User Comments - monicarichards105
monicarichards105
Posted on: Trouble Getting to an Interview
July 5, 2017 at 2:30 PMThanks so much, Yuqin! Your explanation is VERY helpful :)
Posted on: Who in the Choir Is Your Boyfriend?
June 16, 2017 at 5:44 PMJust wondering whether the traditional/formal connotation of the word "choir" in English parallels the connotation of 合唱团 in Chinese. Can the term 合唱团 also be used to refer to pop music groups? If yes, is 合唱团 or 乐队 (or some other term) the most common way of referring to pop music groups?
Posted on: Trouble Getting to an Interview
June 16, 2017 at 5:14 PMThanks VERY much for sharing your understanding of these two terms, OldMartin!!! I will take that as my working hypothesis until, as you've requested, someone with even more Chinese expertise provides us with further clarification 
Posted on: Trouble Getting to an Interview
June 15, 2017 at 7:30 PMI'm afraid I'm still unclear on whether/how the focus in meaning for the terms 单位 versus 部门 differ. When I Googled your respective English translations of "unit" and "department," it appears that in organizations where both of these English terms are used, sometimes"units" are bigger than "departments," sometimes they're smaller than "departments" and other times these two terms are basically exact synonyms, the choice of which often varies for no apparent reason! Therefore, I'm wondering whether the usage of 单位 and 部门 is similarly inconsistent in Chinese. If not, when would each be more appropriate to use versus the other? Thanks so much!
Posted on: What's His Problem With Me?
June 12, 2017 at 11:56 PMIn case any of us want to review these two words used in context, whereas 突然 is used in the current lesson, 忽然 is used in the intermediate lesson titled "Making Excuses":
突然
- 他早上突然到我座位，讲了一句”你这个小人”就走了，不知道究竟怎么回事。
- This morning he suddenly came to where I was sitting and said "You petty little man" and then walked off. I don't know what happened.
- tā zǎoshang tūrán dào wǒ zuòwèi，jiǎng le yī jù”nǐ zhè ge xiǎorén”jiù zǒu le，bù zhīdào jiūjìng zěnmehuíshì。
忽然
- 我真的不是故意的，前天中午我忽然觉得不舒服，下午请假回家休息。
- I really didn't mean to. At noon on the day before yesterday I suddenly felt unwell, so I had to ask for time of work to go home and rest.
- wǒ zhēnde bùshì gùyì de，qiántiān zhōngwǔ wǒ hūrán juéde bù shūfu，xiàwǔ qǐngjià huíjiā xiūxi。
Posted on: What's His Problem With Me?
June 9, 2017 at 5:36 PMJust discovered in this lesson that 突然 and 忽然 both mean "suddenly." Good to know! Are they nearly exact synonyms or do they differ somewhat in usage and/or connotation?
Posted on: So Now She's Spinning?
June 8, 2017 at 9:51 PMI love how this lesson communicates Chinese perspectives on which physical features most easily identify one person versus another. It's interesting how Chinese and Caucasians differ regarding what we count as identifiable features -- and how this explains both the frequently heard complaint of Caucasians that "All Asians look the same" and the occasional Chinese statement that "All Westerners look the same" (!), i.e., because several of the features Caucasians are most likely to notice in order to identify one person from another (e.g., hair color, eye color, etc.) -- and therefore the features we focus on when trying to describe someone's physical appearance to someone else -- aren't useful for identifying one Asian from one another. And similarly, several of the features Asians are most likely to notice in order to identify one person from another (e.g., big vs. small eyes, double vs. single eyelids, face shape, etc.) are NOT the features Caucasians are used to paying attention to. If anyone else like me struggles to notice what Chinese count as identifying features among their friends, I found this article helpful:
And another useful related ChinesePod lesson is: https://chinesepod.com/lessons/what-does-she-look-like
Posted on: Massive Misunderstanding
June 5, 2017 at 9:32 PMA question about this lesson's dialogue transcript vs. its associated audiorecording:
- The transcript says: 你一听她的名字马上就说不想去，所以我们以为你不喜欢她。
- The dialogue practice audiorecording's narrator (Constance?) says: 你一听到她的名字马上就说不想去，所以我们以为你不喜欢她。
Are both acceptable or only the "一听到" version? If both are acceptable, do they mean the same thing?
Thanks!
Posted on: How To Sound Polite
June 5, 2017 at 8:08 PMGREAT Qing Wen!!! Thanks SO much!
Posted on: Subway Transfer
July 27, 2017 at 12:03 AMI agree with applejan9 and 333931870 about disliking the new drop down tab (audio/video player) "which often obscures the part of the lesson I am working on." I'm on a 13-inch MacBook Pro :)