User Comments - whetter
whetter
Posted on: The Colors of Money
November 21, 2013, 02:51 AMI like the different colour bills of mainland Chinese money. However, I hope the government approves larger denominations soon e.g. 500 RMB, 1000 RMB, etc. When I go to the ATM to get cash, it's easy to end up with a wad of bills if I need to buy things like electronics or a bicycle, etc. I don't have a Chinese credit card and many vendors don't take overseas credit cards, so I end up carrying around a lot of 100 RMB bills for the larger purchases. I've seen a lot of my Chinese friends do the same. I think it would make sense to have larger denomination bills. Has the government ever openly discussed this possiblity?
Good lesson.
Marty
Posted on: The Riddle of Three Sons
October 14, 2013, 03:18 AMI thought the answer would be Xiao Ming, kind of a trick riddle.
By the way, I have a friend who has a dog and the dog's name is San Mao. I was told that the dog's name is from a Chinese cartoon / story about a stray, scruffy (almost hairless) dog who was saved and the dog was named accordingly. Is the San Mao dog cartoon / story tue?
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Guangdong
September 24, 2013, 04:49 AMI think the whole English speaking world outside of the US pronouces it as 'zed'. It seems to me though that more and more people are pronouncing it as 'zee'....probably because of the influence of US TV/movies and popular culture. I still think that the Brits speak the best English in terms of accent, word usage and pronouciation, but just my opinion (I'm Canadian, not a Brit). Having said that, it is good to have language diversity or else we would all get bored. I live in Shenzhen which has many Chinese from all parts of China and the speech diversity and word usage is amazing from what little I can even understand...much more diverse than English. And regarding the lesson, the food in Guangdong is great, so please eat hardy if you ever visit. Cheers.
Posted on: Aussie Rules
November 21, 2012, 05:59 AMI know that this is an 'old' lesson, but it is a good one. Never really watched a full game of this sport, but when I did watch I could sure tell that the fans were really into it. I'll have to give it another go someday....
I like watching CCTV 5 to learn some Chinese from the commentators and it surprising what I can pick up after a few sports related podcasts.
This lesson is very topical lesson for me as the Canadian rules football championship match called the Grey Cup is being played on Nov 25, 2012 in Toronto between the Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary Stampeders. It is the 100th anniversary of the Grey Cup, so it's going to be a big party in Hogtown (TO). Calgary is my home town, so I am rooting for the Stamps.
By the way, Canadian rules football is very similar to the American game except we have 3 downs (instead of 4) and a wider field (about 10 extra yards) so it can be a bit more of a passing the ball in the air game as you have to make your 10 meters in 3 tries instead of 4.
I enjoy the sports related lessons and look forward to doing more of them.
Cheers
Posted on: Moscow
November 17, 2012, 06:32 AMIt was good to hear Ken pronounce Moscow correctly as many people pronounce it with a strong 'cow' at the end instead of 'ko'. There was a popular Saturday afternoon radio host in Canada (on CBC) who used to gently correct people by saying "there are no cows in Moscow" on his very entertaining and informal talk show about all things interesting. This radio host loved Moscow and Russia from what I remember and I knew that I had to go there too. It finally happened a few years ago and I was very impressed with both Moscow and St Petersburg. An amazing history and I enjoyed the food more than I thought I would and of course I had to try the vodka. Now I want to return some day and do the Trans-Siberian express when I have enough time and money. Great lesson.
Martin
Posted on: China's Most Famous Tourist Destinations
June 25, 2012, 04:25 AMI know that this is an old lesson and Ken may not even be around to read this post.... but in reference to Ken's comment an English meaning for the word bund....in fact, a bund (mostly UK usage) means an earthen embankment. For instance, for oil (or non toxic chemicals) storage tanks, bunds are built around the tanks so if there is a leak or a spill, the oil will stay within the bund to prevent contamination / pollution of the surrounding soil or water. In modern construction, the bund walls are sometimes made with concrete, but it is still very common to see earthen walled bunds. So next time you are in Shanghai and walking on the Bund, you'll know that there is a German and English connection to the meaning of the word 'bund' and that the corresponding Chinese word(s) is related. Great lessons and I enjoy the banter about related words and word history as it provides good context. Cheers.
Martin
Posted on: The Colors of Money
November 23, 2013, 06:01 AMI don't use a wallet; I prefer a money (bill) clip here in China as I don't like to carry around credit cards, etc. It requires that you fold the money, but it doesn't crease unless you apply direct pressure at the fold or sit on it hard if it's in your back pocket.
In Hong Kong there are $HKD500 & $HKD1000 bills and it's great. Just as RJ noted, the 100 RMB bills are only about $US15, so they are not so practical in my opinion. Granted, it's a small problem in the big scheme of things.
Marty