Archive for January 10th, 2008

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Cri – Lesson 10

Thursday, January 10th, 2008

M: 大家好！我是ML!
S: dajia hao! Wo shi Stuart.
M: Pencil and paper ready? Hao! 请，Please, qǐng, repeat the Chinese out loud with us.
S: First some tone practice. Remember the four tones, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th.
M: flat, up, down and up, down. Let’s try ba BA BA ba. Ready, bā bá bǎ bà. Again, bā bá bǎ bà. 很好，非常好。
S: ML, let’s try something else. Instead of 1st tone to 4th, why not 4th to 1st. You do it with ba.
M: 没问题，no problem, mei wenti. Here goes. Bà bǎ bá bā. All together, bà bǎ bá bā. Once more, bà bǎ bá bā.
S: Great. That calls for a break! Then maybe we leave this jichang!
M: At last we’re going to leave the 机场。But, 天啊，too much luggage! Stuart, 你的行李太多了! Ni de xingli tai duo!
S: 是的，我的行李太多了! wode xingli tai duo le!
M: Ni de xingli tai duo le. Tài TAI tài, means “too”, as in ‘too much’. Duo DUO, duō, means many or much. Tài duō, ‘too many’, or ‘too much’. Xingli tai duo le.
S: The little LE on the end doesn’t have any real meaning. It’s just a colloquial habit.
M：Right. Stuart, 你的行李太多了! Ni de xingli tai duo le!
S: 没问题，no problem, mei wenti. 我来拿, wo lai na. I’ll get it. Wo lai na. OOH! 太重了！tai zhong le! Wo de xingli tai zhong le.
M: Guessed what tai zhong means? 对了，dui le. Too heavy, tai zhong. Zhòng ZHONG zhong, 4th tone, zhòng. 他的行李太重了. His luggage is too heavy. Ta de xingli tai zhong le.
M: So much luggage! Now, you guys at home, follow and repeat this short dialogue. Stuart, 你的行李太多了. Ni de xingli tai duo le.
S: Wo tongyi. 我的行李太多了. Wode xingli tài duo le.
M: 你的行李也太重了。 Ni de xingli yě tai zhong.
S: Shide, wo de xingli ye tai zhong. Wo de xingli ye tai zhong.
M: Did you hear a new word? Listen. Ni de xingli tai duo le. Ni de xingli yě tai zhong le. I’m sure you did. It’s yě YE ye, 3rd tone, yě. Can you guess what it means? A clue. Too much luggage, and also too heavy. Guessed? Right. Yě yě means ‘also, or ‘as well’.
S: So, can you say, ‘Ok, you go, and I’ll also go’. Remember how to say ‘go’? Right, zǒu ZOU zǒu, or qù QU qù. So try to say ‘Ok, you go, and I’ll also go’. …..
M: Did you say，Hao, ni zou, wo ye zou. Or, Hao, ni qu, wo ye qu. Hen hao!
S: Ok, ML, it’s time for us to go now. 我们也走。We’ll also go. So, until next time, Zai jian.
M: Zai jian.
M: 大家好！我是ML!
S: dajia hao! Wo shi Stuart.
M: Pencil and paper ready? Hao! 请，Please, qǐng, repeat the Chinese out loud with us.
S: First some tone practice. Remember the four tones, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th.
M: flat, up, down and up, down. Let’s try ba BA BA ba. Ready, bā bá bǎ bà. Again, bā bá bǎ bà. 很好，非常好。
S: ML, let’s try something else. Instead of 1st tone to 4th, why not 4th to 1st. You do it with ba.
M: 没问题，no problem, mei wenti. Here goes. Bà bǎ bá bā. All together, bà bǎ bá bā. Once more, bà bǎ bá bā.
S: Great. That calls for a break! Then maybe we leave this jichang!
M: At last we’re going to leave the 机场。But, 天啊，too much luggage! Stuart, 你的行李太多了! Ni de xingli tai duo!
S: 是的，我的行李太多了! wode xingli tai duo le!
M: Ni de xingli tai duo le. Tài TAI tài, means “too”, as in ‘too much’. Duo DUO, duō, means many or much. Tài duō, ‘too many’, or ‘too much’. Xingli tai duo le.
S: The little LE on the end doesn’t have any real meaning. It’s just a colloquial habit.
M：Right. Stuart, 你的行李太多了! Ni de xingli tai duo le!
S: 没问题，no problem, mei wenti. 我来拿, wo lai na. I’ll get it. Wo lai na. OOH! 太重了！tai zhong le! Wo de xingli tai zhong le.
M: Guessed what tai zhong means? 对了，dui le. Too heavy, tai zhong. Zhòng ZHONG zhong, 4th tone, zhòng. 他的行李太重了. His luggage is too heavy. Ta de xingli tai zhong le.
M: So much luggage! Now, you guys at home, follow and repeat this short dialogue. Stuart, 你的行李太多了. Ni de xingli tai duo le.
S: Wo tongyi. 我的行李太多了. Wode xingli tài duo le.
M: 你的行李也太重了。 Ni de xingli yě tai zhong.
S: Shide, wo de xingli ye tai zhong. Wo de xingli ye tai zhong.
M: Did you hear a new word? Listen. Ni de xingli tai duo le. Ni de xingli yě tai zhong le. I’m sure you did. It’s yě YE ye, 3rd tone, yě. Can you guess what it means? A clue. Too much luggage, and also too heavy. Guessed? Right. Yě yě means ‘also, or ‘as well’.
S: So, can you say, ‘Ok, you go, and I’ll also go’. Remember how to say ‘go’? Right, zǒu ZOU zǒu, or qù QU qù. So try to say ‘Ok, you go, and I’ll also go’. …..
M: Did you say，Hao, ni zou, wo ye zou. Or, Hao, ni qu, wo ye qu. Hen hao!
S: Ok, ML, it’s time for us to go now. 我们也走。We’ll also go. So, until next time, Zai jian.
M: Zai jian.

