User Comments - bodawei

Posted on: Ending, Completing, Finishing

Hi Baba

It does seem tautological doesn't it? But tautology is much less of an issue in Chinese than English. :) The more the better? The 了 still needs to be there, even just for balance, so I guess strictly speaking it is not a tautology.

I would say 作业做完了吗？ because I think it sounds better.

Posted on: A Stroll through the Hutongs

Hi Baba

'we don't all have your charming personality mate'

Nice one. :) I just reported this to my better half (I had to tell someone) and she said 'maybe he'd like to come and live with you'.

I have no idea what that means but anyway I am sure we would find a bed for you when you make it to China. :)

Posted on: A Stroll through the Hutongs

siheyuan are not exclusive to Beijing. Even way out in XinJiang people live in courtyard houses (but rather bigger than the BJ style.) I would think they are almost universal - I have seen them/stayed in them, in many places I have visited.

There are some 'streetscape' features that perhaps make the BJ alleys distinctive but these differences are pretty subtle, and the casual observer would not be able to tell whether they were in a BJ alley or an alley in another city. My view, I'd be happy to hear from others on the subject.

They are the life and soul of the country..

Posted on: National Day Holiday

I will go out on a limb and say I like the National Day celebrations here, way out west.  There are no tanks going down the road but they are probably a million people outside having fun till late at night.  The parks are full of people dancing and watching people dancing. Some people dress up.  It's pretty fun. 

Posted on: A Stroll through the Hutongs

'逛 guang collocates with several other nouns'.

Thanks for that Jenny. Once long ago my teacher asked for '100 words using逛' for homework. I came back with 100 collocations. Fortunately one other person in the class did the same thing as me, and we were both shamed. The teacher meant 'write a short essay using逛' - but my 听力 was deficient. Perhaps my common sense was also lacking.

PS. Don't join the hutong tours. You must go on foot and you will get lost, that is the point. I got lost, it got dark, and I asked an old man for directions who happened to be born in the hutong. He took me for a meal and I went home about three hours later. That is how I learnt several important things about China that I have never forgotten.

Posted on: A Stroll through the Hutongs

Probably all cities in China have alleys, and yes they have different terms - the word 巷 xiàng is common.

I'm wondering what you mean by 'is there another word for "alley” that's used for the not so distinctive alleyways in other Chinese cities？' Do you mean that you think other alleys are not as distinctive as hutongs?

I don't want this to sound like Beijing envy, because I love Beijing hutongs, but I also love lots of other interesting alleys in lots of other Chinese cities, including Shanghai. And my own city. And in 30 or 40 other cities/towns I've been in and enjoyed the 'alley' experience.

Posted on: Construction

RJ

You gotta be an engineer, right? I love it. Cement, concrete .. I've been correcting people for most of my life. Lost cause? Early in my haphazard career I made concrete using cement and coconut husk separated into fibres.

What about sewage and sewerage? That's a good one. I did a class last semester on (the economics of) sewerage systems (and to a lesser extent sewage) and looked up these words for a vocab list. I'm lucky to remember the Chinese for the duration of the class.

Posted on: Construction

Hey Jason

I'm wondering how the film Natural-born Killers title translates into Chinese - would it be 天生的杀手？　

Posted on: Construction

Hi Chris

Appreciate your comments on your method - actually it sounds very methodical and thus probably has much to recommend it. I fear that I am both haphazard AND somewhat behind. I guess my philosophy is that I can get something out of every lesson so I am almost indifferent to which lesson I do next. Doing them all in turn suggests a completeness that may be unobtainable.

Although contradicting that, I recently recovered a text book that someone had put out to pasture. Not one I used before. I plan to test myself in a way I guess.

I guess like for you living in China means we have fantastic everyday opportunities for learning though.

Posted on: Construction

RJ

Sounds a bit flowery for my part of China - a big truck is a 大卡车 here.

I think that could have been a little ChinesePod creativity - but good luck to them. :)

I did drive a dump truck about 50 metres once, fun. Then I drove a back-hoe into a deep ditch, less fun. And more famously I drove a tractor into a house; I bounced off and hit a caravan. (True story.) It cost me a weekend of labour trying to help repair the damage, plus loss of reputation.