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Lesson Introduction
At this juncture, we know some of you bespectacled types are going to show-off your 4,000 character-plus savvy and say you read the Chinese newspaper. This lesson, however, is about options. Some of us lazy types just want to know what's going on in the world, without losing our eyesight over morning coffee. In this podcast, learn how to ask for your preference of the daily news, in Mandarin.
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xinjiapo2703 says
sorry to hihjack this lesson as the first post. great podcast, you guys are my heroes. I will become fluent in mandarin all because of cpod. thanks so much' quick question though, what is the difference between hui2 and hui2lai the first is hui2 = go back but there is no lai used. and hui2lai = come back. thanks again. sorry again for jacking the first postMarch 5, 2008
lance032 says
we usually say 回来,and it will not add any word, just means come back here. If you want to say go back to some place, please use 回+地点.March 5, 2008
auntie68 says
eastcoastyankee2703, the question you asked is probably good for a whole episode of Amber's "Qing Wen" podcasts on exactly this kind of thing (see "Lessons", and within that, go to "Qing Wen". But until they do a lesson (may be sooner than you think): First, try to think of the difference between the expressions, "Come back" and "Go back" in English. In Mandarin, the "lai2" more or less corresponds to the "come" in "come back". Literally, hui2lai2 (回来) means: "To return-come". Eg. wo3 cong2 mei3guo2 hui2lai2le -- 我从美国回来了 -- means, "I came back from the United States". For what it's worth, one European language which does a lot of this is German. If you replace the "lai2" (来; come) with "qu4“ (去; go), you get 回去 hui2qu4, which literally means "to return-go". Eg. wo3 yao3 hui2qu4 mei3guo2le -- 我要回去美国了 -- which means, "I am going back to the United States". The Chinese language just LOVES tacking these directional verbs (particles?) on to verbs. You don't have to merely bring something, you can "bring it come back". You'll get a feel for this very soon, at which point the only problem is trying to keep these speech patterns out of your English! It's catching... Good luck with your Chinese studies!March 5, 2008
auntie68 says
Oops, my typing is awful, here is one para again, with the correct hanyu pinyin: [QUOTE] If you replace the "lai2" (来; come) with "qu4“ (去; go), you get 回去 hui2qu4, which literally means "to return-go". Eg. wo3 yao4 hui2qu4 mei3guo2le -- 我要回去美国了 -- which means, "I am going back to the United States". [/QUOTE] Sorry!March 5, 2008
ulver684 says
I like newspaper so much that I have a collection of them both the free ones and some cost ones. I hope someday I can read a Chinese newspaper and other Asian newspaper too.March 5, 2008
changye says
Judging from the dialogue, it seems that you can easily get newspapers printed in English in large cities such as Shanghai. I cannot find any here in a local small city in China. Today, of course it does not matter anymore as long as you can access the Internet, but the situation was completely different when I first came to China more than twenty years ago. 报告 (bao4 gao4).... report 报道 (bao4 dao4).... news report 报社 (bao4 she4).... a newspaper company 报刊杂志 (bao4 kan1 za2 zhi4) ................................newspapers and magazinesMarch 5, 2008
jennyzhu says
Lance032's explanation of 回来and 回 is awesome. Also, 回来means to 'come back from'，e.g. 我从公司回来。/I came back from work./ 回 means to 'go back'. It is often used in conjuction with a place, e.g. 我回公司。I am going back to work.March 5, 2008
architpol says
Wo3 bu4neng2 kan2 bao4 zhi3. 我不能看報紙。 Another nice lesson Ken and Jenny. thanks 謝謝。March 5, 2008
changye says
Hi architpol, Let me give you a little piece of advice. I think “看不懂” is much better when you want to say something like “I cannot read Chinese newspapers”. 我看不懂中文报纸。 wo3 kan4 bu dong3 zhong1 wen2 bao4 zhi3. I can’t read Chinese newspapers. 你吃饭的时候不能看报纸。 ni3 chi1 fan4 de shi2 hou bu4 neng2 kan4 bao4 zhi3. You are not supposed to read a newspaper at the table.March 5, 2008
texastochina says
