Archive for January 18th, 2008

Cri – Lesson 18

Friday, January 18th, 2008

M: Ni hao! Come and learn hanyu, with Learn Chinese Now! Woshi ML.
S: Woshi S. 今天 today jīntiān, we have lots to learn. More about making a phone call.
M: And do you remember the two words for the number ‘one’? Yes, yī yī and yāo yāo. We usually use yao for telephone numbers and such. So one two three is yao er san, not yi er san.
S: Now, qǐng, please, qǐng listen and repeat. Try to pick out the words for ‘in’, ‘do’, and ‘whose’. ML, 现在我们在哪儿?
M: We’re still in the taxi. 我们还在车里。Women hái zài chē lǐ.
S: And what am I doing? wǒ zài gàn shénme?
M: You’re making a phone call. 你在打电话。Nǐ zài dǎ diànhuà.
S: Whose phone am I using? wǒ zài yòng shéi de diànhuà?
M: 你在用我的手机。Ni zai yong wo de shouji.
S: Who am I phoning? 我打电话给谁?wo da dianhua gei shei?
M: 你打电话给玛丽。Nǐ dǎ diànhuà gěi Mǎlì.
S: 对了,我要打电话给玛丽。Dui le, wo yao da dianhua gei Mali.
M: Wow, that’s a lot of Chinese, 很多汉语. hěn duō hànyǔ. Let’s take a break and get ready to learn the new words.
S: Ready? Hao! ML, where are we now? xianzai women zai na’er? xianzai women zai na’er?
M: We’re still in the taxi. 我们还在车里。Women hái zài chē lǐ. zai che li, in the car. Zài ZAI zài here means ‘at’. The lǐ LI lǐ, means ‘in’ or ‘inside’. Zai che li, in the car.
S: And what am I doing? wǒ zài gàn shénme?
M: You’re making a phone call. 你在打电话。Nǐ zài dǎ diànhuà.
S: Whose phone am I using? 我在用谁的电话?wǒ zài yòng shéi de diànhuà?
M: Yòng shéi de dianhua? Shéi SHEI shéi, is ‘who’. Guess what 谁的,shéi de, means. Dui le, shéi de, ‘whose’. Literally, ‘I using whose phone?’ wǒ zài yòng shéi de diànhuà?
M: 你在用我的手机。Ni zai yong wo de shouji.
S: Who am I phoning? 我打电话给谁?wo da dianhua gei shei?
M: 你打电话给玛丽。Nǐ dǎ diànhuà gěi Mǎlì.
S: 是的,我要打电话给玛丽。Shi de, wo yao da dianhua gei Mali.
M: 他要打电话给玛丽。He wants to give Mary a phone call. Ta yao da dianhua gei Mali. Ta yao he wants ta yao. Yào YAO yào, to want. Ta yao da dianhua gei Mali.
S: Let’s practice this, very useful. Try to say, ‘I want to phone my Mama’.
M: Dui le. Wo yao da dianhua gei wode mama.
S: Now, I want to phone my papa.
M: Dui le, Wo yao da dianhua gei wode baba.
S: Of course, there are other words for mama and baba, but mama and baba are nice and easy!
M: Just right for finishing our lesson. Until next time, zai jian.
S: Zaijian!

(Source:english.cri.cn)

China Travel-Ruibinlou

Friday, January 18th, 2008

Ruibinlou, a restaurant offering Dalian Pie Stuffed with Meat which is a Beijing local snack, is located in Menkuang Hutong in Dashanlan, Qianmen. Set up in 1876 during Emperor Guangxu’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, it has a history of 130 years. Originally it was run by Xiao Chunxuan and his wife in Dong’an Market, and the restaurant was called Ruiminglou. It was closed down in the second generation. In 1934, two employees of it, Luo Huxiang and Hao Jiarui set up Xiangrui Restauran after their names Xiang and Rui in Menkuang Hutong and went on making Dalian Pie Stuffed with Meat. In 1986, the restaurant was rebuilt to a two-floored building and renamed Ruibinlou. In 1997, Dalian Pie Stuffed with Meat was inscribed as Famous Snack of China by China Cuisine Association, and in 1998, Ruibinlou was inscribed as Time-Honored Brand of China by the Domestic Trade Department.

  Dalian Pie Stuffed with Meat is a Beijing local snack, it looks like Dalian–money bag hanging on the waist in the old times, hence the name. It is popular because it has thin coat and rich stuffing, and is delicious and instant combination of staple and non-staple foods giving people a fill feeling. 

(Source: english.visitbeijing.com.cn)

China Travel-Duyichu

Friday, January 18th, 2008

 The restaurant was a small hut when it was set up in 1738 (the 3rd year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign in the Qing Dynasty) by a man named Li from Shanxi Province. In the 7th year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign or 1742, a small building was built to sell boiled peanuts, sugared date, aired meat and so on.   In the 17th year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign, it became famous because of the name Duyichu and the Tiger Head Plaque granted by the emperor. During Emperor Tongzhi’s reign, the restaurant added in his menu Steamed Dumpling which had thin coat, rich stuffing and tasted delicious. During the war against Japanese, it survived from closing down and suffered poor business until its rebirth when Beijing was liberated. After the Joint Public-Private Ownership reform, the restaurant moved from the south of Xianyukou to the north of it into a large building with 200 square meters in business space. Nowadays it is capable to receive two or three thousand person times per day. The Tiger Head Plaque inscribed by Emperor Qianlong is hanging in the center of the hall reads Duyichu, and another plaque inscribed by Guo Moruo is hanging in the entrance.

  Featured foods: Steamed Dumpling of Three Fresh Delicacies, Fried Triangle Rolls, Steamed Dumpling, Qianlong Cabbage, Fried Round Mass of Food

(Source: english.visitbeijing.com.cn)