User Comments - pearltowerpete

Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 9: Wang Plans Revenge

Hi bodawei and people trying to learn English here

Very good point. Just as you're better off reading Tolstoy in Russian, you're better off checking out EnglishPod if you want to learn English. Their dialogues are originally written in English, and are full of cultural details. Americans rarely talk about eating dog meat, but they do talk about speeding tickets and beer, both of which have been covered on EPod.

In this example, if Lao Wang had said something about 努力， then a generic "worked very hard" would have been more appropriate. But since he used 卖命 （literally, to sell one's life), which is a vivid phrase in Chinese, I felt the English should also be a bit more colorful. Actually, it would've been even more authenitic if he said "busted my ass." But Wang is no 土老冒。

P.S. The only time Yanks "bust a gut" is when we are laughing.

P.P.S. "To hump" is a verb in American English, too. It means "to carry (something heavy)."  ;-)

Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 9: Wang Plans Revenge

Hi mikenotinjubei

Ever since Qin Shihuang standardized the Chinese writing system, the central government has taken a keen interest in the development and use of the language.

In fact there was just a lively discussion on CPod about a proposal in the CPCC (政协-- the fig-leaf of multiparty democracy in the PRC) to go back to traditional characters. There is nothing quite as prestigious as the French Academy here, but the government does sometimes issue edicts on correct uses of characters, variations, etc.

Of course, its massive censorship apparatus and control of publishing (including textbooks) gives the government great leverage in shaping the direction of the language.

In an earlier life as a freelance interpreter, I once helped a foreign businessman who was applying for a Chinese name for his soon-to-be-marketed brownie. We consulted a law firm in Shanghai. Copyright infringement is a problem here, but there were procedures for getting a name that could be protected. Names that were "too generic" or "similar to pre-existing ones" (and those are broadly defined terms, I know) were no good. To prevent anyone ever ripping him off, my client wanted to use a classical term for a pregnant rabbit. He choose it for aesthetics and sound. But since no one but specialists could read it, the lawyer and I talked him out of it.When someone sees your brand name, they should not have to go looking for their 辞海 （the "ocean of words," the comprehensive Chinese dictionary.)

It takes a lot of gumption to create a new character, and only slightly less to try to popularize an old one. Here's are a couple of interesting pieces from Danwei.org about changes and re-interpretations of Chinese characters.

Finally, maybe you've seen 囧 jiǒng which has become popular lately for its resemblance to a "frowny face." The central government had nothing to do with that ;-)

Posted on: How Long?

Hi kuini

师傅 is a respectful term for people whose job requires a certain amount of technical skill. So a cook could be called 师傅.

The most famous brand of instant noodles in China is 康师傅.

Hi heartfruit and dunderklumpen,

Thanks for helping out!

Posted on: How Long?

Hi bababardwan

多长时间 and 多久 are interchangeable.

I googled 多久时间 and there are indeed people who have written this, but in Jiaojie's words, "it sounds weird." I have never heard anyone say it in China.

Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 9: Wang Plans Revenge

Hi yang986

Good question. Jiaojie and I discussed it:
意识到  是原来没想到，现在想到了。比如说：我们意识到了经济危机的严重性。意识比较正式。想通：是想明白一个道理。想不通的时候很生气，很郁闷，很不想面对现实，想通以后就轻松了，接受了

意识到--- you originally hadn't thought of something, and now you've thought of it. For example, "we've realized how serious the economic crisis is." This is a fairly formal phrase.

想通 means that you have figured out a truth. When you can't figure it out, you get angry or depressed, and you don't want to face reality. Once you've figured things out, you relax, and can accept the situation.

And the other employees call him 老王 to show respect. He is older than them, but it's also in deference to his many years of experience. For younger people, you could add a 小 in front of their name.

Hi alexyzye

Lao Wang is undermining his old company by trying to poach their clients and talent. In Chinese this is called 挖墙脚.

And don't worry, this tale of betrayal and revenge is just getting started. Wang still has a few tricks left in him...

***Bonus English-Chinese digression*** The English word "landmine" comes from the medieval technique of "mining" under an enemy castle's walls to weaken them so that they collapse. That's the literal meaning of 挖墙脚.

Posted on: About Face! A Multi-faceted Look at 面子

Hi ewong

Great question. Actually there are distinctions between 面子 and 脸. We will talk about these in a Qing Wen to be released very soon.

Posted on: Dog Meat and Animal Rights

Hi triplelatte

One of the best things about CPod is the range of colorful characters we attract, including libruls. But we don't support the global economic crisis or litterin, that's for dern shure!

Hi second_tone

Thanks for some interesting points.

My main argument against factory farming and for a more sustainable way of life comes from the Chinese. I can't praise King's Farmers of Forty Centuries enough. It's an invaluable first-hand account of late Qing farming.

In addition to being largely vegatarian, the traditional Chinese way of life wasted nothing. One modern agronomist explains that factory farming makes one elegant solution-- raising a few cattle and using their manure on your fields-- into two thorny problems: disposing of a lot of poisonous waste, and requiring nitrogen-based fertilizers. This is one thing the ancient Chinese didn't have to deal with.

I would never romanticize or belittle Chinese peasants' difficult lives. You can see this week's poem for more. But as the title of the book suggests, the Chinese were able to use the same land intensively for thousands of years. Does anyone really believe that the current EU and US methods of agriculture will be feasible in 3009?

Posted on: Sympathy for the Farmers -- 悯农

Hi cassielin,

Thanks for sharing your story! Food is not something abstract. It takes a lot of hard work. One of my friends is a rabbi. He says "There are a lot of miracles in a loaf of bread."

And 纵横四海 means to take over the world ;-)

Posted on: About Face! A Multi-faceted Look at 面子

Hi mikeinewshot, changye and jenny

It's often useful to look at the traditional forms of characters.  礼 used to be 禮. In both cases, the radical on the left is an altar. The right, according to Wenlin, shows

 乚 is simplified from 曲 over 豆, representing a vase full of flowers, offered as a sacrifice to the gods. This simplification dates back at least to 567 B.C. (Wieger p.383).

My nerdy scholarly side makes me reluctant to use any single word, no matter how complex, to define a culture. But I will be the first to say that 禮 is definitely huge in China.

I may have posted this before, but the scholar I mentioned in this podcast, 費孝通 describes three general types of social control.

人治 -- rule by men, i.e. strongmen, dicatorships.

法治 -- rule by law, the ideal in constitutional democracies

礼治 -- rule by ritual and custom, and the authority that these provide. The rulers are the ones who adhere best to 礼, and this is the source of their legitimacy. He felt that China was a 礼治 system.

For a modern example, the CCP insists on annual growth of at least 8%. In theory this is based on economic needs (low enough to avoid crazy inflation, high enough to absorb the new graduates/migrant workers.) In reality, it is because Deng Xiaoping set this goal in the early 1980s, and no leader has dared to depart from this precedent, which has been successful so far. It's a tradition disguised as a policy.

Posted on: Tech Upgrades and Farming!

Hi light487

We're looking forward to meeting you! See you in a bit.

Hi yang986

News and Features is just focused on the exciting world of CPod. There are many outlets where you can get current events from the Sinosphere.

We also do topical media lessons.