It is nice to have some of these easy lessons mixed in, especially when they are "high frequency". Nice and thanks.March 5, 2008
frank says
For those keeping score at home, this is the lesson I was privy to as I snapped the photos you guys saw posted previously. Like this one:March 5, 2008
rich says
Ooo ooo oo... picture of Jenny. Was it cold in the office then? I'm dying to see a lesson being recorded... hopefully when I am in Shanghai in the fall... pray they still do lessons this way then, ha ha.March 5, 2008
bazza says
I got to sit in some intermediates, so I got to see Jenny and John in action. :)March 6, 2008
yase says
Although I now know a decentish number of characters, I really do find trying to read a newspaper somewhat daunting. Just too many characters on one page and somewhat offputting and very challenging. Like that comment in the film about Mozart on one of his composed works - just too many notes .March 6, 2008
bazza says
I wish that I bought a Chinese newspaper whilst I was in Shanghai, as they're near impossible to get hold of here. I did managed to get a Malaysian Chinese magazine off ebay.March 6, 2008
AuntySue says
Bazza, surely they are published in the major cities, or at least London? We have gazillions of them here, national and dailies for each state. Our local (small city) newsagents don't keep them but are very happy to get them in from Sydney if there's a buyer. Oh, look! One of the newspapers we have here seems to have a European version(s), with offices in London. http://www.singtao.com/singtao_europe/contact.shtmlMarch 6, 2008
barryb says
Bazza, have you been to Chinatown in Manchester, yet? It's the biggest in the UK outside London. The culture and people are mainly Cantonese, but there's Mandarin stuff, too. Should be less than an hour from West Yorkshire. I've not checked, but I'd be surprised if you can't get Mandarin newspapers. Even if you can't, it's great fun! Sunday lunchtime's best - no traffic and Sunday's when the Chinese meet up and it gets very busy. Go to an upstairs restaurant and you'll probably be the only English person there. Manchester Central Library now has a big Chinese section. Again, it's mainly for the Cantonese (ie traditional chars), but there's simplified stuff, too, I think.March 6, 2008
bazza says
I don't think I've actually ever been into Manchester city centre.March 6, 2008
barryb says
Of course you haven't! That's why Manchester Chinatown's better than London - it's aimed at the Chinese themselves (the only tourists in Manchester are lost). It's the area bounded by York Street, Portland Street, Oxford Street and Mosley Street - two minutes' walk from Oxford Rd station, and the library's nextdoor. Plenty of maps on the Web.March 6, 2008
biyanuren says
No problem finding chinese newspapers in Antwerp or Brussels (for free in chinese stores) available even in Hasselt. Frank, I took a look at your pictures, they are amazingly beautifull!March 6, 2008
n0mm says
A very useful NEWBIE lesson, but how many Newbies "Have 4,000 characters? Obviously not Newbies if they have 4,000 characters? Maybe it should be an Intermediare lesson? Still good stuff though, even with my 5 characters so far. Thank you guys!March 6, 2008
sballa says
Hi all. So what if you want to tell someone that you have good/bad news? Is 报 the word to use? Wǒ yǒu hěn hǎo de bào. Would that be anywhere close to correct? SteveMarch 6, 2008
memmifer says
Is there a trick I haven't figured out yet to input 2 character (but in numeric pinyin) for exercise 3, #2 & #3? I've had this trouble on other lessons as well. I've tried all manner of hai2shi, hai2 shi, hai2shi4, hai2 sh4, and none of those gets the nod as correct.March 6, 2008
memmifer says
sballa, I believe you're looking for 新闻 (xin1wen2) or 消息 (xiao1xi). I *think* the former is a little more formal, i.e., I think newspapers stick with 新闻. Can anybody clarify between the two?March 6, 2008
jimkahl says
good lesson. It's definitely one of the things I have been planning to pick up when I get over to SH (hopefully sometime this month).March 6, 2008
architpol says
Changye, Thanks for the correction. I realized, too late, that I had not said "Chinese Newspaper". I see your point with kan2 bu4 dong3. I had not thought of that. In addition, I still have trouble with when to use neng2 and hui4. memmifer, I've had similar problems.March 6, 2008
