User Comments - pearltowerpete

Posted on: Calisthenics

Hi zayuio and liyadan

连健身都不忘泡妞 

连...都....结构  都表示强调

Posted on: Saved by the Gong: Cutting Open a Frog

Hi bababardwan, rjberki, huibert and mikeinewshot

I knew that my translation of 纸老虎 as "all hat and no cattle" would raise some eyebrows. But there is a method to the madness. I have not (yet) started showing symptoms of mad cow disease.

My experience with idiomatic phrases like this is that you are much better off learning the core idea behind the phrase than the literal character-by- character translation. This is especially true with chengyu 成语. You will be able to use a chengyu fluently and naturally if you apply it in situations where you would use a similar phrase from your native language.

For example, at least for native English speakers, learning 蜀犬吠日 as "much ado about nothing," will make it much easier to use than if you think about "a Sichuanese dog barking at the sun." Learning the character-by-character meaning adds an extra step. 

So, huibert, I acknowledge that the phrase "paper tiger" does exist in English. But I think it's fair to say that it would not be the first thing that came to most people's mind when they wanted to describe someone who talked a big game but didn't have any real substance.

Once you have mastered the chengyu or idiom, I think it's great to learn the literal translation and background story. It provides cultural depth. And if nothing else, it's fun to explain quirky proverbs to non-Chinese speakers-- "Hey Ma, did you know that in Chinese, "once bitten, twice shy" is "a person who's been bitten by a snake will be afraid of the sight of a rope?!"

Finally, I recognize that I have a certain weakness for colorful American phrases and folk sayings. So I will always provide at least two translations of tricky phrases like this. One of them will be much more literal.

Posted on: Movie Genres

Hi fangaili

You raise a good point. This was lesson was published long before I arrived here, but I will change it to "distinctive."

Many Chinese English speakers translate 独特 as "unique."  A less ambiguous term is 独一无二.

Posted on: Munich

Hi dunderklumpen

chrisjen is right-- 条 is used for long, thin things. Some examples are 龙 dragons , 鱼 fish , 路 roads , even 命 someone's life. Then there are 薯条 French fries.

Here's a bit more information on the evolution of pants ("trousers" for the Anglophiles out there ;-)

As you can see, they were often of different colors. Taken individually, each leg's hose would definitely qualify as a 条.

Posted on: Making Commands More Emphatic with 千万 and 一定

Hi all:

Courtesy of connie, here are the phrases used in today's lesson.

现在千万别买房子。

Xiànzài qiānwàn bié mǎi fángzi.

千万别按！

Qiānwàn bié àn！

喝酒以后千万不能开车。

Hē jiǔ yǐhòu qiānwàn bùnéng kāichē.

开车的时候千万要小心。

Kāichē de shíhou qiānwàn yào xiǎoxīn.

千万要多穿衣服。

Qiānwàn yào duō chuān yīfu.

千万要吃药。

Qiānwàn yào chīyào.

千万要多喝水。

Qiānwàn yào duō hēshuǐ.

结婚的时候一定要买房。

Jiéhūn de shíhou yīdìng yào mǎi fáng.

一定要去长城。

Yīdìng yào qù Chángchéng.

不到长城非好汉。

Bù dào Chángchéng fēi hǎohàn.

如果你去北京，一定要吃烤鸭。

Rúguǒ nǐ qù Běijīng, yīdìng yào chī kǎoyā.

Pete是个骗子，你千万不要相信他。

Peteshì ge piànzi, nǐ qiānwàn bùyào xiāngxìn tā.

找男朋友千万要找老实的。

Zhǎo nánpéngyou qiānwàn yào zhǎo lǎoshi de.

千万不要找花心的。

Qiānwàn bùyào zhǎo huāxīn de.

我一定要学好中文。

Wǒ yīdìng yào xuéhǎo Zhōngwén.

我一定要赚很多钱。

Wǒ yīdìng yào zhuàn hěn duō qián.

一定要听请问。

Yīdìng yào tīng qǐngwèn.

Hi foleadu

You're right. I will make the change tomorrow.

Hi earlybird99

You can post suggestions on this board, or send a personal message to anyone at ChinesePod.

Thanks for your interest.

Posted on: Munich

Hi bodawei

Actually, tarcy is right! Here, the 再 does imply "plus, in addition to."

That's what I get for not reading the sentence in context and going by memory of all the times I have said 再来一瓶啤酒 ;-)

Posted on: 日本动漫

Hi changye

At first I thought you were being funny-- there was a very different kind of movie a few years ago about one night in "Paris". But I think that belongs on the hornybethie thread.

Posted on: Munich

Hi bodawei

你应该说： 现在很多人都和白啤酒 或 很多人现在和白啤酒，但不能说 “很多人都现在..."

请注意以下，不能说第两，只能说第二.

You wouldn't use 再 if it were the first thing you were ordering, because the implication is "another."

写中文没问题，不用对不起我们！加油！

Posted on: 日本动漫

Hi all,

This lesson seems to have stirred up a lot of enthusiasm! Great to see some new faces on the Advanced boards.

Hi zhenlijiang

I think the standard is Beijinger, although you might try Beijing resident (this, of course, doesn't carry the implication of "born'n'bred.")

Probably the most famous phrase involving 北京人 is 北京人在纽约, a TV show from a while back. People talking to me still think it's funny that I'm a 纽约人在上海 ;-)

Posted on: Munich

Hi bodawei

Good questions. In the first example, 在 means "currently." It emphasizes that the action is taking place right now. Without it, the sentence might be misconstrued as meaning "a lot of people are (in the habit of) drinking beer."

In the second sentence, 再 just means "again." Probably the most classic example is 再见 which is probably closer to au revoir than to "good-bye," which doesn't carry the implication of "till we meet again."