(Source:english.cri.cn)

Posted in Chinese Lesson, learn Chinese, learn mandarin | No Comments »

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 10

Thursday, January 10th, 2008

                Click to Watch Video Podcast

      （8月15日播出）

　　旁白： 大连这座浪漫的海滨城市

　　The romantic coastal city Dalian

　　总是带给我们很多的惊喜。

　　always brings us a lot of surprises.

　　您瞧，我们现在又要出发

　　Look, we’re going to start off again

　　去老虎滩海洋公园了。

　　to visit Laohutan Ocean Park.

　　海洋公园里会有哪些可爱的动物呢？

　　What kind of lovely animals would

　　there be at this ocean park?

　　我们又会遇上什么样的新鲜事呢？

　　Would we see something interesting there?

　　如果您想知道的话，

　　If you want to know,

　　就马上跟我们一起

　　just come with us

　　开始今天的快乐之旅吧。

　　to start today’s happy journey.

　　韩佳： 啊，就是这儿了。走吧。

　　Yeah, it’s right here. Let’s go.

　　王渊源：你等等我呀。

　　Wait for me.

　　韩佳： 哎，看见前面的老虎了吗？

　　Eh, did you see a tiger ahead?

　　王渊源：在哪儿啊？

　　Where?

　　我怎么没看到啊。

　　Why, I can’t see it.

　　韩佳： “怎么”这个词

　　The word “zen me”

　　不光可以用来询问方式。

　　can be used to inquire about “how”.

　　有的时候也可以用来询问原因，

　　Sometimes it can also be used

　　inquire about the reason,

　　就相当于我们平时说的“为什么”。

　　similar to “why”.

　　王渊源：“怎么” 不光可以用来询问方式，

　　In addition to meaning “how”,

　　也可以用来询问原因。

　　”zen me” can also mean something

　　similar to “why”.

　　韩佳： 那我们举个例子来说吧。

　　Let me give you an example.

　　Tāmen jīntiān zěnme méi lái ne

　　他们 今天 怎么 没 来 呢？

　　Why didn’t they come today?

　　王渊源：哎，韩佳，

　　Eh, Han Jia,

　　你说的那个老虎啊？

　　where is the tiger you mentioned?

　　韩佳： 喏，就在那儿呢。

　　Oh, it’s right there.

　　王渊源：啊，雕塑啊！

　　Ah! Just a statue!

