User Comments - channa
channa
Posted on: Chinese New Year Plans
February 9, 2008 at 10:06 AMHappy New Year everyone! I have a question about the hong bao. I had assumed that kids could buy whatever they wanted with the money in their hong bao (toys, candy, more firecrackers, etc)... but in this dialogue the parents say they are saving it for the kid. So do kids spend the hong bao money themselves, or is it intended for things like clothes, medical care, higher education, etc?
Posted on: Buying a Pet and Food Poisoning
February 2, 2008 at 8:48 AMIf you should get food poisoning keep in mind that you're losing lots of body fluids and need to rehydrate! Packets of oral rehydration salts are good items for travelers to take, or you can make your own with salt, sugar, and (clean, ie bottled or boiled) water. Sodas and juices are okay for rehydrating, but save the Guinness for another day...
Posted on: The DVD Ploy
February 1, 2008 at 1:26 PMThese are the lessons I like best-- where the story (plus the sound effects) make it easy to picture the action in my head. In that way, it's much like watching a movie or TV show. Your story/series lessons are great for this same reason. Thanks!
Posted on: Year of the Rat and Minimum Wage
December 29, 2007 at 10:13 AMurbandweller-- I'm American too, but living in China. I've yet to see any of those Chinese zodiac placemats (or any placemats) here in China.
Posted on: A Present from Santa Claus
December 24, 2007 at 10:49 AMThank heavens for Chinesepod. Someone knocked on my door here in Beijing just moment ago. I opened it to find a Chinese guy in a Santa suit and beard with a bag full of toys! I reached in the bag and pulled out a rainbow-colored pinwheel. He didn't even ask guai bu guai. This sounds like a weird dream but I am not making this up. Luckily I had just studied this lesson, so I was able to tell him "oh, ni shi sheng dan lao ren!" (brilliant, I know) to which he replied "dui le." Otherwise, I might have been totally dumbstruck.
Posted on: Teacher Salary and Perks
December 5, 2007 at 9:42 AMI've signed 2 university contracts in China and found that almost all the terms are open for negociation. Your signature just marks the beginning of the relationship. That said, I've never had an experience where the administration tried to overwork or underpay me-- quite the opposite: I've been able to negociate for additional time off and get reimbursed for my flight ahead of schedule. Politeness and tact are key, and all the better if you can do it in Chinese!
Posted on: Just Say Yes
December 3, 2007 at 11:53 AMBill, I think zhen is almost always used together with de-- certainly you would never reply to anything with just zhen. Not sure what the rule is though. I suspect I overuse dui in daily life. Does that make me sound pushy or overly-direct in Chinese?
Posted on: A Little Bit About 一点儿
November 17, 2007 at 2:16 PMI like Qing wen, but I have a hard time focusing because of the background music-- you yi dian busy.
Posted on: Lili and Zhang Liang 16: It's Over
June 12, 2007 at 7:27 AMA little something I've learned from watching Chinese student skits: no drama is complete until you hear the strains of Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On' in the background...
Posted on: Chinese New Year Plans
February 10, 2008 at 12:46 PMthanks auntie68, I had no idea about all the drama surrounding the hong bao!