User Comments - pearltowerpete
pearltowerpete
Posted on: Two Poems about Music -- 弹琴 and 听筝
June 24, 2009 at 2:13 AMHi wilsonwan,
多谢你给我们这些反馈。你会发现，我们网站 按难度分级别，newbie (菜鸟）到intermediate （中级）forum上的汉语用的少，而中高级-媒体课程多得多。
你也可以叫我“阿斌”。 之所以我给自己起“pearltowerpete" 这个名字，是因为我太喜欢上海东方明珠的建筑风格和颜色，实在太雅致 ;-)
Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 12: A Dodgy Opportunity
June 24, 2009 at 2:03 AMWe have mentioned it before, but it's worth repeating-- 你在哪儿发财 literally means, "where are you getting rich?" But friends just use it in a joking way to ask "how's it going," or "what's new?"
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Dongbei
June 23, 2009 at 1:35 PMLet's pause this illuminating discussion (rich girlfriends? class conflict?) for a moment to reflect on the recently deceased Ed McMahon. As Tonight Show host Johnny Carson's loyal sidekick, his genial face warmed American living rooms for decades. From the New York Times：
Off camera he and Carson were friends and occasional drinking buddies, although Mr. McMahon noted that Carson, who died in 2005, was not terribly social.
I'm going to post an angry comment on the NYTimes blog. How did such an obscure bit of slang find its way into this article? And more importantly, how dare The New York Times use such gutter language in an obituary (or is that obitchuary?) honoring a great entertainer!?
If he were some cheap standup hack comedian, like the ones that perform for the Hells' Angels, I could understand it. But this is just too much to bear.
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Dongbei
June 23, 2009 at 11:25 AMPaulinurus,
Your latest comment said a lot more about you than it did about anyone else. Frank disagreements about language and translation are helpful. Dirty language laced with the smug snobbery of the sheltered student is not.
A couple of my friends grew up in trailer parks. Now, they are doing more interesting things with their lives than spraying contempt all over ChinesePod.
Being poor doesn't make you a loser. But being rich enough to afford a house (or at least a room in your parents' house) doesn't mean you're a winner.
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Dongbei
June 23, 2009 at 9:15 AMHi bababardwan,
Mae West was a deep well of great double-entendres.
"I used to be Snow White. But then I drifted."
When your parachute lines get wrapped around the middle of the chute, causing the two ends to bulge out, that's called "a Mae West."
Hi rj
That's true, but I have also had teachers and other adults use it in a friendly way. Some even shorten it to "bud."
Posted on: Pin Number
June 23, 2009 at 5:53 AMHi alwingate,
You may need to contact your home bank and tell them that you are in China. I used my bank card for a few months, and then it stopped working. I requested a new card, jumped through a lot of hoops, and still no dice. When I called them, they said "We found that your card was being used in China, so we blocked it for you!" Once I explained the situation, they unblocked it.
Don't even get me started on the idiotic half.com, which will freeze your account if you try to order something while in China. They didn't do that in the past, but Heaven help you now. Too much protection for our own good.
Posted on: Getting Old Isn't Easy
June 23, 2009 at 2:45 AMHi mike,
Good eyes. I'm not sure why there was an inconsistency between the two lines but it is fixed now.
I just confirmed that antsy is an American slang word. I'd argue that this is an example of a vivid, valuable contribution from our side of the pond, and one that expresses the Chinese well. Antsy refers to the ceaseless motion of ants, scurrying willy nilly. This is used to describe restlessness or anxiety.
Posted on: Fighting over the Bill
June 23, 2009 at 2:24 AMHi jweissgerber,
In addition to shenyajin's funny explanation, let me add that in English, there is no difference between the two. If I treat you to dinner, I'll pay the bill. The Chinese sentence in the expansions is just a joke.
Posted on: Getting Nationalities Straight
June 24, 2009 at 2:19 AMHi jackiechandler09
Good try. Here are the correct spellings of the nationalities:
měiguórén = american person
yīngguórén = british person
fǎguórén = french person
zhōnguórén = Chinese person