User Comments - tvan
tvan
Posted on: My Foreign teacher
November 1, 2008 at 5:51 PM
rjberki, sounds good to me. On advanced lessons or lessons covering areas I'm not familiar with (e.g. Formula 1 racing), I used to transcribe the transcript first. Now, I always wait a day before peeking at the characters. Obviously here that would be overkill, but it's the same principle.
btw, I loved the visuals for 大眼睛/DàYǎnJing and 高个子/GāoGèZi
Posted on: Battling Internet Addiction
November 1, 2008 at 3:43 PMWhat would McMurphy do.... I think he probably would have illicitly hooked up some computers in the asylum, written some outrageous blog posts about Nurse Rachet and, based on the character, browsed porn sites.
Posted on: My Foreign teacher
November 1, 2008 at 3:21 PM
ancalagon, I strongly feel that unscripted listening should be a key element to learning Chinese, even if you don't understand. As you say, you miss parts of the dialogue. However, every time you begin to understand more and more.
Posted on: DVDs and the Mao Suit
November 1, 2008 at 1:59 PMThe Chinese subtitles and Mandarin dubbing on pirated can be hilarious. At one time, I thought it might be good practice to watch familiar movie dubbed in Mandarin. However, it soon became apparent that whoever dubbed the movies had worse English than my Chinese. The subtitles for Team America were hilarious!
I remember the Mao suit still being quite common into the mid-1980's. In those days, if you were traveling outside approved areas, a Mao suit was de rigueur to avoid standing out.
Posted on: Battling Internet Addiction
November 1, 2008 at 1:27 PMbababardwan, that clinic reminded me of something from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
Posted on: Battling Internet Addiction
October 31, 2008 at 3:59 PMAlso, the picture on the introduction is one of my favorite war games, Warcraft/魔獸爭霸. If you play this game, ware the Koreans: the world's true Internet addicts!
Posted on: Battling Internet Addiction
October 31, 2008 at 3:40 PM
我长大的时候，父母都恐怕我们被电视上瘾。后来我的孩子长大的时候，我也恐怕他们被电子游戏上瘾。当然现在的父母可怕他们的孩子被互联网/因特网被上瘾。可能以前的父母怕他们的孩子被书上瘾！社会变成，前代怕。
在美国我们叫做对话里的母亲“直升机的母亲”/"Helicopter Mom." 中文怎么说呢? Also, thanks changye for the term 因特网. I've never seen it before. (Yeah I know, big deal.) It's a good example of a combo transliteration/translation term.
Posted on: Welcome to ChinesePod
October 29, 2008 at 9:38 PMbabardwan, at the same time turkeysub raises a valid point. Even setting aside the black experience, I wonder what the chances of a Mongolian, Urgyur, Tibetan, or even a Manchurian becoming Party Chairman are? Chiang Ching-kuo's sons were half-Belorussian; some consider this lack of a "legitimate" (i.e. non-Chinese) successor to be the real reason that he loosened political restrictions in Taiwan, not any particular love of democracy. (I tend to give him the benefit of the doubt.)
Posted on: Welcome to ChinesePod
October 29, 2008 at 3:46 PMturkeysub, while I would agree that there is racism in all cultures (including black), I wouldn't read too much into the dark skin comment. Supposedly this has its roots back when dark skin was a sign of a laborer or farmer versus a scholar/official. Even so, you often hear the phrase 黑珍珠/HēiZhēnZhū/black pearl to describe a pretty, dark-skinned girl.
btw, love your avatar.
Posted on: SBTG: Confucius
November 2, 2008 at 2:32 PMThis obituary in the Wall Street Journal for Kung Te-cheng, a descendant of Confucius and student of ancient rituals. I think it provides an interesting perspective on both an interesting and turbulent life, as well as a window on the evolution of 20th century Chinese culture and Taiwan's under-appreciated role therein.