User Comments - bodawei

Posted on: Remembering that Day on the Creek -- 如梦令: 常记溪亭日暮

I vote for Ouyang Yu, but as he says himself there are a million poets writing in China today; you have quite some choice. I would love you to do one of his CHINESE poems (he writes in both English and Chinese.) His take on translation is challenging - he is militantly pro-Chinese language (see his book in English called 'On the smell of an oily rag'.) He can be funny in English (rare gift), at least I think he is funny. He describes himself as 'mildly and sensitively anti-Western' but some people find him outrageous. He has several books of poetry, one called Wo Cao.

Posted on: Remembering that Day on the Creek -- 如梦令: 常记溪亭日暮

Not that the poet is likely interested in bird-watching - more like whacking and eating? Duck to go with the baijiu?

Posted on: Remembering that Day on the Creek -- 如梦令: 常记溪亭日暮

my writer friend will be impressed that we have got onto 宋代词 - as an ex Hangzhouite/ Xihu resident I enjoyed it a lot. (I imagined the poet having a day out on the lake.) Specially the bird sounds - we don't think of the Chinese bird-watching but on my travels I met a couple of people from the 'Bird Watching Society' (not sure of what it is really called) - volunteering their time to track and photo rare birds that visit 西湖。

Posted on: Watch Out!

@richnirish Part B is there as a recorded message on the podcast - a tinny but AUTHENTIC sound. Reminds me of the recordings as you approach each bus stop (eg. name of stop, take care, use the pedestrian crossing, etc.) However, I cannot hear A saying 喂，注意 (wei, zhu yi)! Sounds like just '这里在倒车'..

Posted on: Munich

@tage, light487. Peking.. Peiching.. Beijing - good luck getting to the bottom of that one. I like to think of Peking as another city altogether which sank into the vast plain and was replaced by Beijing. Airlines retain the PEK code for Beijing - carriers of cultural baggage as well as the usual kind.

Posted on: Making Commands More Emphatic with 千万 and 一定

Thanks again for the useful lesson - how does 当然 compare with this vocab as a way of empasising (that someone should do something or not do something) Off the topic: Is it 'International Women's Day' in China - today? What does it mean, and who celebrates?

Posted on: Taking it all off

脱 - for taking something off also appears in 脱咖啡因的 (de-caffeinated); not intuitive because in English we think of caffeine being taken OUT of the coffee (and try not to think about how they do that)

Posted on: Munich

pete & tarcy

thanks guys - appreciate the help.. 再来一节课！

re my confusion with 在 - of course, it all comes back.

Posted on: Munich

@pearltowerpete (just had to put that up as I love the name)

明白,多半  。。

所以，第一次句子可以说意思很多人都现在喝白啤酒？。。现在很多人都喝白啤酒? 都可以吗？

还有那第两次句子。。 甚至没有第一个点(unless it is assumed that they ordered drinks and then food)还可以说‘我们再点。。‘？ Would you use 我们再点。。 even if it was the first thing they ordered?

(Pardon the Chinese - got to start practicing my writing.)

Posted on: 日本动漫

This lesson may become one of the CP classics (imagine a CP 'classic collection'?),  and I don't consider myself an anime buff.  But I have enjoyed a few, including Spirited Away. There were TWO versions of Spirited Away released in Sydney at about the same time; one had an American soundtrack.  The 'original' soundtrack was considered far superior by the critics (I didn't watch the US version so I can't  have an opinion on that.） We are told that production companies often make a US version of a film, with American voices dubbed, (not just for anime), because Americans won't hack the subtitles - but in the case of Spirited Away even the MUSIC was changed!  A travesty.