User Comments - light487

Posted on: You First

Hrmm.. what is the difference between 第一 (dìyī) and 先 (xiān)? Is it more like a counting thing vs action thing? Would the following usage be correct:

第一 (dìyī) - The first time I ate this was on my last birthday.

先 (xiān) - I ate this first on my last birthday.

Posted on: Illegal taxis

With the "Related Lessons" section on the left.. I can think of a couple that I would have considered more related.. such as the "No Pushing In/Get In Line" lesson for paidui and then there's the one where buyong is used when they are seeing someone off. The ones on the left don't seem to be that related.

不用 bùyòng related:

• Newbie - Seeing Somebody to the Door
• Newbie - No Need to Take off Your Shoes
• Elementary - Plants Need Watering

排队 páiduì related:

• Elementary - Get in line!

多少钱 duōshǎo qián related:

• Newbie - Pretty Clothes
• Elementary - Asking for Leave
• Elementary - Outrageous Power Bill

Also having Upper Intermediate and Advanced lessons as related lessons in an Elementary lesson is a little silly too.

Thanks for this lesson, it will definitely be helpful for my trip to China this year. If I forget everything else except for "buyao".. I will do ok.. hehe :)

Also, there is a great Dear Amber about illegal taxis as well.. I just can't seem to find the link right now but it wasn't that long ago.. a couple of months at the most. Another thing to do is use the search for "taxi" and you should find about 15 or more lessons on Taxi Conversations! Mostly all Newbie lessons! :)

Posted on: Sign Here, Please

My Chinese name is 光明！ (guāngmíng) :)

Posted on: Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Thanks RJ.. I also found out it was Replubic Day (Indian) and also Auckland Day (New Zealand) on 26th as well! So many national holidays on the same day this year!

Speaking of money giving.. I saw HEEEAAPSS of Chinese people lining up at the Western Union money exchange store near my work today. I assume this is because they were all collecting their Chinese New Year money. :)

For me, Australia Day has always been more of a family BBQ day or just another day off. Our family has never really been into Australian traditions in a big way.. and we're not really much into sports though my eldest brother goes through phases of liking Rugby League every few years. So our Australia Day may not be as stereotypical as some households in Australia.

My question is why is it: 新年好 (xīnniān hǎo) and not 新年快乐 (xīnniān kuàilè)? Seems this has been asked a few times already but not answer yet.. is it a regional thing? Also.. would be just as acceptable to say: 牛年快乐 (niúniān kuàilè) as in "Happy Year of the Ox"? And also: 春节快乐 (chūnjié kuàilè) as in "Happy Spring Festival"?

Posted on: Making Dumplings

Another superb lesson.. or maybe I am just starting to understand enough to get stuff form Intermediate level lessons now. I didn't quite understand the dialog fully by I certainly could follow along with what was happening knowing what the context was beforehand. This lesson has renewed my confidence in my ability to learn beyond the basics of the language.

Still have a long way to go though :)

Posted on: Chinese New Year News

祝我许多的中国朋友牛年快乐 :)

Posted on: Farewell, Son 游子吟

Just my 2毛..

I would increase the length of the "dialog" (ie. poem) but no more than what is usually covered in any other lesson.. so may be two or three times as much as this one had.. Other than that, I really enjoyed both the poem itself, the translations, and the cultural and historical insights.

Posted on: Hanging Up the Phone

I was thinking about this today while I worked and came up with the two ways I most often end a conversation on the phone in English.

1. When I have called the person: Well, thanks for your time...

2. When they have returned my call: Well, thanks for calling me back...

And if they need an extra prod: Alright then, have a nice day...

It's always something along those lines: thanking them, which is usually enough, and then wishing them a nice day if further prodding is required.

:)

Posted on: Hanging Up the Phone

@calkins:
Yup.. that's about all I get, besides a few words and chunks here and there... but the conversation almost always ends the same "好好好。。 好好好。。 拜拜" or just one 拜..

I spend a lot of my day on the phone at work.. and there is certainly a way of getting someone to hangup without being rude about it. It's just a change in tone of voice.. a kind of "this is now the end of the conversation" tone.. :)

@jennyzhu:
It's nice to know that someone with your amazing English ability still feels awkward/uncomfortable talking on the phone in English. Makes it feel normal to feel awkward when speaking Chinese.. :) I always feel very awkward when speaking Chinese even in the most secure situations! :)

Posted on: Plants Need Watering

or if someone is showing you to the door you could say "不用送了" / "bùyòng sòng le" haha! :) I remember that one from the other lesson. :)

Some great (and particularly hard to pronounce) chunks in this one, such as huā yǐjīng sǐ le.

葱的关系～：）