Archive for January 8th, 2008

Cri – Lesson 8

Tuesday, January 8th, 2008

S: Hi everybody, Woshi Stuart. dajia hao!
M: Woshi ML. 大家好!
S: Pencil and paper ready? Hao! Don’t forget to say the Chinese out loud with us.
M: This lesson is a quick revision of what we learnt this week, with a few new things. 现在我们开始。Now we start. Xianzai, ‘now’, xianzai.
S: Xianzai XIAN ZAI, xianzai. women kaishi, we start.
M: I ask Stuart if he’s tired. Listen for the little 吗 MA, ma, at the end, which makes a question. Stuart, 你累吗?nǐ lèi ma?
S: 是的,我很累. Yes, I’m very tired. Shi de, wǒ hěn lèi.
M: 好, 我们走吧. Ok, we’ll go. Hao, women zou ba.
S: Hao, women zou. Women zou.
S: We’re still here at the airport, and we need to practice YOURS or YOUR and MY and MINE, and WHERE, THERE and HERE.
M: Stuart, where’s your luggage? 你的行李在哪儿?ni de xingli zai nǎr?
S: 我的行李在那儿。Wo de xingli zai nàr.
M: nǐ, you. Nǐ de NI DE nǐ de, your, or yours.
S: 我的 wode, mine, or my. 我的. Just add the little de DE, very useful word.
M: 你的行李在哪儿?Nide xingli zai nar? xingli XINGLI is luggage. Xingli. Zài nǎr? Where?
S: There. Zài nàr.
M: Where is your passport? Stuart, 你的护照在哪儿?Got it? Huzhao passport. Ni de huzhao zai nǎr?
S: 我的护照在这儿. zai zher.
M: 他的护照在这儿。 His passport is here. zai zher, here.
S: And now for a word meaning “and”.
M: 你的行李和护照在哪儿?
S: Wo de xingli zai nàr. Wo de huzhao zai zhèr.
M:和 HE Hé, ‘and’. xingli he huzhao, luggage and passport.
M: 天啊! We’re still at the 机场, airport. 我们走吧。Let’s go.
S: Hao, women zou. 天啊,我忘了!Oh dear, I’ve forgotten, tian na, tian na, oh dear. You say it at home, pretend you are in a panic. Tian na, wo wang le, I’ve forgotten. Wo wang le.
M: wo wang le. Wàng WANG wàng. 4th tone, means forget. 忘了, wàngle. The little le LE le, after a verb makes it past tense. The le has no distinct tone here.
S: Where’s the washroom? Remember the word for wash hands room? Right. 洗手间.洗手间在哪儿? Xishoujian zai nǎr?
M: Xishoujian zai nàr. It’s over there.
But, Stuart,你忘了吗?have you forgotten, ni wang le ma? 我们还在机场. We’re still at the airport. Women hai zai jichang.
S: 我知道, I know. Wo zhidao. Wo zhidao. I know. ZHI DAO, know, zhīdào. Wo zhidao.
M: 你知道吗? Ni zhidao ma? Do you know?
S: Shi de, wo zhidao.
M: So, let’s go. 我们走吧。Women zou ba.
S: 好主意。Hǎo zhúyì. Good idea, hao zhuyi。
M: So, now we go. Xianzai women zou. See you next lesson!
S: Zaijian.

(Source:english.cri.cn)

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 8

Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
 
 

Click to Watch Video Podcast

       (8月10日播出)

  韩佳: 大连经济技术开发区

  The Dalian Eco & Tech Development Zone

  位于大连市东北部,

  lies in the northeastern part of Dalian,

  距离市中心有27公里。

  27 kilometers from the city center.

  它处于环渤海经济圈的中心地带。

  It is located at the heart of the

  Bohai Economic Rim.

  是大连对外开放的起点。

  It is the starting point of Dalian’s efforts

  to open itself to the outside world.

  今天我们就要跟随车队,

  Today, along with the caravan,

  一起去看看

  we’re going to take a look

  这个全方位发展的现代化新区。

  at this modern new area, which has

  been developing in an all-round way.

  快乐学汉语,万里海疆行。

  Learn Chinese the fun way and

  enjoy a happy journey across China!

  大家好,我是快乐的韩佳。

  Hello! I’m Merry Han Jia.

  那我们现在呢

  Right now, we’re driving

  正在去往大连开发区的路上。

  along the road to the Dalian Eco

  & Tech Development Zone.

  对了。

  Oh, yeah.

  前面这个路口,怎么走啊?

  In which direction should we go

  at the crossroads ahead?

  王渊源:应该是往右。

  We should turn to the right.

