Qing Wen - Embrace your Fears! 怕 (pà)...Adj

Hi everyone, here are the sentences used in the podcast today: 怕热 pà rè 怕冷 pà lěng 怕脑子坏了 pà nǎozi huài le 怕头痛 pà tóu tòng 怕痒 pà yǎng 你怕痒吗？ Nǐ pà yǎng ma? 不怕痒。 Bù pà yǎng. 怕痒的男人怕老婆。 Pà yǎng de nánrén pà lǎopo. 怕痛 pà tòng 怕胖 pà pàng 怕数学 pà shùxué 怕语文 pà yǔwén 怕唠叨 pà lāodao 怕无聊 pà wúliáo

Does 怕怕 make sense?

hi art, Sorry, no, you can't use it with itself!

Talking about inventing words, is there actually an official govermnent language academy body which authorises new words and officialises and publishes them, alongwith the corresponding Hanzi. A bit like the Oxford English dictionary equivalent from the UK. Or do words come up from the street and grow a life of their own like Clay's '怕冰头痛' ? If so, who ensures consistency for the characters ? Also, how about the words for example for the names of foreign companies - can these just be chosen and made up, or is government approval required for the name ?

Okay, in that case， 怕多言。

Hi Art, Good, but these two are more commonly used to describe that feeling: 怕话多 (pà huà duō) 怕啰嗦 (pà luōsuo)

There is nothing to pa but pa itself. So how will Art say this if you cant 帕帕？ What I fear is the "look". That look I get when I speak Chinese and the target person doesnt understand any of what I just said. The other scenario is zero acknowledgement - when you say someting in Chinese hoping to get a reaction of at least surprise from someone who is obviously Chinese and they act like nobody said anything. Oh well, If at first you don't succeed, try try again.

怕听不到Chinesepod.. Yase, I've also wondered how much use a word needs before it becomes something officially excepted.. With that being said I read somewhere that France once tried to "control" the French language by out lawing and removing words they deemed unfit.. In the end it they just gave up. -许尘

How would you say embrace your fear? Or Connie has embraced her fear or language.

Great lesson.

Hi, I found these about pa4 不怕 [bú pà] fearless 使骇怕 [shǐ hài pà] frighten 可怕 [kě pà] awful; dreadful; fearful; formidable; frightful; hideous; horrible; terrible; terribly 哪怕 [nǎ pà] even; even if; even though; no matter how 害怕 [hài pà] to be afraid; to be scared 怕羞 [pà xiū] bashful; coy; shy 恐怕 [kǒng pà] (I'm) afraid (that); I think; perhaps 生怕 [shēng pà] (v) extremely nervous; fear 非常害怕 [fēi cháng hài pà] dread Greetings Jack

Nice lesson, this cleared a few things up for me. I was just listening to the 'sudoku' upper-intermediate lesson. Near the end of it I think Jenny says something like '因为在中国学校里面会学太多的数学，大家可能数字都一点怕了‘. Now it makes sense to me! Does ‘怕’ have the same 'feel' as ’不喜欢‘? Is ‘怕’ used for minor annoyances which are tolerable, while ‘不喜欢’ is used for true dislikes? For example, if I say '我怕苦瓜‘, is it the same as '我不喜欢苦瓜'?

does somebody know how to say? "I used to be scared of X" meaning that you longer have that phobia or are scared of it anymore. "X" being the place holder for bugs, heights, etc... so would there be a "le" at the end of the sentence??

urbandweller -- I think that in Chinese, you would say that in a different way, ie as "I am not scared of X now." = 我（就） 不怕 "X" 了 (not sure whether the 就 is right...) or 我现在不怕 "X" 了 (wo3 xian4zai bu4pa4 "X" le) or 我已经不怕 "X" 了" (wo3 yi3jing1 bu4pa4 "X" le) or 我都不怕 X 了 (wo3 dou1 bu4pa4 "X" le) But since I'm not a native speaker, I hope that somebody from CPOD will correct my answer. The 了 (le) in those sentences is a "completive particle", not a past tense marker. I think that rich posted a very good explanation about how this works in this thread: http://chinesepod.com/lessons/london/discussion I totally agree with him that there is no past tense in the Chinese language! ;-)

RJBerki -- I just saw your post above. "Nothing to pa but pa itself" - hee hee! How true. 胜 for 胜利 (sheng4li4; "victory)! Btw, don't worry about "the look". Going by the good questions you ask at CPOD, I bet you seldom get it any more these days.

