User Comments - pearltowerpete

Posted on: Are You Happy, Content, or Delighted?

Hi raygo, rj and zhenlijiang

You are all too kind. I appreciate it.

Posted on: Forget It

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

Please reserve the lesson discussion boards for talking about language learning.

And let's let bygones be bygones. These discussion boards have always been known as the place to go for a rollicking discussion of Chinese and language learning. We at CPod and in the community are very eager for feedback and questions from all members. If you don't get a prompt reply to a question, please send a personal message to me, matt_c or anyone else on the CPod staff.

And as Paulinurus points out below, there are plenty of places where we can go for silly, fun chatting unrelated to particular lessons. I enjoy those boards a great deal myself.

Posted on: Man or Woman?

Hi desluo99

I didn't see your earlier question, but Shenyajin pointed it out to me this morning.

You are correct, 头 here is a measure word. When you're talking about one thing, it is sometimes possible to omit the number. The phrase could also have been 笨得像一头猪 but this is a little less easy to say.

Hi Changye,

You're welcome. "For Crying out Loud" is also the name of a great song by one of my favorite singers, Meat Loaf. But the phrase is used differently in the song.

Posted on: Amusement Park

Hi dorrick, jheitz and wjefferys,

There was a technical hiccup this morning. The (new and improved) exercises will be coming online very shortly.

Please let us know on the boards or in a message if you have any further problems.

And please accept my apology for the inconvenience.

Hi starky,

目前中国大陆没有什么非常有名的游乐园，但你可以看看这条消息.

Hi all,

The expansion section includes the sentence:

刚起床不能吃很刺激的东西。
You can’t eat stimulating stuff right after you wake up. 1 (You can’t eat stimulating stuff right after you wake up.)

Chinese Buddhist monks and nuns take the idea of 刺激 foods very seriously. In addition to not eating meat, they do not eat garlic （大蒜） or Chinese scallions (葱）. These foods are considered too stimulating. They can interfere with meditation, and may cause you to have sexual thoughts.

Posted on: Are You Happy, Content, or Delighted?

Hi ts9007

Thanks for the feedback. There is an old Chinese proverb: 萝卜青菜，各有所爱   --- "turnips or cabbage-- everyone has their own preference."

Or as my beloved Latin teacher Mrs. Sadlon would've put it, de gustibus non disputandum est.

Although as I think of it, reaching for a Latin quote might reinforce my image of being...boring ;-)

Well, what can you do? 江山易改，本性难移.

Hi xiaophil

Cheers!

Posted on: Measure Words for Food

Hi ts9007 and kirk,

This does seem to be a regional thing --perhaps my dislike of "slice" is some kind of latent upstate-City tension? ;-)

But ts9007, while I know your grandmother is technically correct, I would definitely ask for a piece of pie. And when I hear business people talking about pie charts, they talk about getting a bigger "piece" of the pie. But at least to me, a piece of bread seems to imply an irregular shape, like a hunk.

Measure words-- the best thing since sliced bread!

Posted on: Measure Words for Food

Hi changye and bodawei,

As an interesting side note, the roots of the word 封 are in the feudal act of “enfeoffing" someone, ie when a lord would grant a vassal the right to work the land in exchange for loyalty, a percentage, labor, etc. On the left we see two 土 radicals representing land, and on the right, a 寸 right hand, representing giving or perhaps control. This is the origin of the word 封建 feng1jian4 ”feudal.“

Wenlin notes that a feudal Great Prince "vests families with fiefs by putting his 封 seal on official documents." So here we see the connection to letters and envelopes.

Also note that in Red China, 封建 became a catch-all way to criticize any old fashioned or otherwise undesirable tradition or way of life. You often hear people talk about 封建迷信, feudal superstitions. It's sort of akin to the way "communist!" and "fascist" are hurled as insults in the US of A.

Posted on: Man or Woman?

Hi desluo99

Good question. The 都 here adds emphasis. It does not mean "all/both." 

