User Comments - furong

Posted on: Seeing off an Old Friend 渭城曲

Wow Pete,

Due to a busy schedule I've not been on Chinesepod for a while, but I'm so positively surprised and I just love your poetry podcasts!

Thanks and keep up this great work! 

Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 6: Up-and-Comer in the Office

Hi Changye,

I guess you're right, the (c) sentence would never be used like that (I'll accept that without a doubt from the poddie of the month...;-)). Still, how would you translate the sentences (a) and (b)?

My guess:

(a)  you pointed out a very important problem (and now it is clear to everyone)

(b) you are [in the process of] pointing out a very important problem

And do the nuances I described earlier apply to sentence (b) then, and if so, which one?

Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 6: Up-and-Comer in the Office

Interesting dialogue brought on by Azzote. Just for my own understanding of the excellent explanations of lujiaojie and chistudent, suppose Bill would have said: 你指出很重要的问题了 instead. Could that then mean that:

a) Bill himself was not aware of the outcomes of the report beforehand but now sees the importance of the matter

b) the outcomes so far are important but are still in progress/need some additional work

c) the report is part of a larger project and although Wu Gang pointed out some important stuff in his report, the project still has to come to a good ending

d) all or none of the above

Posted on: Christmas Promotion

哈哈 Pete, your have a quotation for almost everything don't you?

Here's another one: Hapiness is only real when shared. (Jon Krakauer)

Can't wait for the new lessons!

Posted on: 普通人的慈善

很有兴趣的课程！ 谢谢你们。

我想问老师们：在中国环境保护的慈善机构多不多？他们受欢迎吗？

It seems to me that environmental issues are more widely discussed in China than they used to, but still not as high on the agenda as necessary.

Posted on: The Surname Code

Pearltowerpete and Henning,

Thank you for your reactions.

Man, this lesson really triggered a lot of questions on individual names. My compliments for the way you handle the questions and actually answer all of them!!

Lavender86,

My name is also 薄, pronounced as bo2. I always say 厚薄的薄, (hou4bo2) the word for thick or thickness.

Posted on: The Surname Code

Hi,

我姓薄， how would you specify bo2? It obviously has a sandianshui but isn´t the upperpart (the radical) a grasshead? And what about the lower right part, that doesn't exists as a separate character, right？Or should I just keep on saying: 我姓薄，厚薄的薄。

Thanks!

Posted on: What's Your Name?

Hi,

I thought it was also possible to say 我的名字叫...

Is that correct?

Posted on: 麻烦你 (Máfan Nǐ) to Say Please

Hi Amber,

Thanks for clearing that up. I'm looking forward to your QW about the use of 请!

tvan, thank you for your reply. Guess there are just more ways that lead to Rome (条条大路通罗马, tiao2tiao2 da4lu4 tong1 luo2ma3) when it comes down to asking something in a polite way in Chinese...;-)

btw, in Dutch 'alstublieft' or 'alsjeblieft' is indeed the equivalent of please in English and as widely used.

Posted on: 麻烦你 (Máfan Nǐ) to Say Please

Hi,

Again a useful lesson! I have a question about 请 (qing3, lit. to invite). Qing is also a way to ask something in a more polite way, right? Can one use 麻烦 en 请 interchangeably in for example: 麻烦/请 你帮我翻译一下这个句子? What exactly are the differences between these two forms of asking something politely?