User Comments - mark
mark
Posted on: Say It Again, Please
August 10, 2012 at 5:03 AMI thought lang song (朗诵） was to read aloud, and nian (念） meant pronounce.
Posted on: Petty Chicken Idioms
August 7, 2012 at 5:38 AMDon't believe everything you read on MDBG. I believe the definitions are volunteer contributed. In any case, sometimes they aren't the most common meaning, or occasionally, just wrong. Usually, the definitions are pretty good. So, they are very useful, but not a definitive reference.
Posted on: Sobriety Check
August 5, 2012 at 4:13 PMMy personal take is: 咯 is 了 + 哦。 So, assuming you know when to deploy 了，your question boils down to the usage of 哦. I think I more often hear women using it than men. It seems to have a "I'm slightly embarrassed/vexed to have to say this， but just teasing meaning". (e.g. How come you came home late? I had to work overtime. 哦)
Perhaps, a 撒娇 “dumb-ass" particle.
Posted on: Petty Chicken Idioms
August 4, 2012 at 3:34 AM我估计“偷鸡摸狗”里面的“摸狗”的意思就是“贿赂安保”。 After all, when you are stealing a chicken, you don't want the guard dog to bite you, or bark, but none of the CPod crew seemed to think of it this way. ...just pet the dog a bit to avoid trouble.
Posted on: Chinese Wordplay
July 30, 2012 at 1:04 AMI think I will focus on "泥菩萨过河，自身难保". It intrigues me, and maybe the opportunity to say it will present itself.
Posted on: Your Mandarin Is Really Good!
July 28, 2012 at 5:11 AM你太夸奖了吧！ （加上一些上下文才有可能更清楚。）
Posted on: Sobriety Check
July 28, 2012 at 3:52 AMThe rule of thumb I go by is, if you want a yes-no answer, tack on a 吗. If you just want your listener to agree with you, use 嘛， or 吧， if it is a polite request instead of an emphatic statement.
Posted on: Your Mandarin Is Really Good!
July 27, 2012 at 3:57 AMThere are many praise deflecting things you can say, just as in English. For example, "you're flattering me", "It wasn't my accomplishment, or "It was the whole team's", but these ways of speaking are a bit complicated for Newbie level.
Posted on: Sobriety Check
July 27, 2012 at 3:47 AMThe most interesting thing to me about this lesson was the way that the cop dispensed justice on the spot. In the US arrest and penalties are separate proceedings.
Posted on: 孔子拜访老子 1：道可道非常道
August 11, 2012 at 3:59 PM“道可道，非常道”是一个固定的说法吧。我估计信道的人常常说这个来表达道学的深奥，老百姓则用这个说法讽笑他们。