<![CDATA[Comments on: Calling an Ambulance]]> 2010-01-11 18:00:00 <![CDATA[By: pretzellogic]]> I'm told that ambulance drivers are not Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), as they would likely be in the US.  They really just drive the car and the injured person to the hospital, where the doctor and staff take care of any necessary medical procedures.  This might explain why taking a taxi is as effective as riding an ambulance.

]]> I'm told that ambulance drivers are not Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), as they would likely be in the US.  They really just drive the car and the injured person to the hospital, where the doctor and staff take care of any necessary medical procedures.  This might explain why taking a taxi is as effective as riding an ambulance.

]]> <![CDATA[By: pauley]]> 每天我骑自行车在工作我看见车祸很少我

觉得交通是安全可是我骑很慢

有时我说对混行长大眼睛

měitiānwǒqízìxíngchēzàigōngzuò

wǒkànjiànchēhuòhěnshǎo

wǒjuédejiāotōngshìánquānkěshìwǒqìhěnmàn

yǒushíwǒshuōduìhúnxíngzhǎngdàyǎnjing

]]> 每天我骑自行车在工作我看见车祸很少我

觉得交通是安全可是我骑很慢

有时我说对混行长大眼睛

měitiānwǒqízìxíngchēzàigōngzuò

wǒkànjiànchēhuòhěnshǎo

wǒjuédejiāotōngshìánquānkěshìwǒqìhěnmàn

yǒushíwǒshuōduìhúnxíngzhǎngdàyǎnjing

]]> <![CDATA[By: cynthiawang82]]> 每天，我骑自行车去工作，我看见很少的车祸

mei3 tian1, wo3 qi2 zi4 xing2 che1 qu4 gong1 zuo4,

wo3 kan4 jian4 hen3 shao3 de0 che1 huo4

我觉得交通是安全的，可是/但是, 我骑得很慢

wo3 jue2 de0 jiao1 tong1 shi4 an1 quan2 de0, ke3 shi4/dan4 shi4, wo3 qi2 de0 hen3 man4

有时我??? 张大眼睛

you3 shi2 wo3 ??? zhang1 da4 yan3 jing1

I don't understand what you meant in the last line in both Chinese and Pinyin.

]]> 每天，我骑自行车去工作，我看见很少的车祸

mei3 tian1, wo3 qi2 zi4 xing2 che1 qu4 gong1 zuo4,

wo3 kan4 jian4 hen3 shao3 de0 che1 huo4

我觉得交通是安全的，可是/但是, 我骑得很慢

wo3 jue2 de0 jiao1 tong1 shi4 an1 quan2 de0, ke3 shi4/dan4 shi4, wo3 qi2 de0 hen3 man4

有时我??? 张大眼睛

you3 shi2 wo3 ??? zhang1 da4 yan3 jing1

I don't understand what you meant in the last line in both Chinese and Pinyin.

]]> <![CDATA[By: sammypaika09]]> Dear Chinese pod,

In the line where the male actor says 对叫救护车叫救护车 it sounds like he's saying jiu4 jiu4 hu4 che1, jiu4 jiu4 hu4 che1. Basically , it sounds like he's pronouncing 叫 as jiu4. Why, dare I ask？

]]> Dear Chinese pod,

In the line where the male actor says 对叫救护车叫救护车 it sounds like he's saying jiu4 jiu4 hu4 che1, jiu4 jiu4 hu4 che1. Basically , it sounds like he's pronouncing 叫 as jiu4. Why, dare I ask？

]]> <![CDATA[By: bababardwan]]> Where was Joe Ming 救命[help] when he was needed?

"..create another situation where you can practice your Chinese"..haha,yeah  :)

120..great tip,thanks [and thanks for having the number present on the lesson pic..reinforcing].I wonder how many Aussie kids would call 911 in Oz.

Talking of getting a taxi instead of an Ambulance made me wonder about Ambulance sirens in China and whether traffic are obliged to give way and whether in practice they do but then I think Jenny more or less answered that by alluding perhaps to gridlock where it may be very difficult to get out of the way..Of course if the Ambulance staff aren't trained in first aid as has been suggested above then the ubiquitous taxis may indeed be faster and more practical I suppose depending on the circumstances.How does the cost of an Ambulance compare to a taxi?

