User Comments - chris

Posted on: Handsome Foreign Student

I'd go for: 我不能帅哥因为太老了

Posted on: Marco Polo in China

I think an interesting related aspect of the MPS is how long a foreigner thinks is necessary before they consider themselves a bit of an old china hand and expert.  I've heard some spout off after only being here on a shortterm contract for a year or so, whilst others I know that have been here 25 years plus are very modest about their experiences.  I know this isn't strictly MPS but I do find it interesting.

I also must admit to being very jealous of fellow laowai friends of mine who, like me arrived in China with no Chinese, have been in China much less time than me but are much better at Chinese.  These friends are a good personal motivator to study harder!

Posted on: Checking out at a Hotel

Or they'll just take your credit card number so that they can still charge you if you do a runner or fail to declare a minibar withdrawal!

Posted on: Help at the ATM

Another of the expansion sentences uses "我在听着" to mean "I'm listening".  This caught my interest because in the lesson I got the impression from John that either "zai" or "zhe" was used, depending on how "active" the verb was, but I didn't realise that both "zai" and "zhe" could be used together.

With reference to this particular example, to listen is clearly not a very active verb (one just sits there and listens to somebody else talking).  However, I'm guessing that the use of "zai" before the verb is trying to get across the point that the person is really really paying attention to what the other person is saying, i.e. actively listening!  Is this right?

Trying to think of other examples, I don't think reading is a particularly active verb.  However, if I was reading, say, a complex scientific journal article and really trying to understand it could I say "我在看着"?

Posted on: Help at the ATM

In one of the expansion sentences "再确认" is used when reconfirming a room reservation at date between making the initial reservation and the actual stay.  Is this conjunction of "zai" and "queren" the best way for saying "reconfirm" or is there a separate Chinese word meaning "reconfirm"?  I guess there's not much distinction in English between "confirm again" and "reconfirm" - so presumably the same in Chinese?  Thanks, Chris.

Posted on: Help at the ATM

Love the 4th example go_manly!

Posted on: Help at the ATM

It's exactly these types of relatively simple translations that I get wrong! It would never occur to me to translate the "make sure" in this English example as "don't forget" in the Chinese! This is probably why my Chinese always sounds so clunky. I guess these types of translations will only approve with more and more practice.

Posted on: Getting Married in China

I think this is also particularly true of multi-national marriages, Tvan. We did the big Chinese wedding in my wife's hometown in China and also a big British wedding back in the UK a few months later. And also, in fact, a more informal party for all our mates in Shanghai, where we actually live. Because of distances/costs involved I thought it was unfair to expect all my friends and relatives from UK to fly to China, hence the dual-wedding.

Posted on: Getting Married in China

This is exactly what happened at our wedding Catherine. My immediate family from the UK had flown over to Fujian for it and just as I thought things were getting going, all the guests suddenly got up and left! My parents were definitely somewhat surprised. And I hadn't even managed to eat anything myself due to all the ganbei'ing I had to do every 5 seconds.

Posted on: Getting Married in China

I love your sense of humour, RJ! This one had me laugh out loud. Brilliant.