User Comments - pearltowerpete
pearltowerpete
Posted on: Remembering that Day on the Creek -- 如梦令: 常记溪亭日暮
March 16, 2009 at 1:42 AMHi sealin
Thanks for sharing this info! Welcome to the discussion.
Hi daizi
别叹气，吃派吧-- It sounds so clunky! Do any Chinese poddies have an opinion?
Posted on: The 是...的 (Shì...de) Pattern
March 16, 2009 at 1:32 AMHi jadelotus28
We're glad you enjoyed the lesson.
Qing Wen, News and Features and Poems with Pete do not have PDF files.
Posted on: About Face! A Multi-faceted Look at 面子
March 16, 2009 at 1:28 AMHi mikeinewshot and others who have expressed disgust at vulgar displays of wealth
I believe that a lot of the Western revulsion at conspicuous consumption is due to the relatively orderly transfer of wealth that has allowed the formation of "old money."
Due to the earth-shaking political upheavals of the last century, China really does not have the idea of old, established families who keep a low profile. Almost without exception, anyone in China who has money got it in the last thirty years. That is to say, almost anyone who is rich, used to be poor. Just as converts are the loudest evangelists, the newly rich are the most likely to flaunt their wealth.
So while there is definitely an aristocratic class here, it is not an old class. If the society stays stable long enough for fortunes to be inherited, we should see the wealthy begin to tone down their flashiness. This will generate a new kind of snobbery and social inequality, but may spare us from the spectacle of gilded toilets.
All this being said, the Western reverence for classy, low-key rich people is seen more in the breach than in the observance (check out John Thain's wastebasket.)
Posted on: About Face! A Multi-faceted Look at 面子
March 15, 2009 at 11:46 AMHi mormon88
I said 倍儿有面子-- bèir yǒumiànzi, which means 很有面子！ This is Tianjin slang that has become popular around China. The guy says it in the film clip I posted.
倍 means "times"--- 五倍 is "five times," as in "five times more expensive."
Posted on: Finance Segment on TV
March 15, 2009 at 8:26 AMHi calicartel
The 其中 in this sentence means "among these," as you have suggested. But we have to take this sentence in context to answer the question, "among what?"
The answer is given in the previous sentence, which explains the losses that happened during the day. So while you are correct that there is no 今天 or 今日 in the sentence, it is definitely implied.
Posted on: Remembering that Day on the Creek -- 如梦令: 常记溪亭日暮
March 15, 2009 at 1:33 AMHi w22222w
I will definitely introduce some 豪放派 (stylistically bold and unrestrained) poems. Today's poem is only the first of the 宋词 I plan to discuss.
Hi zhenlijiang
Hey, thanks for that!
Posted on: About Face! A Multi-faceted Look at 面子
March 15, 2009 at 1:27 AMThis clip shows how the newly rich dream of showing off their money.
楼里站一英国管家，戴一假发，特绅士的那种。业主一进门甭管有事 没事都得跟人家说：May I help you thir？"一口地道的英国伦敦腔，倍有面子！
Posted on: About Face! A Multi-faceted Look at 面子
March 15, 2009 at 1:24 AMHi all,
Courtesy of Connie, here are today's phrases.
面子miànzi
你可以说：“爱面子”。或者“要面子”。
Nǐ kěyǐ shuō: “ài miànzi”. Huòzhě “yào miànzi”.
请朋友吃饭的时候，点很多很多菜，这就是很爱面子。
Qǐng péngyou chīfàn de shíhou, diǎn hěn duō hěn duō cài, zhè jiù shì hěn ài miànzi.
经常有人买东西要买最贵的。
Jīngcháng yǒu rén mǎi dōngxi yào mǎi zuì guì de.
《大腕》，不要最好就要最贵。
《Dàwàn》. Bù yào zuì hǎo jiù yào zuì guì.
买假名牌，但是跟别人说这是真的。
Mǎi jiǎ míngpái, dànshì gēn biéren shuō zhè shì zhēn de.
