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    <title><![CDATA[Comments on: The Old Man Who Moved a Mountain]]></title>
    <link><![CDATA[http://chinesepod.com/lessons/the-old-man-who-moved-a-mountain/discussion]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[This podcast covers a famous Chinese story about an old man who moves a mountain. Like most famous Chinese stories, it is more open to interpretation than you might expect. So...  while we're not exactly sure what the mountain represents, or where it ends up (NIMBY, thank you), this is a handy story to know.  Sit back by the fire, dowload this podcast, and learn it in Mandarin Chinese.]]></description>
    <pubDate>2007-06-20 18:00:00</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[By: johnsonlee]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://chinesepod.com/lessons/the-old-man-who-moved-a-mountain/discussion#comment-13807]]></link>
        <author><![CDATA[johnsonlee]]></author>
        <pubDate></pubDate>
        <guid><![CDATA[#comment-13807]]></guid>
        <description><![CDATA[lol~i am the first one to add comment ! good morning evreryone,i am a newer to this web site, and this web site is the perfect one i had seen~~]]></description>
        <content:encoded><![CDATA[lol~i am the first one to add comment ! good morning evreryone,i am a newer to this web site, and this web site is the perfect one i had seen~~]]></content:encoded>
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        <title><![CDATA[By: nurdle]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://chinesepod.com/lessons/the-old-man-who-moved-a-mountain/discussion#comment-13810]]></link>
        <author><![CDATA[nurdle]]></author>
        <pubDate></pubDate>
        <guid><![CDATA[#comment-13810]]></guid>
        <description><![CDATA[Not only is this a pretty good story, but it's also a pretty cool bar across the street from the Worker's Stadium in Beijing. 

Question about your expansion example 你挡了我的路了。(You blocked my way.) - could you explain to me why there are 2 了 in the sentence? I don't understand the grammar usage here. 

Thanks! ~Gi.]]></description>
        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Not only is this a pretty good story, but it's also a pretty cool bar across the street from the Worker's Stadium in Beijing. 

Question about your expansion example 你挡了我的路了。(You blocked my way.) - could you explain to me why there are 2 了 in the sentence? I don't understand the grammar usage here. 

Thanks! ~Gi.]]></content:encoded>
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        <title><![CDATA[By: liumeien]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://chinesepod.com/lessons/the-old-man-who-moved-a-mountain/discussion#comment-13824]]></link>
        <author><![CDATA[liumeien]]></author>
        <pubDate></pubDate>
        <guid><![CDATA[#comment-13824]]></guid>
        <description><![CDATA[Super6i: I might be wrong, but I think it's for emphasis. ]]></description>
        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Super6i: I might be wrong, but I think it's for emphasis. ]]></content:encoded>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[By: henning]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://chinesepod.com/lessons/the-old-man-who-moved-a-mountain/discussion#comment-13829]]></link>
        <author><![CDATA[henning]]></author>
        <pubDate></pubDate>
        <guid><![CDATA[#comment-13829]]></guid>
        <description><![CDATA[Hi super6i,
I asked that very same question in the Discussion on the last intermediate lesson ("Transferring a call"):
http://chinesepod.com/learnchinese/transferring-a-call/discussion

Amber answered that two 了s indicate the action has been started in the past and is still going on. ]]></description>
        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Hi super6i,
I asked that very same question in the Discussion on the last intermediate lesson ("Transferring a call"):
http://chinesepod.com/learnchinese/transferring-a-call/discussion

Amber answered that two 了s indicate the action has been started in the past and is still going on. ]]></content:encoded>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[By: changye]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://chinesepod.com/lessons/the-old-man-who-moved-a-mountain/discussion#comment-13830]]></link>
        <author><![CDATA[changye]]></author>
        <pubDate></pubDate>
        <guid><![CDATA[#comment-13830]]></guid>
        <description><![CDATA[The usage of 了really 
is an eternal mystery to me.
I've read its explanations many times,
but have never felt comfortable with them yet.

Now let me talk about today's topic.
I had been a bit ashamed of the traditinal 
laziness in my family line right up until yesterday.

But today, I am very happy I did not have 
an extremely diligent ancestor like the old man.
If I had such a weird great-grandfather, I would have
no time to post comments here due to the family business.]]></description>
        <content:encoded><![CDATA[The usage of 了really 
is an eternal mystery to me.
I've read its explanations many times,
but have never felt comfortable with them yet.

Now let me talk about today's topic.
I had been a bit ashamed of the traditinal 
laziness in my family line right up until yesterday.

But today, I am very happy I did not have 
an extremely diligent ancestor like the old man.
If I had such a weird great-grandfather, I would have
no time to post comments here due to the family business.]]></content:encoded>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[By: henning]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://chinesepod.com/lessons/the-old-man-who-moved-a-mountain/discussion#comment-13831]]></link>
        <author><![CDATA[henning]]></author>
        <pubDate></pubDate>
        <guid><![CDATA[#comment-13831]]></guid>
        <description><![CDATA[愚公移山 seems to be a frequently used Chengyu:
539.000 Google hits.

Those Chengyu could become an indefinate stream of Elementry lessons :)]]></description>
        <content:encoded><![CDATA[愚公移山 seems to be a frequently used Chengyu:
539.000 Google hits.