  我光顾着看地图,

  I was preoccupied with looking

  at the map

  我忘了跟大家打招呼。

  and forgot to say hello to our audience.

  我是快乐的王渊源。

  I am Happy Wang Yuanyuan.

  今天由我来当韩佳的副驾驶。

  Today, I am assistant driver next

  to Han Jia, the driver.

  韩佳: 那这里呢,

  Here’s Tongniuling,

  就是大连开发区的标志性区域童牛岭了。

  the landmark area of the DETZ.

  王渊源:眼前的这个飞碟造型的观景塔

  The flying-saucer-shaped observation

  tower in front of us

  就是大连开发区的最高点。

  is the highest point of the Dalian

  Development Zone.

  为了当好韩佳的好助手,

  To be a nice assistant to Han Jia,

  我昨天也做了一些准备工作。

  I did some preparations yesterday.

  韩佳: 那我说助手,

  Assistant,

  咱们就到上面去看看

  let’s go up to take a look

  大连开发区的全貌吧

  at the entire Dalian Development Zone.

  王渊源:好啊。

  Yes, Ma’am.

  看资料上说,

  Relevant data says

  大连经济技术开发区

  the Dalian Eco-Tech Development Zone

  是一个全方位发展的现代化新区。

  is a modern new area, which has been

  developing in an all-round way.

  到了这童牛岭,

  It was not until I arrived at Tongniuling

  我才终于明白了这句话的意义。

  that I finally understood the

  meaning of this sentence.

  这里自然环境优美。

  The natural surroundings here

  are beautiful.

  各种建筑错落有致。

  The various structures are arranged

  in an orderly manner.

  相信任何一个来到这里的人,

  I’m sure every visitor will,

  都会像我一样,

  like me,

  感受到大连的生机和活力。

  feel Dalian’s vigor and vitality.

  真漂亮!

  It’s so beautiful!

  我越来越喜欢大连这座城市了!

  I’m getting fonder and fonder

  of this city, Dalian!

  韩佳: 你刚才说的“越来越”

  The “yue lai yue” you said

  是汉语中常用的结构。

  is a commonly used structure.

  可以用来表示

  expressing an increase in the extent

  程度随着时间的推移而增加。

  of something over time.

  王渊源:“越来越”是汉语中常用的结构。

  ”Yue lai yue” is a commonly

  used structure in Chinese.

  表示程度随着时间的推移而增加。

  It expresses an increase in the

  extent of something over time.

  韩佳:我们举个例子来说吧。

  Let’s explain with an example.

  Tiānqi yuè lái yuè rè le

  天气 越 来 越 热 了。

  The weather is getting hotter and hotter.

  王渊源:我也来造个句子。

  Let me also make a sentence.

  韩佳: 好啊。

  Okay.

  王渊源:他跑得越来越快。

  He is running faster and faster.

  韩佳: 嗯,不错嘛。

  Oh, not bad.

  还挺会活学活用。

  You are quite capable of using

  what you’ve learned very skillfully.

  王渊源:韩佳,很多年前

  Han Jia, is it true that

  这里真的只是一个小渔村吗?

  many years ago, it was merely

  a small fishing village?

  韩佳: 对啊,想像不到吧,

  Yes, it is. You can hardly imagine

  现在这里已经发生了

  earth-shaking changes could

  翻天覆地的变化,

  have taken place here,

  成为了中国东北地区最具经济活力

  making it one of the most

  dynamic places

  和发展潜力的地区之一了。

  with the greatest potential for

  development in northeast China.

  王渊源:是啊。

  Yeah.

  我看这里很多厂房

  I find many of the factory houses

  而且很多都是非常有名的企业。

  are well-known enterprises.

  韩佳: 世界上有很多国家

  Enterprises of many countries

  和地区的企业都在这里投资。

  and regions in the world have

  invested here.

  世界500强的企业,

  Of the World Top 500,

  这里就有50家。

  50 are here.

  王渊源:那这个开发区建成多少年了?

  How long ago was this development

  zone built?

  韩佳: 你刚才说的

  The “duoshao” in “duoshao nian”,

  多少年中的“多少”呢,

  which you said just now,

  是一个疑问代词,

  is an interrogative pronoun,

  放在疑问句中。

  placed in an interrogative sentence.

  就表示询问数量。

  It expresses a question about

  the amount of something.

  王渊源:“多少”是一个疑问代词,

  ”Duoshao” is a question word,

  表示询问数量。

  that asks for the amount

  of something.

  韩佳: 举个例子来说吧。

  Let me explain with an example.

  Jīntiān lái le duōshǎo rén

  今天 来 了 多少 人?