还有一种是很爱面子的。比如说，你碰到一个不懂的东西，但是你说我懂，我懂，我知道。
就是不懂装懂。
Hái yǒu yī zhǒng shì hěn ài miànzi de. Bǐrú shuō, nǐ pèngdào yī ge bù dǒng de dōngxi, dànshì nǐ shuō wǒ dǒng, wǒ dǒng, wǒ zhīdao. Jiùshì bùdǒngzhuāngdǒng.
没面子méi miànzi
我们都很怕没面子。
Wǒmen dōu hěn pà méi miànzi.
比如说我开的车没有别人的好，我会觉得没面子。
Bǐrú shuō wǒ kāi de chē méiyǒu biéren de hǎo，wǒ huì juéde méi miànzi.
我小时候如果考试考得不好，我会觉得很没面子。
Wǒ xiǎoshíhou rúguǒ kǎoshì kǎo de bù hǎo，wǒ huì juéde hěn méi miànzi.
用很旧的手机。
Yòng hěn jiù de shǒujī.
有面子yǒu miànzi
如果我总是买新手机，我会觉得很有面子。
Rúguǒ wǒ zǒngshì mǎi xīnshǒu jī, wǒ huì juéde hěn yǒu miànzi.
给我个面子gěi wǒ ge miànzi
有的时候，我想请我的朋友去唱歌。但是她说我不想唱，不会唱。然后我就会说给我个面子吧，一起去。
Yǒude shíhou, wǒ xiǎng qǐng wǒ de péngyou qù chànggē. Dànshì tā shuō wǒ bù xiǎng chàng, bù huì chàng. Ránhòu wǒ jiù huì shuō gěi wǒ ge miànzi ba, yīqǐ qù.
Posted on: Zombies!
March 13, 2009 at 8:32 AMHi urcto,
Thanks a lot for sharing this practical knowledge ;-)
黑狗血，桃木剑，黑驴蹄子，糯米，符，朱砂线（和墨汁一起用）。
A black dog's blood, a sword made of peach wood, the hoof of a black donkey, sticy rice, a magic sign, a strand of cinnabar and ink.
僵尸还没苏醒时，可以用线蘸墨汁和朱砂弹在棺材上，横竖交织成网，可以把僵尸困在棺材里。
When the zombie has not yet regained consciousness, you can dip the cinnabar in the ink, and flick it onto the coffin. You can weave this into a web which will trap the zombie in the coffin.
符就是一张黄色的长条的纸，用朱砂写上“勒令”和其他一些咒语，贴在僵尸额头上，可以限制僵尸的行动。行尸就是用符贴在僵尸额头上，用铃铛引着僵尸走。
The 符 is a long yellow piece of paper. Use the cinnabar to write "Order!" and other spells on it. Stick it on the zombie's head (see Matt's photo--Ed.) and you can restrict the zombie's movement. You can use a small bell to make a zombie walk.
杀死僵尸，就要靠黑狗血，黑驴蹄子，糯米，桃木剑。
To kill the zombie, you use the black dog's blood, the black horse's hoof, sticky rice, and the peach wood sword---- urcto, 能否讲的具体一点， 到底咋用呢？
还有大蒜，僵尸不喜欢大蒜的味道。
And then there's garlic-- zombies don't like the smell of garlic.
P.S.-- while researching this translation, I came across a delicious 成语--- 行尸走肉, someone who is totally worthless. It is a great visual.
Posted on: 中国和西方的农民
March 16, 2009 at 3:14 AMHi urcto
你的意思是不是，北京和上海附近的农村偏富， 没有代表性呢？
说实话，江浙这一带的农村比较富裕，有的农民日子过得蛮好，城市化已经比较发达。虽然他们还是农民身份，但这些人做生意，有房有车。
而甘肃，陕西之类的地方就完全不一样了，穷得不得了。