ChinesePod

1 lit. there is heaven above, and there is 蘇杭|苏杭[Sū Háng] below (idiom)
2 fig. the beauty and affluence of Suzhou and Hangzhou is comparable with heaven

冠冕堂皇

guān miǎn táng huáng

1 high-sounding
2 dignified
3 pompous (idiom)

升堂入室

shēng táng rù shì

1 lit. to reach the main room and enter the chamber (idiom)
2 fig. to gradually attain proficiency
3 to attain a higher level

含饴弄孙

hán yí nòng sūn

1 lit. to play with one's grandchildren while eating candy (idiom)
2 fig. to enjoy a happy and leisurely old age

哄堂大笑

hōng táng dà xiào

1 the whole room roaring with laughter (idiom)

Sample Sentences

今天我们“舌尖上的美酒”栏目，要带各位走进中国黄酒古城——绍兴。古城绍兴又被誉为“东方威尼斯”，徜徉在青石板弄堂中就能感受到三步一桥五步一河的奇景，绍兴水资源丰沛，也为其黄酒酿造业奠定了良好的基础。

jīntiān wǒmen “shéjiān shàng de měijiǔ ”lánmù ，yào dài gè wèi zǒujìn Zhōngguó huángjiǔ gǔchéng ——Shàoxīng 。gǔchéng Shàoxīng yòu bèi yùwéi “dōngfāng Wēinísī ”，chángyáng zài qīngshíbǎn lòngtáng zhōng jiù néng gǎnshòu dào sān bù yī qiáo wǔ bù yī hé de qíjǐng ，Shàoxīng shuǐ zīyuán fēngpèi ，yě wèi qí huángjiǔ niàngzào yè diàndìng le liánghǎo de jīchǔ 。

In today's "Tasting Fine Liquors" segment, we're taking you into the ancient Chinese city famous for huangjiu - Shaoxing. The ancient city of Shaoxing is also well known as "The Venice of the East". Wandering around the alleyways paved with green slate, you'll marvel at how there seems to be a bridge or a river at every turn. Shaoxing has a lot of water resources, which serve as the solid foundation for its huangjiu brewing industry.

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哎，我觉得新天地这种利用上海的老式石库门建筑来构造的娱乐场所，虽然很有特色，但却少了石库门作为一种民居而包含的人文情怀。不过那些斑驳的墙，生锈的栅栏，黑漆的木门，磨去油漆的石柱，凹凸不平的路面，还是能让人体会到一些石库门弄堂的沧桑的。

āi ，wǒ juéde Xīntiāndì zhèzhǒng lìyòng Shànghǎi de lǎoshì shíkùmén jiànzhù lái gòuzào de yúlè chǎngsuǒ ，suīrán hěnyǒu tèsè ，dàn què shǎo le shíkùmén zuòwéi yīzhǒng mínjū ér bāohán de rénwén qínghuái 。bùguò nàxiē bānbó de qiáng ，shēngxiù de zhàlan ，hēiqī de mùmén ，mó qù yóuqī de shízhù ，āotūbùpíng de lùmiàn ，háishì néng ràng rén tǐhuì dào yīxiē shíkùmén lòngtáng de cāngsāng de 。

Oh, I think that though it's very distinctive, architecture like Xin Tian Di that uses old-style shikumen to create entertainment venues loses some of the spirit of humanity that comes from having people living in a place. But those mottled walls, rusty railings, black-lacquered wooden doors, black-painted stone pillars and uneven roads still give you a sense of the big changes in the shikumen.

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你真不愧是上海人，了解这么多上海的文化。老实说，对于上海的石库门我一直没有什么很清楚的概念，也不知道为什么它被称作上海特有的老式弄堂建筑，这次我也要顺便去好好体会一下。对了，你说我要不要带他去逛下外滩？

nǐ zhēn bùkuì shì shànghǎirén ，liǎojiě zhème duō Shànghǎi de wénhuà 。lǎoshí shuō ，duìyú Shànghǎi de shíkùmén wǒ yīzhí méiyǒu shénme hěn qīngchu de gàiniàn ，yě bù zhīdào wèishénme tā bèi chēngzuò Shànghǎi tèyǒu de lǎoshì lòngtáng jiànzhù ，zhècì wǒ yě yào shùnbiàn qù hǎohāo tǐhuì yīxià 。duìle ，nǐ shuō wǒ yàobuyào dài tā qù guàng xià Wàitān ？

You really deserve to be called a Shanghainese person. You understand so much about Shanghainese culture. To tell you the truth, I've never been really clear about Shanghai's shikumen, and never knew why they were called a uniquely Shanghainese style of alley architecture. This time, while we're at it, I also want to experience it a bit. Oh, right-- tell me, do you think I should take him for a stroll on the Bund?

