User Comments - changye
changye
Posted on: MSN and QQ
March 7, 2008 at 3:34 AMHi casie and rich, I have always wondered how difficult it is to listen to and understand the lyrics of Chinese songs for native speakers, because pronouncing words with correct tones is not an easy job when you are singing. Of course, cut-and-dried phrases, such as 我永远爱你, 别离开我, and 梦里见过你, are very easy to catch even for us learners, even if their tones are not clear, but what about more complex and profound lyrics?
Posted on: Flowers and Bugs
March 7, 2008 at 2:44 AMPlease give the caterpillar time to grow up into a butterfly (or a moth!) before you stamp it. Incidentally, I have eaten a sweet and long bread that had the name “毛毛虫” before here in China. What a daring naming it is! Judging from that, it seems that 毛毛虫 does not necessarily carry a negative image. 一只毛毛虫成长为一只蝴蝶。 A caterpillar grows up into a butterfly.
Posted on: Stargazing
March 7, 2008 at 2:08 AMI would like to listen to a successful ploy once in a while, even though failure is the mother of success.
Posted on: Buying a Newspaper
March 7, 2008 at 2:01 AM你的 yours 我的 mine 他的 his 她的 hers
Posted on: My Scooter Won't Start
March 6, 2008 at 2:30 PMHi nicolas, I think that saying only “我知道了.” usually means “I see, I get it, all right”. On the other hand, for example, both “我知道了他是个好人” and “我才知道他是个好人” roughly means that “now I know he is a good guy”, conversely, “I did not know he was a good guy.” And stubborn uncle changye still supposes that the nuance of the latter sentence is rather different from the former one. Let me translate the two sentences again. “Now I know he is a good guy” and “I only just realized he is a good guy.” Wow, more confusing….! By the way, I imagine that you got the advice from your native informants (friends) tonight while you were drinking with them, just like I sometimes do! Actually, I am also drinking now, but unfortunately, I have only “a native Chinese dog” around me in my home. See you tomorrow!
Posted on: 坐月子
March 6, 2008 at 1:12 PM你千万别告诉 xiaohu 的爱人啊!
Posted on: My Scooter Won't Start
March 6, 2008 at 11:28 AMHi nicolas, It depends on how you see the function of the adverb “才”, which plays a very important role in Chinese. I think that how to effectively use “才” is one of the “highlights” in learning Mandarin, as well as 都, 就, and 刚. For example, I can see a big difference in meaning and nuance among 十点了, 都十点了, and 才十点, although they all basically tell you it is ten o’clock now. Using 才, 都, 就, and 刚 properly helps your Chinese sound better.
Posted on: My Scooter Won't Start
March 6, 2008 at 3:54 AMHi Nicolas, I know that there is a rather big difference between the two sentences you mentioned above, but sorry I cannot explain it effectively in English. I hope that auntie68 or Cpod staff will soon help you.
Posted on: Buying a Newspaper
March 6, 2008 at 3:47 AMHi architpol, Let me give you a little piece of advice. I think “看不懂” is much better when you want to say something like “I cannot read Chinese newspapers”. 我看不懂中文报纸。 wo3 kan4 bu dong3 zhong1 wen2 bao4 zhi3. I can’t read Chinese newspapers. 你吃饭的时候不能看报纸。 ni3 chi1 fan4 de shi2 hou bu4 neng2 kan4 bao4 zhi3. You are not supposed to read a newspaper at the table.
Posted on: MSN and QQ
March 7, 2008 at 8:41 AMSomewhere I heard that Chinese composers usually do not attach much importance to tones anymore when they write songs in Mandarin, which probably means that tones are not so crucial when listening to Chinese songs. At the same time, I also heard that tunes with a quick tempo, especially rap music, are extremely difficult to catch their lyrics even for native Chinese, partly because tones are being almost completely neglected in those music pieces. On the other hand, it is said that Cantonese composers tend to try to synchronize tones with melody lines as much as possible, since otherwise it would be difficult to catch lyrics in Cantonese, which has more tones than Mandarin has. That is the main reason why a Chinese song often has two different lyrics both for Mandarin and Cantonese. What I care about should be something not worth bothering about for natives, but I am interested in tones in Chinese songs.