Posted on: Of Kings, Emperors, and Presidents

哇。。真的吗？ 很厉害！ 你的话我一句也不信。 我知道你是友好的人，很和气的。 大概我跟你没有谈话了吧。

Posted on: Skincare: Moisturizing Cream

That's weird, I used the reply to jackfrombelgium link and it replied to dagah.

Ok, that one worked.

Posted on: Skincare: Moisturizing Cream

For sunscreen - I know from experience (say 18 months ago) there are a number of dictionary offerings that don't work. After floundering around I have used 防晒油 fángshàiyóu with success. (This is more a description than a translation of sunscreen). And you have to say 不要美白 if that is indeed what you want. Many of the sunscreen products then had whitening included.

I think that this is one of those words that hasn't settled down yet, but there is much more available now on the mainland, just in the last couple of years.

Posted on: Skincare: Moisturizing Cream

Now we want to know which verb you are talking about - care to share?

Posted on: Using a Character Dictionary

Yeah, I think you are right, used sparingly, and in the right hands. But for me, I am not good at using a popup (thanks for the word) sparingly. So I opt out. The brain is not that nimble. I just see this thing popping-up and my eyes are drawn to it. Somehow I can't translate a sentence while looking at a pop-up, which of course can't translate a sentence either. :) I also have a low tolerance for sub-titles. I can't read a ChinesePod dialogue properly because of the pinyin (now I routinely copy to Word and delete the pinyin, or just read on-line with the translation turned off.) If I get to a word I don't know I work it out or look it up. (Changye would say use a paper dictionary.) I now favour writing the character in my electronic dictionary because it is writing practice, but here's an interesting thing - I see some young Chinese favouring the pinyin input. Specially because most I know just use the dictionary on their phone. Sometimes I go to a paper dictionary - generally the 汉语现代词典. Actually my electronic dictionary has the 汉语现代词典 included, so the paper dictionary is now looking more like a doorstop.

Sometimes I combine reading and writing further - when a new notice appears in the xiaoqu I take a photo, put it on my netbook and then laboriously write the notice out by hand, looking up anything I need the slow way. I usually have a general idea of the message as soon as I read it, but I am trying to learn more about formal writing and so I model the notices.

Posted on: Using a Character Dictionary

You have missed my views expressed elsewhere on these pages about those applications.

Isn't MDBG free? Or maybe you mean something that runs all the time with a mouse-over translation? I don't like those at all I have to say, in most situations. Not enough to have one installed anyway - I tried one for a few days but it doesn't help my learning.

I was originally talking about reading hard-copy newspapers - it's a different experience from reading stories on line I think.

I do go regularly now to a city news website and check out stories that look interesting. The thing in China is that the news source in Chinese is so much richer than the English translations. Yesterday I was looking at stories about gays in the city - this is interesting because there is a lot of discussion at the moment about ways to encourage tolerance. Interesting in a context where we assume that there is so little tolerance. Officially and unofficially.

Posted on: Using a Character Dictionary

I like your (as usual) innovative speculation, but I was actually referring to B saying at the end of the 对话: 真是个急性子！我还没教你怎么查呢！

But by this time I imagine that A has given up trying to read newspapers. Actually, looking up characters will only get you only so far in reading newspapers. I would love a lesson about (a) 'headlines' OR 'the peculiar humour of the Chinese sub-editor', and (b) old Chinese grammar that seems to be thrown around in newspapers, um yeah, again, mainly in headlines. It can't be that hard, I see a lot of people reading newspapers who don't look that bright, my kind of people. :)

And .. thinking about rolled up newspapers hanging out of pockets, I would like a lesson on betting. A new betting shop has opened up just near our gate, and I reckon this is a great way to improve my Chinese (someone near and dear does not share my enthusiasm). I could go and bet with a 1 RMB limit (if that is allowed.) And I could be scanning the local rag to see if there are form guides.

Posted on: Using a Character Dictionary

At the end of this lesson we had the cliff-hanger; it seemed that 'Using a Character Dictionary - II' was a sure thing.  Now a year has passed... 

It's time to further our education on discussing radicals and the writing of characters.  

Maybe some character etymology (baba will be pleased.)