User Comments - lester

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lester

Posted on: Days of the week
April 23, 2008 at 1:58 AM

You can also use... 周一 (zhou1yi1) 周二 周三 etc. But Sunday has a lot more options. 周日，礼拜日，星期天，星期日 (xing1qi1ri4).

Posted on: Regional Accents Part I
April 22, 2008 at 12:00 PM

Danjo, I live in northern Virginia, but I grew up travelling from country to country and from state to state. I think the US standard accent is found on the evening news TV. And I think some of us speak with "no" accent because we've heard (and used) so many accents? I love adopting the Georgia accent when visiting relatives "da-own yond'r".

Posted on: Going to the Pharmacy
April 21, 2008 at 11:50 PM

light487, I take back what I said. I just found how to install the MS Pinyin input method. It took 4 tries, though. Sballa, I often hear the wrong words and tones too, but its getting better. But here, I hear 要(yao4 - want) then 西药 (xi1 yao4 - western medicine) because I'm expecting a noun. Ken says listen for the verb, and it works.

Posted on: Going to the Pharmacy
April 21, 2008 at 11:24 PM

light486, Right, Vista Home does not have it, Vista Premium does. Google has a free one available for those who don't want to upgrade to Vista Premium (like me).

Posted on: Going to the Pharmacy
April 20, 2008 at 1:13 PM

Concerning keyboards for typing Chinese characters, I found that Vista Home version did not include software I was using in XP. Google has a better keyboard entry module that's easy to install and easier to use. No one's mentioned that in Chinese, 你吃药 (you "eat" medicine), but in the west, you "take" medicine.

Posted on: Going to the Pharmacy
April 20, 2008 at 1:04 PM

Concerning keyboards for typing Chinese characters, I found that Vista Home version did not include software I was using in XP. Google has a better keyboard entry module that's easy to install and easier to use. No one's mentioned that in Chinese, 你吃药 (you "eat" medicine), but in the west, you "take" medicine.

Posted on: Fruit Salad
April 19, 2008 at 10:53 AM

In conversation or writing, is it okay arbitrarily switch between 色拉 and 沙拉 mid-sentence?

Posted on: Fruit Salad
April 19, 2008 at 10:48 AM

I've had 水果色拉with 色拉酱 and without. But "salad dressing" in the U.S. can be either a mayo like white stuff (the best known being Miracle Whip), or a true salad dressing (Italian, Thousand Island, Bleu Cheese). I've had 水果色拉 with the white stuff, but never with mayonaise. We will often call the Miracle Whip substance Mayo to avoid confusion with the term salad dressing. But then you might get Mayo when you really want Miracle Whip. I prefer my 水果沙拉 plain and aged two or three days.

Posted on: Tomb Sweeping Day
April 7, 2008 at 2:55 AM

So Jenny and Team, Do Chinese worship their dead ancestors on 清明节？ I heard you say something about burnt offerings in one place and then it sounded like Chinese treat this holiday more secular as another chance to eat good. Does it depend on location, people group, or the like? The girl sounded shocked when it sounded lto her ike the guy wasn't going to sweep-tombs (though in fact he was). What's the social ramification (if any) of not observing the holiday?

Posted on: Detroit
April 6, 2008 at 4:39 AM

typo! 我说的是事实。