memmifer says
I mentioned this on SpanishPod, but I'l mention it here as well, in case it doesn't make it across the great divide. It would be great if the supplementary vocabulary were used in the expansion sentences -- vocabulary always sticks better with some context around it... and better you guys make up that context than I! :) And I'll say it again, I LOVE the Expansion tab!!!March 6, 2008
calkins says
I'm assuming the follow, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong: 看不懂 (kànbùdǒng) is used when you don't understand something that you're reading... and 听不懂 (tīngbùdǒng) is used when you don't understand something audible.March 6, 2008
ratjetoe73 says
They say: You baozhi ma? (有报纸吗?) But what is better to say... you baozhi ma or ni you mei you baozhi (你有没有报纸)? Or is there no difference? Memmifer... thank you, I don't know there was a site for learning Spanish to... very nice!March 6, 2008
calkins says
Why is there no 的 (de) in this sentence: 我要一份中文报纸。 (I want a Chinese newspaper.) ...like there is in this sentence: 你要甚麼書？中文的還是英文的？ (Which book do you want? Chinese or English?)March 6, 2008
evasiege says
I don't know, I still can't figure out how or when to use 'de' outside of wode/nide/tade when actually speaking.March 6, 2008
rich says
sballa: 报 does not mean news, even though you use it to say 报纸. 报 itself can mean newspaper as well, yet the 纸 (paper) at the end helps make it clear. 报 can also mean "report, periodical, bulletin, telegram" as Jenny said in the lesson (but often by itself it means newspaper) Other words that use the character 报 pretty much all mean "report": 报告 bàogào: report, speech, term paper 报导 bàodǎo: report, information 报道 bàodào: report, news report, story In your sentence, you would use the word 消息 xiāoxi for the word "news" as in something new that happened. 消息 literally means "disappear" and "breath", meaning it is something that won't be around for long; quickly comes and goes; new today, gone tomorrow, etc. etc. The way to say your sentence: 我有很好的消息. Wǒ yǒu hěnhǎo de xiāoxi.March 6, 2008
auntie68 says
Hi calkins. May I try? First, I believe you are right about 看不懂 and 听不懂. I guess you also know the affirmative forms: 看得懂 (kan4dedong3) and 听得懂 (ting1dedong3). Eg. "你听得懂吗？ (ni3 ting1dedong3 ma?). About the 的 (de): I don't have enough time to hanyu-pinyin-ize my answer fully this morning, so I hope that newbies/ele's will be forgiving. 你要什么书？ 中文的还是英文的？ is actually a single sentence that has been split up to make it easier to understand: 你要中文的还是英文的书？ In this more complex mono-sentence, you need the 的 (de) to mark each "adjectival phrase". Hope that wasn't way, way, too opaque. I probably shouldn't be posting when I am running late and have a date with Stunt Toddler very soon! Take a look at the following sentence and see if the 的 makes any sense to you (the 的 within parentheses can be omitted, I think, but I just wanted you to see): 这里有中文(的)书， 英文的也有 Finally, I'm not a native speaker, so if I've made some horrible Mandarin error (esp. word order), I really hope that Amber will wade in with a correction.March 6, 2008
rich says
sballa, I have to admit that I kind of laughed at your question... not that it isn't a good one, just that it reminds me of my own problems with knowing what words in Chinese meant what kind of "news". I never had a problem with 报 as to me that was what one gets in the morning (or evening, whatever the case may be) to read with with a cup of coffee (or beer, whatever the case may be). For me it was 新闻 xīnwén, which simply means "news", and literally means 新new and 闻smell/hear(but also means "news" itself). This is the news you see on TV or hear on the radio, or smell in the bathroom (oh wait, no, not that one). So I was always confused why the TV can tell me 新闻 but why I can't tell a friend 新闻. It just is, from my understanding. You must use 消息 xiāoxi (news; information; tidings) unless it is public news.March 6, 2008
auntie68 says
If you're really feeling masochistic, your sentence can also be expressed as a triple-的 sentence with a slightly different meaning: 你要的书，是中文的(书)还是英文的(书)？ "The books that you're after, would that be Chinese books or English books?"March 6, 2008
