User Comments - chris
chris
Posted on: Fight on a Plane
December 8, 2012 at 5:14 AMPosted on: What time do you get up?
October 20, 2012 at 1:31 AMyep, this is one area where I have definitely gone native since living here. Back in the UK, I was always a shower in the morning before work kind of guy. Now, it's a shower just before going to bed. Saves a lot of time in the morning - I can basically go from bed to out the front door in 6-7mins (assuming shirt ironed already).
Posted on: We're Serious!
October 13, 2012 at 6:40 AMagreed
Posted on: Whether or Not to Use "If"
October 13, 2012 at 6:19 AMthere are a few QWs on "but", e.g. http://chinesepod.com/lessons/comparing-buts-但-and-却
Posted on: Sales: Understanding a Customer's Needs
October 7, 2012 at 11:33 PMYes, apologies, that was indeed a typo.
Posted on: Sales: Understanding a Customer's Needs
October 7, 2012 at 2:09 PMOh no, just when I thought I had this sentence sussed ;-)
OK, so to summarise where I'm at in my own mind following your and toianw's comments - basically, it's now down to whether the "ba" is linked to the "product" or is linked to "those few people". I guess I'm leaning towards the "product" since that fits better with my previous experience of the "ba" grammar structure. However, I also totally see where you're coming from above.
Cpod teachers, the gauntlet has been laid down for you - I would be hugely appreciative if one of you could give me some additional insight tomorrow.
Posted on: Sales: Understanding a Customer's Needs
October 7, 2012 at 1:22 PMThe penny's dropped on this one now! And I like Podster's translation of the "cai" below, i.e. "they, and only they...".
I still wouldn't stand a chance in hell of coming up with that sentence in mid speech myself though!
thanks for your input
Posted on: Sales: Understanding a Customer's Needs
October 7, 2012 at 1:05 PMThanks toianw. Am I right in thinking that this use of "ba" is not the same as the "ba" grammar structure where it means "take something and do something with it", e.g. 我把这本书放在桌子上?
(this is kind of what i was getting at in my reply to Podster below)
In fact, thinking more about this, isn't the "ba" here actually a perfect example of the structure I mention above, i.e. we are "taking my product and selling 'out' (simply a directional complement) to our target customer?
Posted on: Sales: Understanding a Customer's Needs
October 7, 2012 at 1:02 PMThanks podster and toianw for the comments. Fundamentally, the sentence is quite straightforward and I guess there is an ele-level sentence hidden in there if you take away the various modifiers/cai shi/ba. It's one of the areas I struggle most with at the UI levels - how to build up more complicated sentences. Modifiers I can generally manage, i.e. the X de Y de Z de chain-like structure. "ba" sentences I'm getting better at (Podster - I'm not sure your 我可能把握的对象 actually works as a "ba" sentence does it? I thought that whatever it is that you're "ba'ing" has to have some kind of directional complement or action after it, so in the case of your sentence you are "ba'ing" the "dui xiang" but then you also need to have something come after the "dui xiang".
In terms of the "cai shi" structure, I don't think i'll ever get my head around this "cai" word. I still struggle with the newbie/ele concept of "cai" when it's simply used to show something happened later/slower than you expected.
Posted on: Fight on a Plane
December 8, 2012 at 5:18 AMSpooky, I was treated to a pretty much identical dialogue on my flight back to SH from HK earlier this week. Packed flight and some idiot with a violin had put it in the overhead at a 45 degree angle and was guarding it zealously refusing to let any other bags go near it. didn't bother me since I only ever use the space under the seat in front, but a middle aged woman was well and truly laying into him. I didn't catch it all but it was certainly heated.