User Comments - pearltowerpete
pearltowerpete
Posted on: Insurance Insanity
January 12, 2009 at 2:20 AMHi freerider2
演算 means "mathematical calculations," so I translated the line as "We have a basic idea of the figures [numbers]."
Posted on: Lost in the Desert
January 12, 2009 at 2:17 AMHi leeht
Thanks for asking. You can use 状况 and 情况 interchangeably.
Posted on: Lili and Zhang Liang 15: Uncomfortable Encounter in a Bar
January 11, 2009 at 11:35 AMHi andyman24
Great question. 宣传 can in fact mean "propaganda." Before it started hiring publicity consultants, the PRC government did often translate it as such, in the names of government departments.
But the word can also mean "public awareness"-- there is 宣传 about safety, conserving electricity, etc. with no implication of brain-washing.
Posted on: Stop in the Name of the 法 (fǎ)
January 11, 2009 at 2:09 AMHello all:
Here are the words used in the podcast today:
办法 bànfǎ
看法 kànfǎ
想法 xiǎngfǎ
做法 zuòfǎ
说法 shuōfǎ
Posted on: The Final Show
January 10, 2009 at 9:12 AMHi amber
I really will miss working and chatting with you. I know you have a bright future ahead. Don't forget us when you are successful.
Hi light487
That is Jinxin 金鑫, who helps us edit, upload and check the lessons for quality. She also does some acting in the podcasts.
Posted on: Do you like China?
January 9, 2009 at 5:36 AMHi jaimemayo
Glad to be helpful!
The guide is very useful but apparently a little tricky to find. Maybe we should do more to steer our poddies toward it.
Posted on: Lost in the Desert
January 9, 2009 at 5:32 AMHi calkins
Here is a haiku to answer your question ;-)
Before the snow melts
CPod will have 繁体字
Fun and useful, huh?
Posted on: Will you Marry Me?
January 9, 2009 at 4:18 AMHi changye
The Chairman may have seemed indifferent to Lin's departure, but there's pretty good evidence that he arranged for the flight to end before it was supposed to...
Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 6: Up-and-Comer in the Office
January 9, 2009 at 2:54 AMHi chistudent,
You raise a very good point. As learners, our ultimate goal is to think of Chinese words in Chinese terms, that is, without the filter of our native languages. Providing Chinese definitions of words would certainly help with this.
The reason we have not done this so far is that convenience and speed are very important to our users. Not understanding a Chinese definition and then having to look up words in the definition is often a very useful learning exercise. But it could be very frustrating, as well. Nevertheless, we may consider providing Chinese definitions in the higher level lessons.
Posted on: Karaoke
January 12, 2009 at 2:26 AMHi davidfong, michael188 and changye,
Changye is basically right, although Jiaojie adds that some mainland songs are subtitled in traditional characters because the full-form characters are more beautiful.
The disparity between the music industries of the Mainland and HK/Taiwan is due to political and economic factors. China got a much later start on pop music.
And the use of traditional characters on international flights is because most Mainland people (at least those who can afford an international flight) recognize traditional characters, whereas Taiwanese and Hong Kong people might not recognize simplified.