User Comments - zhenlijiang

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zhenlijiang

Posted on: Flowers and Bugs
September 2, 2010 at 3:44 AM

QiūXiāng, as Baba says this question does come up sometimes. Look for Changye's explanation on 条 in this discussion:

http://chinesepod.com/lessons/dog-personalities#comment-118386

Posted on: Making people do things with 让,令,and 使
September 1, 2010 at 9:31 PM

Thank you again Jiaojie for clarifying. And please please please don't apologize for "the trickier example sentences". I wasn't complaining about the difficulty; just wanted to make sure I wasn't misreading them. Actually I really appreciate the exposure to such sentences. It's very valuable for learners like me who need to start challenging themselves with more difficult material containing commonly-used structures and expressions.

But so with 你要离开我,叫我怎么不难过? the subject is considered either the prospect 你要离开我, or 你--? It can be either? Waa now that's tricky! I think that will take me a bit longer to get my head around ...

But yes I definitely gained an understanding of 叫 that I didn't have before. 谢谢老师

Posted on: 《非诚勿扰》PK《我们约会吧》
August 31, 2010 at 11:38 PM

Changye 不管你有伴侣没有,人生不太简单嘛。同时,我承认单身好的方面——简单!自由!能随心所欲地生活。

总之有人愿意扫你的墓,这是一件很幸福的事吧。

Oh and I was expecting a more glamorous "title", a killer 新词语!

Posted on: Making people do things with 让,令,and 使
August 31, 2010 at 5:36 PM

oops sorry about the unintended all-italics.

Posted on: Making people do things with 让,令,and 使
August 31, 2010 at 5:09 PM

Thank you Jiaojie!

a person can also 使 you to do or feel something

So those examples are formal though, right? For works of literature maybe?

For 叫,it isn't only people can 叫 you:

这样的情况,叫我如何面对?

Ah! This sentence is a bit trickier. Am I understanding it correctly? "How am I supposed to confront / deal with this (kind of) situation?"

So is the subject of this sentence 这样的情况? Because my first instinct would be to think the subject is "你"--a general "you", not a specific person, as if the sentence were 这样的情况,你叫我如何面对?

something can 叫 you to feel a certain way: 你要离开我,叫我怎么不难过?

"If you leave me, how could I not be torn apart?" (broken down more literally: "If you leave me, the way that would make me feel, how could it not be distressing?") Did I get the meaning right? So here, 你离开我 is the subject?

Posted on: Making people do things with 让,令,and 使
August 30, 2010 at 10:34 PM

bump

(also for user271828's question above)

Posted on: Making people do things with 让,令,and 使
August 29, 2010 at 10:50 AM

QW team, thanks for answering Tvan's question! Here are a couple from me:

I like 让 too, but 令 is the one I'm really fond of. I use it quite often, so it's good to be reminded about that formal/informal line.
使 I never knew when to use, but from now on I'll keep in mind how formal it is. Am I correct to assume that usually it isn't people 使-ing you to do or be anything, but rather a trait or condition, some abstract noun ("modesty", "courage")? Could a person also 使 you to do or feel something? That would be another good distinction to keep in mind, if it does indeed hold up.

So on the same track, only people can 叫 you, and they can only 叫 you to do something (not to feel a certain way). Correct?

It's helpful for us English speakers to remember that there are different kinds of "make".

Posted on: 4S Dealership
August 28, 2010 at 12:47 AM

Where is that? I just listened to the whole podcast x 3 and missed it.

I would guess 不敢当 (bù gǎndāng): "I dare not accept"--a response to praise, or to some service or gesture. Saying you are really not worthy of it.

Posted on: 《非诚勿扰》PK《我们约会吧》
August 26, 2010 at 12:24 AM

谢谢 ding57yi。厉害!而且更有用(因为我周围有好多,哈哈)。

那问你一下,要是一位“斗战胜佛”终于能成家的话,他/她被授予什么称号?完成一项壮举的勇士吧,应得的你想不想?

Posted on: 《非诚勿扰》PK《我们约会吧》
August 19, 2010 at 9:52 AM

谢谢你们教我“剩男”“剩女”这些生词!有用,我觉得。