]]> Where was Joe Ming 救命[help] when he was needed?

"..create another situation where you can practice your Chinese"..haha,yeah  :)

120..great tip,thanks [and thanks for having the number present on the lesson pic..reinforcing].I wonder how many Aussie kids would call 911 in Oz.

Talking of getting a taxi instead of an Ambulance made me wonder about Ambulance sirens in China and whether traffic are obliged to give way and whether in practice they do but then I think Jenny more or less answered that by alluding perhaps to gridlock where it may be very difficult to get out of the way..Of course if the Ambulance staff aren't trained in first aid as has been suggested above then the ubiquitous taxis may indeed be faster and more practical I suppose depending on the circumstances.How does the cost of an Ambulance compare to a taxi?

]]> <![CDATA[By: lifung08]]> Hi,

I downloaded this full lesson in CD quality. Usaually the lyrics are also downloaded but in this lesson the lyrics are not visible on the ipod. Please can you add the lyrics in the download. Thanks

]]> Hi,

I downloaded this full lesson in CD quality. Usaually the lyrics are also downloaded but in this lesson the lyrics are not visible on the ipod. Please can you add the lyrics in the download. Thanks

]]> <![CDATA[By: bababardwan]]> From the Supplementary Vocab,the breakdown of 人工呼吸 given as CPR is interesting:

人。。person

工..work

人工..manual work [or in this case artificial]

呼..to exhale

吸..to inhale

呼吸...breath or respiration

..so I can't help but wonder if this is actually referring to EAR [Expired Air Resuscitation],or is the Cardio part implied in the 人工？

你没事吧？[ruok?]

没事；只是皮肉伤 [fine,just a flesh wound]

]]> From the Supplementary Vocab,the breakdown of 人工呼吸 given as CPR is interesting:

人。。person

工..work

人工..manual work [or in this case artificial]

呼..to exhale

吸..to inhale

呼吸...breath or respiration

..so I can't help but wonder if this is actually referring to EAR [Expired Air Resuscitation],or is the Cardio part implied in the 人工？

你没事吧？[ruok?]

没事；只是皮肉伤 [fine,just a flesh wound]

]]> <![CDATA[By: prindy]]> hi bababardwan,

the 人工 implies artificial，人工的。but in this case artificial perhaps means with the help of somebody else.

great clip btw, as 固执 as a 驴。

]]> hi bababardwan,

the 人工 implies artificial，人工的。but in this case artificial perhaps means with the help of somebody else.

great clip btw, as 固执 as a 驴。

]]> <![CDATA[By: pauley]]> thanks for correcting my grammar

in the last line i wanted to say..

sometimes i say to pedestrians 'grow eyes'

]]> thanks for correcting my grammar

in the last line i wanted to say..

sometimes i say to pedestrians 'grow eyes'

]]> <![CDATA[By: bababardwan]]> yeah,thanks mate,I understand that [as I posted above] but my point is that the breakdown only seems to refer to EAR [which after all is artificial and is using the help of someone else too] and as opposed to the 呼吸 which quite explicitly refers to the respiration part of the equation,chest compressions are not so explicitly referred to [so I'm thus wondering if it's meant to be inferred from the 人工 part,or if in fact this whole term does just refer to EAR..sometimes in English referred to as artificial repiration...which is thus very close to the breakdown of this Chinese word]

]]> yeah,thanks mate,I understand that [as I posted above] but my point is that the breakdown only seems to refer to EAR [which after all is artificial and is using the help of someone else too] and as opposed to the 呼吸 which quite explicitly refers to the respiration part of the equation,chest compressions are not so explicitly referred to [so I'm thus wondering if it's meant to be inferred from the 人工 part,or if in fact this whole term does just refer to EAR..sometimes in English referred to as artificial repiration...which is thus very close to the breakdown of this Chinese word]

]]> <![CDATA[By: sammypaika09]]> cool Mandarin lesson, there's just one thing I didn't like that much: "...English countries". I have nothing but love for the Brits, but still

]]> cool Mandarin lesson, there's just one thing I didn't like that much: "...English countries". I have nothing but love for the Brits, but still

]]> <![CDATA[By: sammypaika09]]> Dear Chinese pod,

In the line where the male actor says 对叫救护车叫救护车 it sounds like he's saying jiu4 jiu4 hu4 che1, jiu4 jiu4 hu4 che1. Basically , it sounds like he's pronouncing 叫 as jiu4. Why, dare I ask？

]]> Dear Chinese pod,

In the line where the male actor says 对叫救护车叫救护车 it sounds like he's saying jiu4 jiu4 hu4 che1, jiu4 jiu4 hu4 che1. Basically , it sounds like he's pronouncing 叫 as jiu4. Why, dare I ask？

]]> <![CDATA[By: connie]]> Because the actor spoke quickly, like in an emergency, the pronunciation of 叫jiao4 may have come out sounding a bit rushed, and similar to 'jiu'.

