User Comments - bodawei

Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 9: Wang Plans Revenge

@mikenotinjubei, pearltowerpete

That's interesting about brands and trade names.  The development of new words in general is also intriguing, eg. astronaut.  I believe there was a lot of debate about the 'official' words like 宇航员 yuhangyuan, 太空旅行者 taikongluxingzhe, 等等，and those in popular use like 太空人 taikongren. And then back to English with taikonaut! Does anyone know more about this?

The development of new words in China is probably not unlike the development of new words in English - eventually popular usage wins out. But this case is remarkable in China for being driven by use on the Internet.       

Posted on: Sympathy for the Farmers -- 悯农

I just wanted to reinforce comments made by others about how good these lessons are.  It's great work. 

I have a question about the 'star' rating system - what happens with the 'votes'?  If there is only one vote and that one person rates it a 5 does the lesson attract a 5 star rating?  How do you compare that with a lesson that attract 100 people who rate it as a 4?  (The point I am making is about representative samples).  And can you change a rating you have made mistakenly?  (It is very easy to hang the curser over a star and hey presto you've voted).  These comments are meant constructively - ChinesePod provides an outstanding learning tool. As well as a place to hang out and 'watch' the characters go by  :)

Posted on: Dog Meat and Animal Rights

This discussion has gone everywhere - even become party political and I can't help diving in with some observations and questions:

1. In the West we have an animal/vegetable/mineral classification; in China it seems to be animal/vegetable/mineral/food.  My evidence: several  conversations with friends who insist that a chicken is not a bird because it is food.  This might also explain how the same people can pamper their pets (dogs) and serve dog stew as the prized dish for guests.  

2. Dog is as widely eaten as it is widely denied that it is eaten. 

3. Dogmeat is more expensive than pork, beef or lamb. 

4. Most animals suffer more abuse in China than they do in Australia - it is not just dogs.  In fact there is a trend in China to pampering the dog. 

5. (more a question) Why are dogs commonly allowed to roam (exception in Tibetan areas) and cats commonly tied up?

Posted on: Sympathy for the Farmers -- 悯农

Pete

Thanks for the rundown because I won't be reading it soon!  My current reading goals consist mainly of comic books.  And for another Chinese challenge I have 'Dancing through Red Dust' by 慕容雪村 ..To be honest even that mainly involves reading the dictionary.

The book you refer to sounds like an enterprise that would have impressed Max Weber in its scope and detail.  Maybe you could report some insights from time to time?  I have read (translated) academic papers about this period; I would like to be able to read some of this kind of material in Chinese myself one day.

Posted on: Sympathy for the Farmers -- 悯农

Pete

That book - I just Googled it and the first option share.ovi.com took me to an on-line copy (all 950 pages in pdf format).

Posted on: About Face! A Multi-faceted Look at 面子

@ acey83 - culture in simple terms means the way most people behave - it's a kind of average. There are sub-cultures in China like anywhere else but it is striking how important face is to most people.  I think it is ok to call it a cultural difference (when comparing one national culture with another.)  This much can be said without making judgements about whether the behaviour is 'good' or 'bad'.  

Posted on: Sympathy for the Farmers -- 悯农

Pete

Thanks again for an excellent poem.  You could also give the current regime some credit for finally unwinding the 55 year-old Mao-inspired subsidisation of city dwellers and manufacturing by keeping produce prices articifically low.  While we in some countries in the West protect farming by keeping domestic prices above global prices, the Chinese did the reverse.   This goes some way to explaining how Chinese farmers can be so productive and still 犹饿死 ('starve to death'.)

Posted on: About Face! A Multi-faceted Look at 面子

Such an interesting culture discussion - I liked Changye's view that 'vulgar prosperity' is a good thing. Many commentators & political leaders are hoping that such spending will help us out of this recession - in Australia the taxpayer has funded 'cash bonuses' but people have so far saved rather than spent.  (So it's not really working.) 

I think that face offers a good explanation for almost every aspect of Chinese behaviour (ie. national culture), it's not just about spending.  Face features in every culture but in China it is much more important. Sorry, we are not all the same; wouldn't it be boring if we were?

Posted on: Zombies!

中国的僵尸不能走，就可以跳。 澳大利亚的僵尸和中国的僵尸不一样。很有意思。

Posted on: Reporting a Loss

Can someone please explain why the particle 呢 is used in the sentence 可我另外还有好几张呢? Would saying it without 呢 be incorrect? The sentence does sound nicely balanced full of pairs of syllables but it would be helpful to understand the grammar rule.