memmifer says
Calkins, Another take on the 的 (in this case), is that it's a reference back to the thing you were already talking about, without having to name it explictly again. 你要甚麼書？中文的還是英文的？ (Ignoring possible plurals...) ... The Chinese one, or the English one? ... The Chinese book, or the English book? Yet another take is that it's one of the (many times) in Chinese where you can drop a character/word -- since everyone obviously (duh!/hunh?) already knows what you're talking about.March 6, 2008
calkins says
Auntie68, thanks so much for your help, especially since you're heading out the door! I have heard 听懂 (tīng dǒng), but never 听得懂 (tīng de dǒng). What is the meaning of "de" in this phrase?March 6, 2008
auntie68 says
I agree with memmifer. Okay, Stunt Toddler will be expecting me soon... on Wednesday, his "bilingual" pre-school gave us a folder of his "work" for the first two months of pre-school. Awesome. He suddenly started spouting Mandarin as he was taking us through his stuff. And the biggest surprise of all was that he was totally comfortable with the lessons on the names for Chinese "strokes" eg. dian3, heng2, shu4, na4 etc. Pronunciation is not bad at all for a 2.5-year-old who has NO Chinese whatsoever in his day apart from maybe a few minutes of Cantonese here and there.March 6, 2008
calkins says
Auntie68 and memmifer...so 的 (de) is used after an adjective describing a "dropped" noun (which can be dropped because it's already understood from the context)?March 6, 2008
changye says
你的 yours 我的 mine 他的 his 她的 hersMarch 6, 2008
auntie68 says
Hi calkins. The Stunt Toddler is in his nanny's hands now, so I have a few minutes. The difficulties with 的 stem from the fact that English uses subordination (-> subordinate clauses), whereas Chinese uses "adjectival phrases" instead. Here is an example of subordination, English-style: "I don't like that friend of yours WHO gets mean when he is drunk." The sense of the Chinese version, which is conveyed by an adjectival phrase, would be: "I don't like your gets-mean-when-he's-drunk friend." The adjectival phrase gets-mean-when-he's-drunk is marked by the 的, as in gets-mean-when-he's-drunk-的朋友. But seriously, your question can really only be answered by CPOD. So far they have been firm about being "grammar-lite", but since such questions about 的 seem to be popping up constantly, they may have to rethink their policy!March 6, 2008
auntie68 says
The sense of memmifer's translation can also be conveyed (literally, sorry!) by: "Which book do you want? [The] that-is-Chinese(-one; implied as you say) or that-is-English(-one)?" The thing about 的 is that it usually implicitly includes a verb -- usually "to be". In Chinese, an "adjectival" phrase is not merely a list of adjectives, it is a whole free-standing phrase (with verbs etc) which has the effect of an adjective.March 6, 2008
amber says
hi sballa, I have some good news and some bad news, in Chinese is: 我有一个好消息，还有一个坏消息。 (Wǒ yǒu yī ge hǎo xiāoxi, háiyǒu yī ge huài xiāoxi.) 消息 (xiāoxi) is used when speaking of news, information, tidings, etc. 新闻 (xīnwén) is for more formal news, like in a newspaper or news report.March 6, 2008
amber says
ratjetoe73, The question formats: 有......吗？ (Yǒu......ma?) and 有没有......? (Yǒu méiyǒu......?) are the same, both can be used!March 7, 2008
amber says
hi calkins, 你要甚麼書？ 中文的還是英文的？ (Which book do you want? Chinese or English?) Here the 的 (de) is actually there because the 書 (shū) is omitted. So the 的 (de) takes the place of the noun. In the 我要一份中文报纸。 (Wǒ yào yī fèn Zhōngwén bàozhǐ.) (I want a Chinese newspaper.) sentence, the noun (newspaper) is there. If the listener knew what you were talking about, you also could just say 我要一份中文的. (Wǒ yào yī fèn Zhōngwén de.) (I want a Chinese one.)March 7, 2008
amber says
hi memmifer, Sorry about that, this exercise had a glitch, but it's been fixed now. Just for future reference for everyone... make sure that for entering neutral tone you use the number 5 (i.e. hai2shi5).March 7, 2008
pullip says
Hi! I'm Jeong-ha from Korea. I just start to study Chinese. it is good luck to me that finding this site. Thank you~March 7, 2008
memmifer says
