User Comments - light487
light487
Posted on: Where Do You Live?
May 11, 2008 at 4:55 AMYou don't need covering fire by the look of your scary dog with big teeth! :)
Posted on: Where Do You Live?
May 11, 2008 at 4:01 AMA pīnyīn IME can be found here: http://www.chinese-forums.com/showthread.php?t=13005 It's Windows based though.. not sure if one exists for Mac sorry.. This is the one I use.. It's easy enough to install it and use. The message at that link explains how to do it I believe.. You still need to know your pīnyīn though.. I mean.. you need to know which tones are what etc.. It doesn't do the work for you, it just allows you to accent the letters easier. If you know how to write pīnyīn, then you almost know how to write 汉字 Hànzì too because the input for the Hànzì is the same as for the pīnyīn..
Posted on: Where Do You Live?
May 11, 2008 at 3:50 AM+++ To the Hi-Freq Characters thing. I also see a lot of Chinese characters in Sydney.. I'm sure every city in the world has them on the sides of Restaurants, Temples, and other places... Also.. regarding the particle "ma". All particles are neutral tone, always. In regards to the inflection thing.. as far as I can work out, there is no rising tone for a question when speaking in Chinese. I've wondered this myself but like I say.. I've never heard a Chinese speaker do the same thing.. It is my assumption that the little particles (and other things) that make the particular phrase into a question, rather than a statement, is what "replaces" the English inflections. So where we would naturally have a rising tone/inflection to denote a question, the particle is used in Chinese in its place..
Posted on: Where Do You Live?
May 11, 2008 at 3:14 AMIt's so much easier to write in Hanzi (Chinese Characters) when you know how than it is to write in English because in English you need to define everything over and over, as well as add all these extra words for the sake of grammar and getting your point across. I guess this is why so many people tend to so easily write with Hanzi so readily and forget that it is a Newbie level lesson.. hehe.. :) I know I have done it on several occasions and my Hanzi skills aren't all that great. Writing out the pīnyīn kind of defeats the point of the ease of writing Hanzi.. but still, at this level it would be nice if people posting would considering making the effort if it is a educational post that they are making.
Posted on: Where Do You Live?
May 10, 2008 at 1:11 AMYour place is a mess? Didn't make your bed this morning? Get those dirty clothes off the floor and stack those dishes you were leaving for the Ayi.. Hrmm.. are you guys psychic or something?? :) I know that lessons can be listened to in any order and the whole point of ChinesePOD is to NOT listen to the lessons in order, I still thought I'd throw these lessons in here for somewhere to go from here (no pun intended): http://chinesepod.com/lessons/where-are-you-going http://chinesepod.com/lessons/where-ya-headed Thanks for the lesson guys.
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Hunan
May 9, 2008 at 11:54 PM哈哈 hāhā Yeh it takes some getting used to.. though it's worth it so I can practise my 汉字 hànzì..
Posted on: Souvenirs and Strange Statues
May 9, 2008 at 11:50 PM@urbandweller There are instructions for including pictures in conversations over on the "diet coke" lesson discussion. That's where I was shown how to do it.
Posted on: Souvenirs and Strange Statues
May 9, 2008 at 8:05 PMCongrats Benny! :) Also.. may be there could be the top 5 most cheesy/tacky things in China? :) And the top 5 most incomprehensible things in China (ie. things that make you go, "huh??" and scratch your head). There's a whole bunch of things you could do that would add comedy value...
Posted on: 《奋斗》之父子争执片段
May 9, 2008 at 11:06 AMI wish I could understand at this level.. it sounds like Connie and Jenny are having so much fun. :( I know it's only been 2 months of learning but I so very much want to understand....
Posted on: Souvenirs and Strange Statues
May 11, 2008 at 5:07 AMThe "red substance" appears to be made of a cloth-like material.. I assumed it was there to make the whole structure symbolic of a person wearing a cod-piece rather than some grotesquely phallic idol..