Hi Amber,Connie, and Clay! It seems from this lesson that you can use 怕 for things that you are afraid of, but also for things that you don't like, or hate. Why not just say 我不喜欢.....? Also, what about being somethingaphobic? For example, if someone is afraid of water, they are aquaphobic. Or you can say they have aquaphobia. Is there a similar construction in Chinese?

garry, there is a lesson soley devoted to Phobias: http://chinesepod.com/lessons/phobias/

Thanks Henning, I had not seen this one as it is upper- intermediate. I will go through it and see if I can cope. I am afraid of upper-intermediate lessons....

It brings lots of Phobia-related vocab. You might also check out Bazza's Phobia collection in the CPod-Wiki: http://wiki.chinesepod.com/index.php?title=Chinese_Vocabulary_Tips_and_Lists#Phobias

我怕星期一。 This seems to be a common pain.

architpol.. ：-）

Great lesson! A couple of four-character expressions I found for being afraid of everything: 怕前怕后 (pàqián pàhòu) 怕三怕四 (pàsān pàsì) Amber: 冰球运动员也不怕痛！ :)

Here is the list I was originally working from for the wiki, but I didn't get around to working out all the pinyin for it. ;) A ablutophobia: 洗澡恐惧症 acarophobia: 搔痒恐惧症 acerophobia: 恐酸症 achluophobia: 黑暗恐惧症 acousticophobia: 噪音恐惧症 acrophobia: 恐高症 aeroacrophobia: 空旷高处恐惧症 aeronausiphobia: 晕机呕吐恐惧症 aerophobia: 高空恐惧症 aeruophobia: 飞行恐惧症 agoraphobia: 空旷恐惧症 agraphobia: 性虐待恐惧症 agrizoophobia: 野生动物恐惧症 agyrophobia: 街道／街道横越恐惧症 aichmophobia: 针头／尖刺物恐惧症 ailurophobia: 恐猫症 albuminurophobia: 肾脏病恐惧症　 alektorophobia: 恐鸡症　 algophobia: 疼痛恐怖症 alliumphobia: 恐蒜症 allodoxaphobia: 选择恐惧症 amathophobia: 灰尘恐惧症 amaxophobia: 乘车恐惧症 ambulophobia: 步行恐惧症 amnesiphobia: 记忆丧失恐惧症 amychophobia: 搔刮／刮痕恐惧症 anablephobia: 仰视恐惧症 ancraophobia: 恐风症 androphobia: 男性嫌恶症 anemophobia: 风媒／空气流动恐惧症 anginophobia: 窒息恐惧症 Anglophobia: 英国／英国文化恐惧症 angrophobia: 愤怒恐惧症 ankylophobia: 关节／卡榫静止恐惧症　 anthophobia: 恐花症　 anthrophobia: 恐人症 anthropophobia: 社交恐惧症 antlophobia: 洪水恐惧症 anuptaphobia: 单身恐惧症 apeirophobia: 无限恐惧症 