User Comments - bodawei

Posted on: Why are You Studying Chinese?

I started to learn Chinese when I was about 53 years old because I needed something challenging to occupy my mind for the rest of my life (there are long-life genes on my father's side.) I considered studying medicine and then opted for Chinese. At first it was a part-time interest (spurred by a short holiday in Yunnan); I went to 'night' classes for a couple of hours once a week. I graduated from that to a degree course (yes I was usually the oldest person in the class) which included 'in-country' studies. I spent a year in China learning, including a few months travelling around. It is a family affair - my wife and I and two adult children all learn Chinese. 一家人学习中文！ I am the only one addicted to CP.

Posted on: Saying Good-bye at a Tavern in Nanjing -- 金陵酒肆留别

＠ｐｅｔｅ　 ｔｈａｎｋｓ　ｆｏｒ　＇Tｈｅ　ｔｈｉｎｇｓ　ｔｈｅｙ　ｃａｒｒｉｅｄ＇　ｒｅｆｅｒｅｎｃｅ．　Wikipaedia says it is a 'non-fiction novel', but it's possible that there is no other kind. I want to add my thanks for the introduction to Chinese poetry - and particularly for your enthusiastic support for the poddies. You've made your mark; you have left an impression. Charlie Dowd would be in awe. 　

Posted on: Podcast Language 2

Ｉ　ａｍ　ａ　ｆａｎ　ｏｆ　ＣＰ，　ｎｏ　ｑｕｅｓｔｉｏｎ．　Ｉｔ　ｓｔｒｉｋｅｓ　ｍｅ　ｔｈａｔ　ｎａｖｉｇａｔｉｎｇ　ＣＰ　ｉｓ　ｌｉｋｅ　ｎａｖｉｇａｔｉｎｇ　ａ　ｎｅｗ　ｃｏｕｎｔｒｙ．　　Ｉｔ＇ｓ　ａ　ｗｈｏｌｅ　ｎｅｗ　ｗｏｒｌｄ　ａｎｄ　Ｉ　ａｍ　ｅｎｊｏｙｉｎｇ　ｔｈｅ　ｓｉｇｈｔｓ．　　Ｉｔ＇ｓ　ａ　ｂｉｔ　ｌｉｋｅ　ｎａｖｉｇａｔｉｎｇ　Ｃｈｉｎａ　ｉｔｓｅｌｆ．　　

Posted on: Saying Good-bye at a Tavern in Nanjing -- 金陵酒肆留别

My favourite 'saying goodbye' poem.. okay, it is not a poem but a short story titled 'War Baby' written by a poet/novelist called David Malouf. I'm afraid you will have to borrow or buy the book to read it. The central character is Charlie Dowd, a young 20 year old off to the Vietnam War. He is positive about going; he thinks it is 'the certainty he had needed to give his life direction'. Bizarrely and embarrassingly for the reader he goes round his small town on a motorbike visting all sorts of people he has come in contact with in his short life. He wanted to know 'before he went away, what impression his having lived here for a whole twenty years had made on people'. Most people squirmed during these visits but Charlie knew that they would remember that he had come to say goodbye.

Posted on: Introducing Shen Yajin (Helen)

@pete and shenjajin Thanks for the sympathy (and explanation, Pete). I get the 'monkeys are sacred' thinking in principle but the monkeys on Emei Shan must be as confused by human behaviour as I am of theirs. The Buddhists have a non-violent ethos but the monkey-keepers do not. Each keeper is equipped with a Shanghai (Australianism - I'll let you work it out), a long stick and (fortunately) an aversion to work. The stick is used to beat the fence and ground; the noise controls the animal somewhat. The Shanghai though is used to inflict corporal punishment. Neither instrument is used much because the keepers can't be bothered, but whatever terror is inflicted is possibly returned in kind, with interest, whenever the monkey is offered an opportunity (such as a human on a lonely walking trail.) I just had an insight, thanks Shenyajin - I might understand the Chinese tourist troupe in this way:- a large group is likely to survive more successfully on the slopes of the mountain. There IS safety in numbers. Ah, Llasa - my other favourite stories of terror involve Tibetan dogs. But enough violence for one evening. PS. I think once before I might have suggested a lesson on rabies vaccinations and I wasn't taken seriously. Come on, guys. The 'guys' was to demonstrate that I am not totally ignorant of 美国话 ；-）

Posted on: Introducing Shen Yajin (Helen)

@shenyajin

The monkeys at Emei Shan are more dangerous than you imply - it is not a matter of stealing your camera (though they may do that as well.)  My family was savagely attacked there and we were lucky to survive - we still bear the scars physically and emotionally. Sorry to bring a serious note to the story, but I feel I have to counter the flippant advice and inadequate warnings given about monkey behaviour.  Guide books are wrong on this matter; official signs are misleading.  The only people I found who speak the truth are the doctors and nurses who treat monkey bites, and provide rabies injections, on a daily basis, on the mountain and at Emei Shan City hospitals.

Posted on: Podcast Language 2

@CP

this is a terrific series - as someone who has sat through a fair number of traditional classroom setting lessons, I would say that it is these little phrases that have caused me more distress than the lesson material itself!  Because the lesson material is there in front of you, you pick that up.  But the classroom communication was never explained.  Who else had trouble because no one ever explained ..'turn the page' and the like???  When I got to China where there is no English at all - that was the first time I really heard things discussed using grammatical terms!! (we are not big on grammar in Australia, even in Chinese teaching).   

Posted on: Introducing Shen Yajin (Helen)

@shenyajin

给我你的名字谢谢，很有意思。 沈阳的沈， 沈阳我去过。 'ya'和'jin'是有一点不普通的。 在我的词典找不到了，再在MSWord 也找不到了。 当然你的名字很漂亮。 

我叫柏大伟。 柏树的柏， 伟大的伟。 汉字是普通的， 不过声音是不普通的，因为一般发柏的音是白一样。我不喜欢白的声音因为我觉得中国人想白的名字跟外国人合适。 明白吗？

Posted on: Introducing Shen Yajin (Helen)

@shenyajin

欢迎。 还没知道你的英语的名字。 我岳母叫'Helen'所以我还喜欢用'Shenyajin'.  可以告诉我们Shenyajin的汉字？

Posted on: Introducing Shen Yajin (Helen)

啊呀！ What started as a bad weekend just got worse with the news that PWP is drawing to a close.  It is without question the best CP product (in my humble opinion of course). A great act. Good luck on your trip Pete and look forward to seeing you back on board.

@Matt - 'if the wind changes'...  a purveyor of TCM once told me that this idea appears in Chinese culture as well.  The ailment Bell's Palsy (no idea of the Chinese) is said to be caused by a change in the wind. (It's possibly a very poor translation this was relayed to me in English.)  In Bell's Palsy there is an overnight alteration to your facial appearance (it looks something like the effect of a stroke but it is quite curable).