User Comments - xiaohu
xiaohu
Posted on: The Drug Dealer
February 4, 2008 at 8:45 AMlongdehua: 我有一点糊涂。 你的一个医生朋友劝你的那个吸可卡因的朋友把 K粉代替可卡因来吸吗？ 是不是？ 这是什么破朋友呢？ 他真的是博士吗？
Posted on: 一边...一边 ... (yībiān...yībiān...)
February 4, 2008 at 7:27 AMewong "唱歌" is the term everybody uses, I don't think I've ever heard anyone say, 歌唱. Perhaps Jenny can shed a little more light on this subject.
Posted on: The Third Tone
February 4, 2008 at 7:17 AMpunter888: I think some of your confusion may be resulting from an explanation that the altered 3rd tone is a "half tone". Don't read to much into it, the change of 3rd tone is straitforward: When there are 2 or more consecutive 3rd tones, all but the last change to 2nd tone. Of course there is a bit more to it than that, like Jenny said the rule applies to words and collocations, when there are words that don't collocate, the rule doesn't apply. Also if there are 3 consecutive 3rd tones, many people will not change the first one to 2nd tone. EG: 我很好 wo3 hen3 hao3. Many people will say it, "wo3 hen2 hao3", which is perfectly okay, this won't result in misunderstanding. Also when there are an even number of 3rd tones in a row, 4, 6, alot of people will change the tones this way, 2nd, 3rd, 2nd 3rd. EG: 我也很好. instead of: wo2 ye2 hen2 hao3, many people will say, "wo2, ye3, hen2, hao3". This is also perfectly okay and won't result in misunderstanding. I recommend, to start off just approach the rule as literally as possible, that all 3rd tones except the last must change to 2nd tone. Gradually you will become more familiar with the little nuances and then you can adjust accordingly.
Posted on: All You Can Eat and Drink
February 4, 2008 at 6:51 AMI often go to eat Sushi at a place owned by Korean's that serves Korean "Bugolgi". 中文 "Bugolgi" 怎么说？
Posted on: Hiring a Courier
February 4, 2008 at 6:46 AMAre those uniforms really..."poo brown?" ... I think UPS would have some words to say about that. What can POO do for you....hhhmmm......
Posted on: 一边...一边 ... (yībiān...yībiān...)
February 4, 2008 at 6:39 AMEwong: Sorry, that last one, wasn't translated correctly, I was only directly translating what you wrote "notes", but Jenny's translation was better because you were reading the "musical score" (music) 乐谱． This is why Jenny 老师 is here! :)
Posted on: 一边...一边 ... (yībiān...yībiān...)
February 4, 2008 at 6:35 AMEwong: （你）一边唱歌，一边弹钢琴，一边踩踏板，一边读音符． 一邊唱歌，一邊彈鋼琴， 一邊踩踏板， 一邊讀音符．
Posted on: The Super Bowl
February 4, 2008 at 3:36 AMWOW, that was unexpected. A perfect season up in smoke, but I gotta admit that drive that looked like it was going to be sac, then turned into a 60 yard catch, not only was the turning point in the game, but one of the most memorable plays in Super Bowl history!
Posted on: Yang Jie's Diary: He's Not Stupid
February 2, 2008 at 4:24 PMclayroup: Very exciting, I've been in "what's going on with Yang Jie" mode for quite a while now.
Posted on: The Third Tone
February 4, 2008 at 7:27 PMpunter888: Yes this tone is tricky. Again don't read too much into it. In most cases Chinese people never use the rising part of the tone, so instead of it being a dipping tone (falling down to low, then rising again), it will only be pronounced as a low dipping tone. To simplify things, just let your voice dip down to a growl but don't let it rise up again. If, for the rest of your life, you NEVER use the rising part of the tone it will never result in a misunderstanding and in fact will sound more natural. Of course this is a guideline and not a rule, Chinese people do, in selected cases use the rising part of the tone, such as to add emphasis to a word, but again if you never ever use the rising part of the tone you will never be wrong. Also the only tone that is influenced by the 3rd tone is the neutral tone, the regular tones 1,2,4 never change. So in answer to your question your sample phrase should be pronounced "ni2 you2 ji3 ge4" (4th tone is not influenced by the changes of 3rd tone). Hope that helps. If you have any more questions ask, I'll be glad to help.