aphenphosmphobia: 被接触恐惧症　 apiphobia: 恐蜂症 apotemnophobia: 截肢者恐惧症 arachibutyrophobia: 嘴角沾到花生酱恐惧症 arachnophobia: 蜘蛛恐惧症 arithmophobia: 数字恐惧症 arsonphobia: 恐火症 asthenophobia: 疲劳／虚弱恐惧症 astraphobia: 雷电恐惧症 astrophobia: 天文恐惧症 asymmetriphobia: 不均匀恐惧症 ataxiophobia: 运动失调恐惧症 ataxophobia: 混乱恐惧症 atelophobia: 不完美恐惧症 atephobia: 遗迹／残址恐惧症 athazagoraphobia: 被遗忘恐惧症 atomosophobia: 原子爆炸恐惧症 atychiphobia: 失败恐惧症 aulophobia: 长笛恐惧症 aurophobia: 恐金症 auroraphobia: 极光恐惧症 autodysomophobia: 臭人恐惧症 automatonophobia: 假人／蜡像恐惧症 automysophobia: 自身不洁恐惧症 autophobia: 独楚恐惧症 aviophobia: 飞机搭乘恐惧症 B bacillophobia: 微生物恐惧症 bacteriophobia: 细菌恐惧症 bactrachophobia: 爬虫类恐惧症 ballistophobia: 飞弹／子弹恐惧症 barophobia: 重力恐惧症 basophobia: 无法站立恐惧症 bathophobia: 深渊恐惧症 batonophobia: 植物恐惧症 batrachophobia: 两栖类恐惧症 bibliophobia: 书籍恐惧症 blennophobia: 黏液恐惧症 bogyphobia: 吓小孩的鬼怪恐惧症 Bolshephobia: 苏联共产党／布尔什维克恐惧症 bromidrosiphobia: 体味恐惧症 bufonophobia: 蟾蜍恐惧症 C cacophobia: 丑陋恐惧症 cainophobia: 新奇恐惧症　　 caligynephobia: 美女恐惧症 carcinophobia: 癌症恐惧症 cardiophobia: 心脏恐惧症 carnophobia: 肉类恐惧症 catagelophobia: 奚落恐惧症 catapedaphobia: 高处跃下恐惧症 cathisophobia: 恐坐症　 catoptrophobia: 恐镜症　 cenophobia: 新事物恐惧症 ceraunophobia: 恐雷症　 chaetophobia: 恐发症 cheimaphobia or cheimatophobia: 惧冷症 chemophobia: 化学恐惧症 cherophobia: 快乐恐惧症 chionophobia: 恐雪症 chorophobia: 跳舞恐惧症 chrometophobia: 恐钱症 chromophobia: 色彩恐惧症 chronomentrophobia: 恐钟症 chronophobia: 时间恐惧症 cibophobia: 食物恐惧症 claustrophobia: 幽闭恐怖症 cleisiophobia: 闭锁恐惧症　 cleptophobia: 偷窃恐惧症 climacophobia: 阶梯恐惧症 clinophobia: 上床（睡觉）恐惧症 clithrophobia: 与世隔绝恐惧症 cnidophobia: 螫刺恐惧症 coimetrophobia: 墓地恐惧症 cometophobia: 彗星恐惧症 coprastasophobia: 便秘恐惧症　 coprophobia: 排泄物恐惧症 coulrophobia: 小丑恐惧症 cremnophobia: 断崖恐惧症 cryophobia: 冰冻恐惧症 crystallophobia: 水晶／玻璃恐惧症　 cyberphobia: 电脑／电脑使用恐惧症 cyclophobia: 单车恐惧症 cymophobia: 波浪／波状运动恐惧症 cynophobia: 恐狗症 D decidophobia: 决策恐惧症 defecaloesiophobia: 肠胃痛恐惧症 deipnophobia: 用餐恐惧症 dementophobia: 疯狂恐惧症 demonophobia: 恶魔恐惧症 demophobia: 人群恐惧症 dendrophobia: 恐树症 dentophobia: 牙医恐惧症 dermatophobia: 皮肤损伤恐惧症 dermatosiophobia: 皮肤病恐惧症 dextrophobia: 