<![CDATA[Comments on: Politely Declining an Invitation]]> 2010-08-23 18:00:00 <![CDATA[By: lamartiniere]]> if 小周 had said "你們玩得開心." (without the 點兒), the meaning would be diferent?

Thanks.

]]> if 小周 had said "你們玩得開心." (without the 點兒), the meaning would be diferent?

Thanks.

]]> <![CDATA[By: John]]> It just wouldn't be natural without the "diǎnr" at the end.

]]> It just wouldn't be natural without the "diǎnr" at the end.

]]> <![CDATA[By: bill]]> Strange, Whenever my Chinese friends write to me they will say, "玩得开心." I've never seen the diǎnr in such a message. Hmm ... laziness I guess.

]]> Strange, Whenever my Chinese friends write to me they will say, "玩得开心." I've never seen the diǎnr in such a message. Hmm ... laziness I guess.

]]> <![CDATA[By: bababardwan]]> could it be a difference between written and oral?... with the use of dianr being to soften the tone orally

]]> could it be a difference between written and oral?... with the use of dianr being to soften the tone orally

]]> <![CDATA[By: bababardwan]]> wa, xiao zhou was asked 6 times and he still wouldn't come. Must have been some shi [matter] that took up his whole weekend. Maybe he thought it would be his undoing, his zhou mo [zhou mo was no more] so to speak

]]> wa, xiao zhou was asked 6 times and he still wouldn't come. Must have been some shi [matter] that took up his whole weekend. Maybe he thought it would be his undoing, his zhou mo [zhou mo was no more] so to speak

]]> <![CDATA[By: bababardwan]]> wow, the transition from xiao to lao seems pretty sudden, with no intervening stage,hey. Is this a stronger trigger for a midlife crisis in the Chinese? [ or given their cultural historical respect for the elderly is this transition to lao seen as a positive thing still?] btw  Do Chinese commonly have midlife crises? If so, what form do they typically take?

]]> wow, the transition from xiao to lao seems pretty sudden, with no intervening stage,hey. Is this a stronger trigger for a midlife crisis in the Chinese? [ or given their cultural historical respect for the elderly is this transition to lao seen as a positive thing still?] btw  Do Chinese commonly have midlife crises? If so, what form do they typically take?

]]> <![CDATA[By: apocgenesis]]> Very interesting lesson.  About Jenny's point that regardless of how 小周 feels about being invited or his actual plans he would have said the same thing; how do you tell the difference between genuinity and courtesy politeness in Chinese culture? Or is the whole point to not be able to tell them apart?

That may be a broad question, but I'm wondering if theres a cue to pick up on.

]]> Very interesting lesson.  About Jenny's point that regardless of how 小周 feels about being invited or his actual plans he would have said the same thing; how do you tell the difference between genuinity and courtesy politeness in Chinese culture? Or is the whole point to not be able to tell them apart?

That may be a broad question, but I'm wondering if theres a cue to pick up on.

]]> <![CDATA[By: apocgenesis]]> From the sounds of it, it sounds like a term of respect rather than a"You're old now" kind of term. I bet that theres some kind of prestigious event that goes along with it, like your kids coming of age or getting a high position at a job or something like that.

]]> From the sounds of it, it sounds like a term of respect rather than a"You're old now" kind of term. I bet that theres some kind of prestigious event that goes along with it, like your kids coming of age or getting a high position at a job or something like that.

]]> <![CDATA[By: jennyzhu]]> Er sounds are more prominently featured in spoken Chinese.

It is more appropriate to use "玩得开心" in writing.

]]> Er sounds are more prominently featured in spoken Chinese.

It is more appropriate to use "玩得开心" in writing.

]]> <![CDATA[By: jennyzhu]]> You would not really be able to tell genuineness from courtesy just from the language used. A combination of tone and manner and your understanding of the person will help clue you in. I guess it is true for many different cultures as well.

]]> You would not really be able to tell genuineness from courtesy just from the language used. A combination of tone and manner and your understanding of the person will help clue you in. I guess it is true for many different cultures as well.

]]> <![CDATA[By: rods]]> Hi apocgenesis,

Last summer, Jenny and Ken did another Ele. lesson called Are you free? which featured the very persistent Zhōu Liàng asking a girl out on a date, and her polite efforts to decline his advances. It's a fun lesson too.

]]> Hi apocgenesis,

Last summer, Jenny and Ken did another Ele. lesson called Are you free? which featured the very persistent Zhōu Liàng asking a girl out on a date, and her polite efforts to decline his advances. It's a fun lesson too.

]]> <![CDATA[By: jheitz]]> I would suspect insincerity in the phrase "I'll definitely come next time". Why would he cancel a prior appointment for me next time and not this time? That means that he probably could cancel this appointment if I were more interesting company.

The phrase "I'm otherwise busy" I'm cool with. I don't expect everyone to immediately cancel other plans just to have a beer with me.

]]> I would suspect insincerity in the phrase "I'll definitely come next time". Why would he cancel a prior appointment for me next time and not this time? That means that he probably could cancel this appointment if I were more interesting company.

