User Comments - tvan
tvan
Posted on: Getting Internet at your Apartment
August 7, 2008 at 1:09 AMningmeng, it seems that I hear 差不多 used in isolation meaning, "Close enough." I don't ever recall hearing 差不了in that context. Then again, maybe I'm not expecting it, so I don't hear it.
Posted on: Sales Call
August 5, 2008 at 5:08 PMSome years ago, I was in between jobs in San Francisco and did a brief telemarketing stint to pay the bills. Occasionally, I would get an answer in Mandarin (though Cantonese was more common), at which point I switched to my scripted Chinese sales pitch. The reaction was either a) Interest in the fact that I spoke Mandarin or b) a stream of suspiciously fluent English cursing.
Posted on: A Visit by the Police
July 21, 2008 at 2:14 PMdamon, to add to lostinasia's excellent explanation, if you want to save the file as a PDF you have two possibilities;
1) If your default PDF viewer is Preview, go the Safari file menu and choose "Save As"; it save the file as a PDF.
2) If your default PDF viewer is Acrobat, I've had intermittent problems with the above method. However, there is an Adobe toolbar at the top of the window with a disk icon. Click the disk and it always works.
Posted on: 十月怀胎
July 21, 2008 at 1:42 PMnorelhouda and user2880, to add to Henning's observations, looking up unfamiliar words in a Chinese dictinary is a great way to learn. Looking them up in an all-Chinese dictionary is even better. Sure it's a little tedious but, I think, in the long run it pays off.
Posted on: A Visit by the Police
July 17, 2008 at 1:38 PMfrosty, for the PDF file in traditional characters, append "trad" to the end of the file name before the extension. (e.g. for this lesson chinesepod_D0945.pdf becomes chinesepod_D0945trad.pdf)
Posted on: 磁悬浮
July 13, 2008 at 4:09 PMchangye, 多谢！
Posted on: 磁悬浮
July 13, 2008 at 12:59 AMThx Pchenery. I certainly see where you're coming from, though I lack the expertise to judge the merits of one versus the other.
Posted on: 磁悬浮
July 13, 2008 at 12:40 AMWell, at the risk of getting my own off-post comment deleted, I would suggest that every Poddie note the "Send Message" button directly under each member's photo in their "Profile" page. If you think somebody's out of line, click it and send a private message.
In a obvious ploy to give this post superficial sinological value, how does one say, "Criticize in Private, Praise in Public" in Mandarin?
Perhaps: 孔子说：私人批评，共同赞美。Criticism/suggestions are welcomed... in this case, in public please.
Posted on: Taking the HSK
July 6, 2008 at 2:21 PMWhen I run recreational races, I always register in the 18-30 age bracket rather than in the 50+ group. (I'd never win in either.) Likewise, if they offered one HSK for Asians and another for Westerners, I'd register for the Asian one; don't massage my ego, just tell me where I stand.
I've always had a vague unease with the concept that other Asians are superior in learning Chinese: On the one hand it recognizes a very real cultural affinity. On the other it strikes me as mildly ethnocentric. Thank God us Westerners Americans U.S. citizens never do that...
Posted on: The More Than One Child Policy and Taking Trains
August 11, 2008 at 1:34 PMHitokiri, diplomatic pretensions to the contrary, nothing that mainland China pronounces applies to 台湾.