User Comments - tucsonmichael

Posted on: Street Argument

Nice lesson, that reminds me of an occasion a couple of years ago in a small water village near Suzhou where I was just enjoying watching people, and drinkin iced tea.  There was a minority woman waiting for me to finish drinking, so she could have the bottle.  Another minority man came near, probably intending to ask me for the bottle, but she yelled at him and made him leave, so perhaps this was her "turf".  Another lady came by perhaps with the same intention, and they actually got into a physical fight over who was going to get my bottle when i was finished with it.....really made me uncomfortable....

一瓶冰茶  yi1ping2 bing1cha2 a bottle of iced tea

少数民族 shao3shu4min2zu2  minority

让我很不舒服 rang4wo3hen3bu4shu1fu  made me very uncomfortable

Posted on: Afraid of Dogs

fun lesson; in the expansion section, i think that 他不想跟我们说话。
(I don't want to speak to you.)  should really be (He doesn't want to speak with us.)  To answer one of the expansion exercise questions, I am most afraid of snakes 蛇 she2  ....yeek!

Posted on: Pretty Clothes

checkingoutchina, not certain, but perhaps this is an answer to your question.  A gen  B zenme bu yiyang?
How are (in what way are)  A and B not the same?  A 跟 B 怎么不一样？

Posted on: Sneezing

Changye,

Yes, still in Shanghai, having just returned from honeymoon to several sittings in western China.  Very rich culture out west with so many 小数民族 xiao shu min zu / minority groups.

Posted on: Sneezing

Changye, my dictionary has  打鼾 (da han) for snoring, so perhaps that is the second choice hezhicheng is thinking of.  Chinesepod staff, I learned 对 什么 过敏。。 dui xxx guo min, for being allergic to something....any explanation on why the 对 is not used in the dialogue?  Also, being an english speaker, i would tent to use 是人 rather than 有人 to indicate that there is a person.  Is 是人 incorrect, or OK but 有人 preferred?  Thanks for another very useful lesson.

Posted on: What is your job?

kchi,

from http://www.nciku.com/search/all/interior%20designer

室内设计者 [shì nèi shè jì zhe] interior designer

女裁缝 [nucáiféng] seamstress

from http://www.yellowbridge.com/chinese/wordsearch.php?searchMode=E&word=technology&select=whole&search=Search

技术员 jìshù yuán technician

高技术 gao jìshù high technology; high tech

Posted on: Bangkok

Is 堵车 more common than  塞车 (sai1che1)?  Another nice lesson and hosting.

Posted on: Sightseeing at Tiananmen

I actually prefer these other places around 天安门.  for example,  比如 bi3ru2....

天坛 tian1tan2 Temple of Heaven (3 km south of 天安门)

故宫  gu4gong1 Imperial Palace (at north end of 天安门

颐和园 yi2he2yuan2 The Summer Palace (need a cab or a bicycle to get to from 天安门)

北海湖 bei3hai3hu2 Beihai Lake, just northwest of 天安门 is also beautiful, or fun for shopping / dining, and renting a boat at dusk to ride on the lake s wonderful.

Is the picture considered to be part of 天安门， or is it really a separate building or part of the 故宫? It sure looks beautiful with those flowers.  When I was last there 18 months ago many of the buildings had renovation scaffolding on them, but I expect that with the Olympics approaching it will be quite incredible to see.

By the way, I was taught 往左传 wang3zuo3zhuan3 for "turn left". Is 左传 the more colloquial way of saying this (in the interest of effective concise Chinese communication)?

Posted on: Hiking

I'm also interested in the answer to pinkjeans' question...  can 只 (zhi) and 才 (cai) be used interchangeably or is 只 for countable nouns only and 才 for actions?.... i am used to thinking of 才 as "until", but the dictionary does also have it as "only".  I understand the use of 只有 and 只好 but could use clarification of when to use 才 and when to use 只， unless they are interchangeable.  I am also interested in guidance regarding the difference between 运动 vs. 锻炼 duan4lian4, which I have been using for more strenous exercise, like working out at a gym.  Thanks for any guidance you can provide. 

Nice lesson, it it reminds me of hiking with Chinese colleagues in Yosemite National Park to the top of Yosemite Falls, where a relatively small Chinese colleague lady was often leading the way!

Posted on: Hiking

or strolling in the park

散步 san4bu4