The phrase "I'm otherwise busy" I'm cool with. I don't expect everyone to immediately cancel other plans just to have a beer with me.

]]> <![CDATA[By: apocgenesis]]> So it sounds really knowing the relationship between people is the best way to know about sincerity, that's important to know! Thank you Jenny!!

And I think you are right, I know that at least in my age group sincerity is often put aside for politeness and do avoid causing drama, even though afterwards all sides complain about how awkward it is to do so. Some things never change I guess hahaha!

And I'm checking out that lesson now Rods, thanks for the heads up!

]]> So it sounds really knowing the relationship between people is the best way to know about sincerity, that's important to know! Thank you Jenny!!

And I think you are right, I know that at least in my age group sincerity is often put aside for politeness and do avoid causing drama, even though afterwards all sides complain about how awkward it is to do so. Some things never change I guess hahaha!

And I'm checking out that lesson now Rods, thanks for the heads up!

]]> <![CDATA[By: bill]]> 谢谢，Jenny. I'll remember that when speaking to them.

]]> 谢谢，Jenny. I'll remember that when speaking to them.

]]> <![CDATA[By: keikonihonjin]]> I've noticed that almost all of the lesson dialogues are spoken by the same 3 voice actors/actresses. I think it would be far better to mix up the voice actors/actresses so people can get accustomed to hearing the language from various voices and voice registers. I realize this would take more effort, but it definitely would not go un-noticed and it would definitely be appreicated.

I've only listed to 6 or 7 dialogues and I already feel like I immediately recognize the voice actors' voices and having heard them before makes it easier to understand what they say in other dialogues.  I think 2 of the voice actors are also hosts/teachers, which makes it even worse.

]]> I've noticed that almost all of the lesson dialogues are spoken by the same 3 voice actors/actresses. I think it would be far better to mix up the voice actors/actresses so people can get accustomed to hearing the language from various voices and voice registers. I realize this would take more effort, but it definitely would not go un-noticed and it would definitely be appreicated.

I've only listed to 6 or 7 dialogues and I already feel like I immediately recognize the voice actors' voices and having heard them before makes it easier to understand what they say in other dialogues.  I think 2 of the voice actors are also hosts/teachers, which makes it even worse.

]]> <![CDATA[By: gaojian]]> It might be hard for them to do. ChinesePod already has a huge staff focusing on many different aspects of making the website and Chinese learning go smoothly for us users. Every CD that comes with a textbook comes with the same issues (having a few voices). I think the only way to mix things up in this respect is to get out and use your Chinese with real people. Not only are you going to hear a variety of voices and voice registers but you can get exposer to a flowing and unscripted conversation.

]]> It might be hard for them to do. ChinesePod already has a huge staff focusing on many different aspects of making the website and Chinese learning go smoothly for us users. Every CD that comes with a textbook comes with the same issues (having a few voices). I think the only way to mix things up in this respect is to get out and use your Chinese with real people. Not only are you going to hear a variety of voices and voice registers but you can get exposer to a flowing and unscripted conversation.

]]> <![CDATA[By: gaojian]]> I think it sounds really natural. Even if he isn't going to come next time it is great to know how you might make a promise that you might break.

:)

]]> I think it sounds really natural. Even if he isn't going to come next time it is great to know how you might make a promise that you might break.

:)

]]> <![CDATA[By: keikonihonjin]]> hey gaojian,

Yeah, true , true. But that last thing you said is far easier said than done. Whether or not one lives in a Chinese-speaking area, it's still hard to "get out and talk to people" because people feel that it's weird when strangers just want to converse with them and make conversation.

]]> hey gaojian,

Yeah, true , true. But that last thing you said is far easier said than done. Whether or not one lives in a Chinese-speaking area, it's still hard to "get out and talk to people" because people feel that it's weird when strangers just want to converse with them and make conversation.

]]> <![CDATA[By: gaojian]]> No doubt about that, but you can always stick around for a while longer at your local Chinese restaurant and make a bit of conversation before heading out. I have found that in these types of situations people are more than willing to speak a little 普通话 with their customers (and very impressed as well).

]]> No doubt about that, but you can always stick around for a while longer at your local Chinese restaurant and make a bit of conversation before heading out. I have found that in these types of situations people are more than willing to speak a little 普通话 with their customers (and very impressed as well).

]]> <![CDATA[By: jacob]]> This is a perfect example of my main issue with learning to listen. When Jenny speaks the sentences I can hear them correctly 100% of the time. When they are in the guys voice I have no idea. We need more guy's voices as part of the lesson.

]]> This is a perfect example of my main issue with learning to listen. When Jenny speaks the sentences I can hear them correctly 100% of the time. When they are in the guys voice I have no idea. We need more guy's voices as part of the lesson.