Here is another example with the same usage:

现在都八点钟了，我们应该回家呀！

It's 8 o'clock (we could almost translate the 都 as "for crying out loud") ! We should go home!

Posted on: Measure Words for Food

Hi all,

Courtesy of Connie, here are today's sentences.

吃的东西chī de dōngxi
things that are eaten

一个苹果yī ge píngguǒ
an apple
 
一个芒果yī ge mángguǒ
a mango

一个西瓜yī ge xīguā
a watermelon

一个橙子yī ge chéngzi
an orange
 
一个西红柿，番茄yī ge xīhóngshì，fānqié
a tomato

一个南瓜yī ge nánguā
a pumpkin

一个三明治yī ge sānmíngzhì
a sandwich

一根黄瓜yī gēn huángguā
a cucumber

一根香蕉yī gēn xiāngjiāo
a banana

一根骨头yī gēn gǔtou
a bone

一根香烟yī gēn xiāngyān
a cigarette

你喜欢吃香肠吗？
Nǐ xǐhuan chīxiāng cháng ma？
Do you like sausage?
 
一根香肠，我自己吃。
yī gēn xiāngcháng，wǒzìjǐ chī.
A sausage-- I'll eat it myself.

一根冰棍儿yī gēn bīnggùnr
A popsicle (ice lolly)

一根葱yī gēn cōng
a scallion

你以为你是哪根葱？
Nǐ yǐwéi nǐ shì nǎ gēn cōng?
Just who do you think you are?
 
你是哪根葱哪根蒜？
Nǐ shì nǎ gēn cōng nǎ gēn suàn?
Just who do you think you are?

一串香蕉yī chuàn xiāngjiāo
A bunch of bananas

一串羊肉串yī chuàn yángròuchuàn
a lamb kebab

肉串，鸡心ròu chuàn，jīxīn
meat on a skewer, chicken heart

一串葡萄yī chuàn pútao
a bunch of grapes

连在一起lián zài yīqǐ
connected together

北京的糖葫芦Běijīng de tánghúlu
Beijing's candy-covered haws (a type of reddish fruit)

一串糖葫芦yī chuàn tánghúlu
A skewer of candy-covered haws

一头猪yī tóu zhū
A pig

一头牛yī tóu niú
An ox (cow)

一棵树yī kē shù
A tree

一棵青菜yī kē qīngcài
A head of Chinese cabbage

一棵菠菜yī kē bōcài
A head of spinach

一片生菜yī piàn shēngcài
A piece (leaf) of lettuce
 
一片叶子yī piàn yèzi
A leaf
 
一颗葡萄yī kē pútao
A grape

一颗樱桃yī kē yīngtáo
A cherry

一颗豆子yī kē dòuzi
A bean

一片面包yī piàn miànbāo
A slice of bread

一片西瓜yī piàn xīguā
A slice of watermelon

一片披萨yī piàn pīsà
A slice of pizza

一块披萨yī kuài pīsà
A piece of pizza

一片肉yī piàn ròu
A slice of meat

一块牛排yī kuài niúpái
A steak
 
一块豆腐yī kuài dòufu
A piece of tofu

一块巧克力yī kuài qiǎokèlì
A piece of chocolate

你是要切成块儿的还是片儿的？
Nǐ shì yào qiēchéng kuàir de háishi piànr de?
Do you want to cut it into pieces or slices?

Posted on: Going to Church

Hi Maureen,

There was indeed a big Jewish community here before and during WWII. Shanghai was one of the few (maybe the only?) place on earth that didn't require a visa. So it was a haven for Jews fleeing Europe. The Japanese administrators didn't cooperate much with the Nazis on this score, and so it was a safe destination during those troubled times.

The old community was centered in the Hongkou 虹口 district. There is a former Israeli journalist who lives here and takes people or groups on tours of some of the historic sites. I haven't been but it's supposed to be worthwhile.

As a side note, there is a good sized and much older Jewish community in the city of Kaifeng in central China. I don't know much about that, though.