User Comments - rich
rich
Posted on: Describing Travels
June 3, 2007 at 2:35 PMYes, and this lesson has no graphic because the actual graphic is named A0078.jpg when it should be C0078.jpg. Fix fix! I think lesson 77 and 79 also have the same problem.
Posted on: My New MP3 Player
May 25, 2007 at 4:47 AMI don't know if it is most appropriate here, but since some of you brought up the PDF font here, I have mentioned a few other places to no avail about how, ever since V3, have not been able to view CPod PDFs in my Nokia's Symbian Adobe Acrobat reader. It apparently is barfing after it reads the header, showing only blank pages. It never did this before. I don't know if I can add new fonts/character sets to this mobile version, but if anyone has a clue on what changed from V2 PDFs to V3 PDFs (besides the logo, ha ha), please do tell, either here or in a private message. 谢谢 -Rich
Posted on: Directory Assistance
May 24, 2007 at 7:45 AMarneneithel, Yes, when reading numbers, from phone numbers to a barcode, "yao1" is used instead of "yi1". The reason most people say it is this way is to avoid confusion with other numbers, as it can sound very similar to 7 (qi1) when reading over the phone, etc. Also no other number has the "ao" sound so it was a good pick, as then we have the endings for numbers 0 to 10: ing, ao, er, an, si, u, iu, i, a, iu, shi. Unfortunately there are two numbers which have the same ending sounds, 6 & 9... and sometimes I have to stop and think a second when someone says either 6 or 9. Oh, but one should point out, when reading years, it is still "yi". Ex: 1991 is read "yi1 jiu3 jiu3 yi1 nian2". Don't forget! Took me a while to not get that mixed up! (unfortunately I still read 1980 as "yi jiu ba shi nian", and can't seem to say what I should say, "ba ling" (8 0) instead of "ba shi" (80). Yet again, when just saying a two digit year, you can, for example, say 八十年代 (ba shi nian dai = the 80's). Have fun with your numbers, and also, don't forget to count up to "yi2 yi4" 一亿 (100 million) to be a full master! (which brings me to now ask a question I never have gotten answered before... what is the character for the place of 1 trillion, the next 4 place values after 100 milion? Cuz you know, we will be up to that much computer storage very soon!)
Posted on: The Clogged Toilet
May 17, 2007 at 2:22 PMI have to comment on just how this lesson, even an Elementary one for a guy who often listens to mostly advanced lessons now, helped me in buying a plunger. I had just moved to another part of Tianjin last weekend and was buying supplies for my new home as I usually have to do. This time I decided to just ask the guy 马桶拔在哪里？and 马桶拔多少钱。It was nice to actually use a new noun I've learned, as that isn't as common int he upper levels. However, when I got home and told my Tianjinese roommate that I had bought a 马桶拔 for us, he said "That isn't how we say it!" and told me how he thinks the Mandarin for plunger should go. I forgot what he said, but it was totally different. Why? -Rich
Posted on: Cold Beer
May 17, 2007 at 2:07 PMReally like the graphic for this lesson, with both a picture and the words in it... the others with just charcters and pinyin was not helpful at all. Thanks!
Posted on: Mosquitoes
May 10, 2007 at 3:00 PMAnd don't forget your lice!!! Funny how because it has the name of another animal, but different characters, I so easily remember it... Lice: 虱子 shīzi (it's the king of the hair jungle) (for those of you who don't get my joke, Lion 狮子 is also shīzi) Got cooties?
Posted on: Lili and Zhang Liang 14: Seeking Comfort
May 9, 2007 at 5:07 PMHey, I like Jenny's writing, so I'll defend it. As soapy as it may be, it still gets more into feelings which I feel is most important when learning a new language... I don't think violence and chaos needs a language... ha ha. But I do hope Dave and everyone get's the lessons they need for their learning and enjoyment. I don't know if there is anything particularly "great" about Lili, especially since she is a made up character, but I do hate it when there is 误会 on both ends of a relationship... never a good experience. So, for me anyway, I feel bad for both sides when that happens, and then you have people telling you what to do and what to feel. I am hoping that if there was any 误会 or if there wasn't but forgiveness can be given, we can learn more dialog for that (and then let them go on a killing spree to please Dave... or then again, not) -Rich
Posted on: Lili and Zhang Liang 13: A Dad Gives Advice to a Broken-Hearted Son
May 8, 2007 at 10:57 AMThanks Amber. Very informative. Are you sure you aren't Chinese? ;-)
Posted on: Buying a SIM card
May 7, 2007 at 1:55 PMInteresting, after posting that, I came across a usage of 自己 used with a time word, as in 明天, when reading Matthew's gospel, chapter 6 about not worrying (my favorite when helping Chinese students who come to me with their worries, especially when it comes to test time and they are pulling their hair out... dang, God must have a hard time keeping count of the hairs on their head... ha): “所以，不要为明天忧虑，因为明天自己有明天的忧虑；一天的难处一天当就够了”马太6:34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; it will have enough worries of its own. There is no need to add to the troubles that each day already brings." (TEV) 孟
Posted on: 连锁咖啡店
June 4, 2007 at 4:06 AMMaking mistakes are the best way to learn Chinese. You actually get better at Chinese when, even if you don't catch them at first, you start seeing mistakes others make, and how they say things different than you (you could be the one making mistakes!). I spent 3 years just taking one-on-one classes, but now that I study with 14 people of different cultures who bring in their own language's way of thinking (and different grammar), I have gained a lot of new ways to say things, and realized that had I not talked with them, I would have been stuck in a runt. Don't aim for perfect chinese... Aim for Chinese that will help you communicate in more than just your own patterns or book patterns! :) -Rich