身体右方物体恐惧症 diabetophobia: 糖尿病恐惧症 didaskaleinophobia: 上学恐惧症 dikephobia: 正义恐惧症 dinophobia: 晕眩恐惧症 diplophobia: 复视（一物看成两物）恐惧症 dipsophobia: 饮酒恐惧症 dishabiliophobia: 公开脱衣恐惧症 domatophobia: 房屋/室内恐惧症 doraphobia: 皮毛恐惧症 dromophobia: 街道横越恐惧症 dutchphobia: 老板娘恐惧症 dysmorphophobia: 畸形恐惧症 dystychiphobia: 意外事故恐惧症 E ecclesiophobia: 教堂恐惧症 eicophobia: 居家环境恐惧症 eisoptrophobia: 自身镜像恐惧症 electrophobia: 电力恐惧症 eleutherophobia: 自由恐惧症 emetophobia: 呕吐恐惧症 enetophobia: 针头恐惧症 enosiophobia: 认重罪恐惧症 entomophobia: 昆虫恐惧症 eosophobia: 曙光/日光恐惧症 epistaxiophobia: 鼻血恐惧症 epistemophobia: 知识恐惧症 equinophobia: 恐马症 ereuthrophobia: 脸红恐惧症 ergasiophobia: 手术器材恐惧症 ergophobia: 工作恐惧症 erotophobia: 性爱恐惧症 erythrophobia: 红色恐惧症 euphobia: 喜事获悉恐惧症 eurotophobia: 女性生殖器恐惧症 F febriphobia: 发烧恐惧症 felinophobia: 猫科动物恐惧症 Francophobia: 法国/法国文化恐惧症 G gamophobia: 婚姻恐惧症 geliophobia: 笑声恐惧症 geniophobia: 下巴恐惧症 genophobia: 性恐惧症 genuphobia: 膝盖恐惧症 gephyrophobia: 过桥恐惧症 gerascophobia: 老化恐惧症 germanophobia: 德国／德国文化恐惧症 gerontophobia: 老人恐惧症 geumaphobia: 味觉恐惧症 glossophobia: 公开发言恐惧症 graphophobia: 书写恐惧症 gymnophobia: 裸体恐惧症 gynophobia: 女性嫌恶症 H hadephobia: 地狱恐惧症 hagiophobia: 圣人圣物恐惧症　 hamartophobia: 犯罪恐惧症 harpaxophobia: 摩擦／磨蹭恐惧症 hedonophobia: 愉悦恐惧症 heliophobia: 恐日症 hellenologophobia: 希腊词汇恐惧症 helminthophobia: 恐虫症 hemophobia: 恐血症 heterophobia: 异性恐惧症　　 hierophobia: 神父恐惧症 hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia: 长字恐惧症 hobophobia: 乞丐恐惧症 hodophobia: 公路旅行恐惧症 homichlophobia: 青蛙恐惧症 homilophobia: 布道恐惧症 homophobia: 恐同症 hoplophobia: 手枪恐惧症 hormephobia: 惊吓恐惧症 hydrargyophobia: 汞制药剂恐惧症 hydrophobia: 恐水症 hydrophobophobia: 狂犬病恐惧症 hyelophobia or hyalophobia: 玻璃恐惧症 hygrophobia: 液体／潮湿恐惧症 hylephobia: 唯物主义恐惧症 hylophobia: 森林恐惧症 hypegiaphobia: 责任恐惧症 hypnophobia: 睡眠恐惧症 I iatrophobia: 医生恐惧症 ichthyophobia: 鱼类恐惧症 ideophobia: 观念恐惧症 iophobia: 毒物恐惧症 isolophobia: 孤独恐惧症　　　　　 isopterophobia: 白蚁恐惧症 ithyphallophobia: 勃起恐惧症 J Japanophobia: 日本人恐惧症 Judeophobia: 犹太人恐惧症 K kenophobia: 空白恐惧症 kinetophobia: 动作／动态恐惧症 koinoniphobia: 空间恐惧症 kopophobia: 疲劳恐惧症 kosmikophobia: 宇宙现象恐惧症　　 