]]> Because the actor spoke quickly, like in an emergency, the pronunciation of 叫jiao4 may have come out sounding a bit rushed, and similar to 'jiu'.

]]> <![CDATA[By: connie]]> Thank you for pointing that out. We'll fix it soon.

]]> Thank you for pointing that out. We'll fix it soon.

]]> <![CDATA[By: sammypaika09]]> wow, "jiu" and "jiao" sound nothing alike to me. It seems to me that when Chinese people speak Chinese, it's widely accepted for people to misprounounce words of their own language. Like for example, "sh" sounds and "zh" sounds and especially when people speak fast(which is always) words get misprounounced a lot. In English speaking countries, this type of thing is unacceptable and anytime someone completely misprounounces something, others mention the mistake and correct it.

]]> wow, "jiu" and "jiao" sound nothing alike to me. It seems to me that when Chinese people speak Chinese, it's widely accepted for people to misprounounce words of their own language. Like for example, "sh" sounds and "zh" sounds and especially when people speak fast(which is always) words get misprounounced a lot. In English speaking countries, this type of thing is unacceptable and anytime someone completely misprounounces something, others mention the mistake and correct it.

]]> <![CDATA[By: patrick0530]]> I've often seen ambulances sitting at traffic lights in China with the roof light on but seemingly in no rush.  In the back are a motley of unwell looking people, so I've always assumed ambulances in China are more like a hospital shuttle bus.

]]> I've often seen ambulances sitting at traffic lights in China with the roof light on but seemingly in no rush.  In the back are a motley of unwell looking people, so I've always assumed ambulances in China are more like a hospital shuttle bus.

]]> <![CDATA[By: sammypaika09]]>

there's only one "English country", and it's called Britain...okay, what the heck I'll just say it:"Great Britain".

]]>

there's only one "English country", and it's called Britain...okay, what the heck I'll just say it:"Great Britain".

]]> <![CDATA[By: baifameizhong]]> I'm slightly confused about the use of 痛 (tong4)  and 疼 (teng1). There was recently an intermediate lesson where 痛 was used, just like here.

I at the time asked my wife what the difference was and she said that they were pretty much the same except one or two usages with 心 but 痛 was in general a lot more common. Here, however, 痛 is being used a lot more. Is 痛 more commen in the South of China or is it actually also less common than 疼 but you just wanted to point out that there is also second way of saying it?

]]> I'm slightly confused about the use of 痛 (tong4)  and 疼 (teng1). There was recently an intermediate lesson where 痛 was used, just like here.

I at the time asked my wife what the difference was and she said that they were pretty much the same except one or two usages with 心 but 痛 was in general a lot more common. Here, however, 痛 is being used a lot more. Is 痛 more commen in the South of China or is it actually also less common than 疼 but you just wanted to point out that there is also second way of saying it?

]]> <![CDATA[By: xiaophil]]> sammy, you just reminded me of a Chinese idiom I learned today, 咬文嚼字 [yǎowénjiáozì]pay excessive attention to wording. Don't get the wrong idea, though. I agree.

]]> sammy, you just reminded me of a Chinese idiom I learned today, 咬文嚼字 [yǎowénjiáozì]pay excessive attention to wording. Don't get the wrong idea, though. I agree.

]]> <![CDATA[By: toianw]]> Hi,

In the expansion and exercise there's this expression:

我吃了药，头不痛了。

but in the audio I hear 我吃了药了，头不痛了。

Am I hearing correctly and if so is there a difference in meaning?

]]> Hi,

In the expansion and exercise there's this expression:

我吃了药，头不痛了。

but in the audio I hear 我吃了药了，头不痛了。

Am I hearing correctly and if so is there a difference in meaning?

