User Comments - bodawei

Posted on: Pinyin Sections 3-4

This series I think is useful stuff but learners need to remember two things:

- there is a great variety in how Chinese people pronounce Chinese words, and

- some Chinese people (like non-Chinese people) have speech impediments. 

i learned about the speech impediments the hard way. One day in a '3rd tier' city I had a taxi driver who I had great difficulty understanding (more than usual.)  I started repeating the bits I couldn't understand and asking for an explanation. This happened a few times and each time I did it the driver went red in the face and yelled the words back at me.  Suddenly to my horror I realised that he had a bad lisp - I was lisping all his lisped words back to him.  I then was terribly embarrassed but the damage was done.  He pulled to the side of the road and ordered me out of his car.

Posted on: Pinyin Sections 3-4

There are native English speakers who have trouble pronouncing the letter 'z'!  :-)  [It is of course pronounced 'zed' outside North America.  Listening to John reminds me of when our kids watched Sesame Street, the only time I heard this weird pronunciation. 

Posted on: Traveling around China

dunderlumken

I guess I might have been too optimistic but I join the voices saying that it can be a fun experience.  Those waiting in long lines may chew pumpkin seeds so the floor becomes a mat of pumpkin seed husks!  Many in the line will offer you help; sometimes you have to fight to keep the helpers at bay. 

You should also note that you can usually only buy two or at most three days ahead (the rules can change daily).  Even more strange is that you can only buy at your point of departure or at your desitnation (if you know what I mean.)  Also, you need to check that you are in the right line (check destination carefully or ask a security guard - I have always found the 'baoan' helpful.) 

There are agents everywhere who will buy your tickets for you, but that sometimes takes the fun away! Fancy hotels will charge quite a lot to buy your tickets.  Our university had an agent who got your tickets for a small fee; useful if the alternative is a long trip into the city.  But in the cities, the railways also generally have several ticket outlets in the suburbs - that is where I generally went by choice (shorter lines.) 

Also fun is getting your money back for tickets you are not going to use - there is a window for returns and I found it very efficient, refunding right up to the minute your unwanted train leaves (there is a small admin charge.) 

Posted on: Traveling around China

@dunderklumpen

Keep it simple - it can be intimidating because the staff can be hard to hear behind the glass and they may have not yet done their Customer Service training!!

[我要买]

明天下午三点从‘A‘到‘B‘硬座车票 (tomorrow afternoon 3pm from A to B，hard seat)

they will say 没有 (none) if there are no seats.   

or they may say 只软座 ruan zuo (only soft seats available).

They will then say the time of the service 三点一刻 (a quarter past three) and you have to say 好。。

then they will tell you how much - don't worry too much if you miss this exactly, just hand them what you think it is approximately.

Posted on: What Would You Like to Eat?

@troll

I'll have a go for you - hopefully more knowledgable poddies will step in if I have it wrong.

法国餐, 法国菜 and 法国饭 do mean different things

法国餐 - a cuisine, usually a national cuisine.  法国餐 (French food), 中餐 (Chinese food)， 西餐 (WEstern food).  It is also used for 快餐 (fast food - almost a cuisine), or a 野餐 (picnic - another kind of cuisine.）  More generally, it refers to a kind of meal, as in  午餐 (lunch).  It is also used, formally, to refer to an actual meal 一段美餐  (a beautiful meal.)  

法国菜 - a meal (and also cuisine but only in a regional context, not a national context - see below).  Although the text translates as 'do you want 'French food' it really means in this context 'do you want a 'French meal'.  You could also say 法国餐 - but the sense might be more 'do you like French food?' with the implication of 'do you want to eat it tonight?'    

法国饭 - I think this is close to 法国菜 but it does sound strange to me, perhaps because we are used to hearing 饭 in the context of Chinese food. 

中餐 - Chinese food.  China has many regional cuisines but you generally use 菜 rather than 餐 when referring to a regional cuisine.  You don't say 浙江餐 ； you say 浙江菜 for Zhejiang cuisine. 

