User Comments - tvan
tvan
Posted on: Rome
October 19, 2008 at 1:10 PMpunter888, first of all, better luck next year; and don't be discouraged. The HSK is a major league test. Also, like many of these tests, there is a unique logic and methodology to taking the test. Oone could learn enough Chinese to function and still fail the HSK.
Posted on: Military Training
October 18, 2008 at 6:09 PMI really like the practice of having some different native speakers come on to some of these different features. Even if you don't understand it, just listening to the rhythm and being able to pick out a word or two is good combat-Mandarin practice.
Posted on: Saved by the Gong: Chemistry
October 17, 2008 at 5:33 PMkimik, cooking meth offensive to Americans? Hell no! We invented it (i.e. cooking it). You just takes your Mr. Coffee, your Camaro (雪佛兰卡罗) with the primer paint job, your Pit Bull (比特犬)/Rotweiller (罗特韦尔狗), and some chemicals so toxic that they're even banned in Chinese milk (三聚氰胺).
Actually, I believe I recognize the irreverent touch of a certain American in the intro.
Posted on: Qipao Dresses and Marathons in China
October 15, 2008 at 10:16 PMreanne, the characters for qipao are 旗袍.
Also, a quick perusal of Nickku yields 丝绸/sīchóu for silk and, of course, 氨纶/ānlún for spandex.
Posted on: A Month as a Monk and Chinese Business Meetings
October 15, 2008 at 3:47 PMbeijing2, I once stayed in a Buddhist monastery near the top of 峨嵋山/Emei Shan in Sichuan. That was years ago but, according to this Wiki, it's still open. I stayed there in the winter during a light snowfall, and it was absolutely spectacular. Lodging was basic and unheated. Food was the plain, vegetarian stuff of monk legend; guaranteed to prevent death due to starvation.
Posted on: Public Speaking Tips
October 15, 2008 at 12:25 AMdaphnedawn, I think 演讲 and 讲演 are pretty much interchangeable, but I seldom hear/read the latter, so I might be mistaken. 讲课 is a lecture by a professor.
I've never heard of 大讲.
Posted on: 情绪智商
October 14, 2008 at 2:21 AM我的情商考了百分之五十二。 所以当然智商最重要！
Posted on: Marketing Proposal
October 13, 2008 at 11:58 PMOn the West Coast, San Francisco State offers undergraduate business Chinese. Also, Thunderbird (sort of West Coast) and the Monterey Institute for International Studies both offer business Chinese in their Masters' programs. The latter two also require fluency in a second language as part of their International MBA's.
Posted on: Qipao Dresses and Marathons in China
October 13, 2008 at 11:51 PMI've run marathons here in the U.S., but the thought of running one in China never crossed my mind. I guess that's next on the list. I imagine they have some in West China that would cross some really beautiful scenery.
Posted on: Saved by the Gong: Chemistry
October 19, 2008 at 3:01 PMI found this lesson to be quite difficult due to the specialized vocabulary, though 二氧化碳 is a hot topic in the news. Still, I was confused on one point. In 二氧化碳 and 一氧化碳, the number appears in front of the character for oxygen. However, the number applies to the number of carbon atoms. How does that work? How would you write water, (i.e. H20, not 水）?