User Comments - zhenlijiang
zhenlijiang
Posted on: Thank You Note
November 10, 2009 at 5:26 PMI would love to see everybody's style! Our writing says so much about us. It would be fun to see.
Why don't we have a contest? With "winners" from two categories--those native to hanzi including us Japanese, and those not. We could submit our rendition of the same Chinese writing, a short poem perhaps. Our Chinese teachers could be the judging panel. Or maybe we could take a vote and see whose we think is 最漂亮，whose 最难忘. If we're going to vote it's probably more interesting if we can arrange a way to submit entries and have them seen and voted on, and our identities only revealed after that.
If not a contest I'd still like to see more samples of handwriting people think is beautiful. I'd share a letter one of my teachers sent me (her writing on those white boards mesmerizes), but while I have no doubt you'd all agree it's beautiful it's not really a good sample, she's not at all in her best form (抱歉，老师).
Posted on: Visiting a Friend at the Hospital
November 7, 2009 at 4:02 AM刚想问问，在中国探病（我的词典也有探视、探望--哪个恰当？）上有些什么禁忌，正好 Gloria 老师提到了带去白色的菊花是不可以的。
在日本我们也有这样的禁忌。跟中国相同的是菊花。除了白色的以外，其他的颜色也不可以的，因为我们一般把菊花看做‘佛花’。我们扫墓的时候香花供养。日本的扫墓与 Pedro Almodovar 爱拍的上坟的场面相差好远。一般来说日本人不会用鲜红的蔷薇花做大花束带去那么激情的，‘拉丁’的花上供，哈哈。我们平时在家里（在佛龛 仏壇 butsu-dan the family Buddhist altar）也香花上供。总之，不管是什么种类的花，探病的时候白色的还是不太好。白色的百合也是吊唁有代表性的花。在病房里就连白色的蔷薇花也让人想起丧事。
日本探病上另外的禁忌——盆栽种植的花也不可以。这是因为种植的花有根。生根，扎根（根が付く→根付く）和 寝付く ne-tsuku 同音，是婉转地指着‘永眠’。
幸而宋壮壮没有生命危险！
And this is a loose English version of the above. I'm not really sure if it's a translation, or if it's more an explanation of what I was trying to do in Chinese:
I was going to ask about taboos to be mindful of when visiting people in the hospital in China. Gloria has told us we can't take white chrysanthemums.
In Japan we have these kind of taboos as well. As in China chrysanthemums are not welcome, but not just white ones. Chrysanthemums of any color would not be taken to the hospital, as to us they are "Buddhist flowers". When we visit the deceased at their graves we offer incense and flowers with prayers for their souls. Our visits to graves in Japan are nothing like those scenes Pedro Almodovar has in so many of his movies. Normally, no Japanese would fix up a huge bouquet of bright red roses to visit a grave, would not take such passionate, "Latin" flowers for that, haha. We offer incense and flowers to our ancestors all the time at home also (at the family Buddhist altar). In any case, no matter which flowers it's probably best to avoid white ones for hospital visits. (Along with chrysanthemums) White lilies are also very funereal. And in a hospital room, even white roses can give one such thoughts.
Another taboo we have in Japan is potted flowers. This is because potted plants have roots, and in Japanese 根つく ne-tsuku (take root) is pronounced the same as 寝つく ne-tsuku (go to sleep), which of course can be interpreted as 永眠 eternal sleep.
Glad Song Zhuangzhuang's condition isn't at all life-threatening!
Posted on: Visiting a Friend at the Hospital
November 5, 2009 at 10:56 AM噢，知道了。真的不好意思。对，是的。只要认真听，注意看就好了啊。万事都是学习！
Posted on: City Stats
November 5, 2009 at 10:43 AMOrangina, 不用说，我也体验过这样的感觉。我们都体验过吧！
Posted on: Visiting a Friend at the Hospital
November 5, 2009 at 10:18 AMBodawei, that sounds like what we do in English--if speaking face-to-face with a friend we wouldn't be likely to say "Wishing you a very happy birthday", we'd just say "Happy birthday!" wouldn't we? "Wishing you ~" sounds like something either pre-printed on a card, or a message we might write on one.
But I could be completely off here!
Posted on: Visiting a Friend at the Hospital
November 5, 2009 at 6:32 AM哎哟，壮壮被车撞了，可不得了！ 吓了我一跳哦！
‘壮壮’是我世界上最最最疼爱的（小）朋友的名字。演宋壮壮的角色的演员，虽然他样子一点儿也不像我朋友的，还不能不想起朋友的笑脸，感到悲伤！
朋友（日本人）名字叫‘壮'，在日文里念‘So(h)'。平时他称呼 そうちゃん So-chan；翻译成中文来说我想‘壮壮'正合适。我曾经在 Activity Stream 上说过他的话（或许 Connie 老师是参与撰稿这篇课程的--？？）
Jenny 扑哧一声笑了，然后说道‘It's a funny name'。在中国基本上没有叫这个名字的人，是吗。我却觉得很可爱！
对了，这个壮壮，本来他和我开始学习中文的理由有关 but that's another story, and my Chinese isn't good enough to attempt telling it yet ...
Posted on: Adventures of an Andy Lau Fan on Taobao
November 4, 2009 at 2:23 PM对啊，不客气 user41935, 我们都是这个俱乐部的成员，是比较喜欢
做这样的作业的。
Posted on: Adventures of an Andy Lau Fan on Taobao
November 4, 2009 at 4:42 AM多谢 Bababardwan！
啊，原来是‘直到’。
这个买家她想要得到的结果，就是她会一直投诉一直投诉，直到她得到这个结果
对于上面的一部分我想确认，我的了解对不对。是这样吗？
David: The outcome this customer wants is--to just keep on complaining until she gets what she wants ...
John: Which is, to run this vendor out of business? Or something else?
David: That we don't know.
Posted on: Applying for a Loan
November 3, 2009 at 10:05 AMBodawei, there's a link Tal put up in his Idioms and Proverbs post.
I just learned that proverb Changye used there!
Posted on: Visiting a Friend at the Hospital
November 13, 2009 at 9:55 AM哎哟，tarsi 你要多穿衣服哦！ (゜o゜)
Seriously though, 请多保重身体！