User Comments - bodawei

Posted on: Introduction to Pinyin

Thanks for the explanation on Dungan - sorry I came into this discussion late.

The rest of it I am still trying to get my head around, particularly 'pinyin alone is certainly sufficient. Hanzi is simply not needed to write Mandarin'. I get the feeling that you have discussed this at length somewhere and I am out of my depth. I can see in some kind of abstract way that the language can be represented in pinyin - but communication would be extremely difficult. No? It's not just a matter of emotion or aesthetics? This seems such an academic notion I'm not sure that I even grasp the point being made.

On a related matter, I had the experience of being in a Grade 4 classroom for a few hours on two consecutive Saturdays before Christmas. This is the year that kids start formally learning English. I was interested in the way that they easily wrote (and read) quite complex hanzi and happily discussed meanings. But they struggled with the pinyin. I wonder if this is something to do with hanzi being visual and pinyin conceptual? Using different parts of the brain? I think that kids are actually taught the pinyin with the hanzi so i don't think that it is a timing matter. Any comments?

Posted on: Introduction to Pinyin

Hmm - I don't think I get it. How does the Dungan example above 'completely refute those that say that Mandarin cannot be Romanized'? Of course Chinese is 'Romanized' by pinyin, but pinyin alone is insufficient - it does not substitute for Chinese characters. Dungan seems to serve the same purpose as pinyin does for Standard Chinese. Is there another point that I have missed?

By the way, this partially answers a question I have had for some time - to what extent are Chinese dialects other than Standard Chinese represented by their own 'pinyin'? I had come to believe that most apart from Guandonghua seem to use pinyin if required to roughly convey a guide to pronunciation. This seems to be an exception.

Posted on: Choosing a New Pair of Glasses

@wenjong

Many Chinese people harbour what we would think of as strange' ideas about the eyes and eyesight.  Eg. don't study under a bright light; Chinese people have worse eyes than Westerners because they study more - maybe there is a connection there?  :-)    

A few years ago I got a couple of new pairs of spectacles made in China at a big national chain.  I did have some language problems (initially the frames and the lenses were mixed up - my fault no doubt), and I think if I went again today I would still have problems, particularly talking with the optometrist in the testing process. There is a lot of relevant vocab to learn and then they will still use expressions you have not come across before.  But it was interesting to see similarities and differences in the process.   

The glasses were about one-fifth of the price in Australia for similar functionality.  If you buy 'foreign brand' name frames they will of course be priced similar to the price in the West.

Posted on: I see a thief!

I think it is simple as 给 gei here meaning 'for' rather than 'give'.

Wow, this new box is great - haven't posted for a while in 'Reply'. But I don't seem to be able to copy and paste, might be just me.

Posted on: Where is the Supermarket?

@paulbz

欢迎光临 huānlíngguānglín (welcome)

The whole sign means 'welcome' - in this case the English does not correspond exactly to the Chinese. 

It is commonly heard when you arrive at a shop and when you leave someone will say 慢走 mànzǒu (goodbye!)

PS. If you look carefully at the word Carrefour on the left of the sign you will see the three Chinese characters below.

Posted on: Why is everyone looking at me?

I stare at the guys who parade with their shirts pulled up above their nipples and their pot bellies pushed out. Anyone have any ideas about this behaviour? (The Chinese behaviour, not mine.)   

Posted on: 拥抱艾滋病人

I would like to link to one of my signs but the link function is unavailable here - it is greyed out (any advice?)  Anyway, I have posted under Groups/Signs/Notices a photo of an 'AIDS' poster I saw on the street here.  It links Drugs and AIDS - valuable, but not the whole story of course.    

Posted on: Can't Get to Sleep

为了治失眠，你应该去足疗! wei4le zhi4 shi1mian2, ni3 ying1gai1 qu4 zu2liao2.

(to cure insomnia you should go and get a foot massage.) Or so they say. The other day I asked for 治失眠的 and it costs three times the standard price! What is worse I had trouble sleeping that night.

Posted on: Office Lunch Options

I've had an error pointed out to me.

It is always 盖饭 here but 盖浇饭 and 盖饭 are different things. 盖浇饭 has a thickened 浇 (as the name suggests.) In some places the dishes appear separately on the menu.

Posted on: Where are you from?

Oh, I just realised that I'm being terribly unfair to pinyin. It is of course invaluable as a means of inputting characters on the computer or mobile phone. But capitalization is irrelevant there.