User Comments - pearltowerpete
pearltowerpete
Posted on: Zombies!
March 13, 2009 at 5:55 AMHi alexyzye
Any cross-cultural discussion of monsters is going to lose something in translation. But the Chinese word for "vampires" is 吸血鬼, literally, blood-sucking ghosts.
As w22222w points out, the traditional Chinese concept of 僵尸 does not suck blood. The 僵尸 is definitely a zombie, although different from what we recognize from stuff like "Resident Evil."
Posted on: Remembering that Day on the Creek -- 如梦令: 常记溪亭日暮
March 13, 2009 at 5:10 AMHi w22222w
Welcome to the discussion. I hadn't considered Yue Fei but it's an interesting suggestion.
Hi urcto
I didn't choose this just because it's upbeat ;-) Actually I keep several things in mind when choosing poems. I prefer pieces without too many allusions 典故. I am also trying to provide a wide variety of writers and different styles. 陇西行 and 猪吃死人肉 , earlier episodes, are not upbeat.
Finally, I always welcome suggestions from listeners. In fact, a few lessons I've already done were suggested by listeners.
Posted on: Reporting a Loss
March 13, 2009 at 3:16 AMHi giant
My girlfriend, who is from Dalian, says it a lot. She makes the 的 sound more like a 滴. But she spent a few years in Canada and hanging around with a lot of dodgy Taiwanese and Yunnanese types ;-) So I can't say precisely where it comes from (although I would bet Taiwan).
Posted on: Zombies!
March 13, 2009 at 1:55 AMHi all
The word 道长 (dàozhǎng) is actually a type of Daoist priest. They are said to be able to take care of zombie problems.
Here, I have translated it as "Zombie Slayer" for a bit of cinematic flair．It seemed too awkward for the characters to keep referring to him as "Daoist Priest."
Posted on: Reporting a Loss
March 13, 2009 at 1:30 AMHi urcto,
You can see how delighted we all are to benefit from your kind and clear explanation. For such a new member of the community, you're really "making a splash!"
Hi rjberki
I completely agree with you about "我的妈.” My first reaction in a similar situation would be "shit" or some variation. But CPod is pretty strict about limiting profanity.
I avoided "Oh my God," because many people don't like to see the word "God" used in this way. All the "holy" variations-- cow, mackerel, etc. are definitely silly.
"Wow" seems too positive to use here.
In hindsight, although it is not, strictly speaking English, I like ire_ne's "Mamma mia,” which is also a literal translation, and captures a bit of outrage as well as surprise.
For the same reason, in an earlier lesson with 幸灾乐祸 I avoided "schadenfreude." But both phrases are common enough in English that they would've been better choices.
Lesson learned.
Posted on: Stinky Feet
March 13, 2009 at 1:13 AMHi evgeniyazhu
Thanks for keeping us on our toes.
Actually, the character is correct in the vocab section. I guess this is just a weakness of this font. I agree that the "clothing radical 衣” on the left is not very clear.
Posted on: Reporting a Loss
March 12, 2009 at 7:28 AMHi changye
As always, thanks for your insights. It's interesting that both versions contain the clothing radical 衣. They're actually not as different as they look at first glance.
Posted on: 中国新富豪
March 12, 2009 at 7:25 AMHi goulnik
就是，就是！ 不过，美国人眼里的buffalo跟中国的有些不一样。好像北美的那种动物叫野牛。
Posted on: Remembering that Day on the Creek -- 如梦令: 常记溪亭日暮
March 12, 2009 at 6:30 AMHi urcto
首先，谢谢你跟大家分享你的经历和心得。大家特别喜欢跟你这种很有诚意的中国人沟通 -- 而不怎么喜欢那些乱贴个人信息的人，觉得烦得不得了。囧。
而且，Confucius Institute 就是中国政府出钱的呀，为了更好地传达中国语言和文化。其实有的人反对它，说是变相的宣传！我反而觉得井水不犯河水。
而且，你说的也十分对。语言并不是什么枯燥，死板的东西。实际上，所有的语言都是“有机食物，”又不断的改变。我希望学了这些诗歌，听众可以主动的多研究一下中国文学，哲学等。我一向就搞了这么一个比喻： The aim of education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.
In your own studies of English, I hope that you find the C-and EPod communities as warm and helpful as I have found them.
Posted on: Zombies!
March 13, 2009 at 6:46 AMHi henning
Yes, 胡扯 or 太扯了 mean "no way!"
As "扯” means "to pull" it's similar to "to pull your leg."