　　韩佳： 当然了。你以为呢？

　　Of course. What do you think

　　it should be?

　　王渊源：我还在找真的老虎哪。

　　I thought it was a real tiger.

　　韩佳： 这座虎雕

　　This tiger statue

　　可是老虎滩海洋公园里的标志性建筑。

　　is the symbol of Laohutan

　　Ocean Park.

　　王渊源：看着就有气势。

　　It looks quite majestic.

　　韩佳： 我们现在是在珊瑚馆的水下通道。

　　We are now in an underwater

　　tunnel in the Coral Hall.

　　你看，这里有一个小小的海洋世界，

　　Look, here is a small marine world,

　　里面有好多鱼。

　　where there are many fish.

　　据说这里的鱼一共有好几十种呢。

　　They say there are scores of

　　varieties of fish in here.

　　前面够热闹的！

　　What a bustling scene over there!

　　他认识我吗？

　　Does he know me?

　　怎么这么眼熟！

　　Why, he looks so familiar to me!

　　你怎么跑进去啦？

　　How did you get in?

　　那让你喂喂鱼呀？

　　How about feeding some fish?

　　这不是王渊源嘛？

　　Isn’t this Wang Yuanyuan?

　　好像他的动作有点儿笨拙。

　　He seems a bit clumsy.

　　不过第一次，表现已经很好啦。

　　But as this is his first time,

　　he is surely doing it pretty well.

　　王渊源：哎，韩佳，我回来了！

　　Hey, Han Jia, I’m back!

　　韩佳： 当潜水员的感觉怎么样？

　　How did you feel as a diver?

　　王渊源：哎呀，与鱼共舞的感觉

　　Wow, dancing with the fish

　　实在是太过瘾了！

　　was really gratifying!

　　韩佳： “过瘾”就是指满足某种特别的爱好。

　　”Guo yin” means to be

　　extremely gratifying.

　　王渊源：“过瘾”就是满足某种特别的爱好。

　　If something is “guo yin”, it means that

　　it makes us feel really really good.

　　到水下去喂鱼的感觉太过瘾了。

　　It feels really good to feed fish

　　in water.

　　韩佳： 那你这样一个庞然大物进去

　　Would a monster like you

　　不会把小鱼吓坏了呀？

　　scare the little fish there?

　　王渊源：没有啊。你刚才没看啊

　　No. Didn’t you see just now

　　我们相处得挺好的？

　　we coexisted pretty well?

　　它们特别喜欢我。

　　They extremely like me.

　　韩佳： 早知道我也进去了。

　　Had I known this earlier, I would

　　have got in there too.

　　旁白： 在极地海洋动物馆里，

　　In the Polar Marine Hall,

　　我们不光看到了可爱的动物，

　　we not only saw lovely animals,

　　还亲身体验到了南极的温度呢。

　　but also experienced the temperature

　　of the Antarctica.

　　韩佳： 好冷啊，好冷啊！

　　Cold, it’s pretty cold!

　　感觉怎么样？

　　What’s your feeling?

　　王渊源：我觉得这个地方有点儿太冷了。

　　I feel it’s so cold here.

　　韩佳： 这是极地体验区。

　　This is the Polar Experience Area.

　　你可以感受一下爱斯基摩人的感觉。

　　Here you can have an experience

　　of the Eskimos’life.

　　王渊源：这好像有点儿考验我们的耐力。

　　It seems to be a test of our endurance.

　　韩佳： 不行了。我也觉得越来越冷了。

　　I can’t bear it. I’m feeling colder

　　and colder.

　　这样吧，

　　How about

　　还是去看海洋动物表演？

　　going to see the performances

　　of marine animals?

　　要不然你再玩会儿我先走。

　　Or you continue with the fun

　　here and I go first.

　　王渊源：等我呀。

　　Wait for me.

　　旁白： 这极地的温度可不是人人都能忍受的。

　　Not everyone can withstand

　　temperatures at the poles.

　　好在我们只是短暂地体验了一下，

　　After a short spell of the experience,

　　就来到了热闹的海洋动物表演场。

　　we arrived at the exciting site of

　　marine animal performances.

　　听说这里的海洋动物们

　　We heard each of the marine

　　animals here

　　可是个个都有绝活呢！

　　can perform a stunt of its own!

