User Comments - orangina

Posted on: 舍不得

I thought from what they are saying that it is only 舍不得+V that tends to be about money... not 舍不得+N.

Posted on: Office Policy: Internet

those chopsticks aren't super fun... you can't even stick them in your ears.

Posted on: 舍不得

ah, changye, yes, I should clarify...

I know the actual definition is not "loathe to spend the money in order to V". But since it was explained in the lesson that it often refers to money, but that this is not explicitly stated, when it is used as 舍不得+V, then "loathe to spend money in order to V" is a useful translation in my internal dialog. Not the real translation.

perhaps my simplifications are over complicated...

Posted on: 舍不得

I had the same questions... Here is what I reasoned out in my head with no input from someone who actually knows.

There are 2 uses of 舍不得：

舍不得+N = loathe to part with N (I enjoy using "loathe" in the definition and think I will take up using this word in everyday spoken english.)

舍不得+V = loathe to part with the money in order to V

So that would make 上学的时候，我舍不得坐飞机，In my student days I loathed parting with the money to buy a plane ticket. And 这双鞋还可以穿，我可舍不得扔掉，These shoes are still wearable, I loathe to throw them out (and have to spend money on another pair.)

我的两分

Posted on: Preparing for the Heat

dammit, that is brilliant...哇 much better! But I can tell my buccals aren't properly built up. (buccal = cheek muscles, but not the glutious kind)

Posted on: Weather and Seasons

A tornado is on land, same thing as a twister. I've never been sure what a cyclone is (aside from the fact that it is a twisty storm,) but a hurricane is the same as a typhoon, just in different oceans... which never made sense to me.

Posted on: Rhetorical Question Marker 难道

In English a rhetorical question can be serious, to get someone to think about an issue or reason things for themselves... Is the 难道。。。吗 construction used in this way also, or is it purely for sassy usage? My guess is the latter.

Posted on: Addressing Family Members

As I understand it, the one child policy was started in 1979... and I don't believe it was retroactively enforced! There are also many exemptions such as being from an ethnic minority. And if both parents are only children themselves they may have 2 children under the law. Or you can choose to pay a hefty fine. And there are many undocumented children...

Posted on: New Year's Wishes

pretty risky baba, changing your avatar to an Avatar... 可能宇宙爆炸。

Posted on: Addressing Family Members

Thanks helen and bodawai,

I am trying to figure out what everyone in my family would be called. On my father's side this is primarily step family... (everyone except my father and grandfather.) While I wouldn't call them that, I do want to know how to explain it. So would my step-grandma be 继奶, or 后奶. How about 继表哥... even though it is thru my father's side, the relation is thru his stepmom. I think I give up. This is hard enough in english and I am most likely not introducing these people in chinese... just trying to get a grasp of the system.

And my favorite uncle is actually my mom's half brother. Maybe I should just call him 舅 instead of 舅舅。呵呵。Although his daughter is most definitely my 姐姐。