  How many people came today?

  王渊源:韩佳,说了半天,

  Han Jia, you’ve talked for so long,

  你还没告诉我

  but you still haven’t told me

  这个开发区到底建成多少年了。

  how old this development zone is.

  韩佳: 不好意思。

  I’m sorry.

  已经建成二十二年了。

  It’s 22 years old.

  据我知道啊,

  As far as I know,

  这是中国第一个

  this has been China’s first

  由国家批准的开发区。

  economic development zone

  approved by the state.

  王渊源:哦。那咱们现在去哪儿啊?

  Oh. Now where are we going?

  韩佳: 金石滩啊。

  The Jinshi Beach.

  对了,走了这么久。

  Oh, we’ve been driving for

  quite a while.

  怎么还不到啊?

  But why haven’t we reached

  our destination?

  会不会走错路啦?你再看看地图。

  Is it that we took a wrong way?

  Take a look at the map again.

  王渊源:咱们刚才那个路口应该左转哪。

  We should have turned to the left

  at that crossroads just now.

  韩佳: 啊!

  What!

  从这里开始,

  From here,

  我们的车已经进入金石滩东部海岸景区了。

  our caravan has entered the eastern

  coastal scenic area of the Jinshi Beach.

  它是由一条长八公里的

  An eight-kilometer-long

  滨海路贯穿着。

  highway runs along the beach.

  金石滩不仅自然风光好,

  The Jinshi Beach is reputed not

  only for its scenic beauty,

  而且地质地貌非常独特。

  but also for its unique topographical

  features.

  被称为大连的后花园。

  It is called Dalian’s backyard garden.

  王渊源:金石滩,

  Jin Shi Tan-,

  这个名字起得真好!

  what a beautiful name!

  给我的感觉就是

  It gives me the feeling that

  在这个石滩上可以淘出金子来。

  gold could be extracted from

  this rocky beach.

  韩佳: 那是,这石滩上的石头啊

  That’s for sure. But the rocks

  on this beach

  比金子还贵重呢。

  are actually more precious than gold.

  王渊源:啊,真的呀?

  What! Really?

  那我可得好好看看呀。

  Then I must take a close look at it.

  韩佳: 你看你看这块岩石,

  Look,

  上面布满了巴掌大的小方格。

  the face of this stone has a lot

  of palm-size square patterns.

  像不像乌龟的壳?

  Does it look like a turtle shell?

  王渊源:是挺像的呀。

  Yes, very much so.

  这里不写着呢嘛,龟裂石啊。

  It’s all written here: Turtle Stone.

  韩佳: 错了。

  Wrong.

  这叫龟裂石。

  You should have pronounced

  it “junlie shi”.

  “龟”是一个多音字。

  The word “gui” has more than one

  pronunciation.

  在这里应该读“jun”,

  Here it should be pronounced “jun”,

  而不是“gui”。

  not “gui”

  这是特定的读法。

  This is a specially fixed way

  of pronunciation.

  王渊源:“龟”是个多音字。

  The character “gui” can be pronounced

  in several different ways.

  这里读“jun”裂石,

  Here we should say “junlie shi”

  不是“gui”裂石。

  and not “guilie shi”.

  韩佳: 这块龟裂石可是非常地珍贵。

  This turtle stone is very precious.

  王渊源:那它有什么来历呢?

  What kind of history does it have?

  韩佳: 六亿多年前啊,

  More than 600 million years ago,

  这块岩石所在的地方呢

  the location of this stone

  是一大片沼泽地,

  was a vast swampland

  那后来经过地质的变迁,

  Later through geological changes,

  这块沼泽就下沉到海底

  the swampland sank to the sea bottom

  形成了沉积岩。

  and turned into sedimentary rock.

  又经过无数的岁月,

  Then after a myriad of years,

  这块岩层露出了地表,

  this layer of rock rose and

  appeared on the ground

  就形成现在这个样子了。

  in the shape of what it is today.

  王渊源:原来它的形成

  Oh, its formation took

  有这么漫长的一个过程啊!

  such a long period of time!

  韩佳,你帮我照个相吧?

  Can you take a picture of me?

  韩佳: 行。

  Okay.

  照了啊。

  Ready.

  赏心悦目:

  大连经济技术开发区

  The Dalian Eco-Tech Development Zone

  是大连对外开放的起点

  is the starting point of Dalian’s efforts

  to open itself to the outside world.

  这里有“奇石的园林”金石滩

  The Jinshi Beach, billed as Garden

  of Queer Stones,

  有闻名中外的龟裂石

  boasts the world-famous Turtle Stone.

