User Comments - pearltowerpete
pearltowerpete
Posted on: Interesting or Boring?
February 16, 2009 at 10:57 PMHi jimijames, inland and svik
I didn't mention it in the podcast because I didn't want ya'all to think I was obsessed or something, but Tupelo is also famous as Elvis Presley's hometown. He also held a famous concert at the fairground there.
Posted on: Valentine's Special
February 16, 2009 at 9:58 AMHi raymondchenon
The convenience store you're thinking of is 可的, very popular in Shanghai.
Posted on: Making Dumplings
February 16, 2009 at 9:21 AMHi nickorange
You asked about the rules for adding "r." There are rules, but they're complicated and not very methodical. Here are a few :
Sometimes, adding "r" shows affection, and implies a close connection -- 小孩儿，脸蛋儿，etc.
Sometimes it shows that something is small, light or scarce-- 门缝儿， 米粒儿
Sometimes it changes the grammatical role of a word-- 顶 is a verb but 顶儿 is a noun.
But even native speakers, especially those not from Northern areas where the "r" is added quite naturally, don't always know. If they study for the 普通话考试 the Mandarin exam that you need to be a broadcaster, etc, they must study with a list like this.
Posted on: Tech Fixes and Traditional Characters
February 16, 2009 at 9:04 AMHi mark
Please be sure to specify that you are searching the Glossary, not the Lessons or Community. I just searched for 学期 and got a bunch of sample sentences with links to the lessons they came from.
Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 8: Trimming the Fat at the Office
February 16, 2009 at 6:43 AMHi bodawei and wxgcathy
I certainly did not intend for any hanky-panky in this comment ;-(
The phrase sounds very natural and indignant in American English, but maybe a more international version would be "On what grounds are you firing me?" or "How dare you fire me?"
Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 8: Trimming the Fat at the Office
February 16, 2009 at 3:44 AMHi all
Old Wang still has some tricks up his sleeve, don't you worry! And I don't think we've seen the last of the sinister Zhou Jun...
Hi matt_c
I don't think an unfair dismissal suit would play out quite the way it does in our law-suit sensitive countries. Even "help wanted" signs here can specify the height, appearance, gender and so on of applicants.
Posted on: Tech Fixes and Traditional Characters
February 16, 2009 at 2:54 AMHi tvan
That is a new feature. We hope that it will be especially useful for people on the borderline between levels. You can first challenge yourself to try without the English, and then see how you did.
Posted on: Interesting or Boring?
February 15, 2009 at 4:22 AMHi suxiaoya
Chinese doesn't really have the coy "Interesting..." that we have in English. So if a Chinese person says that your story/joke is interesting, that's praise.
But it is a funny coincidence that just as in English, you can be "interested in someone－－对某人有意思"
Posted on: Interesting or Boring?
February 15, 2009 at 4:19 AMHi bababardwan
Thanks for your efforts.
Courtesy of connie, here are the phrases used in this lesson:
有意思 yǒu yìsi
你对谁有意思？Nǐ duì shéi yǒu yìsi?
我对很多人有意思。Wǒ duì hěn duō rén yǒu yìsi.
没意思 méiyìsi
话里有话 huàlǐyǒuhuà
你什么意思？Nǐ shénme yìsi?
我没什么意思。Wǒ méi shénme yìsi.
有趣 yǒuqù
听Chinesepod很有趣。Tīng Chinesepod hěn yǒuqù.
学中文很有趣。Xué Zhōngwén hěn yǒuqù.
在中国生活很有趣。Zài Zhōngguó shēnghuó hěn yǒuqù.
无聊 wúliáo
我很无聊。Wǒ hěn wúliáo.
我觉得，没事儿做的时候很无聊。Wǒ juéde,méishìr zuò de shíhou hěn wúliáo.
你们觉得工作的时候无聊吗？Nǐmen juéde gōngzuò de shíhou wúliáo ma?
挺有意思的。Tǐng yǒu yìsi de.
不过每天做一样的事儿很无聊。Bùguò měitiān zuò yīyàng de shìr hěn wúliáo.
但是很有意义。Dànshì hěn yǒu yìyì.
Posted on: 学术抄袭
February 17, 2009 at 1:31 AMHi christine30550
You are right. This was my mistake. When I was translating, my eyes must have skipped over that 好. Thanks, changye, for explaining this. I have corrected the transcript.
Hi luohaoran
Please note the small "gear" icon at the top right of the Lesson Introduction box. When you click on this, you will get the choice to disable the English translations.
I don't share your enthusiasm for the popups over the characters. They only display one meaning for the character, which is not always the way it is used in context. However, when we put the definition as it is in that context, poddies complain that we should have provided the most frequently seen definition! As young Chinese like to say, "Fnt" ;-)
In my opinion, the best method, especially for high-level learners like yourself, is to use a Chinese-Chinese dictionary. This has a mega-side benefit: you will naturally notice different compounds that can be formed with the word, and this will enrich your understanding of the character. And you will be thinking about Chinese in terms of Chinese. Sadly, very few people have the time or energy to do the mental heavy-lifting that this requires.