User Comments - rich

Posted on: Chinese Chess

Yeah, I haven't played international chess with too many Chinese guys...most don't know or don't have that much interest.

Posted on: Chinese Chess

Yep, definitely a common scene I've seen both in Shanghai and Tianjin, the two places I've lived the longest in China.

Posted on: Snoring Again

I myself would use 醒来！for "wake up" as 起来 is get up. But I just now from searching different usages of 醒醒 and 醒来, "醒醒" is more for when you tell someone "WAKE UP!" but 醒来 is more for talking about the process of waking up. Yet of course it could be determined by demographics.

Posted on: Tea Tasting

Karl, I think you're suppose to play 《危险》!! :) (wēixiǎn = Jeopardy)

Posted on: International Currency

Thanks podster for the info. While it is interesting about San Francisco and the gold rush, I would have to say my guess, without much research (but did ask a few Chinese over 50 years old yesterday), that it didn't have to do with the 1800s, but even how 50 years ago, or less, it was just as good to hold American money as it is gold, as it's value rarely goes down but also goes up...it was the most stable currency at one time... like gold.

Posted on: Fresh Air vs. Heat

入乡随俗 and freeze? haha.

Posted on: When are you Coming to Hong Kong?

Ah, the memories of teaching English to Chinese people, and trying to get them to stop saying "那个那个那个" ("That, that , that...")... I wasn't sure if I should teach them to say "ummmm", as of course when speaking we are taught not to say "ummm". Was a headache.

Posted on: International Currency

@raffaelm

I believe that money is called 冥钱 míng qián

That 冥 Míng is not Ming in Ming Dynasty, but Ming which means "the underworld/netherworld". It is the same míng used for the planet Pluto, named after the god of the underworld: 冥王星 míngwángxīng

Posted on: International Currency

I got so used to 纸币 (paper currency) in Tianjin when I lived there from 2003-2008 that I did find it so odd how many coins Shanghai uses, now living here for over 2 years. I have had to replace wallets much more often due to having to put coins in it's coin pouch...in fact my current one even has had the stitches break on the leather pouch in the wallet. No idea though, as they asked in the podcast, why coins are used in Shanghai more than anywhere else.

Another interesting thing is how NEW 纸币 is in Beijing/Tianjin. I assume that is where it is made, but man, when you just even go two provinces away, like 山东, the money looks and feels so old and dirty. It seems as if it gets transported to other cities wadded up in dirt, haha (no offense to China, but the bills do quickly get that way here)

Posted on: International Currency

I've lived in China for 9 years now, studied Chinese for 10+ years, yet interesting to hear about 美金. While I've even used that word, I didn't know no other currencies used 金 nor that it was because the US$ has been treated as gold. Very interesting.

I do have a question, as I guess money isn't my strong points of Chinese, but it is mentioend in the podcast that the Singaporean dollar 新元 or 新币. Why do they get to use "新"? Yes, it's in their name, but so do other countires. What do you call the New Zealand Dollar 新西兰元? And isn't Taiwanese money consered "NT$" => New Taiwan Dollar? How is that said in Chinese?  Just 新台币?