　　韩佳： 这个表演场的明星

　　This performing star

　　一会儿就要出来了。

　　will come out in a moment.

　　王渊源：我知道了。

　　I know it.

　　它就是大连旅游的吉祥物

　　It is Haiwa the White Whale,

　　白鲸“海娃”呀。

　　the mascot of Dalian tourism.

　　真可爱呀。

　　it is so cute.

　　不知道这条白鲸的年龄有多大呀。

　　how old this white whale is.

　　韩佳： 渊源刚才问我

　　Just now Yuanyuan asked me

　　白鲸的年龄有多大。

　　how old this white whale is.

　　那么这个“多”加上形容词，

　　The word “duo” followed by an adjective

　　就可以用来表示询问数量或者是程度。

　　can be used to ask about the

　　amount or extent of something.

　　王渊源：“多”加上形容词可以用来表示

　　”Duo” followed by an adjective

　　can be used to

　　询问数量或者是程度。

　　ask for the extent or amount

　　of something.

　　韩佳： 说得对。

　　That’s right.

　　我们可以说有多长，有多大。

　　We can say how long, how big.

　　Zhèlǐ de shuǐ yǒu duō shēn

　　这里 的 水 有 多 深？

　　How deep is the water here?

　　您想看到白鲸的精彩表演吗？

　　Do you want to have a look at the

　　white whale’s performance?

　　那就请跟我来吧。

　　Come with me.

　　旁白： 头一次和白鲸有这么近距离的接触。

　　This is my first time to be so

　　close to a white whale.

　　感觉…真棒！

　　It feels so good!

　　真想和它拥抱一下。

　　I really want to give it a hug.

　　不过因为它的身子都在水里，

　　As its entire body is immersed

　　in the water,

　　也就只能摸摸它光滑的额头了。

　　all I can do is to touch its forehead.

　　韩佳： 啊，好乖哦。

　　Wow, you are so cute.

　　王渊源：我说韩佳，你也该给我留点儿时间

　　Hey, Han Jia, you better leave

　　a couple of minutes for me

　　让我和白鲸玩一会儿了吧！

　　to have a play with the white

　　whale, too!

　　韩佳： 凉凉的，好凉快哦！

　　It’s refreshingly cool!

　　王渊源：它真的会亲人。

　　It can really kiss a person.

　　韩佳： 你别急啊。

　　Be patient.

　　它真的很听话。你试试。

　　It is very tame. Go have a try.

　　王渊源：真不容易啊，

　　It’s been really not easy for me

　　终于轮到我和白鲸亲密接触了。

　　to finally get a chance for a close

　　contact with the white whale.

　　亲亲我，哦！

　　Kissing me, my gosh!

　　韩佳，它喜欢我！

　　Han Jia, it likes me!

　　旁白： 都说白鲸是特别聪明，

　　They all say white whales are

　　very intelligent

　　又通人性的动物。

　　and can understand us humans.

　　这不，它还即兴地伴随着音乐

　　Look, it can even dance with

　　us impromptu

　　和我们一起跳起了舞呢！

　　to the music!

　　可爱吧，精彩吧？

　　Is it cute and wonderful?

　　它的谢幕表演

　　Its performance of answering

　　the curtain call

　　也大大出乎我们的意料哦。

　　is also beyond our imagination.

　　赏心悦目：

　　老虎滩海洋公园

　　Laohutan Ocean Park

　　是大连一道亮丽的风景线

　　is a most popular tourist

　　attraction in Dalian.

　　在这里 撒播快乐的种子

　　It’s a place of fun

　　结识可爱的精灵

　　and a place of fable characters.

　　神秘莫测的海底世界

　　Here there is an amazing undersea world

　　精彩绝伦的水上表演

　　as well as wonderful aquatic performances.

　　让人们感受着轻松和愉悦的海洋文化

　　Here, holidaymakers can experience

　　the richness of ocean culture.

　　王渊源：哎呀，今天玩得太开心了！

　　Wow, what a wonderful time we

　　have had today!

　　韩佳： 是啊。

　　Yes, indeed.

