User Comments - si1teng2
si1teng2
Posted on: Finding a Street Number
November 25, 2009 at 3:04 PMI don't know if you changed anything deliberately, but the sound quality on this lesson seems to be much lower than usual. There is an irritating raspiness that is making me want to stop listening. Is anyone else having this problem?
Posted on: A Phone Call to the Moving Company
November 23, 2009 at 12:09 AMJasonSch, I think dmhiggins70 makes a good point. After all, translating currency doesn't require converting currency! Otherwise you'd never be able to translate "How many yuan to the dollar?" into Chinese. Is there any reason why brief explanations can't be given in the vocab? For example:
块 kuai kuai (unit of currency, colloquial)
I sense some resistance to doing this kind of thing, but I'm not sure I understand the reason. (Just a suggestion, since you asked for suggestions.)
Incidentally, I think you're doing a stellar job on the translations. Personally, I think they have improved tremendously and I find them much more useful now than they used to be. Thank you!
Posted on: A Phone Call to the Moving Company
November 21, 2009 at 12:56 PMThanks, changye! I've never heard V-bude expressions spoken, so the pronunciation has always baffled me. In some texts, the bopomofo pronunciation sometimes listed the bu in the 4th tone, which for some reason sounded strange to me. So I appreciate the clarification!
Posted on: A Phone Call to the Moving Company
November 20, 2009 at 2:06 PMChangye (or one of the excellent new Cpod Team members here to answer questions--brilliant idea, by the way!):
I have a question about the pronunciation of 舍不得.
Which are the dropped tones? Is it
"she3bu4de" or
"she3bude2" or
"she3bude"?
(Sorry, I don't know how to input tone marks.)
bodawei, to answer your question, I think 不舍得扔东西 is a straightforward and easily understood expression, so no one would have a problem with it. 他不舍得扔东西 just means "He can't bear to throw stuff away."
Posted on: Applying for a Loan
November 3, 2009 at 3:01 PMGot to say I liked the recapitulation at the end. It brought together the dialogue and discussion for me in a way that seemed effortlessly to double my understanding of the new vocab. Miraculous!
Posted on: Picking Up a Friend at the Airport
November 2, 2009 at 3:18 PMtal,
I recall a lesson on the use of 謝謝 in China, in which Jenny said that Chinese people think that foreigners express thanks far too often, and it makes them feel uncomfortable. Americans especially tend to thank people for doing their jobs, for being friends, for phone calls, and for generally polite behaviour such as holding doors open, but in China these are things you are expected to do, and don't expect to be thanked for.
I'm guessing that since your driver was just doing his job, the extremely polite 辛苦你了 must have seemed over the top to him. Hence his gruff response.
Anybody know if this explanation is right?
Posted on: Varieties of Candy
November 1, 2009 at 2:25 PMsebire, 德芙跟Galaxy (星系？哥拉係？我不知道在中國有沒有這種英國的巧克力，有沒有中文名字) 很不一樣。對我來説“星系”比德芙味道好的多得多。
啊！巧克力！我最喜歡的題目！
Posted on: Even If...
October 24, 2009 at 10:46 PMBababardwan, I believe Changye's question was about "although" and "even though."
Changye, there is no significant difference in meaning between "although" and "even though." The only difference is rhetorical: "even though" is more emphatic about the contrast in expectation.
Posted on: 混合动力车
October 19, 2009 at 10:36 PMSorry. I made a pointless comment and tried to delete it, but apparently I can't, so I have to say this instead.
Posted on: Picking things up: 拿、带、取
November 29, 2009 at 1:37 PMHey! I love Liliana! I thought her addition to the Qing Wen team was a brilliant idea. Her role is not unlike that of Amber: a learner of Chinese who brings charm, wit, and personality to the lesson. 加油！
(Incidentally, I also recall complaints when Amber, Clay, and Jiaojie left Qing Wen and were replaced by Pete, John and Connie. Deja vu ...all over again.)