kyphophobia: 驼背恐惧症 L lachanophobia: 蔬菜恐惧症 laliophobia: 说话恐惧症 leprophobia: 麻疯恐惧症 leukophobia: 白色恐惧症 levophobia: 身体左方物体恐惧症 ligyrophobia: 巨响恐惧症 lilapsophobia: 龙卷风恐惧症 limnophobia: 湖泊恐惧症 linonophobia: 细弦恐惧症 liticaphobia: 诉讼恐惧症 lockiophobia: 生产恐惧症 logophobia: 文字恐惧症 luiphobia: 梅毒恐惧症 lutraphobia: 水獭恐惧症 lygophobia: 幽暗恐惧症 M macrophobia: 久候恐惧症 mageirocophobia: 下厨恐惧症 malaxophobia: 调情恐惧症 mastigophobia: 惩罚恐惧症 mechanophobia: 机械恐惧症 megalophobia: 巨物恐惧症 melanophobia: 黑色恐惧症 melophobia: 音乐恐惧症 meningitophobia: 脑部病变恐惧症 menophobia: 月经恐惧症 merinthophobia: 紧缚／捆绑恐惧症 metallophobia: 金属恐惧症 metathesiophobia: 改变恐惧症 meteorophobia: 流星恐惧症 methyphobia: 酒精恐惧症 metrophobia: 恐诗症 microphobia: 微物恐惧症　　　 misophobia: 脏污恐惧症 mnemophobia: 记亿恐惧症　 molysmophobia: 污染恐惧症 monopathophobia: 疾病确定恐惧症 motorphobia: 车辆恐惧症 mottephobia: 恐蛾症 musophobia: 恐鼠症 mycophobia: 蕈类恐惧症 myrmecophobia: 恐蚁症 mythophobia: 神话／故事／假话恐惧症 N necrophobia: 死亡恐惧症 neopharmaphobia:　新药物恐惧症 noctiphobia: 夜晚恐惧症 nomatophobia: 名字恐惧症 nosemaphobia: 疾病恐惧症 nosocomephobia: 医院恐惧症 nostophobia: 返家恐惧症 novercaphobia: 后母恐惧症 nucleomituphobia: 核武恐惧症 O obesophobia: 肥胖恐惧症 octophobia: “８”恐惧症 odontophobia: 牙科手术恐惧症 oenophobia: 恐酒症 olfactophobia: 恐笑症 ombrophobia: 恐雨症 ommetaphobia: 恐眼症 oneirogmophobia: 春梦恐惧症 oneirophobia: 恐梦症 onomatophobia: 听到特定文字之恐惧症　 ophidiophobia: 恐蛇症 ophthalmophobia: 被盯视恐惧症　　 optophobia: 睁眼恐惧症 ornithophobia: 恐鸟症 orthophobia: 资产恐惧症 osmophobia: 气味恐惧症 ostraconophobia: 甲壳类恐惧症 ouranophobia: 天堂恐惧症 P pagophobia: 冰霜恐惧症　 panophobia: 万物恐惧症 pantophobia: 恐惧恐惧症 Papaphobia: 教宗恐惧症 papyrophobia: 恐纸症 paralipophobia: 不尽责恐惧症　　　 paraphobia: 性倒错恐惧症 parasitophobia: 寄生虫恐惧症 paraskavedekatriaphobia: 十三号星期五恐惧症 parthenophobia: 处女／少女恐惧症 patroiophobia: 遗传恐惧症 peccatophobia: 思想犯罪恐惧症 pediculophobia: 虱子恐惧症 pediophobia: 人偶恐惧症 pedophobia: 恐童症 peladophobia: 秃头者恐惧症 pellagrophobia: 癞皮病恐惧症 peniaphobia: 贫穷恐惧症 pentheraphobia: 岳母恐惧症 phagophobia: 吞食恐惧症 phalacrophobia: 变秃恐惧症　 phallophobia: 阴茎／勃起阴茎恐惧症 pharmacophobia: 服药恐惧症 pharmacophobia: 恐药症 phasmophobia: 恐鬼症 philemaphobia: 亲吻恐惧症 philophobia: 恋爱恐惧症 