　　那趁大家还没有到齐，

　　While we’re waiting for those

　　lagging behind,

　　先来给观众朋友们

　　we’d better set the award-winning

　　出有奖问答题吧。

　　question for our audience now.

　　王渊源：好的。

　　Okay.

　　（问题部分略）

　　韩佳： 知道答案的朋友，

　　If you know the answer,

　　就赶快参与我们的互动吧。

　　please join in the interaction now.

　　无限惊喜等着您。

　　Countless surprises are waiting

　　for you.

　　王渊源：还有我们的口号：

　　And also our slogan:

　　合： 学说中国话，朋友遍天下。

　　Learn Chinese and make friends everywhere!

          (Source: cctv.com)

Posted in Learn Chinese Podcast, learn Chinese | No Comments »

China Travel-Rongbaozhai

Thursday, January 10th, 2008

Rongbaozhai was located in the well-known Liulichang West Street.  It grew out of Songzhuzhai and was renamed Rongbaozhai in the 10th year of Emperor Guangxu’s reign in the Qing Dynasty (1894).  This was the place where the Chinese calligraphers and painters used to gather together and communicated with one another.

The scope of business operation of this paper store included three sections: One, marketing of specially-made papers for the use of calligraphies and painters as well as fans of various descriptions and mounted long vertical scrolls for jubilant occasions. Two, marketing of ink brushes, ink sticks, stone ink-slab cases (containing Chinese dark ink held by wet cotton), water basin, inkpad and other stationery.  Three, provision of “Bi Dan” (ink brush list).  The so-called “Bi Dan” means defining of the marketing price standard for the works of calligraphers, painters and sculptors upon recommendation by the celebrated masters, in the process of which, Song Zhu Zhai Studio would get some commissions.  At the same time, those artists who asked for “Bi Dan” service would usually buy papers, ink brushes, stone ink-slabs and other articles from the studio.  In this way, Songzhuzhai could earn a considerable and stable income every year.

At that time, the most noted southern paper store at the Liulichang was “Songzhuzhai”.  It was also well-known because this studio was assigned to produce official files and official folders for the government. Although the owners of Songzhuzhai came from a family that had produced public officials for several generations, they were not good at business.  After the Opium War in 1840, in particular, the social and economic situation was getting worse and worst and it was difficult for the store to go on as it was.  Therefore, the owner employed Zhuang Huchen, a wit of Beijing as the manager.  In 1894, its name was changed to Rongbaozhai, which means “making friends through literary works” and “Rong (Glory) being a treasure for a brand name.” And the greatest calligrapher Lu Runxiang (Number One Scholar of the Court Examination in Emperor Tongzhi’s reign in the Qing Dynasty) was invited to write the characters of “Rongbaozhai” on the plaque.

The craftsmanship of Rongbaozhai’s wood-block painting is widely known both in China and abroad.  Its master workers at the workshops are the best in the trade of art.  This Chinese traditional method of wood-block painting is so unique that no other methods of printing are comparable to it. In the past several dozens’ years, on the basis of the traditional technique, Rongbaozhai had constantly made improvement and innovation, achieving new results.  The studio is not only capable of printing small articles such as poetry tips, but also complicated technological works such as silk paintings and huge-size vertical scrolls.  The replications were often taken as genuine works.  Most famous were the “Seventy-two Poetic Notes” and the “Pouch for Twenty-Four Solar Terms” Upon their personal scrutiny, Lu Xun and Zheng Zhenduo regarded Rongbaozhai as the most outstanding one of all the paper stores in Liulichang Street.

Nowadays, Rongbaozhai has collected a lot of genuine works of the ancient as well as the contemporary calligraphers and painters or their wood-block printings of Chinese calligraphy and paintings.  Besides, the studio also provides four treasures of the study, as well as mounting, processing and repairing services for the convenience of the calligraphers and painters, thus making important contributions to promoting the art market of Chinese calligraphy and painting as well as to enhancing international interflow of culture.

At the time, even master painter Qi Baishi could not, in the presence of replications of his own works, differentiate whether they were genuine or not.  Now, the characters of “Rongbaozhai” on the plaque were written by Guo Moruo.

(Source: english.visitbeijing.com.cn)

Posted in China Travel, learn Chinese | No Comments »

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