User Comments - tvan

Posted on: 日本人的起源

changye, I guess that makes more sense.  From my American (???) perspective, the sensitivity over names, textbooks, prime ministers visiting old graveyards, and 60+ year-old atrocities seems overblown.  However, I think words and names must matter more in Asian culture.

Posted on: Tool Delivery

hwangd01, I'll let the bigger guns answer your specific question on grammar.  However, on the sentences you wrote, I think the first two are technically correct.  If you don't put a number in front of a measure word, "one" is generally assumed.  However, without any context, I find first sentence unclear.  Of course, you could also write, "把那把螺丝刀给我."

I do not think the second sentence is correct.  Did you mean, "给我讲这件事?"

Posted on: 日本人的起源

Thank you for the interesting discussion.  This is the first time I've ever heard the term 支那, though that's not saying much.  Are you suggesting that 支那 will supplant 中国?  中国 seems to have too much historical gravitas.

However, if somebody doesn't like the name 中国, I can suggest an alternative:  人民共和国.  ;-)

Posted on: Battling Internet Addiction

pinkjeans, ha, you have me pegged.  I play(ed) video games with my kids and introduced them to online games, while mom kicked and screamed about homework and writing Chinese characters six xillion times.  Still, I think I was somewhat in tune with their activities; after all, I was playing Starcraft with them(not to mention hunting, fishing, backpacking, etc.), not Mom.

Posted on: Stopped at the Gate

I see another typo above, I meant to say that I use 那么 and 这么 interchangeably. 

Posted on: Buying a Plasma TV

yehuangyen, 10% off = 打九折; 30% off = 打七折; 50% off = 打五折.  As you've probably surmised, in Chinese discounts are expressed as a percentage of the discounted price compared to the original price, using base 10.  Thus 25% off = 打七点五折 or 7.5 out of 10.  Also, price tags commonly omit the 打 character and use Arabic rather than Chinese numbers.  So, for example, for 10% off instead of 打九折, you might see 9 折.

Posted on: Stopped at the Gate

I  confess that, because I am unclear on the subtleties of their usage, I use 那么 and 怎么 interchangeably.  However, I'm sure that reflects my own lack of understanding.  

I sometimes have trouble explaining subtle differences in English to non-native speakers.  I can "feel" the difference and give examples of where only usage of one is correct; but my unfortunate pupils only return blank stares.  I'm sure Chinese have the same frustration talking to us 外国‘s. 

Posted on: Stopped at the Gate

sebire, I share your confusion.  I understand the difference between 那 and 这.  However, if I took the expansion sentence, "今天怎么这么热," and changed it to "今天怎么那么热,"... it seems like they mean the same thing.

Posted on: All About Measure Words

Just noticed that the first example had a typo.  S/B "那个狗/ 那個狗/Nàgegǒu."

Posted on: All About Measure Words

china4me, I cannot definitively answer your question.  However, I learn by trial and error, so let me share an error.  I once used the phrase, "那个够/ 那個狗/Nàgegǒu," to refer to a dog.  I was promptly corrected with the admonition that, "A dog is not a person."  I had to use 那只狗/那隻狗/Nàzhīgǒu to describe an animal.  Everyone knew what I meant, but apparently that was a somewhat jarring misuse, since it conferred a degree of humanity.

Still, I think that if you don't know the precise measure word, 个 usually works.  It is much better than not using a measure word, especially for people and inanimate objects.  Here is a wiki listing some measure words and their associated noun types.