<![CDATA[Comments on: Homesick]]> 2006-11-02 18:00:00 <![CDATA[By: ]]> Connie
Supplementary vocab for this lesson: 家乡 (jiāxiāng) hometown 祖国 (zǔguó) motherland 亲人 (qīnrén) close relatives 家人 (jiārén) family members 记得 (jìde) remember 难忘 (nánwàng) unforgettable 思念 (sīniàn) miss 待 (dāi) stay 你在中国待了多久？ (Nǐ zài Zhōngguó dāi le duōjiǔ?) How long have you been in China?]]> Connie
Supplementary vocab for this lesson: 家乡 (jiāxiāng) hometown 祖国 (zǔguó) motherland 亲人 (qīnrén) close relatives 家人 (jiārén) family members 记得 (jìde) remember 难忘 (nánwàng) unforgettable 思念 (sīniàn) miss 待 (dāi) stay 你在中国待了多久？ (Nǐ zài Zhōngguó dāi le duōjiǔ?) How long have you been in China?]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> magores
Question for anyone re: the supplementary vocab... 思念 (sīniàn) miss - As in "I miss my family." One of my many Chinese lesson books (Practical Chinese Reader I, 1997, Lesson 14) shows "xiang3" used for the same purpose. And, I seem to remember a Cpod lesson where Ken and Jenny used xiang3 with this meaning. I realize that its very possible, in fact, probable that both "sīniàn" and "xiang3" can be used. My question is: Which is currently the more common usuage? (And, please don't say "It's the same." I hate it when my Chinese colleagues say that. There must be a subtle difference, or there wouldn't be two different words. I'm interested in the subtle differences, as well as common usage.) Thanks, Magores PS.. Connie.. You rock.]]> magores
Question for anyone re: the supplementary vocab... 思念 (sīniàn) miss - As in "I miss my family." One of my many Chinese lesson books (Practical Chinese Reader I, 1997, Lesson 14) shows "xiang3" used for the same purpose. And, I seem to remember a Cpod lesson where Ken and Jenny used xiang3 with this meaning. I realize that its very possible, in fact, probable that both "sīniàn" and "xiang3" can be used. My question is: Which is currently the more common usuage? (And, please don't say "It's the same." I hate it when my Chinese colleagues say that. There must be a subtle difference, or there wouldn't be two different words. I'm interested in the subtle differences, as well as common usage.) Thanks, Magores PS.. Connie.. You rock.]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> Ron
I love this site. I was freaking out today when your server was down. I think of ban4 as using a cleaver to cut in half. Ban4 like bam Thanks, Ron from US in Beijing]]> Ron
I love this site. I was freaking out today when your server was down. I think of ban4 as using a cleaver to cut in half. Ban4 like bam Thanks, Ron from US in Beijing]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> motto
Listening to this lesson highlighted an effect in learning Mandarin that I feel might be significant. I was trying to remember the first line in my head (to help consolidate the lesson) and I could not remember the words to mean "how long". I kept thinking of "duo1 da4 le" and even "go jiu le ma". I could not get these phrases out of my head, and just could not remember the correct phrase. So I listened again and of course it was "duo1 jiu3 le". Then I realised that actually the correct phrase was very very close to the "random" phrases in my head. But I had not realised that the "duo" in the two phrases was identical! When I realised this, then I could easily remember the correct phrase, and separate them out in my head. The effect which I have noticed before is that I have the worst memory when there is a very similar word that i do remember, and this causes a confusion in my mind, which "blocks" learning of both words. Maybe this is well known? Another clear example is "zuo" vs "zou". Even after a year of learning I still cant remember which is left, work, ride etc. Anyway, I was wondering whether a teaching method could be based on recognition of similar words leading to confusions, and explicitly pointing them out and concentrating on them in lessons. Perhaps the podcast could say - dont confuse this with that, or maybe I should create a list of "confuseable words"? And what does "go jiu le ma" mean? I can hear Jennie quite clearly saying it in my head, but cannot remember where it came from.]]> motto
