User Comments - goulnik
goulnik
Posted on: Number Two
October 18, 2007 at 6:38 AM大便 小便
Posted on: Introducing Hotels
October 18, 2007 at 4:04 AMother vocab I recently used 预付 (yùfù) to pay in advance - i.e. a deposit 结帐 (jiézhàng) to settle accounts - i.e. check out (I think) 付帐 (fùzhàng) to pay a bill (no tipping, no bellboy in this hotel chain I'm afraid ;-)
Posted on: Accents and Subway Survival
October 18, 2007 at 3:43 AMyesterday when leaving Shanghai I did take the subway at 8.15am with two suitcases. This was line 2 again from 南京东路 and it was really packed a that time, but I just marched in using the large, hardcase as a shield to push people back with not a single complaint. One thing that is important though is knowing if you're exit station is on the same side you came in - I wouldn't have liked to go across the crowd...
Posted on: Table Manners and Tipping
October 18, 2007 at 3:34 AMfish head is no worse than chicken feet in my view, having eaten the latter, I'm ready for fish - next time I'm in China maybe :-( This time I was lucky, I was offered to eat fish first but the host obviously knew of Westerners resistance so I got flesh right away
Posted on: Please Speak Chinese
October 16, 2007 at 3:30 PMzis iz troo
Posted on: Please Speak Chinese
October 16, 2007 at 3:05 PMoh, and the trick 我不会说英语 has worked without a hitch for me over the past two weeks，sometimes changing to 你不会说中文吗？Equally effective, there's just been one occasion where I was so upset I mistakenly asked the guy 你不会说英语吗？ Also make sure not to get caught off-guard when s.o. calls you on your cellphone :-)
Posted on: Please Speak Chinese
October 16, 2007 at 3:00 PManother thing that always surprise me is the use of 我国 wǒguó，our country to mean China. That seems to carry a strong feeling of identity, whereas in English we'd hear "in this country"
Posted on: Of Beauty Pageants and Plastic Surgery
October 16, 2007 at 2:49 PMinteresting use of 就 to connect the two clauses of this (expansion) example. useful and simple construct 你以为。。。我就。。。 that still puzzles me : 你别以为自己是老板的儿子，我就会怕你 (Don't think that just because you are the boss' son I am afraid of you.)
Posted on: Recent Events
October 15, 2007 at 3:11 PMwith Jenny is Vera, whom you've not heard in lesson podcasts. She's my practice plan teacher, after 5 months of (almost) daily phone conversations, I finally met her. What's odd and really unusual is this feeling of intimacy (same with Jenny, Aggie, John or Ken) their voice does sound exactly the same in flesh I promise ;-) but apart from Vera that familiarity is obviously not reciprocal, and of course they're much livelier than their still-picture
Posted on: Number Two
October 18, 2007 at 6:41 AMoops, wrong key - I was told in a 公厕 (gōngcè) public toilet recently 大便五毛 （dàbiàn wǔ máo） 小便不要钱 （xiǎobiàn búyào qián）