User Comments - pearltowerpete
pearltowerpete
Posted on: Birth by Chinese Zodiac
November 12, 2008 at 2:24 AM哪有，changye 大哥！
A fondness for puns should not be confused with genius.
All this talk of animals reminds me of the wisdom of REO Speedwagon: You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish.
Posted on: New Lessons, New President
November 12, 2008 at 1:30 AMHi andrew_c ,
You're right that I didn't grow up eating stinky tofu. But then, I didn't grow up drinking scotch, either ;-)
I can't think of a single plant product I haven't enjoyed. I did enjoy stinky tofu the first time I ate it, just because it's so pungent. I grew up eating a lot of strong cheese in upstate New York. Maybe that's got something to do with it.
Posted on: 麻烦你 (Máfan Nǐ) to Say Please
November 12, 2008 at 1:25 AMHi bluealvarez
Chinese gets really fun when you start to analyze the roots of the characters. There are specialized books such as the 说文解字 shuo1wen2jie3zi4 that explain the history of words through the ages.
But if you're not ready for that, it sometimes works to make your own radical stories．My best Chinese teacher in America memorably explained the 辶 radical (for "going") as a baby walking along trailing its swaddling clothing. The real explanation is nothing like that, but 道，过， 通 etc. suddenly had some common ground!
Posted on: Birth by Chinese Zodiac
November 12, 2008 at 1:12 AMHi lydia1981
Intro里面的鼠字的却不好找，但我没忘记！ top-rated!
Posted on: Counterfeit Money and Driving in China
November 11, 2008 at 9:25 AMThe best kuai I ever spent was on a little blacklight for my keychain. You just swipe it over the bill and you can see the embedded text. Modern magic.
And the best way to avoid dodgy notes in the cab is of course to keep your traffic card charged.
Posted on: Birth by Chinese Zodiac
November 11, 2008 at 9:22 AMHi venicecandy
Thankee kindly! Did you find all twelve animals?
Posted on: New Lessons, New President
November 11, 2008 at 8:36 AMOh artkho , I have to disagree with you about the stinky tofu. I am a huge fan, especially with some kimchee and hot peppers on the side.
I could go for a dish of it right now...
Posted on: Agreement on Exclusive Representation
November 11, 2008 at 8:33 AMHi henning,
1) This sentence is fine, it's OK to leave out prepositions in 口语.
2) It is often considered a little more polite to refer to someone in the third person. It's a little less direct, so maybe it makes people more comfortable. Also, my Taiwanese "auntie" and "uncle" often refer to themselves as "Auntie Wang" and "Uncle Shi." 明天王阿姨陪你去故宫，好不好?
I don't know whether Mr. Liu is really making the decisions here, but I do know that treating him as if he does gives him a lot of face. Whereas, assuming that he had to answer to someone else might be humiliating for him...
3) According to Audio Expert 金鑫, both versions are OK, but the one in the lesson is a bit more correct to Chinese ears.
Posted on: DVDs and the Mao Suit
November 11, 2008 at 5:58 AMHi weijin,
Ok, those would just be 盗版 dao4ban3 DVDs. 盗版的盗就是海盗的盗. So both English and Chinese use a connection to "piracy" to describe these discs.
And at least as far as I know, not many people here record movies off TV--- because they don't broadcast anything worth seeing!
Posted on: Battling Internet Addiction
November 12, 2008 at 2:30 AMHi madeleine,
Ask and ye shall receive.
http://it.people.com.cn/GB/8219/47699/