User Comments - sushan
sushan
Posted on: China Fruit and Pre-Marital Sex
June 20, 2008 at 1:25 PMDavid mentioned parents being open, which I think is translated as 开放 kai1fang4. This term does mean open minded but I've heard girls thus described in a disparaging way, so does this also mean 'easy' or liberal morally?
I teach university students from all over the country and a few do have a decent level of sex education in high school including disease prevention awareness, but most I have spoken with don't talk with their parents about sex and feed their curiosity from the sleazy sources mentioned or kind of find out by doing it, with all the dangers that go along with that. Many others insist traditional values are best.
Posted on: Regional Accents Part II
June 18, 2008 at 2:30 PMEven before I moved to Sichuan Chinese people would mention it to me. Anyway, I had a look online and found this one page. The text is not exactly easy on the eyes so I did not try to read the whole thing but it does mention the congress and Sichuanhua losing by one vote. Maybe a native speaker or someone with better reading skills than I can vet it for us. (Thought ROC is Taiwan and PRC is Mainland, are they not?)
Posted on: Bangkok
June 18, 2008 at 1:54 PMFound a translation into Chinese of that song here. I pinned some of it, but the translation feels a bit off, esp the line about being careful with your company. (and the Chinese line about ecstasy is talking about the substance, not the feeling.)
One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
一晚在曼谷作出了努力，谦虚的男子
Yī yè zài Màngŭ zuòchūle nŭlì qiānxū de nánzĭ
Not much between despair and ecstasy
没有太大之间的绝望和摇头丸
Méiyoŭ tàidà zhījiān de juéwàng hé yáotoúwán
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
一晚在曼谷和强硬的家伙倒下
Yī yè zài màngŭ hé qiángyìng de jiā huŏ dăoxià
Can't be too careful with your company
不能太小心您的公司
Bùnéng tài xiăoxīn nín de gōngsī
I can feel the devil walking next to me
我可以感受到魔鬼散步我旁边
Wŏ kĕyĭ găn shoùdào móguĭ sànbù wŏ pángbiān
Posted on: Regional Accents Part II
June 17, 2008 at 1:53 PMSichuanhua lost by a single vote in that council, people keep telling me.
We have a great little Hakka town outside Chengdu known as Luodai.
Posted on: Mosquitos and Olympics
June 13, 2008 at 2:58 PMAn Advanced lesson on the blood type thing can be found here.
Posted on: Fortunate Cookies
June 13, 2008 at 9:07 AMThere are definite regional aspects to the names of vegetables. in Xian I saw 西红柿 but here in Sichuan it is always 蕃茄 fānqié for tomato and 蕃茄酱 fānqié jiàng for ketchup.
Potatoes locally are 土豆 tŭdoù or yang yu (no idea of characters for that one) but french fries are 薯条 shŭtiáo.
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Hong Kong
June 13, 2008 at 6:50 AMUncle changye, don't forget 猪尾巴 zhū wĕiba, the pig tail.
I can't figure out the last sentence but I've heard variations of the first part many times: Chinese people eat everything that flies but airplanes, everything that runs on land but cars, everything swimming in the ocean but subs, everything on four legs but tables, everything on two legs but ladders....
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Hong Kong
June 13, 2008 at 6:06 AMMore dim sum items:
锅贴 guōtiē (pot stickers)
肠粉 chángfĕn (rice rolls, not to be confused with 肥肠粉 féichángfĕn, a bowl of rice noodles in tripe broth with tripe)
糯米鸡 nuòmǐjī (glutinous rice and other yummy things like mushrooms and sausage wrapped in leaves and steamed)
粥 zhōu (great for breakfast in the mornings)
芋角 yùjiǎo (taro dumplings, the best!)
春捲 chūnjuǎn (spring rolls)
萝卜糕 luóbogāo (turnip cake)
芒果布丁 mángguǒbùdĩng (mango pudding)
蛋挞 dàntà (egg tarts)
The Hungry Traveller shoud visit a 茶餐厅 chá cāntīng ('tea canteen') where they serve basic breakfasts and lunches that include the Hong Kong interpretations of Western food. He should also visit a place that specialized in 粥 zhoū or 麵 miàn. (Couldn't resist using traditional version of 面 miàn, it's really beautiful.) And the 烤鹅 kăoé, roast goose....
Posted on: I Can/Can't Afford it (...得起 & ...不起）
June 10, 2008 at 5:42 PMStill can't figure out if the high class supermarkets were 'gougey' or 高级 gao1ji２.
Re multiple wives and grammar, a movie:
大红灯笼高高挂
Dà Hóng Dēnglóng Gāogāo Guà
(Raise the Red Lantern)
This movie magically taught me how to use 就 (jiu4) for emphasis with the infamous line:
我就是那个四太太
wŏ jiù shì nàgè sì tàitài (I AM the fourth wife)
Posted on: Chinese Medicine: Acupuncture, Cupping and Scraping
June 25, 2008 at 3:25 AMJust went with a gift certificate to one of the beauty spas that have been popping up like mushrooms lately for a back treatment, and it unexpectedly included scraping and cupping. Wasn't painful at all but I do have tire tracks on my back. (Treatment would have been Y200-300 if I hadn't had a certificate)