User Comments - holothurian

Posted on: An Introduction to Chengyu

If you don't know at least some of these, you can get lost in a conversation pretty easily. There are enough other high frequency Chengyu for a part two and three, hint hint

Posted on: Which Subway Exit

Whoops didn't realize anyone answered. My question was more along the lines of chu qu, chu men, qu lai, lai qu, chu xian, xia qu (from an upper floor), gun dan, zou kai, wai chu, chu wai, yin. ( I was too lazy to look up the tones, sorry.)

The tense part is not the confusing part for me, it is which one to use in which situation. I should not have written the "past, present and future" part, it mislead you language professors.

Living with a Chinese person, this comes up every day..... and somehow still doesn't work itself out for me.

Posted on: How was your flight?

I think that just brush it off as I'm really polite, it never seems to me that anyone doubts the sincerity. My significant other just takes the role as my cultural educator a little seriously sometimes.

Posted on: How was your flight?

I have been completely broken of my thank you habit by a dear woman that lives with me, and will loudly say NO THANK YOU if I use xie xie inappropriately. Her opinion is that people that are not used to foreigners take it the wrong way, as in you are insincere. She does allow the occasional use of xie le.

Posted on: Going to the Toy Store

Almost every day I hear that "waiguoren dou blah blah blah". I have almost never heard it said in a disparaging way, it is not a big of a deal, at least for me. It is just as commmon to hear "Sichuan ren dou blah blah blah". I have lived in 15 countries at least, it has been the same in every one. A human condition.

Posted on: Which Subway Exit

I have a question relating to exits. There are many ways to express the action of going out past present and future. I haven't seen a Qingwen on this, can anyone sum it all up?

Posted on: August, Study Tips and Expo Insights

After learning 6 languages, I find I support this view. Put yourself in the situations where you have to speak, dig through a dictionary and communicate. The Chinesepod tools are great for this, I hope they keep improving, especially the smart phone apps

Posted on: August, Study Tips and Expo Insights

What's this about losing half of QW? Have user questions dropped by half? Where do I register my dissatisfaction vote if this is true?

Posted on: Yellow Mountain

I go out with Chinese friends to various restaurants serving foreign cuisine in Shanghai frequently. The high priced ones always draw a comment similar to bodawei's guest. This is not considered any type of insult in China in my experience, just a fact as it is seen. This includes Chinese people from high income brackets, they still don't like overpriced food. It also includes going to an overpriced Chinese restaurant, it will draw the same criticism.

Posted on: Love Tangle 3: One Night Stand

The bank card part is too funny. My female friends in China talk quite casually about getting one from their boyfriend.