User Comments - darylk

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darylk

Posted on: Cold from Biking
January 25, 2008 at 4:12 AM

What a perfect lesson. Car is in the shop so today I had to ride to school in the freezing rain on my bike. My Shanghai friend taught me to say "bo si te le"--stuffed to death. Perhaps that's Shanghainese?

Posted on: After You
January 10, 2008 at 4:06 AM

Amber and John: Thanks for the helpful posts.

Posted on: After You
January 10, 2008 at 1:40 AM

BTW, although Jenny says yong becomes yong2 after bu4, the pdf transcript still shows yong4. Is that a mistake?

Posted on: After You
January 10, 2008 at 1:28 AM

Nice lesson. I love the expression ni3xian1. Xian1 seems to consist of a calf and a boy. I imagine the calf going first, pulling the boy ahead. That's my mnemonic!

Posted on: Night Cat
December 19, 2007 at 5:03 PM

Americans also refer to creatures of the night as "nighthawks"--there's a famous painting by Edward Hopper by that name, which beautifully captures the lonely existence of many nighthawks. We had a friend who got struck in the head several times by an owl. A Native American colleague really pumped this guy for details. Native Americans take attacks by owls on humans very seriously--such attacks are often considered harbingers of death, depending on how exactly the owl made its approach. So, I guess Jenny is right to view owls with respect. My Beijing friends tell me that the female equivalent of gemenr is "jiemenr"--so we girlfriends call each other by that name.

Posted on: Yang Jie's Diary: He's Not Stupid
December 3, 2007 at 3:36 PM

As for Yang4Jie4's character--yes, it seems that she's been using WangWei. On the other hand, surely his character is not above reproach--he views her only in terms of arm candy. So perhaps they deserve each other.

Posted on: Yang Jie's Diary: He's Not Stupid
December 3, 2007 at 3:32 PM

Changye, thanks for the explanation. It makes more sense that alleged criminals would have been forced to cut, rather than to grow, a beard.

Posted on: Yang Jie's Diary: He's Not Stupid
December 3, 2007 at 3:34 AM

The characters for nai xin/patience are interesting: "wearing the beard required by law" in my heart. It seems that at some point the Chinese people were forced to grow beards against their will?? Can anyone elucidate?

Posted on: Chinese Breakfast
December 2, 2007 at 1:55 AM

Interesting. I thought that the youtiao were only served in cold Beijing where people need the fat and oil in their diet. I ate them in Beijing but never saw them in Shanghai.

Posted on: Getting Dressed
November 30, 2007 at 5:13 AM

Very well constructed lesson! I loved the very clear treatment of "hao". I did have a bit of trouble in the middle of the dialogue because I couldn't tell at one pont whether the mom or the kid was speaking. It might be good for the actor/actress in the kid's role to exaggerate the kid's voice a bit more. But perhaps the problem is just with my unrefined hearing. In any case, this lesson was excellent.