User Comments - podster

Posted on: Help!

I guess you are thinking of some word like 离开， but 离 can stand alone. 宁波离上海近。 "Ningbo is very close to Shanghai."

Posted on: The Stingy Boss

嘿嘿，david_d, "A closed mouth gathers no foot". But since I can never look away from a train wreck, allow me to 加油。 Since the sentence 你是男人，应该大方一点。 has no context, coming as it does from the expansion section, it could be interpreted in more than one way. One is that the male listener should pay money, e.g. pick up the bill. It does not sound at all out of place for a Chinese speaker to gently chide someone by reminding them of their gender-appropriate role. But for those for whom the sense of outrage provoked by this "sexism" is not enough, there is another, perhaps more offensive, way to interpret it. It could also mean that, as a man, you should be more open minded or easygoing. The implication is that pettiness or small minded behavior is the domain of women. I will wait for the wonderful teachers at CPod to throw stones my way if this is off-base, but I think this is probably right. Sincerely, Pot-Stir.

Posted on: Some Food Clarifications

Cpod still hasn't fixed the translation. Pity, as it seems otherwise a rather useful lesson.

Posted on: The Colors of Money

At first you wrote " ...都做绿了。“ but in the expanded example you dropped the "做“。 I don't have an answer for you yet, but I think the difference would matter.

Posted on: Designated Driver for Hire

Yes, "designated driver" is someone who is chosen in advance of the drinking activities to ensure that friends are returned home safely by the designated driver who remains unimpaired. In some bars in the US the designated driver gets a special bracelet and can drink sodas for free all night.

Korea Town bars will all be able to put you in touch with drivers for hire who will take you home in your own car. Such services are referred to as 대리운전, （代理运转 - translation mine）which Google Translate renders as "substitute driver" in English and 替补司机 in Chinese.

Not that I have any experience with such things. I just enjoy my libations at home in front of the tube. 兑

Posted on: Defusing the Red Bomb

I believe 受到 refers to receiving abstract things, and 收到 is for concrete things.

e.g. 我受到影响。 I got a lot of influence. ( I was highly influenced).

vs. 我收到你的信。 I received your letter. (a tangible object).

So I will guess Dilu said "收到了这个结婚请帖。 。 。“

Posted on: Pregnant

Thanks, Gloria. I was wondering the same thing. So if a company is founded we can say " 祝贺公司成立 " (zhùhè gōngsī chénglì ) which means "congratulations on the founding of your company" or "I congratulate your company on its founding" I guess.

Posted on: Defusing the Red Bomb

Hey, you are right! At 0.17 he is definitely not saying "给红包啊" Maybe it is " 凑份子？" (chip in together for a gift).

Posted on: 2013 Chinese Internet Buzzwords

I think 土豪 is always negative (pejorative) and more so than 富二代. 富二代 is someone who is rich because their parents made money. A 土豪 would be the first generation, somebody who got rich but has no "breeding" or "education" and retains the boorish ways associated with the nouveau riche. I think its a play on words, from the word 富豪，with which it rhymes. In other words, they have the same 豪 character, indicating their high position, but the 土 indicates that they have retained their "earthy" or provincial character.

Posted on: Long Time No See!

Do you know of some way to automatically convert characters to zhuyin? One way to gauge interest might be for you to transcribe a few dialogs and post them in the comments section to see if other users find them useful.