<![CDATA[Comments on: Drunk Driving]]> 2009-10-11 18:00:00 <![CDATA[By: pretzellogic]]> Funny, i've not seen that many accidents here in China, but I've seen enough businessmen in restaurants/bars playing rock/scissors/paper to think there should be a big problem with drunk driving here.  Maybe they all have drivers.

 

]]> Funny, i've not seen that many accidents here in China, but I've seen enough businessmen in restaurants/bars playing rock/scissors/paper to think there should be a big problem with drunk driving here.  Maybe they all have drivers.

 

]]> <![CDATA[By: ooka]]> Really? well I drive 2h every day and I would say that at least once every week I see one major accident - and several minors - although I don't think they ever have anything to do with alcohol.

]]> Really? well I drive 2h every day and I would say that at least once every week I see one major accident - and several minors - although I don't think they ever have anything to do with alcohol.

]]> <![CDATA[By: pinkjeans]]> Another brilliant lesson! Does this 两 have anything to do with the international units of alcohol?

I am also curious as to when one would use 驾车 as opposed to 开车。In Cantonese, the distinction is very clear; 开车 is used for starting a car and 驾车 for the actual act of driving, but I know in Mandarin, 开车 is used for driving the vehicle too.

The dialogue has brought to mind 2 other sentence structures that I think can be used to express the same idea as 不仅。。。还:

不但。。。而且 (not only...but also)

除了。。。以外 (apart from...)

If there are some nuances in these 3 structures, I would certainly appreciate it if someone could provide examples.

]]> Another brilliant lesson! Does this 两 have anything to do with the international units of alcohol?

I am also curious as to when one would use 驾车 as opposed to 开车。In Cantonese, the distinction is very clear; 开车 is used for starting a car and 驾车 for the actual act of driving, but I know in Mandarin, 开车 is used for driving the vehicle too.

The dialogue has brought to mind 2 other sentence structures that I think can be used to express the same idea as 不仅。。。还:

不但。。。而且 (not only...but also)

除了。。。以外 (apart from...)

If there are some nuances in these 3 structures, I would certainly appreciate it if someone could provide examples.

]]> <![CDATA[By: miantiao]]> hi pinkjeans,

我试一下造出例句：

酒后驾车不但给群众带来危害，而且会给某人酒后驾车带来不利的后果。

除了酒后驾车的问题越可见以外，吸毒后驾车也成现代社会常见的现象。

不知道我写的对不对，不过一定要有同学能来提供明确例句和说明

 

]]> hi pinkjeans,

我试一下造出例句：

酒后驾车不但给群众带来危害，而且会给某人酒后驾车带来不利的后果。

除了酒后驾车的问题越可见以外，吸毒后驾车也成现代社会常见的现象。

不知道我写的对不对，不过一定要有同学能来提供明确例句和说明

 

]]> <![CDATA[By: orangina]]> Can someone explain 好你个头啊 to me? I didn't quite get that...

 

]]> Can someone explain 好你个头啊 to me? I didn't quite get that...

 

]]> <![CDATA[By: pretzellogic]]> ooka, where do you live? In Beijing and in Lanzhou, I only saw a electric bike on the ground once with a person on the ground looking dizzy, and a group of people standing around 2 guys that ended up in a fight between the two in the middle of the street.  I've seen way more major league traffic accidents in the US, in addition to seeing more speeders and people doing things that should result in accidents.

]]> ooka, where do you live? In Beijing and in Lanzhou, I only saw a electric bike on the ground once with a person on the ground looking dizzy, and a group of people standing around 2 guys that ended up in a fight between the two in the middle of the street.  I've seen way more major league traffic accidents in the US, in addition to seeing more speeders and people doing things that should result in accidents.

]]> <![CDATA[By: matt_c]]> I used to find it incredible how moneyed up patrons would drive their flashy cars to the clubs, get wasted in the club over a period of hours, then drive away from the clubs - obviously intoxicated.

Currently in Shanghai (and perhaps the rest of China), getting caught drunk driving incurs a 15 day stay at the watch house. Apparently even guanxi won't help - although I find that hard to believe.