Thanks Amber, but... I mis-typed... it was the last two I couldn't get to accept my answers. Now I only have trouble with the final one. Isn't the right answer zhong1wen2? If so, it's not accepted as correct. Also, how about mentioning the use of 5 for neutral tone in the sample/explanatory description at the top, so all users on all exercises will see it.March 7, 2008
jackmartini says
Is there a significance between asking: ni3 you3 bao4zhi3 ma? and ni3 you3 mei2you3 bao4zhi3? Neither seems to be preferred over the other, based on what I've learned from ChinesePod. I suspect that, as in English, there are multiple ways to ask the same thing, none of which is considered more "proper" than the others.March 7, 2008
memmifer says
buckaroo, Amber (above) says they're totally equivalent.March 7, 2008
jackmartini says
Thanks, memmifer. How did I miss that? I wish I could edit...March 7, 2008
nicolas says
甚麼書？還？ traditional characters ? why ?March 8, 2008
changye says
Hi calkins, Please be careful not to mix up traditional characters and simplified ones when you write Chinese. In your above posting, “甚麼書” and “還” are written in traditional Chinese, but “报纸” in simplified Chinese.March 8, 2008
bento says
people who go to Venezuela are advised by experienced tourists that it is good policy to buy a local newspaper to pretend your Venezuelan, and so avoid tourists-seeking robbers. Though I couldn't possibly ever look Chinese, do you think buying a Chinese paper helps building a low profile in China?March 8, 2008
calkins says
Changye, thanks for pointing that out. I work with traditional, but usually convert to simplified for the sake of the majority here. I missed that one sentence, and will be more mindful of it in the future!March 8, 2008
architpol says
Bento, If you buy a Chinese paper, sit on a bench and open the paper in front of your face, there is a good chance passers by will think you are Chinese.March 8, 2008
fullhouse says
no , I think Chinese people read newspaper in a different way , quite different .March 9, 2008
architpol says
fullhouse, So, if Bento was the person in this lesson's picture, you could tell right away that he was not Chinese! Please tell me more about the different way that Chinese read papers.March 9, 2008
fullhouse says
I am a Chinese girl in Hubei province . I don't even know why I am here at Chinesepot , but I am very interested in what you guys talking about . You can't see people reading newspaper on a bench often , and we are more likely to put it on lap , not in front of our face . As far as I know , people don't read so much newspaper here actually .March 9, 2008
nicolas says
Chinesepod is a great Chinese(melting)pot.March 9, 2008
memmifer says
bento, I felt hugely safer walking around Shanghai (can't speak for other regions) any time of day or evening (never had reason to be out in the wee hours) than I did, say, walking around downtown Providence, RI in broad daylight by the Greyhound bus depot... maybe it was blissful cultural ignorance... But do keep your hand on your valuables. And definitely don't accept any offers to go have tea or coffee and chat!!! From what I understand, the serious crime rate in China is very low -- the punishments for serious crime are extremely high... I think there was one murder in Shanghai during my 1 year there. On the other hand, petty theft is rampant. If you buy a bicycle, think of it as a disposable item, because someone will definitely dispose of it for you.March 9, 2008
fratz says
Very useful Listen and type exercise. My question: using capitals matters ? E.g. Line 4 exercise: zhong1wen2 didn't score Zhong1wen2 right scoreMarch 10, 2008
architpol says
Fullhouse, Thanks. Keep coming back to Chinesepod. I'm sure everyone will benefit from your insight from Hubei. It is always interesting to see the world from another persons point of view.March 10, 2008
afiff111 says
could any one send chines lessones to my e-mail i want study chines language my e-mail is afiff111@yahoo.comMarch 14, 2008
jayzbaby says
very expensive but very helpful... out of all i have tryed for help with learning mandrian Chinesepod.com is the most helpful... look forward to seeing me... I will work hard toward's a subcription.March 18, 2008