Listening to this lesson highlighted an effect in learning Mandarin that I feel might be significant. I was trying to remember the first line in my head (to help consolidate the lesson) and I could not remember the words to mean "how long". I kept thinking of "duo1 da4 le" and even "go jiu le ma". I could not get these phrases out of my head, and just could not remember the correct phrase. So I listened again and of course it was "duo1 jiu3 le". Then I realised that actually the correct phrase was very very close to the "random" phrases in my head. But I had not realised that the "duo" in the two phrases was identical! When I realised this, then I could easily remember the correct phrase, and separate them out in my head. The effect which I have noticed before is that I have the worst memory when there is a very similar word that i do remember, and this causes a confusion in my mind, which "blocks" learning of both words. Maybe this is well known? Another clear example is "zuo" vs "zou". Even after a year of learning I still cant remember which is left, work, ride etc. Anyway, I was wondering whether a teaching method could be based on recognition of similar words leading to confusions, and explicitly pointing them out and concentrating on them in lessons. Perhaps the podcast could say - dont confuse this with that, or maybe I should create a list of "confuseable words"? And what does "go jiu le ma" mean? I can hear Jennie quite clearly saying it in my head, but cannot remember where it came from.]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> Brent
You guys finally perfected the format, keep up the excellent work.]]> Brent
You guys finally perfected the format, keep up the excellent work.]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> Daryl
My mnemonic for ban4 is similar to Ron's. I imagine dividing wood in half with a sweeping downward stroke of the axe. In the phrase "ta zuo de" cai, does the "de" go with the "ta," making the 3rd person singular possessive or should I think of the "de" as going with the "zuo" activity? Of all the phrases in Chinese I've encountered so far, this type of construction gives me the most trouble. I just don't understand what is going on grammatically. Could one say "tade zuo cai"? "I miss her food making" or "I miss her making of food"? It seems that the answer is "no"--that the "de" needs to go after the verb, but why?]]> Daryl
My mnemonic for ban4 is similar to Ron's. I imagine dividing wood in half with a sweeping downward stroke of the axe. In the phrase "ta zuo de" cai, does the "de" go with the "ta," making the 3rd person singular possessive or should I think of the "de" as going with the "zuo" activity? Of all the phrases in Chinese I've encountered so far, this type of construction gives me the most trouble. I just don't understand what is going on grammatically. Could one say "tade zuo cai"? "I miss her food making" or "I miss her making of food"? It seems that the answer is "no"--that the "de" needs to go after the verb, but why?]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> Anthony
你來中國多久了？ What does it mean if the 了 was right after the 來 ? (你來了中國多久?) Is this even a real sentence?]]> Anthony
你來中國多久了？ What does it mean if the 了 was right after the 來 ? (你來了中國多久?) Is this even a real sentence?]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> ChinesePod
magores, 想 (xiǎng) is definitely the more common usage. 思念 (sīniàn) has a more literary feel to it. More common than 思念 (sīniàn) is 想念 (xiǎngniàn), which is perhaps slightly more formal than 想 (xiǎng), but has the advantage of being not at all ambiguous. Both 想 (xiǎng) and 想念 (xiǎngniàn) appear in the dialogue. -John]]> ChinesePod
magores, 想 (xiǎng) is definitely the more common usage. 思念 (sīniàn) has a more literary feel to it. More common than 思念 (sīniàn) is 想念 (xiǎngniàn), which is perhaps slightly more formal than 想 (xiǎng), but has the advantage of being not at all ambiguous. Both 想 (xiǎng) and 想念 (xiǎngniàn) appear in the dialogue. -John]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> ChinesePod
motto, I find that when I frequently confuse two words, it really pays to sit down and spend a good chunk of time hammering out a really good mnemonic that I won't forget. Sometimes it can take a long time to figure out a good one, but once I've got it, the problem is solved. I agree, though, that it's often good to point out similar words and warn listeners not to confuse them. As for the phrase you forgot, could it be 够久了吗？ (gòu jiǔ le ma?) It means "is it long enough (now)?" It's kind of an unusual phrase to hear out of context; I'm not sure how useful it is. Daryl,
In the phrase “ta zuo de” cai, does the “de” go with the “ta,” making the 3rd person singular possessive or should I think of the “de” as going with the “zuo” activity? Of all the phrases in Chinese I’ve encountered so far, this type of construction gives me the most trouble. I just don’t understand what is going on grammatically.
