User Comments - amber
amber
Posted on: She's Easy
June 27, 2007 at 3:03 AMhi LostinAsia, 我不喜欢小白脸，我喜欢粗犷型的。 Wǒ bù xǐhuan xiǎobáiliǎn，wǒ xǐhuan cūguǎng xíng de. I don't like pretty boys--I like the rugged type. 小白脸 (xiǎobáiliǎn) carries a number of meanings. One is, a male gold-digger. But it also has the meaning of a sort of no-good guy who relies on his looks to charm those around him. Because this sentence was doing a comparison between a rugged type and a 小白脸 (xiǎobáiliǎn), pretty boy seemed like the closest equivalent in English!
Posted on: She's Easy
June 25, 2007 at 9:50 AMhi franch, Most likely what you heard Jenny say was: 什么都无所谓 shénme dōu wúsuǒwèi Which is actually a set phrase: 无所谓 wúsuǒwèi, which means "it doesn't matter" or "to be indifferent" So, in this case, the sentence would mean something like "nothing really matters" or "nothing is really that big of a deal."
Posted on: She's Easy
June 25, 2007 at 9:39 AMhi alexyzye, For an easy-going person, you can use: 他是一个很随和的人。 (Tā shì yī ge hěn suíhe de rén.)
Posted on: Studying Japanese
June 25, 2007 at 9:22 AMhi fish, The correct pinyin for 琢磨 is "zuómo". However, in the southern regions of China, it is acceptable to pronouce the word "zhuómo".
Posted on: She's Easy
June 25, 2007 at 7:04 AMHi Changye, I have to own up, that the lesson intro writer today was me :). Sorry if it's a bit "over the top", haha. XiaoBai and Xiaohu, 买东西 (mǎi dōngxi) just means to buy things, or go shopping, however, 血拼 (xuépīn) means more to go crazy buying stuff, aka, a shopping spree. Henning, Good question! Yes, you are right, it's an expression used to mean that someone is talking bad about you: 耳朵发烫 (ěrduo fā tàng)
Posted on: Global Warming
June 25, 2007 at 5:59 AMhi tanmei, Good questions: 1) Actually, 起不到 (qǐbùdào) is an abbreviation for: 起不到作用 (qǐ bùdào zuòyòng), which means 没有作用 (méiyǒu zuòyòng), or, in English "of no use." 2) Yes, you're right. Here the "給" (gěi) is similar in meaning to "使" (shǐ).
Posted on: Using 又 (yòu) and 再 (zài)
June 25, 2007 at 5:08 AMhey everyone, Great suggestions and practice sentences. We will definitely answer all your questions one-by-one! Keep them coming!
Posted on: Transferring a Call
June 25, 2007 at 3:52 AMHi Bazza, Sorry for the delay! It would be a little more natural to say: 质量监控部, or 品质部 (zhìliàng jiānkòng bù, or pǐnzhì bù) 我是公司的品质部经理助理。(Wǒ shì gōngsī de pǐnzhì bù jīnglǐ zhùlǐ.)
Posted on: Sweet Watermelon
June 25, 2007 at 3:38 AMbaowande, Actually, these two sentences are different, because they are expressing different things. The first one: 这个梨不甜。Zhège lí bù tián. Just negates the adjective. Or, "the pear isn't sweet". The second sentence: 上海菜有点甜。Shànghǎi cài yǒu diǎn tián. means: Shangnese dishes are a bit sweet, or "a little" sweet. The 有 (yǒu) is actually part of the phrase "有一点" (yǒu yidiǎn), which means "a little; somewhat." You can also simply say: 上海菜不甜。Shànghǎi cài bù tián. or 上海菜很甜。Shànghǎi cài hěn tián. Just depends on what you are trying to express. Hope that helps to clarify a bit :) !
Posted on: Please Speak Chinese
June 27, 2007 at 3:34 AMankurg, "I want to learn chinese but you just dont help me". 我想学中文， 但是你都不帮助我。 Wǒ xiǎng xué Zhōngwén, dànshì nǐ dōu bù bāngzhù wǒ.