User Comments - zhong_bide
zhong_bide
Posted on: A Tour of the Chinese Underworld (Part One)
March 4, 2012 at 6:04 AMCould you please give us the pinyin and characters for the main terms - for both parts 1 & 2.
Posted on: An Urgent Call to the Embassy
March 2, 2012 at 9:19 AMThis lesson was for real for some people. I haven't lstened yet. But there really were chinese students at a language school in Christchurch, NZ who died in the earthquake there.
Posted on: Visiting the Aquarium
February 27, 2012 at 2:09 PMReally liked this lesson. Some good vocab connections. Some really interesting topics lately that deportee darted from the beaten track - appreciated.
Posted on: A Tour of the Chinese Underworld (Part One)
February 27, 2012 at 2:04 PMYes, Dongyue temple is very interesting, and I thought of it during this lesson. There were many halls for all sorts of categories, including animals, as I remember.
I remember seeing some very graphic hell depictions at a temple in Pingyao (Shanxi) too.
someone told me all Chinese believe in hell - may not really be true - but it did suggest a difference in outlook to western countries where maybe many more believe in heaven than hell.??
Posted on: A Tour of the Chinese Underworld (Part One)
February 26, 2012 at 5:30 AMUnder Lesson Information can you change "Gohst" into "Ghost"?
Interesting topic.
Posted on: A Simple Tour of the Office
February 18, 2012 at 2:52 AMWe say "flushing the toilet". We go to the toilet, sit on the toilet, pee in the toilet - prepositions give context. But we do not bathe in the toilet ;) . Actually most modern houses in Oz additionally have an ensuite off the main bedroom - both toilet (pedestal) and shower or even a bathtub in the one room - similar to Chinese homes that I have been in, except this room is not attached to a bedroom, and may also have the laundry in there.
Posted on: A Simple Tour of the Office
February 14, 2012 at 9:51 AM厕所/cesuo is the room, 马桶／matong is the pedestal.
Britain is not the only place where "toilet" refers to both the room and the pedestal. In Australia we also use it that way, although many young people influenced by American TV have started calling it a bathroom, although no bathing takes place there. For me a "bathroom" is the room where you have a bath (obvious?) or a shower. I understand that in the USA that the toilet is usually in the same room as the bath - true?
How culture affects meaning!
Posted on: Chinese Chess
February 12, 2012 at 5:39 AMThanks for explaining that. Never heard the term before either.
Posted on: Wheelchair Access to the Great Wall
February 8, 2012 at 4:45 AMLast time I went to Mutianyu there was no wheelchair access.
You had to go up there via a chair lft, unless you were really keen to walk the steep walk to the wall. Then when you got there it wasjust step to climb - it would be difficult to make wheel chair access without spoiling the wall structure.
Posted on: Hospitality Series 6：Buying a Handbag
March 9, 2012 at 8:12 AM{ 你说 I'm pretty sure credit card and debit card have the same meaning throghout the English speaking world.}
No, Not In Australia anyway. When you use a debit card, the money is taken from your bank account immediately. When you use a credit card, you don't have to pay anything to the credit card company until the due date, when at least the minimum payment, a % of the total, must at least be paid.
With a debit card, the money is debited. With a credit card, you have a credit limit.