Think of it this way. Let me give you two phrases: "the red book" and "the book that I bought." Both "red" and "that I bought" tell us something about the book. Yet one of them comes before "book" and the other comes after. Why? There's no good reason; it's just the phrase structure of English. Chinese is actually much more consistent with regard to phrase structure. "The red book" is simply 红的书 (hóng de shū), while "the book that I bought" is 我买的书 (wǒ mǎi de shū). In both cases, the extra information comes before the noun and is connected with 的 (de).
Could one say “tade zuo cai”? “I miss her food making” or “I miss her making of food”? It seems that the answer is “no”–that the “de” needs to go after the verb, but why?
No, *他的做菜 (tā de zuòcài) would be incorrect. I think part of the problem is that you're thinking of it as "her food making" when in reality there is no possession going on. You could also translate it as "the food she makes/made." I think the best way to think about it would be to remember that the 的 (de) connects the extra information to the noun, whether it be an adjective or a noun-verb phrase. Resist the urge to add an extra 的 (de) in there. Anthony,
What does it mean if the 了 was right after the 來 ? (你來了中國多久?) Is this even a real sentence?
The 了 (le) comes at the end to indicate that the condition is ongoing. If you put it immediately after the verb, it indicates a completed action, but since the verb 来 (lái) here includes the meaning of "being in China," it doesn't really make sense. So you're probably never going to hear *你来了中国多久 (Nǐ lǎi le Zhōngguó duōjiǔ). Let me know if it's still unclear. -John]]> ChinesePod
motto, I find that when I frequently confuse two words, it really pays to sit down and spend a good chunk of time hammering out a really good mnemonic that I won't forget. Sometimes it can take a long time to figure out a good one, but once I've got it, the problem is solved. I agree, though, that it's often good to point out similar words and warn listeners not to confuse them. As for the phrase you forgot, could it be 够久了吗？ (gòu jiǔ le ma?) It means "is it long enough (now)?" It's kind of an unusual phrase to hear out of context; I'm not sure how useful it is. Daryl,
In the phrase “ta zuo de” cai, does the “de” go with the “ta,” making the 3rd person singular possessive or should I think of the “de” as going with the “zuo” activity? Of all the phrases in Chinese I’ve encountered so far, this type of construction gives me the most trouble. I just don’t understand what is going on grammatically.
Think of it this way. Let me give you two phrases: "the red book" and "the book that I bought." Both "red" and "that I bought" tell us something about the book. Yet one of them comes before "book" and the other comes after. Why? There's no good reason; it's just the phrase structure of English. Chinese is actually much more consistent with regard to phrase structure. "The red book" is simply 红的书 (hóng de shū), while "the book that I bought" is 我买的书 (wǒ mǎi de shū). In both cases, the extra information comes before the noun and is connected with 的 (de).
Could one say “tade zuo cai”? “I miss her food making” or “I miss her making of food”? It seems that the answer is “no”–that the “de” needs to go after the verb, but why?
No, *他的做菜 (tā de zuòcài) would be incorrect. I think part of the problem is that you're thinking of it as "her food making" when in reality there is no possession going on. You could also translate it as "the food she makes/made." I think the best way to think about it would be to remember that the 的 (de) connects the extra information to the noun, whether it be an adjective or a noun-verb phrase. Resist the urge to add an extra 的 (de) in there. Anthony,
What does it mean if the 了 was right after the 來 ? (你來了中國多久?) Is this even a real sentence?
The 了 (le) comes at the end to indicate that the condition is ongoing. If you put it immediately after the verb, it indicates a completed action, but since the verb 来 (lái) here includes the meaning of "being in China," it doesn't really make sense. So you're probably never going to hear *你来了中国多久 (Nǐ lǎi le Zhōngguó duōjiǔ). Let me know if it's still unclear. -John]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> Huasen 华森
Sorry to start (prolong?) a bout of 'le madness', but I'm having difficulty reconciling the function of 'le' illustrated here to illustrate that an action is ongoing, and it's other functions of indicating a completed or past action or a change of state. Does this leave much?? Excellent lesson though, the recent Elementaries have been much more substantial. Huasen 华森]]> Huasen 华森
Sorry to start (prolong?) a bout of 'le madness', but I'm having difficulty reconciling the function of 'le' illustrated here to illustrate that an action is ongoing, and it's other functions of indicating a completed or past action or a change of state. Does this leave much?? Excellent lesson though, the recent Elementaries have been much more substantial. Huasen 华森]]>