]]> I used to find it incredible how moneyed up patrons would drive their flashy cars to the clubs, get wasted in the club over a period of hours, then drive away from the clubs - obviously intoxicated.

Currently in Shanghai (and perhaps the rest of China), getting caught drunk driving incurs a 15 day stay at the watch house. Apparently even guanxi won't help - although I find that hard to believe.

]]> <![CDATA[By: JasonSch]]> @orangina

好你个头 is like saying "Good? Yeah right!"

In American English there were a few similar expressions back when I was growing up in the '80s. "Cool my foot!"(The meaning being 'totally uncool')

We also said, "Good my butt!" Which you can do in Chinese as well.

好你个屁! Which is maybe a bit stronger than 个头

]]> @orangina

好你个头 is like saying "Good? Yeah right!"

In American English there were a few similar expressions back when I was growing up in the '80s. "Cool my foot!"(The meaning being 'totally uncool')

We also said, "Good my butt!" Which you can do in Chinese as well.

好你个屁! Which is maybe a bit stronger than 个头

]]> <![CDATA[By: orangina]]> Thanks JasonSch... I do like that in Chinese it is your head or a** and not mine in the saying! I will definitely remember that one.

]]> Thanks JasonSch... I do like that in Chinese it is your head or a** and not mine in the saying! I will definitely remember that one.

]]> <![CDATA[By: bodawei]]> @ooka,pretzellogic

It is difficult to get objective data on this (but I would be very interested if anyone knows some sources...?)  I saw some data that is now about five or six years old - the fatality rate (per capita, per year) from road accidents in China is almost exactly the same as Australia.  Despite the fact that Aust spends huge amounts on road safety, driver education and testing, Random Breath Testing (in every police car), safety standards of cars are generally higher (Chinese cars rate at or near the bottom in Australian safety tests), and more active policing of road rules.  It is possible that Australians drive a lot faster on average, and speed kills.  Australia also has substantially more road surface per head of population - how this impacts on accidents I am not sure - without going into detail, these extra roads should actually reduce accidents.  The quality of road surface is also a factor - I would think that Aust also spends a lot more per capita on road surfacing.        

My impression is like that of pretzellogic - it is surprising how few accidents you see in China, in the cities I've lived in.  You expect more because of apparent disregard for road rules.  And even minor accidents look major because everyone stops to stare.  (I was wondering how you define a 'major' accident ooka?)  I think the best explanation is that Chinese drivers travel a lot slower on average than in the West (and a lot slower than in Korea.)  Also, private car ownership in China is still way below Australian rates (by at least a factor of ten in most cities) - so there is a lower proportion of 'amateurs' on the road in China (believe it or not.)    

 

]]> @ooka,pretzellogic

It is difficult to get objective data on this (but I would be very interested if anyone knows some sources...?)  I saw some data that is now about five or six years old - the fatality rate (per capita, per year) from road accidents in China is almost exactly the same as Australia.  Despite the fact that Aust spends huge amounts on road safety, driver education and testing, Random Breath Testing (in every police car), safety standards of cars are generally higher (Chinese cars rate at or near the bottom in Australian safety tests), and more active policing of road rules.  It is possible that Australians drive a lot faster on average, and speed kills.  Australia also has substantially more road surface per head of population - how this impacts on accidents I am not sure - without going into detail, these extra roads should actually reduce accidents.  The quality of road surface is also a factor - I would think that Aust also spends a lot more per capita on road surfacing.        

My impression is like that of pretzellogic - it is surprising how few accidents you see in China, in the cities I've lived in.  You expect more because of apparent disregard for road rules.  And even minor accidents look major because everyone stops to stare.  (I was wondering how you define a 'major' accident ooka?)  I think the best explanation is that Chinese drivers travel a lot slower on average than in the West (and a lot slower than in Korea.)  Also, private car ownership in China is still way below Australian rates (by at least a factor of ten in most cities) - so there is a lower proportion of 'amateurs' on the road in China (believe it or not.)    

 

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