User Comments - jennyzhu
jennyzhu
Posted on: Politely Declining an Invitation
August 24, 2010 at 10:01 AMYou would not really be able to tell genuineness from courtesy just from the language used. A combination of tone and manner and your understanding of the person will help clue you in. I guess it is true for many different cultures as well.
Posted on: Politely Declining an Invitation
August 24, 2010 at 9:56 AMEr sounds are more prominently featured in spoken Chinese.
It is more appropriate to use "玩得开心" in writing.
Posted on: Learning about Levels
August 24, 2010 at 6:55 AMGlad that Poddies enjoyed the show. There are 3 more episodes to come helping you make sense of learning Chinese with ChinesePod.
Posted on: Renting an Apartment through an Agent, 2
August 24, 2010 at 6:39 AMYou could use 套间/tàojiān for "ensuite", but it is used more in the hotel context. For the residential scenario, we mostly say 主卧/zhǔwò/master bedroom implying that it is an ensuite. You can make it even clearer by saying 带厕所的/dài cèsuǒ de/comes with a bathroom.
Posted on: Asking about What to Wear
August 13, 2010 at 9:57 AM西服/xīfú also means "suit". It is slightly more formal than 西装/xīzhuāng, but used quite commonly as well.
Posted on: Help at the ATM
August 13, 2010 at 9:32 AMMake sure you turn off all the lights before you leave the house. /出门前别忘了关灯。/chūmén qián biéwàngle guāndēng./
Posted on: Discussing a Thesis Topic with an Advisor
August 10, 2010 at 7:11 AMThe entire podcast loads for me. Can you check again? Or click the play button twice, which does the trick sometimes.
Posted on: What's Your Name?
August 10, 2010 at 7:02 AMIt might be a somewhat new usage (see hebertinchina's comment), but people in China definitely say "很高兴认识你"/hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ/Nice to meet you" nowadays. You can say that after you have introduced yourself. A more traditional phrase is "幸会/xìnghuì/nice to meet you; it's a pleasure to meet you. "
Posted on: Straightening Teeth
August 10, 2010 at 6:56 AM牙垢 is the most commonly used.
'How much does it cost to see a hygienist for a routine clean?' is “常规洗牙多少钱？” /chángguī xǐyà duōshǎoqián?
常规/chángguī/ routine, regular; 洗牙/xǐyá/teeth cleaning.
You don't really need to say "hygienist" in the sentence because it is implied. Also, in China all procedures are performed by dentists. We don't really have dental hygienists.
Posted on: Yellow Mountain
August 24, 2010 at 10:10 AM1) After signing in, you will be taken to the Home page where you will see your dashboard. Click a small box which says "Manage Lessons". You will be taken to a page where there is a drop down box. Choose "bookmarked lessons".
2) Click the little wheel next to "Exercise" tab on the lesson page. You can choose different display settings, e.g. show or hide English translation, simplified or traditional characters.