]]> <![CDATA[By: sammypaika09]]> hey xiaophil, Thanks for that idiom.

]]> hey xiaophil, Thanks for that idiom.

]]> <![CDATA[By: lifung08]]> thanks

]]> thanks

]]> <![CDATA[By: changye]]> When you're not sure which one is more appropriate to use, I recommend you use "疼痛" (teng2tong4, hurt, sore), hehe.

]]> When you're not sure which one is more appropriate to use, I recommend you use "疼痛" (teng2tong4, hurt, sore), hehe.

]]> <![CDATA[By: helencao_counselor]]> 你好toianw,

The first了in the sentence "我吃了药了" indicating completed action while the second 了 function as a sentence particle.

了 can naturally be added to sentences those where the speaker is providing updated or significantly changed information. For example,

他喝了五瓶啤酒了

ta1 he1le wu3ping2 pi2piu3 le.

He has drunk five bottles of beer.(and he does not look well, should not have done so, etc.)

Hope that helps.

]]> 你好toianw,

The first了in the sentence "我吃了药了" indicating completed action while the second 了 function as a sentence particle.

了 can naturally be added to sentences those where the speaker is providing updated or significantly changed information. For example,

他喝了五瓶啤酒了

ta1 he1le wu3ping2 pi2piu3 le.

He has drunk five bottles of beer.(and he does not look well, should not have done so, etc.)

Hope that helps.

]]> <![CDATA[By: baifameizhong]]> 还是算了，我就说很不舒服:)

]]> 还是算了，我就说很不舒服:)

]]> <![CDATA[By: joeborn]]> You may also want to check out the January 8, 2008, 請問 episode (http://chinesepod.com/lessons/the-double-了-le-phenomenon) directed to the double-了 phenomenon. The gloss that lesson puts on the construction is not as helpful in the present context as Helen's above, but it sort of reinforces the "now that I've taken the medicine" meaning in contrast simply to "I took some medicine," and it is helpful for some other contexts.

]]> You may also want to check out the January 8, 2008, 請問 episode (http://chinesepod.com/lessons/the-double-了-le-phenomenon) directed to the double-了 phenomenon. The gloss that lesson puts on the construction is not as helpful in the present context as Helen's above, but it sort of reinforces the "now that I've taken the medicine" meaning in contrast simply to "I took some medicine," and it is helpful for some other contexts.

]]> <![CDATA[By: oakleysteve]]> Oh oh, maybe I corrupted my Chinese friends at work when I was teaching them to run their words together like Americans - "Jeet?" for "Did you eat?" and "No, jew?" for "No, did you?" . . .

]]> Oh oh, maybe I corrupted my Chinese friends at work when I was teaching them to run their words together like Americans - "Jeet?" for "Did you eat?" and "No, jew?" for "No, did you?" . . .

]]> <![CDATA[By: kttang]]> Actually, in any language, when people speak fast, their pronunciation is different from when they speak slowly, especially in commonly used phrases. In your native language, you probably don't notice because you automatically adjust for it. An example from American English that non-native speakers have a terrible time with: can and can't. In normal conversation, the sentence "I can go" sounds like "I kng go" and "I can't go" like "I kae go" (I can't type the last one--the 'n' gets merged with the vowel so that it's nasalized, and the 't'turns into a glottal stop, like in the middle of 'uh-oh'. My tongue never touches the front of my mouth where I would make an n/t sound. But the vowel is always the same as in careful speech, whereas for 'can', the vowel pretty much disappears.)

Incidentally, I also heard 'jiu jiu' instead of 'jiao jiu'--but I'm guessing a native Chinese speaker wouldn't. At least, Connie thinks they sound at most 'a bit similar'. It's a good chance for us to adjust our listening :)

]]> Actually, in any language, when people speak fast, their pronunciation is different from when they speak slowly, especially in commonly used phrases. In your native language, you probably don't notice because you automatically adjust for it. An example from American English that non-native speakers have a terrible time with: can and can't. In normal conversation, the sentence "I can go" sounds like "I kng go" and "I can't go" like "I kae go" (I can't type the last one--the 'n' gets merged with the vowel so that it's nasalized, and the 't'turns into a glottal stop, like in the middle of 'uh-oh'. My tongue never touches the front of my mouth where I would make an n/t sound. But the vowel is always the same as in careful speech, whereas for 'can', the vowel pretty much disappears.)

