User Comments - zhangdawei

Posted on: Guided Plan Gets Better! Plus: Poetry is Pending

I like the point Pete brought up about the purpose of education being to light a fire and not fill a bucket.

Anything that reveals more about the Chinese language and Culture will deepen my understanding and help me demonstrate to others that I appreciate their heritage.

Ancient poetry is esoteric and can be intimidating to some people and I appreciate that Pete is willing to introduce it to us if only in a very limited way.

Pete seems sound-minded and not expecting to give us a mastery of poetry.

Similarly, by just listening to podcasts all day, one will not gain a mastery of Chinese language.

Posted on: Borrowing Money

wow! I am really glad that I asked. Sometimes I feel that the more complex characters are easier to remember once I am able to recongize the components. Now that you pointed out the meaning of this character, I think it will even easier to remember.

thanks!

Posted on: Borrowing Money

I've been writing out the key vocabulary words to help me better remember them. I noticed that the verb win 赢 is a little complex. When I broke it down it seems to be just made up of a few familiar components.

Is there any interesting etymology connected to this word?

Posted on: Karaoke

I hate KTV. There is all sorts of great Chinese songs but they are not found on the KTV jukebox. It's all candy pop music.

I like to joke that KTV is not for people who love to sing. KTV is really for the rest of us who don't want to listen to the noise.

In America, being thrown in a padded room has a different meaning. But in China, people pay a lot of money for it.

It would be one thing if those not singing danced around. But they don't. They sit chatting or texting on their phones.

Posted on: Fat Camp

This is a great lesson on so many levels. I particularly like the simple construction 你看你+adj+的.  I can substitute a lot here and I don't have to really learn any new grammar in order to do it.

Thank you guys.

Posted on: A Chinese-Style Contradiction

How great of you to have looked up version of the story that my chinese friends and students may be more familiar with. However my Chinese level may be too limited for it or I might have to work too hard to understand it.

So I am glad I asked and not glad at the same time.

Maybe that is Chinese maodun too!

Posted on: A Chinese-Style Contradiction

I would like to add that I love this epiode of chinese pod. Once I am able to retell this story, my Chinese friends will be impressed.

Plus new words can be substituted in the sentence:

如果用你的矛刺你的盾, 会怎么样呢?”

depending on different situations. Very useful

Great lesson!

Posted on: A Chinese-Style Contradiction

auntie 68: That is a better way to think of it. I just wonder if the phrase"a spear which can penetrate any shield on Earth" would translate differently from the sharpest spear in the world.

Of course I don't care about taking about shields and spears in my daily use of Chinese. I now see that the literal translation and the meaningful translation are worth noting. Thank you.

Posted on: A Chinese-Style Contradiction

I don't get it.

The strongest shield is just stronger than other shields. It by no means can defend against everything. Nor is it inpenetrable. Just as the strongest window is not resiliant against the strongest hurricane.

Still the lesson is interesting. I like the phrase: shijie shang.

I

Posted on: The Panda's Secret Wish

It would be great to see this lesson as part of a set of lessons focusing on Chinese jokes.

Back in the day, I took a course where the lingusitics professor completed the entire term with having said only one useful bit of knowledge.  He said that you have truly learned a langauge one you've learned how to use the bad words and understand the jokes.

I think it might be asking a little too much to request pod casts teaching us the ma ren de hua, right?