philosophobia: 哲学恐惧症 phonophobia: 声音恐惧症　　 photoaugliaphobia: 耀光恐惧症 photophobia: 恐光症 phronemophobia: 思考恐惧症 phthisiophobia: 结核病恐惧症 pinigerophobia: 窒息恐惧症 placophobia: 墓碑恐惧症 plutophobia: 富有恐惧症 pluviophobia: 下雨／淋雨恐惧症 pneumatiphobia: 灵魂恐惧症 pogonophobia: 胡须恐惧症 poliosophobia: 小儿麻痹罹患恐惧症 politicophobia: 政治人物恐惧症 polyphobia: 多数／综合恐惧症 ponophobia: 工作过量恐惧症 porphyrophobia: 紫色恐惧症 potamophobia: 河流／流水恐惧症 proctophobia: 直肠恐惧症 prosophobia: 发展恐惧症 psellismophobia: 结巴恐惧症 psychophobia: 心理恐惧症 pteronophobia: 被以羽毛搔痒恐惧症 pupaphobia: 傀儡恐惧症 Q R radiophobia: 辐射恐惧症 rhabdophobia: 棒打恐惧症 rhypophobia: 澄清恐惧症 rhytiphobia: 长皱纹恐惧症 rupophobia: 灰尘恐惧症 Russophobia: 俄罗斯人恐惧症 S samhainophobia: 万圣节恐惧症 satanophobia: 撒旦恐惧症 scabiophobia: 疥疮恐惧症 scelerophibia: 恶人恐惧症 schlionophobia: 学校恐惧症 sciophobia: 阴影恐惧症 scotomaphobia: 视野遮蔽恐惧症 scriptophobia: 当众书写恐惧症 selaphobia: 闪光恐惧症　 selenophobia: 恐月症 seplophobia: 腐烂恐惧症　 siderodromophobia: 火车恐惧症 sinistrophobia: 左撇子恐惧症 sinophobia: 中国／中国文化恐惧症 soceraphobia: 公婆恐惧症 social phobia: 负面评价恐惧症 sociophobia: 社会恐惧症 sophophobia: 学习恐惧症 soteriophobia: 依赖恐惧症 spacephobia: 外太恐惧症 spectrophobia: 幽灵恐惧症 sphexsophobia: 黄蜂恐惧症 stasibasiphobia: 直立行走恐惧症 staurophobia: 十字架恐惧症 stenophobia: 狭室恐惧症 symbolophobia: 符号使用恐惧症 symmetrophobia: 对称恐惧症 syngenesophobia: 亲属恐惧症 T tachophobia: 速度恐惧症 taphephobia: 活埋恐惧症 tapinophobia: 被传染恐惧症　 taurophobia: 恐牛症 technophobia: 科技恐惧症 teleophobia: 确定计画恐惧症 telephonophobia: 电话恐惧症 telosphobia: 落后恐惧症 teratophobia: 怀畸形胎恐惧症 testophobia: 考试恐惧症 tetanophobia: 破伤风恐惧症　 textophobia: 特定布料恐惧症　 thalassophobia: 海洋恐惧症 theatrophobia: 剧场恐惧症 theologicophobia: 神学恐惧症 theophobia: 恐神症／宗教恐惧症 thermophobia: 恐热症 tomophobia: 手术恐惧症 topophobia: 怯场症／表演恐惧症 traumatophobia: 受伤恐惧症 tremophobia: 颤抖恐惧症 triskaidekaphobia: “１３”恐惧症 trypanophobia: 注射恐惧症 tyrannophobia: 暴君恐惧症 U urophobia: 尿液／排尿恐惧症 V vaccinophobia: 接种恐惧症　　 vestiphobia: 衣服恐惧症 virginitiphobia: 强暴恐惧症 vitricophobia: 继父恐惧症 W wiccaphobia: 巫女／巫术恐惧症 X xanthophobia: 黄色恐惧惧 xenophobia: 陌生／外国人恐惧症 xerophobia: 干燥恐惧症 Z zelophobia: 妒忌恐惧症 zeusophobia: 宙斯恐惧症 zoophobia: 动物恐惧症

