User Comments - rustblue
rustblue
Posted on: Explaining Your Occupation
January 22, 2008 at 8:53 AMReply to Amber, The question still stands, what is understood in China as a businessman? Is this exclusively someone who owns their own business (be it a street vendor to a tycoon), or are there other levels of management that might also be included in this -- for example a branch manager? Are salespeople "businesspeople"?
Posted on: Sending Emails
January 21, 2008 at 11:16 PMWhen one is giving an email address, in Mandarin of course, and one gets to the point of "Tom@hotmail", I can image that more than one error could creep into the process of reception. How does one specify the spelling of "Tom@hotmail"? (Other than showing the address on the business card that one naturally carries with them at all times.) A second question, if I may: For addresses that include a period in the first part; e.g., tom.jones@whatever.com -- is dian4 also used -- so tom dian4 jones?
Posted on: Explaining Your Occupation
January 21, 2008 at 11:04 PMWhat is the difference between "sheng3yi4ren2" and "shang1ren2"? Both are given as "businessman". And, while I'm here, what exactly would be understood in China as a businessman (or businessperson)? [I ask because I have noticed that there is a difference between the American and German notions of businessman.]
Posted on: Paying the Bill
January 6, 2008 at 12:29 PMIn the explanation for 给 我 面子 (give me face), the term 面子 is referred to as the metaphysical face, not the body part. I was wondering where the expression for a metaphysical face comes from. Is there in Chinese culture a division between the physical Self and the metaphysical Self? Are there other metaphysical body parts, or is face the only one?
Posted on: Lesson
January 3, 2008 at 9:20 PMIn the vocabulary section, zài is given with the Chinese character 在 (which is also given in the dialogue text). I ran into a program however that gives this character to mean "exist; be living; rest with; depend on". The "particle" character, as zài is used in the dialogue, is given here as: 再. Any ideas on where the difference is coming from, i.e., is there a dialect difference?
Posted on: Taxi Conversations: Arriving at your Destination
January 23, 2008 at 10:48 PMA question concerning an aspect of the taxi ride that I did not catch listening through the arc. What about tipping? Does one tip a taxi driver? How does one do this if you are using the "transport card"? (sort of the same question could apply to waiters and waitresses in restaurants)