User Comments - ejrunge
ejrunge
Posted on: Rules and Regulations
July 29, 2012 at 11:36 PMThis is the first I have heard of the 指甲政策, but it probably is more useful than regulating the length of girls skirts or shorts(dollar bill rule). Can you comment on the local custom of growing one fingernail very long, supposedly to show that you are not a loborer?
Posted on: Ferocious Tiger Idioms
July 22, 2012 at 11:39 PMMy favorite: 坐山观虎斗 zuò shān guān hǔ dòu
Posted on: What Does This Word Mean?
July 19, 2012 at 11:20 PMI had not run across 念 before, but have seen 概念(idea or concept) a lot.
Yes, you can even learn something from a Newbie.
Posted on: Addressing Women
July 15, 2012 at 11:27 PMThis is indeed a minefield, not just for foreigners but for Chinese travelers as well. Just remember "随乡入乡，and never be the first to utter 小姐 in an unfamiliar location.
Posted on: Asking About Prices
July 2, 2012 at 4:48 AMI actually saw a business show on TV several months ago where someone was trying to use the price of a Big Mac Meal to set the exchange rate for Yuan vs. the US dollar. How naive!
Posted on: Expectations and Predictions
June 25, 2012 at 10:57 PMI have run across "出乎意料“ and "出乎我的意料”in business text, meaning exceeding one's expectations.
Posted on: Where Are the Seat Belts?
June 12, 2012 at 11:20 PMShanghai taxi drivers are safe enough. If you tell them to slow down, they will. They can't afford to get a 200 RMB fine for driving on the bike path. I just wish they were really from Shanghai and knew the city.
Posted on: Please Speak Mandarin!
June 4, 2012 at 11:32 PMI was at the barber shop in my neighborhood where I get my 6 RMB haircuts, and started talking to the people that were waiting. We went through all the pleasantries about where do you live, how much is your rent, what do you do, and so on. Then they asked if I could speak Shanghainese. I said that I knew only a few words. They all switched to Shanghainese. Hmmm.
Posted on: The Correct Usage of Correct
April 8, 2012 at 11:22 PMYes, good lesson. I have used 修改 a lot in Business Mandarin, mostly to refer to revising or rewriting a contract based on negotiations. I recognize the first character in 纠正 as the character in 纠纷 or dispute.
Posted on: Terracotta Warriors
September 10, 2012 at 11:03 PMTwo years ago I went to Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong on the recommendation of my friends. The scenery was beautiful and there were very few laowai, but if a Chinese friend tells you "the food there is not so good" listen to him.