Just realised there's still a link to the site with this list in the Phobia lesson comments, but the above a Simplified version anyway. According to the phobia lesson, to say you have a phobia, you just say 我有……followed by the phobia.

Wow...nobody needs that many phobias! Thanks Bazza.

That's still not all of them though, coitophobia isn't in that list.

The best English one has to be hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, the fear of long words. lol

What would you use for "stage fright"- fear of public speaking?

hi garry, 不喜欢 (bù xǐhuan) can also be used to express that you don't like something. When you use 怕 (pà) as in this lesson, it is just expressing a more intense feeling, more emphasized. And it's very natural Chinese, you will hear it all the time.

hi perle, 怯场 (qièchǎng) stage fright 我怕在很多人面前讲话 (Wǒ pà zài hěn duō rénmiàn qián jiǎnghuà) This sentence can be used to express 'fear of public speaking'. Literally: I am afraid of speaking in front of people.

RJBerki I am teaching Advanced Dynamics to a group of Professors and Graduate Students in Qinhuangdao. When I start talking in CHinese, I used to get the "look." Now they just laugh at me. :(

我怕笑声！

Dear wolson, don't you let "the look" worry you. But as somebody who has lost more "face" than she ever knew she had, due to her willingness to try and learn foreign languages, I sympathize with you. It's unnerving! At least you get a "look". Many years, ago when I was a university student in the UK, my then-boyfriend and I came across, in the underground, an elderly Japanese lady who had become separated from her tour-group. She didn't speak any English, and was very distressed. My boyfriend spoke excellent Japanese (he had spent most of his teens in Kobe), but he was also... obviously European. He used very soothing, polite Japanese to find out where the lady was supposed to be, so that we could help her find her friends. I'll never forget this "conversation"; the person doing the speaking was my (very white) boyfriend, not me, but the lady kept her face fixed on mine as if I were talking, and all her answers were directed at... me. There was one insane moment, I remember, when I wondered whether she thought I was some kind of ventriloquist, and that poor bf was some kind of Edgar Bergen dummy through whom I was speaking to her. Somehow I managed to concentrate on looking reassuring, nodding, and bowing slightly, just like the female Japanese friends whom I had made through that bf. Wolson, I hope this makes you feel better in some way! Bf was cool about being "invisible"; he had no problems being understood on the phone (he used to bow when he was talking, even though the person he was speaking to couldn't see him) by Japanese people. But face-to-face, sometimes even a simple request to buy a pack of cigarettes would be met with "the look". He was used to it, though...

Thanks, Auntie, I enjoyed your comments very much. Thank you for sharing these with me. Walt

Nice lesson. These things have answered so many questions for me since I started listening. You think we could have a lesson on the differences between 得, 必须, 要, etc. or just on modal verbs in general? Do different ones express different levels of degree or what? Thanks.

I liked this, but I still think you guys should get back to recording on Fridays. It was more energetic and funny that way. Clay still seems a little tired. :)

Thank you Amber- I would have tried a more literal approach with 舞台上 惊骇 wu3tai4shang4 jing1hai4. I have to give a small presentation in my Chinese class tonight and I would prefer to chew ground glass rather than speak in front of people because- 怯场 wo3 you3 qie4chang3) I have stage fright and I am afraid of speaking in front of people. 我怕在很多人面前讲话(Wǒ pà zài hěn duō rénmiàn qián jiǎnghuà)

there's a song I like a lot and have been trying to translat to Mandarin. I've tried the folowing, but I don't know if it is right... even the english doesn't sound very natural. 沒有奔逃的人, 因为他們怕了. 人怕因 为奔逃了 méi yǒu bēn táo de ren, yīn wéi tā men pà le. Rén pà yīn wéi bēn táo le. nobody flees because of fear. people fear because they’ve fled.

hi bento, My best guess would be: 沒有奔逃的人, 因为他們怕了. 人怕因为奔逃了 (Méiyǒu bēntáo de rén, yīnwèi tāmen pà le. rén pà yīnwèi bēntáo le) No one runs away because they are afraid. People are afraid because they run away.