]]> <![CDATA[By: delicy]]> you can say"zhè cì zhēn de yǒu shì ， xià cì yí dìnɡ qù ！ nǐ men wán dé kāi xīn dián ér ！ "

]]> you can say"zhè cì zhēn de yǒu shì ， xià cì yí dìnɡ qù ！ nǐ men wán dé kāi xīn dián ér ！ "

]]> <![CDATA[By: bryanfield]]> no different

]]> no different

]]> <![CDATA[By: newgagafans]]> wan di kai shin

]]> wan di kai shin

]]> <![CDATA[By: abelle]]> I myself don't mind hearing the same CPOD actors as they are from the Mainland and so I can hear accents different from that of my Chinese 102 teacher who is from Taiwan. As I move on to the next class, my next teacher most likely will be from Taiwan too as the majority of this school's Chinese language teachers are from there. In fact, in my mind, I actually have two teachers--Jenny Zhu and Chang laoshi!

]]> I myself don't mind hearing the same CPOD actors as they are from the Mainland and so I can hear accents different from that of my Chinese 102 teacher who is from Taiwan. As I move on to the next class, my next teacher most likely will be from Taiwan too as the majority of this school's Chinese language teachers are from there. In fact, in my mind, I actually have two teachers--Jenny Zhu and Chang laoshi!

]]> <![CDATA[By: catherinem]]> As a rule we do not feature the hosts of the lessons as voice actors in the same lesson. Otherwise it would be too confusing! This is not necessarily true of a few of our very first lessons back in 2005, but since then it is something we specifically avoid. As far as variety in voice actors is concerned, we do try to mix it up, though we only use people with unaccented standard Chinese at the newbie-elementary-intermediate levels. This rule unfortunately limits some of our options for variety at the lower levels, but it does mean you'll hear some more voices at the higher levels. Thanks for your input, keikonihonjin!

]]> As a rule we do not feature the hosts of the lessons as voice actors in the same lesson. Otherwise it would be too confusing! This is not necessarily true of a few of our very first lessons back in 2005, but since then it is something we specifically avoid. As far as variety in voice actors is concerned, we do try to mix it up, though we only use people with unaccented standard Chinese at the newbie-elementary-intermediate levels. This rule unfortunately limits some of our options for variety at the lower levels, but it does mean you'll hear some more voices at the higher levels. Thanks for your input, keikonihonjin!

]]> <![CDATA[By: awipsusr]]> Can 肯定be used interchangably with 一定? Are there certain situations where one is used instead of the other?

]]> Can 肯定be used interchangably with 一定? Are there certain situations where one is used instead of the other?

]]> <![CDATA[By: lujiaojie]]> As adverb, they are interchangeable.

肯定 can be used as a verb, 一定 can not.

]]> As adverb, they are interchangeable.

肯定 can be used as a verb, 一定 can not.

]]> <![CDATA[By: chris]]> I struggle with exactly the same listening comprehension challenge. But it goes wider - for example, when I'm in taxis these days I can generally pick up enough of female radio presenters' chat to get the gist of what they're saying, but I have no clue with the male presenters. Same goes for watching TV. My ears are getting more and more tuned into female chinese speech, but really lag on male speech.

]]> I struggle with exactly the same listening comprehension challenge. But it goes wider - for example, when I'm in taxis these days I can generally pick up enough of female radio presenters' chat to get the gist of what they're saying, but I have no clue with the male presenters. Same goes for watching TV. My ears are getting more and more tuned into female chinese speech, but really lag on male speech.

]]> <![CDATA[By: maryjeanne]]> 我有一个问题： 事vs事儿

                      一点vs一点儿

]]> 我有一个问题： 事vs事儿

                      一点vs一点儿

]]> <![CDATA[By: maryjeanne]]> 我有一个问题： 事vs事儿

                      一点vs一点儿

]]> 我有一个问题： 事vs事儿

                      一点vs一点儿

]]> <![CDATA[By: light487]]> (Please include Pinyin at this level. I will add it for you this time.)

wǒ yǒu, yī gè wèntí: shì vs shìr

yī diǎn vs yīdiǎnr

]]> (Please include Pinyin at this level. I will add it for you this time.)

wǒ yǒu, yī gè wèntí: shì vs shìr

yī diǎn vs yīdiǎnr

]]> <![CDATA[By: connie]]> 事 shì and 事儿 shìr, 一点 yīdiǎn and 一点儿 yīdiǎnr are identical in meaning and usage.

The difference is that 事 and 一点 are preferred in the South, whereas 事儿 and 一点儿 is preferred in the North.

]]> 事 shì and 事儿 shìr, 一点 yīdiǎn and 一点儿 yīdiǎnr are identical in meaning and usage.

The difference is that 事 and 一点 are preferred in the South, whereas 事儿 and 一点儿 is preferred in the North.

]]> <![CDATA[By: xiaoma88]]> What would be the difference between

周末我有事

and

周末我很忙

since translating the meaning of the first one seems to be 'On the weekend I'm busy'.

]]> What would be the difference between

周末我有事

and

周末我很忙

since translating the meaning of the first one seems to be 'On the weekend I'm busy'.

]]>