Those Chengyu could become an indefinate stream of Elementry lessons :)]]></content:encoded>
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        <title><![CDATA[By: johnsonlee]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://chinesepod.com/lessons/the-old-man-who-moved-a-mountain/discussion#comment-13841]]></link>
        <author><![CDATA[johnsonlee]]></author>
        <pubDate></pubDate>
        <guid><![CDATA[#comment-13841]]></guid>
        <description><![CDATA[dear super6i:
the phrase with 2 了 is used to tell someone i am in a bad skin if he is blocking my way~
and the usage is definitely  right if the last "了" is deleted,bu the tone is changed,just show someone that you are blocking my way wthout showing his mood.... 
do i make it clear ? god bless me ~]]></description>
        <content:encoded><![CDATA[dear super6i:
the phrase with 2 了 is used to tell someone i am in a bad skin if he is blocking my way~
and the usage is definitely  right if the last "了" is deleted,bu the tone is changed,just show someone that you are blocking my way wthout showing his mood.... 
do i make it clear ? god bless me ~]]></content:encoded>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[By: rich]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://chinesepod.com/lessons/the-old-man-who-moved-a-mountain/discussion#comment-13843]]></link>
        <author><![CDATA[rich]]></author>
        <pubDate></pubDate>
        <guid><![CDATA[#comment-13843]]></guid>
        <description><![CDATA[你挡了我的路了。You blocked my way
那辆车挡着路。The car is blocking the road

Even as an advanced student of Chinese, I too am not good at using 了, especially when translating 英文 to 中文 or vice-versa.  I too wondering, from the two sentences above in the expansion exercises, why one needs two 了s and the second has none.

So the first is refering to the action that I DID something to BLOCK your way (moved a chair, box, etc.), right?  So therefore your way is "blockED".  So is that the first 了?  And the fact that NOW it is blocked, the second 了？

Now in the second example, let's say we change it to "You are blocknig my way."  I guess now it is my body that's in the way, and no 了 is needed?  so it would be 你挡着我的路...  对吗？No 了 needed?   Would 你挡着我的路了 also be correct? 

Inquiring minds want to know...

小明
]]></description>
        <content:encoded><![CDATA[你挡了我的路了。You blocked my way
那辆车挡着路。The car is blocking the road

Even as an advanced student of Chinese, I too am not good at using 了, especially when translating 英文 to 中文 or vice-versa.  I too wondering, from the two sentences above in the expansion exercises, why one needs two 了s and the second has none.

So the first is refering to the action that I DID something to BLOCK your way (moved a chair, box, etc.), right?  So therefore your way is "blockED".  So is that the first 了?  And the fact that NOW it is blocked, the second 了？

Now in the second example, let's say we change it to "You are blocknig my way."  I guess now it is my body that's in the way, and no 了 is needed?  so it would be 你挡着我的路...  对吗？No 了 needed?   Would 你挡着我的路了 also be correct? 

Inquiring minds want to know...

小明
]]></content:encoded>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[By: rich]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://chinesepod.com/lessons/the-old-man-who-moved-a-mountain/discussion#comment-13846]]></link>
        <author><![CDATA[rich]]></author>
        <pubDate></pubDate>
        <guid><![CDATA[#comment-13846]]></guid>
        <description><![CDATA[有另外一个问题:

Getting someone to move over -

In the exercises, there is the sentence 
"你能不能往旁边移一移?"
That is the first time to hear this one.  Is this commonly used to say "Please move over a bit?"  What about “让一下”“挪一挪”(hope I got the characters right on there "nuo yi nuo") and I've heard others I can't even remember at the moment.  Can someone help me with this one?  Maybe because I'm a native speaker to English, it seems like English has only one or two ways to ask "Please move over" or "Please get out of my way"... how many does Chinese have and when do we use them?  谢谢！

-R
]]></description>
        <content:encoded><![CDATA[有另外一个问题:

Getting someone to move over -

In the exercises, there is the sentence 
"你能不能往旁边移一移?"
That is the first time to hear this one.  Is this commonly used to say "Please move over a bit?"  What about “让一下”“挪一挪”(hope I got the characters right on there "nuo yi nuo") and I've heard others I can't even remember at the moment.  Can someone help me with this one?  Maybe because I'm a native speaker to English, it seems like English has only one or two ways to ask "Please move over" or "Please get out of my way"... how many does Chinese have and when do we use them?  谢谢！

-R
]]></content:encoded>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[By: Lantian]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://chinesepod.com/lessons/the-old-man-who-moved-a-mountain/discussion#comment-13848]]></link>
        <author><![CDATA[Lantian]]></author>
        <pubDate></pubDate>
        <guid><![CDATA[#comment-13848]]></guid>
        <description><![CDATA[Le 了 - How come this is tough? I just break up the sentence in two sections, and then thinking in Chinese the first 了 is necessary, the second optional and usually there.

你挡了  You blocked, you have just blocked, you blocked in my past. If you remove the 了 then it becomes present tense and the meaning is very different: You are blocking, you block. 你挡。

我的路了 Here it's optional, but the 了 I feel softens the sentence, indicates something is still happening, or somethings changed. Context would make things clear.

I think thinking about grammar too much here instead of the meaning throws off a person in this kind of compound sentence.

yah?]]></description>
        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Le 了 - How come this is tough? I just break up the sentence in two sections, and then thinking in Chinese the first 了 is necessary, the second optional and usually there.

你挡了  You blocked, you have just blocked, you blocked in my past. If you remove the 了 then it becomes present tense and the meaning is very different: You are blocking, you block. 你挡。

我的路了 Here it's optional, but the 了 I feel softens the sentence, indicates something is still happening, or somethings changed. Context would make things clear.

I think thinking about grammar too much here instead of the meaning throws off a person in this kind of compound sentence.

yah?]]></content:encoded>
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