User Comments - pearltowerpete

Posted on: Guided Plan Gets Better! Plus: Poetry is Pending

Hi luobinzhenmei

The Chinese word for low-brow is 通俗 tong1su2。 There's nothing wrong with enjoying 通俗 things-- and I know from your visit to the office that we share a deep love of puns ;-)

We've kicked around the idea of a show about popular songs, but no one has a great idea of how to teach them effectively. One way to combine your interests in songs and poetry would be to check out 但愿人长久, a lovely song made famous by Teresa Teng but sung best- in my opinion- by 王菲 Faye Wong. It is a poem by 苏轼 from the Song dynasty.

Here is the Karaoke version. There are better looking ones, but this one gives you the characters as well.

Posted on: Terrorized at the Airport

Hi calicartel

I think the white powder in the lesson raised concerns about an anthrax (炭疽 tan4ju1) attack.

And I agree, in my experience, the Chinese security system is remarkably laid-back compared to many in the West.

Posted on: Lucky Duckies

Hi sballa

I asked Connie and Jiaojie, and they confirmed my suspicion: Amazing as it sounds to us fun-loving Americans, Chinese doesn't really have that kind of phrase. They recommend you find other ways to express the idea!

Hi benchannevy

You're right, 倒霉 is another way of expressing the idea of bad luck. To say that someone “had it coming", you can say 活该倒霉！And finally, 倒霉 can be used colloquially to refer to "that time of the month."

Hi pinkjeans,

Thanks!

Hi alexyu_yxj

Good luck on the job hunt. Somehow, I have a feeling you'll be fine.

Hi miami_meiguoren

The grammar is correct. Glad to be of service!

Posted on: Argument over Garbage (2)

Hi davidoff1

You caught me in a Britishism ;-)

Posted on: Guided Plan Gets Better! Plus: Poetry is Pending

Hi joannah

You're right.

Hi barto and henning

Thanks for your thoughtful feedback. I completely understand your desire for academic depth. To the best of my ability, I am planning lessons that will offer something for users of all levels.

I called the show "Poems with Pete" instead of "Poetry with Pete" explicitly because I do not have the resources for (nor do most of my audience have any deep interest in) in-depth discussion of the theory of poetry, poetry in different dialects, and so on. These are perfectly valid fields of study, but they are beyond the scope of the show.

There are real limits to the amount of teaching anyone can do in a brief audio podcast. But there is absolutely no limit to what an inspired learner, seeing for the first time the brilliance and splendor of poetry and given a framework for future study, can discover on their own.

Finally, let me restate my sincere admiration for the dedication that both of you bring to the study of Chinese. I hope you'll continue to offer your unique points of view on the message boards.

Posted on: Guided Plan Gets Better! Plus: Poetry is Pending

Hi bababardwan

You have nothing to apologize for. Your questions and comments are a welcome addition to the boards, and your enthusiasm for Chinese is contagious.

Hi xinjiapo2703

Thanks for your kind words. We look forward to continuing the level of excellence you demand.

Hi boran and urbandweller,

Thanks for your enthusiasm. Tune in tomorrow!

Hi sfrrr

Thanks for your layout and topic suggestions. Our New Year content is all done, and while we don't have exactly the topic you suggest, I think it's a solid line-up.

Your idea about a "Welcome Newbie" plan is very interesting. If you have a moment, I encourage you to restate it on the feedback page. Comments on the forums are harder for us to find and act on. But on the feedback page, other users are more likely to see it, agree with it, and give it the push it needs to become reality.

Hi licha

当众出丑了，你还有脸见人么？Let me spell it out for you:　dāngzhòngchūchǒule, nǐháiyǒuliǎnjiànrénme？

You're embarrassing yourself.

Posted on: Guided Plan Gets Better! Plus: Poetry is Pending

Hi licha

You have a rare gift for incoherent bitterness. Surely there are other forums you could grace with your presence.

Posted on: Guided Plan Gets Better! Plus: Poetry is Pending

Hi barto

Thanks for your well-reasoned pre-critique. I appreciate the challenge of teaching classical poetry with audio podcasts.

My goal here is emphatically NOT to teach poems in the academic way that you have suggested. I respect Chinese poetry enough not to pretend to be what I am not, i.e. an Oxbridge don lecturing to students well steeped in Chinese history and literature. I am approaching this as an enthusiast of poetry (English, Latin and Chinese) and lover of language in general-- even, or especially, language that does not help you order dinner or get your hair washed.

I suppose the closest analogy is to my own experience with National Geographic magazine. I've read the magazine since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. It's a big reason I'm interested in the world beyond my own (admittedly fascinating) home town. I don't pretend to completely understand elephant mating rituals, or the sublime inner workings of the pancreas. But the magazine opened my eyes to things I hadn't imagined. I still keep coming back to that quote by Yeats, that education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.

Carl Sagan and John Williams come to mind as two examples of recent figures scorned as vulgar popularizers by less accessible (and commercially successful) peers. But there's no doubt that young kids around the world were inspired by them to pick up that telescope, or violin, as the case may be.

I'm not on their level yet. But my sincere hope is that most listeners will find my show worth a listen, and that some (or perhaps more realistically, one) is intrigued enough by the show to go to the library, enroll in that extra poetry class, or do whatever else they can to give this extremely fascinating and rich field the attention it deserves.

Finally, since our perspectives are so different, it would be wonderful to get your comments and feedback, either on the message boards or personal messages. The discussion will no doubt be richer for your participation.

Posted on: Guided Plan Gets Better! Plus: Poetry is Pending

Hi chiongzibide

Thanks for your interest. My goal is to make the show interesting for advanced learners, while approachable for elementary learners.

If I don't hit the balance right off the bat, I'm counting on feedback from you guys.

Posted on: Guided Plan Gets Better! Plus: Poetry is Pending

Hi monica5, thinkbuddha , baihuilin and kesuirui

Thank you all for your enthusiasm! I'm looking forward to all of your feedback, comments and questions. Just two more days now!