User Comments - laurarhode1213
laurarhode1213
Posted on: Language Power Struggle
October 29, 2011 at 6:46 PMI have a few questions. 1)- Can 'xuéqi' mean a school week or does it only mean a semester or term? 2)- Can 'yī bèi' mean just twice, or must it mean twice as many or twice as much? If it has to mean twice as many, than isn't 'duō le' a bit redundant in the 10th expansion or is 'duō le' put in just for added emphasis? 3)- Does anyone know where the English expression 'to be shanghaied' comes from? I used to think it came from the city Shànghǎi since it is a port city and to be shanghaied means to be kidnapped for working on a ship. But now after this lesson I wonder because shānghài here means 'to hurt'(or 'to harm'-?). Obviously, getting shanghaied means someone has been hurt(or harmed) in some way. Probably, the meaning comes from the city, but does it? Someone who knows China and its ways far better than I do might be able to clear this up based on Chinese customs & lore. Tài xièxie nǐ le.
Posted on: I Changed My Mind
October 29, 2011 at 3:51 PMFor the translation of the 10th expansion sentence I don't think there's anything wrong with "How can you not understand anything?", but how about "How come you don't understand anything?" as another slightly different nuanced take on the pǔtōnghuà? It seems to just comes down to taste here.
Posted on: Checking Baggage
October 25, 2011 at 4:47 PMI have 3 questions regarding meanings:
1)- Does 'xínglǐxiāng' mean suitcase as well as trunk?
2)- Does 'guānglín' mean presence or guest as well as welcome, depending on context?
3)- Where does 'dēng' in 'dēngjīpái' come from and what does it mean?
Posted on: Checking Baggage
October 25, 2011 at 4:39 PMReply to Nanjinggirl & jennyzhu, I'm wondering if the former's request was misread as "two seats or three", not "two sets of three", if I haven't misunderstood the pǔtōnghuà of jenny's answer. If I have misunderstood, I stand corrected.
Posted on: 5000 Years of History
October 12, 2011 at 4:41 PMPronunciation is fine as my goal is to learn to speak & comprehend spoken Mandarin. I'd write you an IOU but I have no paper handy.
Posted on: 5000 Years of History
October 11, 2011 at 12:53 PMYes, that was my second point. Perhaps I put it wrong in Mandarin. So I take it that 'shuōguo' is correct, not shuōguò in the 5th grammar sentence.
Since you gave no name('Geezer_Kiss' I'm not taking seriously) and address,
I assume you are being facetious about a cheque.
Posted on: Help at the ATM
October 9, 2011 at 3:58 PMThere's nothing to forgive. It's just that we've been automated as a society longer than the Chinese so we've learned to cut down on the relevant expressions just as they're often more telegraphic on other things they've been saying longer than we have. 'Zìdòng' will probably soon start to disappear, if it hasn't already, and you'll hear just 'qǔkuǎnjī' & 'shòupiàojī'
since the 'jī' indicates it's a machine and probably automatic. Languages are a trip!
Posted on: Buying a Computer
October 9, 2011 at 3:09 PMI think you're right about cutting-edge & the 14th expansion; I also understand that zūfèi is acceptable but zūjīn is used more often.
Posted on: Help at the ATM
October 8, 2011 at 8:12 PMThere are a few points raised by the expansion. In the 1st exercise, is 'jù' a measure word? In the fourth, "automatic ticket selling machine" is rather redundant English. Just "automatic ticket machine" or even "ticket machine" is sufficient. Finally, in the 14th 'Wǒ' should be 'Tā' or else 'He' should be 'I'.
Posted on: Language Power Struggle
October 30, 2011 at 3:24 PMReply to superchinesemaster. 1.- Thanks for giving me the tone for 'qī' in xuéqī. The 8th grammar exercise's mis-translation is what caused me to ask for the exact meaning of xuéqī even though the meaning is correct in the pop-up box. The 8th grammar translation ought to start as "This semester..." or "This term...". 2.- Unfortunately, the pop-up box for 'yībèi' is not right in the 10th grammar exercise where it should state 'one time'. 3.- Of course I know the two uses of shanghai are different. You can see in my question I give the different tones in the pinyin. The difference between the two is the whole basis of my question for the origin of the English expression "to be/get shanghaied". When I first learned of shānghài besides shànghǎi, and especially that the former means to get hurt, I couldn't help wondering just exactly what was the particular origin of the English expression, assuming such a thing could be determined. Perhaps both Mandarin expressions are a source of the English expression. No reason why it has to be just one, is there? Such quandaries are the life blood of those who are interested in the wealth of human language use and its many ramifications. Thanks again for your assistance.