User Comments - mikeinewshot
mikeinewshot
Posted on: SBTG: Sun Yatsen
June 19, 2008 at 9:14 AMReferring to topics for uppper intermediate lessons:
I agree that recent ones in general have not been very inspiring, but if you look back to the early upper intermediates I think there were many interesting (to me anyway) topics for example:
D0496 - Capital Punishment, D0526 - Stock Market, D0548 - Global Warming etc
I think the problem is that the level of the Upper Intermediates has dropped (as has the level of the Intermediates), so that it is more difficult to treat subjects in an interesting way - lack of substance.
I find that I am going to Advanced lessons for more interest although my level is only Upper Intermediate
Posted on: Missing Luggage
June 17, 2008 at 6:34 AMMy experience of travelling in China was that more trouble is taken to check that you had the correct luggage before you leave the airport than in 'the West'. In China there appear to be spot checks that your baggage ticket matches what is on your luggage, which I have not experienced elsewhere.
Incidentally they have checked my luggage ticket not my boarding pass, contrary to the lesson text: xing2lipai2 not deng1ji1pai2
Posted on: 禁塑令
June 16, 2008 at 5:28 AMMy first impression is that I will like this lesson as it seems it might be accessible to those struggling to reach advanced level - perhaps it is the straightforward and contemporary topic (no chengyu!)
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Hong Kong
June 13, 2008 at 2:31 AMShame that 呃 didn't make it to the vocabulary section. What tone is it anyway?
I was wondering whether anything in the lesson was specific to Hong Kong. Are there any particular special Hong Kong dishes?
Posted on: SBTG: Confucius
June 10, 2008 at 5:07 PMDid anyone catch the other Confucian saying that Jenny said near the end of the podcast?
Posted on: SBTG: Sun Yatsen
June 10, 2008 at 7:27 AMI really enjoyed this lesson. As for thoughts for a new lesson, how about earthy stems and heavenly branches .... I have heard of them but have little idea what it is about and the history of it.
If anyone would like some help with Jenny's Chinese, here are some words I have managed to pick out – I hope they are correct. Lookups mainly courtesy of http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=worddictbasic
诱导 you4 dao3 to guide / to lead / to induce / electrical induction / (medic.) revulsion
领导 ling3 dao3 lead / leading / to lead / leadership / leader
最终 zui4 zhong1 final / ultimate
清朝 Qing1 chao2 Ch'ing or Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
满族 Man3 zu2 Manchu people
先锋 xian1 feng1 herald / pioneer
孙逸仙 Sun1 Yi4 xian1 Dr Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), first president of the Republic of China and co-founder of the Kuomintang / same as 孫中山｜孙中山
场合 chang3 he2 situation / occasion
有着 you3 zhe5 have / possess
抓 zhua1 to grab / to catch / to arrest / to snatch
角度 jiao3 du4 angle / point of view
国际化 guo2 ji4 hua4 to internationalize / internationalization
负面 fu4 mian4 negative / the negative side
贬义 bian3 yi4 derogatory sense
心性 xin1 xing4 one's nature / temperament
团结 tuan2 jie2 (hold a) rally / join forces
权利 quan2 li4 power / right / privilege
质量 zhi4 liang4 quality / mass (in physics)
宝贵 bao3 gui4 valuable / precious / value / treasure / set store by
精神 jing1 shen2 vigor / vitality / drive / spiritual / mental / psychological
物质 wu4 zhi4 matter / substance / material / materialistic
财富 cai2 fu4 wealth / riches
优秀 you1 xiu4 outstanding / excellent
担忧 dan1 you1 to worry / to be concerned
责任感 ze2 ren4 gan3 sense of responsibility
遗留 yi2 liu2 (leave or be a) legacy / left over / hand down (to next generation)
鼓励 gu3 li4 to encourage
民国 Min2 guo2 Republic of China (1912-1949) / used instead of reign name by the nationalist government, then by Taiwan / used in PRC as reign name of a former dynasty
初期 chu1 qi1 initial stage / beginning period
白话文 bai2 hua4 wen2 vernacular Chinese
普及 pu3 ji2 widespread / popular / universal / ubiquitous / pervasive
目标 mu4 biao1 target / goal / objective
相同 xiang1 tong2 identical / same
Posted on: Chinatomy: Chinese Gods and 'Shanghai Diaries'
June 6, 2008 at 5:02 AMAric - 加油
Posted on: Chinatomy: Chinese Gods and 'Shanghai Diaries'
June 6, 2008 at 4:47 AMHow about Daoism, Confuciansim? Is there not a temple in Shanghai that has three images side by side - Buddha, Confucious and Laozi?
My impression of Chinese people is that they have taken on every God into their scope, just in case. I am baffled but intrigued
Incidentally how about a Dear Amber on superstitions?
Posted on: 中国IT外包服务
June 5, 2008 at 8:48 PMThere is still no audio for the vocabulary!
Posted on: China Fruit and Pre-Marital Sex
June 20, 2008 at 5:23 AMI am just a little sceptical about the Chinese attitude to sex stated in the podcast. I just wonder if it is over exaggerated. Perhaps a Chinese person would be very reluctant to admit (even if true) that Chinese are more promiscuous.
Is this really the experience of Westerners (mainly men) of Chinese girls? Or do Chinese girls more readily/quickly sleep with foreign men?
I hope noone takes offence at my comments.