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就像他们弄堂里的生活，既有邻里间互相关照守望相助的温馨和睦，也不乏“七十二家房客”寸土必争。

jiù xiàng tāmen lòngtáng lǐ de shēnghuó ，jì yǒu línlǐ jiān hùxiāng guānzhào shǒuwàng xiāngzhù de wēnxīn hémù ，yě bùfá “qīshíèrjiāfángkè ”cùntǔbìzhēng 。

Take the people who live in the small lanes. They have not only the cozy harmony of mutual protection and concern, but also the fights for tiny scraps of territory that come when seventy-two tenants live in the same house.

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不要以为这份雅致只属于“资产阶级”。它也是那些住在弄堂里、睡在亭子间干干净净小木床上的女孩子们的做派。

bùyào yǐwéi zhè fèn yǎzhì zhǐ shǔyú “zīchǎn jiējí ”。tā yě shì nàxiē zhùzài lòngtáng lǐ 、shuì zài tíngzijiān gāngānjìngjìng xiǎo mùchuáng shàng de nǚháizi men de zuòpài 。

Don't go thinking that this elegance is just for the ``bourgeoisie." It's also a way of life for the girls who live in the lanes and sleep on tiny, immaculate little wooden beds in the garrets.

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嗯，我去上海的时候听过。石库门出现于十九世纪中。当时大批难民因为打仗逃难到上海租界里，必须很多人挤在一所小房子里。久而久之，就形成了石库门这种两层楼的石质房屋。家门里面有一个很小的花园，叫天井。石库门中间细长的街道叫弄堂。以前，北京和上海的大多数居民都住在这些传统民居里。

ng4 ，wǒ qù Shànghǎi de shíhou tīng guo 。shíkùmén chūxiàn yú shíjiǔ shìjì zhōng 。dāngshí dàpī nànmín yīnwèi dǎzhàng táonàn dào Shànghǎi zūjiè lǐ ，bìxū hěn duō rén jǐ zài yī suǒ xiǎo fángzǐ lǐ 。jiǔ'érjiǔzhī ，jiù xíngchéng le shíkùmén zhèzhǒng liǎng céng lóu de shízhì fángwū 。jiāmén lǐmiàn yǒu yī ge hěn xiǎo de huāyuán ，jiào tiānjǐng 。shíkùmén zhōngjiān xìcháng de jiēdào jiào lòngtáng 。yǐqián ，Běijīng hé Shànghǎi de dàduōshù jūmín dōu zhùzài zhèxiē chuántǒng mínjū lǐ 。

Yes, I heard about it when I was in Shanghai. Shikumen came into existence in the mid-19th century. There was an influx of war refugees fleeing to the concessions in Shanghai. They had to cram into small houses. Over time, these evolved into a type of two-story house made from stone known as shikumen. There is a tiny garden inside the house called a tianjing. The long narrow lanes between shikumen houses are known as longtang. Most of the people in Beijing and Shanghai used to live in these traditional residences.

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是啊。每个城市都有自己的特色民居。它就像城市的脸。你知道吗上海也有类似四合院的建筑，叫石库门。胡同在上海叫弄堂。像北京的建筑一样，别有韵味。

shì ā 。měige chéngshì dōu yǒu zìjǐde tèsè mínjū 。tā jiùxiàng chéngshì de liǎn 。nǐ zhīdao ma Shànghǎi yě yǒu lèisì sìhéyuàn de jiànzhù ，jiào shíkùmén 。hútòng zài Shànghǎi jiào lòngtáng 。xiàng Běijīng de jiànzhù yíyàng ，bié yǒu yùnwèi 。

That’s true. Every city has its own distinct style of residence, which is like the face of the city. Do you know that Shanghai has its own version of the siheyuan, called shikumen. The hutong is known as a longtang there. They have their own unique beauty just like their counterparts in Beijing.

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