Posted on: My Scooter Won't Start

＠ｍｉｋｅｉｎｅｗｓｈｏｔ

Ｗｅｌｌ　Ｉ　ｈｏｐｅ　ｙｏｕ　ａｄｍｉｔ　ｔｏ　ｓｏｍｅ　ｉｎｔｅｌｌｉｇｅｎｃｅ　ａｎｄ　ｄｉｌｌｉｇｅｎｃｅ　ａｔ　ｌｅａｓｔ　：－）．　Ｉ　ｈａｖｅ　ｎｅｖｅｒ　ｇｏｔ　ｉｎｔｏ　ｔｈｅｓｅ　ｔｈｉｎｇｓ　－　Ｉ　ｓｈｏｕｌｄ　ｉｎｆｏｒｍ　ｍｙｓｅｌｆ　ｏｆ　ｍｄｂｇ　ａｎｄ　ｗｈａｔ　ｉｔ　ｄｏｅｓ．　（Ｃｕｒｒｅｎｔｌｙ　ｉｔ　ｗｏｎ＇ｔ　ｌｅｔ　ｍｅ　ｉｎ．）

Ｉ　ｇｕｅｓｓ　ｔｈｅｒｅ　ｉｓ　ａ　ｐｏｓｓｉｂｉｌｉｔｙ　ｔｈａｔ　ａ　ｍｏｔｏｒｂｉｋｅ　ａｎｄ　ｓｉｄｅｃａｒ　ｉｓ　ａｌｓｏ　ｃａｌｌｅｄ　ａ　三轮摩托车，　ｂｙ　ｐｅｏｐｌｅ　ｗｈｏ　ｈａｖｅ　ｆｏｒｇｏｔｔｅｎ　ｗｈａｔ　ａ　ｓｉｄｅｃａｒ　ｉｓ，　ｏｒ　ｄｏｎ＇ｔ　ｃａｒｅ　ｍｕｃｈ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｄｉｆｆｅｒｅｎｃｅ！

Ｔｈｅｒｅ　ｉｓ　ａ　ｒａｐｉｄｌｙ　ｅｘｐａｎｄｉｎｇ　ｍａｒｋｅｔ　ｉｎ　＇ｔｒｉｋｅｓ＇　－　ｐｏｗｅｒｆｕｌ　ｔｈｒｅｅ　ｗｈｅｅｌｅｒｓ．　　Ａｇａｉｎ，　Ｉ＇ｍ　ｎｏｔ　ｇｒｅａｔｌｙ　ｉｎｔｅｒｅｓｔｅｄ　ｉｎ　ａ　ｖｅｈｉｃｌｅ　ｔｈａｔ　ｉｓ　ｆｏｒｃｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｓｔａｙ　ｕｐｒｉｇｈｔ　ａｌｌ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｉｍｅ．

Posted on: What Would You Like to Eat?

＠ｂｏｂｈｅｒｏ

Ｉ　ｗａｓ　ｉｎ　Ｊｉｌｉｎ　Ｃｈａｎｇｃｈｕｎ　ｉｎ　２００７　－　ｖｅｒｙ　ｎｉｃｅ．　Ｉｔ　ｗａｓ　Ｊｕｌｙ　ａｎｄ　ｔｈｅ　ｓｋｉｅｓ　ｗｅｒｅ　ｖｅｒｙ　ｂｌｕｅ．

