User Comments - pearltowerpete

Posted on: Hot and Cool 热, 烫 , 凉 , 冷

Hi jjfoerch

Great question. Here, 烫 is serving as a verb. The 到 here shows the completion of an action. We see this kind of structure in phrases like 看到，听到， etc.

This can also be used in passive constructions, as in the example you cited. A very popular sentence these days is 我被他雷到了- I was "blown away"  by him. Here 雷 which comes from 雷人 ( astonishing, shocking, horrifying in a funny way) is serving as a verb, not as the word "thunder." Many things that we would describe as "out of control," "ridiculous," etc. are now 雷人！

Posted on: Tea Tasting

Hi rj and raygo,

I didn't want to stir anything up with two of the most dynamic commenters...but you leave me no choice!

RJ-- Milk in tea is great, but you have to leave the tea bag in long enough so that the tea is so dark and bitter that you can't drink it without milk. I wouldn't add sugar or lemon. Just my two cents.

Raygo- come on, man! Tell me you didn't love seeing Bones and Scotty as young officers! I admit the time travel stuff was a little dodgy but I thought it was a damn sight better than certain other prequels *cough* Star Wars *cough.

Posted on: Would You Like a Drink?

Hi carlos_in_irvine

Great question. What we typically call black tea in English (including blends such as English Breakfast, Earl Grey, etc.) is actually called 红茶 in Chinese.

Incidentally, the Chinese consider black/红 teas to be far inferior to green teas like Longjing. All tea is from the same species- the different flavors come mainly from the different ways of oxidizing the leaves.

Longjing is relatively untreated, whereas the darker teas that Westerners prefer are dried and often compressed into bricks. This was originally done to preserve the leaves during the long journey back to the West, either through Shanxi/Russia, or by sea. We barbarians got used to the "inferior" stuff, and the rest is history!

Posted on: Would You Like a Drink?

Hi kencan,

Thanks for noticing this. I will make the change as soon as possible.

Posted on: Tea Tasting

Hi bababardwan,

I agree about the importance of the discussion tabs. Actually, linked comments would be great, so that people could just follow the parts in the discussion that they were interested in, and skip the other stuff. I'd also like it if poddies could make comments directly to the person they want to address, instead of having to use the "@" sytem.

Hi raygo

You didn't like the new movie? I thought it was exciting and, more important, has the potential to keep the Star Trek spirit alive for the next generation of earthlings. But I do sympathize with the folks in this clip ;-0

Posted on: Thinking of my Brothers by Moonlight -- 月夜忆舍兄

Hi emeryj

Thanks for your enthusiasm. Yes, economy is a defining feature of classical Chinese poetry.

This is a series, with previous episodes here. If you want readings in different dialects, please check out last week's poem as a starting point. There is a link in the intro to readings in 14 different dialects.

And welcome to my 故乡-- I'm a Saratoga Springs native who went to college in Albany.

Hi furong,

Glad to hear you enjoyed the poem. 况乃 works like 何况.

An example given on zdic.net is

一项改革都会经过不少曲折,更何况一场革命

A reform goes through a lot of twists and turns-- to say nothing of a revolution!

The idea is to bring up one situation or circumstance, and then another even more extreme or outrageous one. It will usually be translated as "let alone," or "to say nothing of." As in the example sentence, you will often see it combined with 更.

This is a very formal way of speaking, and not strictly essential. But you will see it, and I have heard people use 何况 in conversation.

Posted on: Tea Tasting

Hi paulinurus,

As you rightly point out, I have included both "bug" and "insect" among the translated elements for the lesson (dialogue, vocab, and popups.) Since it encompasses a range of creepy crawlies, including those most likely to appear in someone's tea, "bug" is the most correct translation of 虫子 for the dialogue. But even a totally American audience might be confused if the vocab section listed the word "bug” alone. As many commenters have noted, a "bug" is often a computer malfunction.

This approach made an attempt to be inclusive and precise. With this method, which I plan to use more frequently, with help from CPod English speakers from other regions and also from the poddies, I plan to give you "the best of both worlds." ;-)

Regarding "tasty," I know that many learners of Chinese think 不错 should be understood literally as "Not bad." But this is simply not accurate-- the words on their own do mean that, but the phrase describes something better than “not bad." For that matter, 味道 can describe both a scent and a taste. We don't really know which the person is talking about here- they might also be saying "It smells great!" This depends on context.

But the more important issue is, why should we assume that the Chinese will use adjectives that correspond to English words such as "tannic" and "brisk" when describing their tea? I've had hundreds of cups of tea with dozens of Chinese, and the overwhelming majority simply nod and say "不错." This has nothing to do with harshness or acidity. It's a simple statement-- this (food/drink) tastes good, i.e. it's tasty.

There is a lively discussion on the "Chinese Internet" about just what exactly 泡妞 is. (The last link there has the 泡妞三十六计） It is a slang phrase, and should be translated in a slangy way. "To woo" or "to court" etc. would be inappropriate, and inaccurate.

I am always happy to explain my reasoning. Soon I'm going to write a post for the CPod blog explaining my approach to translation and language learning. I expect it to be hotly discussed. I'll be very interested to receive feedback from you and the other poddies. When that is available, we will be able to keep this sort of conversation mostly over there, as it is apparently not interesting to the majority of commenters.

Posted on: Thinking of my Brothers by Moonlight -- 月夜忆舍兄

Hi lotsofwordsandnospaces,

Can't speak for xuchen, but I guess 杜甫 just sounds powerful, especially if you say it in a growling voice. Much more than "李商隐“ for example.

Hi rjberki,

Even in just the last ten years, communicating has gotten so much easier. Centuries from now, maybe we'll be wondering how people ever lived without telepathy or something...for better or worse.

Posted on: Tea Tasting

Hi lotsofwordsandnospaces,

Thanks for a great laugh. I have met many open-minded and cosmopolitan Scottish people here.

And I make a vow to use the word "boggin" at least once a day.

Posted on: Tea Tasting

Hi pinkjeans,

To supplement shenyajin's excellent explanation, please let me add that 还是xxx often implies that the speaker has given the matter some thought, and has come to the conclusion that xxx is still the best conclusion/course of action, etc.

When I used to play the (American) football game "Madden" on Playstation2 with one of my friends, when he'd pick his play he'd always say :

想来，想去，还是 blitz 吧！

*Blitzing is when you rush at the other team.