User Comments - jennyzhu
jennyzhu
Posted on: Counting Coins
May 4, 2009 at 6:28 AMalwingate,
Great observation regarding speech structure in Chinese. I think it is one of the cornerstones of the Chinese language. It reminds me of realizing how logical and rational English grammar is, which became an epiphany that helped me grasp English.
Posted on: Zombies: Deader than Ever
May 3, 2009 at 3:52 PMWe are into ghosts in China. There is a classical novel written in Qing Dynasty called 聊斋/liao2 zhai1. It consists of short ghost stories, most of which involve a beautiful woman ghost and a living man falling in love. Ill-fated.
Posted on: Do You Want a Map?
April 30, 2009 at 6:29 AMxiaoluoyu,
Yes, they call it 城铁/cheng2 tie3/literally city rail in Beijing. But I think it refers to the bit that goes above ground. In Shanghai, we call that 轻轨/qing1 gui3/light rail. The lack of a unifying term is confusing. However, 地铁 is the most standard term for 'subway'.
Posted on: Do You Want a Map?
April 30, 2009 at 6:25 AMadventurer,
This problem must be universal. My dad's attitude towards map is 'I will only buy one if I am lost.' Why can't he buy one to not get lost? Thank you for your lovely encouragement! It is my job and passion.
Posted on: Do You Want a Map?
April 30, 2009 at 3:01 AMalwingate,
Thank you! Great to have you back!
Posted on: Do You Want a Map?
April 30, 2009 at 2:15 AMeupnea63355,
用/yong4 is ok. But 座/zuo4 is the most accurate word to use.
Posted on: Do You Want a Map?
April 30, 2009 at 2:12 AMcarlos in irvine,
No, it was not an actual vendor. The voice actor is actually one of our tech people. Multi-talented, aren't they?
There are several common words for 'haggle'. 讨价还价/tao3 jia4 huan2 jia4 is one of them. But it is a bit complicated to say. You can use 讲价/jiang3 jia4 or 砍价/kan3 jia4, but not 谈价/tan2 jia4.
Posted on: Do You Want a Map?
April 30, 2009 at 2:09 AMsuburbanite,
地铁 is short for 地下铁路/di4 xia4 tie3 lu4, which means 'underground rail'. 地铁 is the most common way to say 'subway'. But in Taiwan, they say 地下铁.
Posted on: Getting Old Isn't Easy
April 29, 2009 at 4:53 AMHealth, children fighting over assets, unmarried children, these are some of the most typical worries that old people have in China. I am witness to those in my own family.
Posted on: Counting Coins
May 4, 2009 at 6:36 AMbendidelaowai,
Here are 1 to 10 in traditonal characters:
壹、贰、叁、肆、伍、陆、柒、捌、玖、拾。Aren't they complicated? In fact, I have seen people in HongKong and Taiwan using simplified characters for efficiency. But in China, you have to write numbers in traditional characters when filling out a check. I just found that out a few days ago when I had to write a check. And I was completely lost, had to ask the teller to teach me how to write them.