<![CDATA[Comments on: Get in line! ]]> 2008-11-23 18:00:00 <![CDATA[By: tiaopidepi]]> Hmmm...looks like CPod is plagiarizing from EnglishPod. Maybe there's a lawsuit coming?

(I like this Chinesepod team very much! I will support it forever!)

]]> Hmmm...looks like CPod is plagiarizing from EnglishPod. Maybe there's a lawsuit coming?

(I like this Chinesepod team very much! I will support it forever!)

]]> <![CDATA[By: tiffany9]]> Hi C-Pod,

how would we say, "non-Chinese" , without saying "不是中國人的人”　and without saying "外國人”?

 I live outside of China and over here Chinese people are the 外國人。

"不是中國人的人” sounds stupid, there must be a better way.  

]]> Hi C-Pod,

how would we say, "non-Chinese" , without saying "不是中國人的人”　and without saying "外國人”?

 I live outside of China and over here Chinese people are the 外國人。

"不是中國人的人” sounds stupid, there must be a better way.  

]]> <![CDATA[By: tiffany9]]> How do we say, "the back of the line" ?  

How do we say "the line is really long" , without saying 很多人在排队， because that's a bit different.

 

 

]]> How do we say, "the back of the line" ?  

How do we say "the line is really long" , without saying 很多人在排队， because that's a bit different.

 

 

]]> <![CDATA[By: yuehan29]]> tiffany9,

You can say 这个队很长 -- 排队 is really the verb 排 plus and noun 队, so if you want to refer to (or modify) the line itself it's 队.

As for "non-Chinese," there is a phrase -- 非华人 -- that fits the bill, but it's used more like an adjective -- 第一个非华人的总统 ("the first non-Chinese president"). I can't think of anything as compact as "non-Chinese" -- hopefully the ChinesePod staff can come up with something. :)

]]> tiffany9,

You can say 这个队很长 -- 排队 is really the verb 排 plus and noun 队, so if you want to refer to (or modify) the line itself it's 队.

As for "non-Chinese," there is a phrase -- 非华人 -- that fits the bill, but it's used more like an adjective -- 第一个非华人的总统 ("the first non-Chinese president"). I can't think of anything as compact as "non-Chinese" -- hopefully the ChinesePod staff can come up with something. :)

]]> <![CDATA[By: yase]]> I find that there is a lot of amusing 'loss of face' when a waiguoren such as myself tells local people to 'pai dui' and not to 'cha dui' in front of their colleagues and friends. Good fun - especially at police stations when queuing up for the  registration process in all the chaos - the police always take my side and treat the queue jumpers quite harshly, I find.

Also, just as good fun is to point out to people that they are smoking in a no smoking area, and await their reactions. Good for practicing your chinese and swear words and pretending to get a little angry depending on the reactions. 

]]> I find that there is a lot of amusing 'loss of face' when a waiguoren such as myself tells local people to 'pai dui' and not to 'cha dui' in front of their colleagues and friends. Good fun - especially at police stations when queuing up for the  registration process in all the chaos - the police always take my side and treat the queue jumpers quite harshly, I find.

Also, just as good fun is to point out to people that they are smoking in a no smoking area, and await their reactions. Good for practicing your chinese and swear words and pretending to get a little angry depending on the reactions. 

]]> <![CDATA[By: wuansen]]> I loved the lesson description. I would have had a harder time writing it in such a clean fashion.

Why oh why must there be pushing when everyone already holds a ticket with an assigned seat?

Being someone who easily holds grudges, I truly wonder if it is at all known to the offenders at how much they have ruined my day/week.

]]> I loved the lesson description. I would have had a harder time writing it in such a clean fashion.

Why oh why must there be pushing when everyone already holds a ticket with an assigned seat?

Being someone who easily holds grudges, I truly wonder if it is at all known to the offenders at how much they have ruined my day/week.

]]> <![CDATA[By: mikeinewshot]]> I really don't buy Ken's attempt in the lesson to justify the Chinese's cutting in line/jumping the queue.  I think he was bending over backwards to be politically correct and not to critisize.

Frankly it just comes over to me as total selfishness with no sense of community.  How can this be reconciled with the Chinese supposed politeness?

]]> I really don't buy Ken's attempt in the lesson to justify the Chinese's cutting in line/jumping the queue.  I think he was bending over backwards to be politically correct and not to critisize.

Frankly it just comes over to me as total selfishness with no sense of community.  How can this be reconciled with the Chinese supposed politeness?

]]> <![CDATA[By: masterkrang]]> i asked a couple of my Taiwanese friends what is different about China and Taiwan, and one of the funniest things they said was that Chinese always "cut".

]]> i asked a couple of my Taiwanese friends what is different about China and Taiwan, and one of the funniest things they said was that Chinese always "cut".

]]> <![CDATA[By: gunnellr]]> When I first got to China this always drove me crazy until I talked with some of my Chinese friends about it.  

They basicaly said that people do this because its in their instinct, if you are not first, you do not get whatever you are seeking.  Back in Mao's time this would often mean food or money.  After I heard this, on the metro I would just let everybody rush forward and just try to nudge my way in at the end.  Then instead of first in, last out... you're last in first out.

Or if you can't beat them, join them...

Also there is another way to handle this which usually impresses Chinese people and Amber mentioned this awhile back on one of her shows.  做文明事。。。zuo wenming shi ...do civilized things, which you can see on a lot of gov't propaganda posters around China

 

]]> When I first got to China this always drove me crazy until I talked with some of my Chinese friends about it.  

They basicaly said that people do this because its in their instinct, if you are not first, you do not get whatever you are seeking.  Back in Mao's time this would often mean food or money.  After I heard this, on the metro I would just let everybody rush forward and just try to nudge my way in at the end.  Then instead of first in, last out... you're last in first out.

Or if you can't beat them, join them...

Also there is another way to handle this which usually impresses Chinese people and Amber mentioned this awhile back on one of her shows.  做文明事。。。zuo wenming shi ...do civilized things, which you can see on a lot of gov't propaganda posters around China

 

]]> <![CDATA[By: user23050]]> Yes, the CUt IS, i suppose a national tradition.

No one is very angry about it.

In New York City, well now, cutting is not allowed, and you will find few Chinese doing such a thing.

When an overseas Chinese dares, the resident Chinese is quickly to remind "that is a no no".

]]> Yes, the CUt IS, i suppose a national tradition.

No one is very angry about it.

In New York City, well now, cutting is not allowed, and you will find few Chinese doing such a thing.

When an overseas Chinese dares, the resident Chinese is quickly to remind "that is a no no".

]]> <![CDATA[By: pretzelllogic62]]> They all aren't Chinese.

They are all non-Chinese.

They aren't all Chinese.

The first 2 translations are the same in meaning. But the third changes the meaning, and, I assume, can't be used for the given Chinese sentence because it implies that all but one of the group may be Chinese.

This is one of those little things in language that can drive you nuts!

]]> They all aren't Chinese.

They are all non-Chinese.

They aren't all Chinese.

The first 2 translations are the same in meaning. But the third changes the meaning, and, I assume, can't be used for the given Chinese sentence because it implies that all but one of the group may be Chinese.

This is one of those little things in language that can drive you nuts!

]]>