Incidentally, I also heard 'jiu jiu' instead of 'jiao jiu'--but I'm guessing a native Chinese speaker wouldn't. At least, Connie thinks they sound at most 'a bit similar'. It's a good chance for us to adjust our listening :)

]]> <![CDATA[By: bababardwan]]> ok,well I've tried to answer my own question by looking up mdbg which does suggest that 人工呼吸 simply refers to artificial respiration as the breakdown suggested.One possible translation for CPR is given as 心肺复苏 [which makes much more sense as the breakdown would give it as heart lung resuscitation]。Is this the most commonly used translation for CPR?

]]> ok,well I've tried to answer my own question by looking up mdbg which does suggest that 人工呼吸 simply refers to artificial respiration as the breakdown suggested.One possible translation for CPR is given as 心肺复苏 [which makes much more sense as the breakdown would give it as heart lung resuscitation]。Is this the most commonly used translation for CPR?

]]> <![CDATA[By: bababardwan]]> ah,I've just found a Chinese wikipedia article here:

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BF%83%E8%82%BA%E5%A4%8D%E8%8B%8F%E6%9C%AF

... which does seem to support that it is referred to as 心肺复苏术 adding the 术 at the end meaning method.

]]> ah,I've just found a Chinese wikipedia article here:

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BF%83%E8%82%BA%E5%A4%8D%E8%8B%8F%E6%9C%AF

... which does seem to support that it is referred to as 心肺复苏术 adding the 术 at the end meaning method.

]]> <![CDATA[By: bodawei]]> @Barbs

I'd love to share your enthusiasm for learning how to say CPR, but you realise that you are lucky to find a bottle of oxygen in the back of an ambulance? They are not fitted out like Australian ambulances. (Actually there is sure to be a drip - a drip is required in every medical situation in China.)

[While I think of it I think I will post a quote I just read, made by a 100 year old TCM practicioner here in my city.]

]]> @Barbs

I'd love to share your enthusiasm for learning how to say CPR, but you realise that you are lucky to find a bottle of oxygen in the back of an ambulance? They are not fitted out like Australian ambulances. (Actually there is sure to be a drip - a drip is required in every medical situation in China.)

[While I think of it I think I will post a quote I just read, made by a 100 year old TCM practicioner here in my city.]

]]> <![CDATA[By: svik]]> toianw,

I think you are hearing correctly. I also hear a second 了。

helencao answered the second part of your question.

]]> toianw,

I think you are hearing correctly. I also hear a second 了。

helencao answered the second part of your question.

]]> <![CDATA[By: eight8isenuf]]> Loved your comment about slurring our words together in english. There are Americans with accents I can barely understand!

]]> Loved your comment about slurring our words together in english. There are Americans with accents I can barely understand!

]]> <![CDATA[By: SF_Rachel]]> Coming to this lesson very late but I'll second the first part Toainw's comment: the audio and the transcription on the page simply do not match on this line of the expansion. I noticed this myself working through the expansion section today.

Helen's explanation that for why the audio is correct is helpful -- but I respectfully submit that it would also be helpful if the written portion matched the audio.

]]> Coming to this lesson very late but I'll second the first part Toainw's comment: the audio and the transcription on the page simply do not match on this line of the expansion. I noticed this myself working through the expansion section today.

Helen's explanation that for why the audio is correct is helpful -- but I respectfully submit that it would also be helpful if the written portion matched the audio.

]]> <![CDATA[By: lujiaojie]]> You're hearing correctly. Fixed now.

]]> You're hearing correctly. Fixed now.

]]> <![CDATA[By: daenaf]]> Except on the dictation exercises, where if you enter '我吃了药了，头不痛了。', it still marks it as wrong, and gives you a 'correct' version in yellow without the 2nd 'le', despite the 'le' being spoken in the dictated sentence. I hope no one minds me pointing this out on a 2 year old dialogue.

]]> Except on the dictation exercises, where if you enter '我吃了药了，头不痛了。', it still marks it as wrong, and gives you a 'correct' version in yellow without the 2nd 'le', despite the 'le' being spoken in the dictated sentence. I hope no one minds me pointing this out on a 2 year old dialogue.

]]>