User Comments - pearltowerpete
pearltowerpete
Posted on: Seeing off an Old Friend 渭城曲
January 31, 2009 at 11:56 AMHi user7027
Thanks for a very interesting comment. I'm not familiar with the poem you mentioned, but you have sparked my curiosity. I'll let you know when I locate the original Chinese.
I would love to discuss Kunqu, Peking opera and so on, but I have very little background in this field.
Then there are minority songs (not talking about the CCTV stuff with joyful shepherds and colorful dancers singing about the glories of the PRC).
And there is also a rapidly fading but very rich body of 民间歌谣, traditional songs that used to accompany all aspects of life (planting, harvesting, etc.).
Any of these would make an outstanding series, but we don't have the expertise to make it happen yet.
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Hunan
January 31, 2009 at 4:53 AMHi miantiao
也许不同地方有不一样的语言习惯，反正，在上海我经常听到“稍微等一下”这句话。 你举的那些例子都没错，但“稍微”的确很地道。
对了，还有 微软 － Microsoft.
Hi, poddies who don't read Chinese yet. We are just discussing the use of 稍微 shao1wei1 to mean "a bit." Miantiao kindly listed many compounds featuring the character 微 "small or micro-."
Posted on: Pregnancy Series 2: Pregnancy House Ar-rest
January 31, 2009 at 4:44 AMHi tvan
If someone is 忙得团团转, maybe the most idiomatic English translation is "to be running around like a chicken with its head cut off." In this sentence, 耍 means to play or toy with someone. So 耍得团团转 means that the person really got badly taken in, and maybe ended up hurt and looking sort of foolish.
The expansion sentences are difficult to translate (and apparently, to understand) because of the lack of context. Thanks for asking about this tricky sentence.
Posted on: Chinese New Year News
January 31, 2009 at 2:02 AMHi snoopdogg
I agree with all your policies except number 4. Give some love to your friends south of the border in the good ole US of A ;-)
Posted on: Good Morning!
January 31, 2009 at 1:59 AMHi matt9210
What you're probably noticing are the tones. Chinese pronunciation is very different from English, and it takes a lot of practice to train your ear to distinguish the tones. But keep working at it, and we at ChinesePod will be happy to help you along the way.
Posted on: All About 所有 (suǒyǒu) and 都 (dōu)
January 30, 2009 at 1:35 PMHi dubb,
Welcome to the CPod community!
Changye is a very knowledgeable member, and you can trust him on grammar points. I would add that there are other ways to express the future, including 要 and 会.
But, naturally, the future tense works a little differently than in English. So don't be frustrated if there is not a clear, concise answer.
Good luck in your Chinese studies, and we look forward to your questions and comments on the message boards.
Posted on: Birth by Chinese Zodiac
January 30, 2009 at 1:27 PMHi all (mostly Changye and zhenlijiang)
While I suppose the best thing would be for you guys to start a "Dictionaries" conversation of your own, Changye is indeed right that talking about languages is fine here.
I am following the discussion with some interest, as I am also starting to study Japanese. Serious research in East Asia requires at least the ability to read Japanese. The difficulty is daunting, but few things worth doing are easy.
Posted on: The Powerless Phones
January 30, 2009 at 7:23 AMHi penhui
It's hard to say whether that would work here. I've seen so many travelers convinced that their card from Europe/North America/ etc. would work in China painfully disappointed. On the other hand, there have been some happy surprises as well.
Posted on: New Year's Cash
January 30, 2009 at 7:19 AMHi leeht
祝福 and 祝贺 are slightly different. 祝福 is to wish someone well, to express good wishes. 祝贺 is to express congratulations.
Please also note that 祝贺卡 are holiday cards to send in the mail, and that 贺岁片 are the "feel-good-movies" (in the late 90s-early00s, often directed by 冯小刚 Feng Xiaogang） that tend to come out around Chinese New Year.
Posted on: Seeing off an Old Friend 渭城曲
February 1, 2009 at 1:18 AMHi toriamos35
We are working on that, and will be able to introduce it very shortly. Thank you for the suggestion.