  在童牛岭俯瞰开发区的全貌

  Visitors at Tongniuling can have a bird’s- eye

  view of the entire development zone.

  一座全方位发展的现代化新区

  This modern new area which has been

  developing in an all-round way,

  正在展示着它日新月异的变化

  is exhibiting its never-ending changes.

  王渊源:今天我当副驾驶

  As the assistant driver for today,

  该我给观众朋友们出题了

  I am to set a question for our audience.

  (问题部分略)

  韩佳: 如果您知道答案,

  If you know the answer …

  王渊源:或者有什么意见或建议的话,

  Or if you have any opinions

  or suggestions …

  韩佳: 那就赶快按照屏幕上的方式

  Then send them to us according

  发送给我们。

  to the information on the screen.

  王渊源:明天是周末。

  Tomorrow is the weekend.

  我们可以好好地放松一下。

  We can relax to our hearts’ content.

  韩佳: 那明天同一时间,

  Tomorrow at the same time,

  请您继续锁定

  please continue to tune to

  中央电视台中文国际频道。

  CCTV International’s Chinese Channel.

  我们在周末加油站等着您。

  We’ll be waiting for you at the

  Weekend Filling Station.

  王渊源:也别忘了我们的口号:

  And don’t forget our slogan:

  合: 学说中国话,朋友遍天下。

  Learn Chinese and make friends everywhere!

         (Source: cctv.com)

China Travel-Temple of Sun Park

Tuesday, January 8th, 2008

 RitanPark, a national AAA tourist attraction and a historic site under national protection, is located on Ritan North Road, Chaoyang District, about 10 kilometers from the center of the city. It is a spot of cultural interest in classical garden. Ritan, or Temple of Sun, was built in 1530, or the 9th year of Emperor Jiajing’s reign in the Ming Dynasty. Before the People’s Republic was founded, many pieces of ancient architectures had been vandalized or stolen. In 1951, the government of Beijing decided to turn it into a park. In 1956, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Parks requisitioned surrounding lands and expanded the park to 206,200 square meters, and opened it to the public.

Ritan (Temple of Sun) is one of the five altars, famous historic sites in Beijing. It was the place where the Ming and Qing emperors worshipped the god of the Sun. It covers an area of 206,200 square meters, of which 124,273.36 square meters are covered by greenery, 4,700 square meters covered by water, and 10,357 square meters covered by ancient architectures. There are 44 ancient trees in the park. In the past few years, while maintaining its cultural traits, the park has been updated with modernized facilities.

The park has completed and opened to the public a children’s amusement park and a fishing area. Since 1992, it has attracted large numbers of tourists with activities that are rich in culture, such as music festivals, flower shows in the spring, morning exercises performances, and adoption of ancient trees.

The major attractions of the park are: the Altar,West Heavenly Gate, North Heavenly Gate, Divine Depot and Divine Kitchen, Slaughter Pavilion, Dressing Hall, sacrificial mural, the southwest scenic area, China Rose in Round Ponds, Yuxin Garden, Peony Garden, and senior citizens’ area. The altar to the sun is a west-facing square platform built of white stones. There are three Lingxing gates built of white stones on its due west, and another three respectively on its east, south, and north. Between the outer altar, which lies directly opposite the west Lingxing gates, and West Heaven Gate is a sacred road that used to be taken by the emperor when he came for offering sacrifices.

Dressing Hall: This is a square courtyard, with a three-bay south-facing main hall in the north, which is flanked by a three-bay east-facing wing hall and a west-facing one. The halls, surrounded by palace walls, were for the emperor to change his clothes or rest.

The southwest scenic area: This blends the view of South China courtyard and the plain elegance of the northern garden. In its vicinity is a 4,700-square-meter lake, on the bank of which are ancient-style waterside houses, a stone boat, and little pavilions. A curved bridge and an arch bridge span it from north to south. It is girt with a meandering path; a eastward stroll along which leads to a secluded place. The cliff beside the lake commands a view of the lake blended with the hills.

YuxinGarden: This 3,000-square-meter garden has pleasant scenery. A tortuous path runs across it in the cool shade of 40-year-old chinars with a diameter of 1 meter.

Senior citizens’ area: This area covers an area of 5,000 square meters. There are 6 stone sculptures based on folklore that stand on its west side, in keeping with the cultural atmosphere in the park. There are many kinds of trees and 300 peonies of famous species, whose fragrance pervades the area when they are in blossom. This is a beautiful, quiet, and comfortable place for senior citizens to rest and exercise.

Address: No. 6 Ritan North Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

(Source: english.visitbeijing.com.cn)