User Comments - jennyzhu
jennyzhu
Posted on: Capital Punishment
April 25, 2007 at 1:52 PMI did slightly question John's choice of topic. But the feedback has proven me wrong once again. Chinesepod isn't all about sugar coated subject matters. It deals with important and challenging issues too, and does so gracefully. Nonetheless, if you are into a Chinese fantasy, be sure to check out the 'monkey king' lesson where my little pony also gets mentioned.
Posted on: 话中带刺
April 25, 2007 at 1:46 PMArt, Isn't that the most heartbreakingly beautiful story about friendship? Poddies and Chinesepod are 知音，but without the poigance.
Posted on: 话中带刺
April 24, 2007 at 2:40 PM这课本来的题目叫“杀人不见血”。语言的确可以很有杀伤力。不过，最近的一个发展趋势是语言" 亲热化", 好多年轻人，特别是女孩子，说话都用“亲爱的”或者“宝贝儿”开头。看来我们中国人也开放了。
Posted on: Subway Announcements
April 23, 2007 at 1:14 PMSorry, a mistake. The train system is 铁路交通。
Posted on: Subway Announcements
April 23, 2007 at 1:13 PMtianye, 轨道交通 refers to subway and light rail trains as 轨道 means 'rail'. The train network is known as 铁道交通。
Posted on: Quiet for the Baby
April 23, 2007 at 3:37 AMMike in Jubei, 麻烦 alone will definitely suffice.In fact, it is more endearing than 对不起. My stomach feels really queasy after 10 jiaozi.
Posted on: Finding Live Music
April 23, 2007 at 2:54 AMSiliconValleyAndy, The literal meaning of 平时is ‘normally’, therefore extended to refer to boring and tiresome work days as opposed to the weekend which is a spectacular special 2 days. You can say 我在家工作的时候, or 我在办公室工作的时候。
Posted on: The Clogged Toilet
April 23, 2007 at 2:36 AMTucsonmichael and Rich, In Chinese, the emphasis is on the destination, not the location of the speaker.
Posted on: Quiet for the Baby
April 23, 2007 at 2:22 AMMan2Toe, 你肯定是好爸爸。 Lester, Yes, 你 is optional.
Posted on: Capital Punishment
April 25, 2007 at 2:12 PMHenning, 1.Question regarding the Expansion: 有人in 有人抢劫 does refer to the robber. Like you said, the construction doesn't indicate who is being robbed. What we gave was an idiomatic translation. In fact, this is an area that we've constantly been challenged. We try to use the most idiomatic expression in either Chinese or English. But what sounds natural and idiomatic in one language often doesn't translate comfortably into another. This is why we optimized the individual word translation in V3 by making each word in the lesson specific and context-based. The best way to figure out the original meaning is referring to the individual word translation. 2. In 到底谁才是事件的无辜受害者, 才is indeed used for emphasis. The focus and sense of urgency would be lost without it. 3. We quite often omit the verb 做 after这样. It is quite similar to the English construction 'so should...' Finally, regarding your comment about the tremendous value of idiomatic expressions in the lesson, I've always seen the higher levels as a worthy buffet where everything is a gem not only the obvious caviar and bubbly.