User Comments - amber
amber
Posted on: Consoling the Bereaved
December 29, 2007 at 4:27 AMhi aiyuguang, I just tried it and it worked for me, I am using Firefox browser. It could be a possible temporary bug we are currently encountering with IE. If that is what it is, you can try the instructions here for the steps to work around it and get the proper download.
Posted on: 土飞机上天
December 29, 2007 at 4:16 AMhi grancher, You are right. We will have that restored asap! Sorry for the inconvenience!
Posted on: Turn on the Light, Turn off the Light
December 29, 2007 at 4:15 AMhi garry, Yes, first tones do have some variance in pitch, depending on the speaker. The key to first tone is that it is higher and steady. It can vary from speaker to speaker exactly what pitch it is in. I think what causes a variance in sound with these two words you mention: 开灯 (kāidēng) and 关灯 (guāndēng) is the 后鼻音 (hòu bíyīn) 'nasal sound' of the 'eng' sound in Chinese.
Posted on: Year of the Rat and Minimum Wage
December 29, 2007 at 1:24 AMzaifuzhong and PaulC, Great future DA questions, thanks!
Posted on: Year of the Rat and Minimum Wage
December 29, 2007 at 1:21 AMhi scottyb, Yes, 雄鸡 (xióngjī) is rooster. But when they talk about the zodiac years, Chinese people generally just use one of the words of the animal to describe it, that's why Connie said in the podcast: 我属鼠 (Wǒ shǔ shǔ) for year of the 老鼠 (lǎoshǔ)
Posted on: Year of the Rat and Minimum Wage
December 28, 2007 at 9:43 AMhi artkho, I have not been to that 'pseudo-Starbucks', no! But we do have a ChinesePod lesson on that very coffee shop!
Posted on: Year of the Rat and Minimum Wage
December 28, 2007 at 8:22 AMhmm, it's working OK here... anyone else having problems?
Posted on: Buying a Bouquet of Flowers
December 28, 2007 at 3:07 AMhi scottyb, It's true, the most correct way to show a completed action according to grammar is to add the 了 'le': 他送了我一束花。Tā sòng le wǒ yī shù huā. However, in spoken Chinese, since when you're using 送 (sòng) as in this sentence, it can generally be understood that you've been given the item, and so the 了 (le) is omitted. If you wanted to change it around to say he wants to give you a gift, or is going to give you a gift, you would say: 他要送... (Tā yào sòng...). But, in this case, just saying: 他送我一束花。Tā sòng wǒ yī shù huā. is OK.
Posted on: Dorm Life: Late For Class
December 28, 2007 at 2:58 AMhi hadzipopovska, That's a funny one: 浓眉大眼 (nóngméidàyǎn) literally means 'thick eyebrows, big eyes' It is used for describing a handsome man; the Chinese feel that thick eyebrows and big eyes look very strong and manly.
Posted on: Dorm Life: Late For Class
December 29, 2007 at 5:59 AMhi sparechange, wilkyaks is right, it's all context really. But if you really wanted to specify that someone 'made', as in 'forced' someone do something, you could say: 我逼他从屋顶上跳下去。 (Wǒ bī tā cóng wūdǐng shang tiào xiàqù.)