＠ｂａｒｂｓ，ｃｈａｎｅｌｌｅ７７

Ｔｈｅｒｅ　ａｒｅ　ｌｏｔｓ　ｏｆ　＇Ｆｒｅｎｃｈ＇　ｃａｆｅｓ　ｉｎ　Ｃｈｉｎａ　（ａｎｄ　Ｇｅｒｍａｎ，　Ｉｔａｌｉａｎ，　Ａｒｇｅｎｔｉｎｉａｎ，　Ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ，　Ａｕｓｔｒａｌｉａｎ　等等）　ｂｕｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｖａｓｔ　ｍａｊｏｒｉｔｙ　ａｒｅ　ｒｕｎ　ｂｙ　Ｃｈｉｎｅｓｅ．　　Ｉｆ　ｎｏｔ　ｒｕｎ，　ｔｈｅ　ｃｏｏｋｓ　ａｒｅ　Ｃｈｉｎｅｓｅ．　　Ｔｈｅｙ　ａｒｅ　ｉｎｖａｒｉａｂｌｙ　ｄｉｓａｐｐｏｉｎｔｉｎｇ　ｉｆ　ｙｏｕ　ａｒｅ　ｓｅａｒｃｈｉｎｇ　ｆｏｒ　ａｕｔｈｅｎｔｉｃ　ｃｕｉｓｉｎｅ．　　Ｂｕｔ，　ｉｆ　ｙｏｕ　ｈａｖｅ　ｂｅｅｎ　ａ　ｌｏｎｇ　ｔｉｍｅ　ｉｎ　Ｃｈｉｎａ　ｐｅｒｈａｐｓ　ｔｈｅ　Ｇｅｒｍａｎ　ｃａｆｅ＇ｓ　ｓｃｈｎｉｔｚｅｌ　ｔａｓｔｅｓ　ｐｒｅｔｔｙ　ｇｏｏｄ．　　Ｉｎ　Ｈａｎｇｚｈｏｕ，　ｔｈｅ　Ａｒｇｅｎｔｉｎｉａｎ　Ｒｅｓｔａｕｒａｎｔ　ｈａｓ　ａｂｓｏｌｕｔｅｌｙ　ｎｏｔｈｉｎｇ　Ａｒｇｅｎｔｉｎｉａｎ　ｅｘｃｅｐｔ　ｓｏｍｅ　ｒｅａｌｌｙ　ｉｎｔｅｒｅｓｔｉｎｇ　ｏｌｄ　ｖｉｄｅｏｓ　ｏｆ　Ａｒｇｅｎｔｉｎｉａｎ　ｓｏｃｃｅｒ　ｓｔａｒｓ　ｐｌａｙｉｎｇ　ｔｈｅｉｒ　ｂｉｇ　ｍａｔｃｈｅｓ．

Ｅｘｃｅｐｔｉｏｎｓ　Ｉ　ｋｎｏｗ　－　ｔｈｅｒｅ　ｉｓ　ａｎ　Ｉｔａｌｉａｎ　ｐｌａｃｅ　ｉｎ　Ｙｉｗｕ　ｒｕｎ　ｂｙ　ａｎ　Ｉｔａｌｉａｎ．　　Ｊａｍａｉｃａ　Ｂｌｕｅ　（ｔｈａｔ＇ｓ　Ａｕｓｔｒａｌｉａｎ）　ｉｎ　Ｓｈａｎｇｈａｉ　ｕｓｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｈａｖｅ　ａ　ｂａｒｉｓｔａ　ｆｒｏｍ　Ｍｅｌｂｏｕｒｎｅ．　　三贵州人　（Ｔｈｒｅｅ　Ｍｅｎ　ｆｒｏｍ　Ｇｕｉｚｈｏｕ），　ａ　ｒｅｓｔａｕｒａｎｔ　ｉｎ　Ｂｅｉｊｉｎｇ　ｈａｓ　ａ　ｍａｎ　ｆｒｏｍ　Ｇｕｉｚｈｏｕ．

Posted on: Hate is a Very Strong Word

＠ｇｏ＿ｍａｎｌｙ

Ｃａｎｂｅｒｒａ　３４　Ｇｏｌｄ　Ｃｏａｓｔ　２８

Ｗｅ　ｊｕｓｔ　ｄｏｎ＇ｔ　ｗａｎｔ　ｔｏ　ｆｉｎｉｓｈ　ｌａｓｔ！

Posted on: Traveling around China

Ｉ＇ｍ　ｗｉｔｈ　Ｚｈｅｎｌｉｊｉａｎｇ　－　Ｉ　ｄｏｎ＇ｔｋｎｏｗ　ｅｎｏｕｇｈ　Ｃｈｉｎｅｓｅ　ｅｉｔｈｅｒ．　　Ｗｈｅｎ　Ｉ＇ｍ　ｒｅａｄｉｎｇ　ｉｔ　ｈｅｌｐｓ　ｍｅ　ｄｉｓｔｉｎｇｕｉｓｈ　ｎｏｕｎｓ　ｆｒｏｍ　ｖｅｒｂｓ！

Posted on: 无性婚姻

@christine,barbs

I just noticed your little exchange about 为何的为。。 四声的为。 This is the one that means 'for the purposes of'.  I distinctly remember the moment (time and place) I learnt this - I was about to take some tablets and a guy handed me a glass of water and said 为了吃药给你一杯水， 然后 我说‘ 为了什么意思？‘