User Comments - pearltowerpete
pearltowerpete
Posted on: Illegal taxis
February 14, 2009 at 11:58 PMHi ruyide
We can certainly consider discussing the 地、的、得 issue in a lesson or Qing Wen.
Generally, 地 is being replaced by 的 in adverbial constructions. The Chinese professors at Fudan advised us not to worry about the distinction. Other gauges of modern usage, Baidu/Google and the predictive ability of Google Pinyin, show that Chinese native speakers routinely make this "mistake." I see no evidence that 得 is losing any ground.
But I stand by my earlier remark that it is not worth spending much of your time on, at least not at the "elementary" level. There are so many crucial issues to be thinking about at this level: tones, grammar, and expanding your vocabulary.
Spending time on the 的、地 distinction is a bit like a learner of English devoting a lot of energy to “who/whom." Of course, in an ideal world, you would learn this. But if English speakers don't understand you, it is unlikely to be because you misused these pronouns. To put it another way, if your writing gets so good that the most obvious mistake is your substitution of 的 for 地， congratulations.
Posted on: Valentine's Special
February 13, 2009 at 8:06 AMThanks for the proverb, Changye. It may help the poddies to know that 西施 is one of the four most beautiful women in Chinese history (四大美女）.
Posted on: Drinking Alone Under the Moon 月下独酌
February 13, 2009 at 6:12 AMHi blackjacksadie
I am very eager to hear suggestions from poddies. Du Fu wrote many touching pieces during the turmoil of the An Lushan rebellion (安史之乱） and his poems are a valuable resource for historians.
I do like the Seaton translation you've provided. It's just my own silly preference, but whenever possible I like to use the word "The Milky Way," just because we so rarely get to say the word "milky." Plus, I think it captures the beautiful softness of the galaxy.
Posted on: Simple Electrical Stuff
February 13, 2009 at 5:00 AMHi kirk
If you want to unplug something, you 把它的插头拔掉 bǎ tāde chātóu bádiào.
In Chinese, you don't really say "unplug (some appliance)." You just say, for example, "把电视关掉，然后把它的插头也拔掉."
Posted on: Valentine's Special
February 13, 2009 at 4:53 AMHi mikenotinjubei
You raise an interesting cultural point. While it would be grammatically correct, and more emphatic, it's actually quite rare in my experience for a business (or a friend, for that matter) to tell you that something 明天一定会... No one wants to 说死, ie to commit themselves.
So in Chinese, 应该没问题， 大概..., and ....吧 and so on are used much, much more than in English. If you see it as an acceptance of life's uncertainties, instead of infuriating evasiveness, it is much easier to accept ;-)
Posted on: Dumb Joke
February 13, 2009 at 3:18 AMHi aleibaba
Actually, 特 instead of 特别 is quite common in Northern China, not just Beijing. 个 is short for 一个, and you will hear this everywhere.
Posted on: Valentine's Special
February 13, 2009 at 2:57 AMHi all,
Interesting article from a few years ago in the NYTimes about how Yunnan is becoming a major rose exporter. The article also touches on the issue of intellectual property theft, in the form of high-quality flower strains!
As a committed localist I find this trend disturbing. But everyone is hypocritical in some way. Until I find a way to use Guangming milk and Baijiu to make Baileys in my bathtub, I'll be buying bottles of that delightful drink shipped all the way from Ireland.
Posted on: Simple Electrical Stuff
February 13, 2009 at 2:27 AMHi paulinurus
This question is a 反问 -- rhetorical question. I confirmed with Jiaojie, your rephrasing isn't ideal because it loses the incredulous tone of the one in the lesson.
Posted on: Why, why, why??
February 13, 2009 at 2:21 AMHi aleibaba
一会儿 is not Beijing dialect. It is actually standard Mandarin. Some people in Southern China say 一会 but it sounds a little funny.
Posted on: Illegal taxis
February 15, 2009 at 4:16 AMHi changye
I agree with your explanation of the cause of this change.
And I am not breezily dismissing this issue. My point is that if your goal is to communicate clearly in Chinese, there are other far more pressing things to practice. Knowing how to use 的 will be cold comfort if your interlocutors aren't sure whether you're talking about tests （考试 kǎoshì） or roasted poems (烤诗 kǎoshī ；-）