Archive for March 16th, 2008
Chinese Character – 口 Mouth
Sunday, March 16th, 2008
Cri – Lesson 77
Sunday, March 16th, 2008
M: Dàjiā hǎo! Huānyíng nǐmen dào Xiànzài Xué Hànyǔ. Wǒ shì ML
S: Wǒ shì Stuart. Right, everybody say with ML, ‘today we learn Lesson 77’.
M: Get ready, start. Zhǔnbèi, kāishì. 今天我们学第七十七课 jīn tiān wǒmen xué dì qī shí qī kè.
S: Hén hǎo.
M: Stuart, 今天我们学什么? jīn tiān wǒmen xué shénme?
S: We are going to practice more ‘next week, next month and next year’ with lots of travel: next week – xià ge xīngqī – ML is going to Australia, next month – xià ge yuè – to New Zealand, and next year – míng nián – to Canada.
M: Lucky me!
S: Ok, now I’ll ask ML when – 什么时候 shénme shíhòu – she’s going to these places. Don’t forget, you guys at home must also ask and answer the questions out loud. Very important. Women kāishǐ. ML, 你什么时候去澳大利亚 nǐ shénme shíhòu qù àodàlìyà?
M: 我下个星期去澳大利亚 wǒ xià ge xīngqīqù àodàlìyà.
S: 你什么时候去新西兰？nǐ shénme shíhòu qù Xīnxīlán?
M: 我下个月去新西兰 wǒ xià gè yuè qùXīnxīlán.
S: Last one. 曼丽，你什么时候去加拿大？nǐ shénme shíhòu qù Jiānádà?
M: 我明年去加拿大 wǒ míngnián qù Jiānádà.
S: Did you follow ok? Hén hǎo.
M: Remember, 什么时候 shíhòu SHI HOU shíhòu, means ‘time’, shíhòu. Shénme shíhòu? ‘what time?’ ‘when?’ shénme shíhòu. It’s a more general way of saying ‘what time?’ than jídiǎn. jídiǎn refers to clock time, whereas shénme shíhòu can also refer to the day, week, month or whatever.
S: Let’s practice it a bit. Try to ask the question, ‘what time are you coming?’
M: Méi cuò. 你什么时候来 nǐ shénme shíhòu lái?
S: And, ‘What time are you going?’ …
M: Hén hǎo. 你什么时候走? nǐ shénme shíhòu zǒu? Or, you could say, 你什么时候去? nǐ shénme shíhòu qù?
S: One more. When will you return home – huíjiā?
M: Duìle. 你什么时候回家? nǐ shénme shíhòu huíjiā?
S: All correct! Congratulations. 恭喜 gōngxǐ.
S: Now, do you remember how to say ‘last year’?
M: Duìle. 去年qù nián.
S: And ‘last month’?
M: Méi cuò. 上个月 shàng ge yuè.
S: ‘Last week’.
M: Duìle. 上个星期 shàng ge xīngqī.
S: Ok, listen to a question, and tell ML you went to England last year.
M: 你什么时候去的英国? nǐ shénme shíhòu qù de Yīngguó?
S: Did you say, 我去年去的英国 wǒ qù nián qù de Yīngguó. Yes? Gōngxǐ gōngxǐ. Now, answer that you went to Canada last month.
M: 你什么时候去的加拿大? nǐ shénme shíhòu qù de Jiānádà?
S: Fēicháng hǎo. 我上个月去的加拿大 wǒshàng ge yuèqù de Jiānádà.
M: Now tell me you’ll go to the US next week. 你什么时候去美国nǐ shénme shíhòu qù Měiguó?
S: Duìle! 我下个星期去美国 wǒ xià ge xīngqī qù Měiguó.
M: Hén hǎo. nǐ xiàge xīngqī qù Měiguó. But now we’ll xiàkè.
S: Míngtiān jiàn.
(Source:english.cri.cn)
China Travel – Three Pagodas of Dali
Sunday, March 16th, 2008 |
The world-renown Three Pagodas of Dali arises on Cangshan Mountain slope, overlooking Erhai Lake within Dali of Yunnan Province.
The Three Pagodas of Dali was listed as a national key cultural relics preservation site by the State Council. The tallest of the three, Qianxun Pagoda, has 16 storeys totaling 69.13 meters (230 feet) in height. It was built more than 1,000 years ago during the Zhenguan Period in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The two smaller pagodas to its west and north, each 42.19 meters (135 feet) high with ten tiers, have a luxurious appearance with their exquisite carvings. They were built in the Five Dynasties (907-960). More than 600 rare relics of the states of Nanzhao and Dali were discovered in the three pagodas during the 1978 reconstruction, making them even more famous.
There are several different sayings about the specific construction period of the three pagodas. Historical records show that they were first built in 836. When building the tallest one, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty sent two famous architects to see to its design and construction, thus introducing the architectural arts of the central plain to Yunnan Province. Therefore, no wonder that many experts and scholars think its structure is similar to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province. Besides, it is the testimony of unification among different nationalities in ancient China.
When visiting the Three Pagodas of Dali, you’ll wonder at the super architectural techniques in ancient times. It is said that construction workers did not employ scaffolds but hillocks piled around the already built tiers, to construct higher parts. Upon completion of the pagodas, workers carried away these hillocks, and the pagodas finally showed up.
(Source: chinaculture.org)