In Le Chinois Sans Peine, Methode Assimil: 那我怎么办呢？ 恐怕行李已经超重了

amber, thanks for 怕啰嗦。you jogged my memory and now i remember hearing and saying 很啰嗦 in my dialect when i was a kid!

For whatever reason I always get confused when and where to distinguish between: 可怕， 害怕，恐怕，恐怖， 吓人，and 吓. Any trick for remembering the best situations for each of these?

Bazza you said "kenophobia: 空白恐惧症" are you sure that's not "kai an kong zhu zheng" directed directly at one of our favorite CPOD personalities?

Dear rash, I'm not sure there is a trick, but maybe looking at these examples from my little dictionary will help to give you a "feel" for the differences? Perhaps you could choose one example from each word and just... memorize it. Good luck! 可怕（Cf. 可爱 ke3ai4) ＝ to be "fear-able"/ fearsome: 可怕的故事。 使人觉得可怕。 昨晚，我看了一部可怕的电影。 那个人长得有点儿可怕。 晚上一个人走在路上，真可怕。 害怕 (literally -- "to fear fear"): 害了怕。 害什么怕。 害怕得不得了。 看见有人追上来，小偷害怕了。 没有灯火， 没有人， 她感到害怕极了。 恐怕 ("fear that..."， “reckon that..."): 恐怕他不会答应我们的要求。 这么晚才回来，恐怕要挨(ai2; suffer)批评(pi1ping2; criticism)了。 今天恐怕要迟到了。 太晚了， 恐怕没有坐位了。 他恐怕还没毕业(bi4ye4; graduate)吧。 今天恐怕要下雨。 他来了恐怕有半年了。 你恐怕还没吃饭吧？我给你拿点儿吃的来。 恐怖 (terrorizing; terrifying) 恐怖活动。--> terrorism 恐怖手段。 恐怖电影。(horror film) 气氛恐怖。 内心感到非常恐怖。 恐怖得全身发抖。 恐怖分子制造了很多恐怖事件。 这件事太恐怖了。 吓人 ／ 吓 ： 孩子被雷声(lei2sheng1; thunder)吓得大哭。 他突然从门前跳出来，下得我们叫了起来。 别(bie2; don't)吓我， 我胆子(dan3zi3; spleen, "courage")小。 他大叫了一声，把狗下跑了。

Bazza, Uou are fantastic with the list of phobias...Can you provide the specific pobia associated with each? Bob

Now that we know that Clay is ticklish. How would one say "Stop tickling me!" and "That tickles!" in Chinese Mandarin?

hi andrewm, 别弄我了！太痒了！ Bié nòng wǒ le！ Tài yǎng le！ Don't do that! That tickles. 挠痒痒 náo yǎngyang to tickle 别挠我了！ Bié náo wǒ le！ Don't tickle me!

Thanks Amber. It has been so difficult for me to get someone to answer that question.

Did we miss the new QW this week? :-( !!

From the intro I got the impression that pa4 is used to say "don't like". Near the end of the lesson they said that "Clay pa4 Amber". The context indicated that this meant "Clay is afraid of amber" instead of "Clay doesn't like Amber."

Can the meaning of pa4 then depend on the context?

Hi aszabo,

The meaning of 怕(pà) depends on the context of the sentence.

In this sentence "Clay怕Amber。", 怕 means "be afraid of".

Hi timbrace

If you both dislike someone and are afraid of him, you could say：
我很怕他，我不喜欢他。
Wǒ hěn pà tā, wǒ bùxǐhuan tā.

Sometimes we like someone, but we're a little bit afraid of them. In such cases we can say：
我喜欢他，但也有点儿怕他。
wǒxǐhuāntā, dàn yě yǒudiǎnr pà tā.

Thanks, jiaojie, for the examples.