User Comments - WillBuckingham

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WillBuckingham

Posted on: Philosophy: a Useless Major?
July 9, 2010 at 3:41 PM

The philosopher Zhuangzi: "What is there in its uselessness to cause you distress?"

See the text here

Zhuangzi

PS. Sorry for the mangled link a moment ago, and the weird multiple postings. All quite useless.

Posted on: A New Jug for the Water Cooler
May 25, 2010 at 12:41 PM

There are lots more here

Posted on: Lessons, Customized Courses and Jobs
May 24, 2010 at 2:19 PM

Yes, Chan Buddhism. Apparently this is a saying that has been recycled almost endlessly, and so it may have entered to the realms of cliché. There are probably violinists who say "Before I started playing the violin, music was just music and violins were just violins..." and pickpockets who say, "Before I started picking pockets, pockets were just pockets..." and so on.

Posted on: Lessons, Customized Courses and Jobs
May 24, 2010 at 1:34 PM

baba - that's Bruce Lee channelling the old Chan dudes. Back in the 13th century, you get Master Qingyuan writing:

"Thirty years ago, before I practiced Chan, I saw that mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers. however, after having achieved intimate knowledge and having gotten a way in, I saw that mountains are not mountains and rivers are not rivers. But now that I have found rest, as before I see mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers."

Chinese grammar is definitely getting harder. Thirty years to go, perhaps, before it becomes easier again...

Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Yunnan
May 11, 2010 at 1:33 PM

Is that more or less like halloumi? Looks fantastic!

Posted on: Suffix Magic
May 5, 2010 at 7:05 PM

A very useful Qing Wen -and thanks too for the bit of linguistic history, Changye, which is fascinating.

Posted on: Blog Posts, API's, Announcements and Gloria!
April 1, 2010 at 7:19 PM

Exciting news, John. Good luck with the new venture, and glad that you are stil going to be sticking around here on ChinesePod!

Posted on: Special Green Hat
March 17, 2010 at 11:03 AM

The clue might have been in the name of the dialogue: Special Green Hat...

Posted on: The Shanghai Literary Festival
March 9, 2010 at 10:00 AM

It's back! Good news. And as a massive fan of literary festivals, I look forward to listening to this tomorrow (when my Chinese exam this evening is out of the way...)

Posted on: Meeting ChinesePod's Teachers
March 8, 2010 at 10:57 AM

I could certainly do with extending my repertoire beyond 两只老虎!