Archive for April 1st, 2008

Chinese Conversation – lesson 33

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

米特还在讲电话
赛司:我以前从没有看过米特这么紧张。
爱许:嘘,我们听听看他们的对话!
赛司:我不想偷听。事实上,我觉得我们根本不需要。
爱许:没错。(指着米特)看,他的脸越来越红了。
赛司:还真的以为他的弟弟会偷车咧。我不敢相信他说我很好骗。他还准备要去筹十万块了。
爱许:真好笑。我看今天咖啡就让他请了。(他们两个都笑了)
Milt is still on the phone
Seth: I’ve never seen Milt so wound up before.
Ash: Shhh, let’s listen to their conversation!
Seth: I don’t want to eavesdrop. Actually, I don’t even think we need to.
Ash: You’re right. [points at Milt] Look, his face is getting red.
Seth: As if his little brother would steal a car. I can’t believe he called ME gullible. He was just ready to raise a hundred thousand dollars.
Ash: How funny. I guess coffee will be on him today. [they both laugh]

(Source: wwenglish.com)

Chinese Character – 典 Law

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

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Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 100

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
 
 

                           Click to Watch Video Podcast

  (1月18日播出)

  旁白: 在上海的青浦县,

  In Qingpu County of Shanghai,

  有个4.7平方公里的小镇,

  there is a small town, with an area

  of only 4.7 square kilometers,

  镶嵌在湖光山色之中。

  inlaid between scenic lakes

  and mountains.

  这就是典型的江南鱼米之乡,

  It is a typical land of plenty-

  远近闻名的千年古镇朱家角。

  Zhujiajiao, a renowned

  1000-year-old town.

  韩佳: 快乐学汉语,

  Learn Chinese the fun way!

  王渊源:万里海疆行!

  And enjoy a Happy Journey

  across China!

  大家好,我是快乐的渊源。

  Hello there! I’m Happy Yuanyuan.

  韩佳: 大家好,我是快乐的韩佳。

  Hi! I’m Merry Han Jia.

  我们今天呢

  Today we’ve arrived in

  来到了上海的朱家角镇。

  the town of Zhujiajiao

  of Shanghai.

  王渊源:小桥。

  Little bridges.

  韩佳: 流水。

  Quiet streams.

  王渊源:我们发现来了这儿之后,

  After we came here, we found

  这里的风景比画儿上还有特色。

  the scenery here is more

  than picturesque.

  韩佳: 没错儿。

  Exactly.

  这儿有特色的地方多着呢。

  There are plenty of distinct

  places here.

  那这样吧,

  I suggest

  我们今天先去体验一下

  first we should get a feel for

  朱家角古镇的衣食住行怎么样?

  the daily lives here in Zhujiajiao.

  王渊源:衣食住行?好。

  The daily lives? Okay.

  那咱们就先从“行”开始吧。

  Now let’s start with transportation.

  韩佳: 好啊。

  Okay.

  旁白: 这小镇“行”的特色。

  Transportation here is quite unique.

  一上船我们就都能感受到了,

  Once we got aboard a boat,

  we felt

  坐在小船里悠哉游哉地前行,

  sitting on a small boat is a

  leisurely experience

  就算是赶路也显得那么悠闲。

  whether you are in a hurry

  or wish to relax.

  “上海威尼斯”、“沪郊好莱坞”,

  Shanghai’s Venice and Shanghai’s

  Hollywood

  这些可都是

  are both the nicknames

  人们送给朱家角这座小镇的美称啊。

  people give to this little town.

  王渊源:在这船上,

  Sitting on the boat here

  既能体会这里的“行”,

  can better understand the means

  of transportation here

  又能参观这里的“住”。

  while also getting a glimpse

  of the houses here.

  韩佳: 你说的是小河两边的民居吧?

  Did you mean the dwellings

  on both sides of the river?

  王渊源:没错儿。

  Exactly.

  韩佳: 这可都是江南水乡

  They are all the typical

  dwelling houses

  特有的建筑风格。

  that travelers often see

  in the Jiangnan region.

  粉墙、黛瓦、小桥、流水。

  White walls, gray tiled roofs,

  little bridges and quite streams.

  王渊源:好一幅秀美的水乡景色呀!

  What a graceful water-town landscape!

  韩佳: 这个词儿用得特别好。

  You used this word perfectly.

  “秀美”就是指既清秀又美丽。

  ”Xiumei” means elegant or graceful.

  王渊源:“秀美”就是指既清秀又美丽。

  ”Xiumei” means elegant or graceful.

  韩佳: 那既然你对这里这么感兴趣,

  Since you’re so interested

  in the place here,

  咱们就去深入地了解一下,怎么样?

  how about getting some deep

  understanding of the place?

  王渊源:好啊。

  Good.

  韩佳: 先去转转朱家角的弄堂吧。

  Let’s first take a stroll along some

  of the alleys of Zhujiajiao.

  王渊源:弄堂?

  ”Longtang”?

  韩佳: “弄堂”就是指

  ”Longtang” refers to

  一种很小的街道,

  very narrow alleys,

  类似于北京的胡同。

  similar to Beijing’s “hu tong”.

  “古街幽弄”这可是

  Ancient streets and quiet

  alleys are

  朱家角闻名上海的独特景色啊。

  a distinct feature of Zhujiajiao,

  which is well known in Shanghai.

  那咱们就先探幽弄,

  Let’s see some quiet alleys

  first before

  再逛古街,怎么样?

  taking a stroll along some

  ancient streets,okay?

  王渊源:这就是弄堂啊?

  Is this one of those

  ”longtang” alleys?

  韩佳: 对啊。

  Yes.

  别看这镇子不大,

  Although this is not a big town,

  但是全镇有大大小小、

  it has dozens of such kind

  of “longtang” alleys,

  长长短短的弄堂几十条呢。

  long or short.

  王渊源:是吗?

  Really?

  啊,弄堂这么窄啊!

  Wow, how narrow a

  ”longtang” is!

  “窄”就是狭小的意思。

  ”Zhai” means narrow.

  韩佳: 那我们平时常常会说“狭窄”。

  We often say “xiazhai”.

  它的反义词就是“宽阔”。

  Its antonym is “kuankuo”

  (wide and spacious).

  这样吧,我们用“窄”来举个例子。

  Well, let’s make a sentence

  with “zhai”.

  Méi xiǎngdao zhèr háiyǒu zhème zhǎi de nòngtáng

  没 想到 这儿 还有 这么 窄 的 弄堂。

  I never imagined that there

  were such narrow lanes.

  这你就觉得窄啦?

  You think it’s too narrow?

  在这个镇子里,

  In this town,

  还有一条弄堂比这儿更窄,

  there is an even narrower alley,

  叫一人弄。

  called Yi Ren Long.

  那可是一人入弄,万夫莫开。

  One man defending the alley can

  withstand ten thousand attackers.

  两人入弄,侧身而过。

  If two persons meet in the alley, they

  have to walk sideways to get through.

  三人入弄,挤出弄外。

  If three persons want to get through,

  one has to wait outside.

  王渊源:哎呀,不会所有的弄堂

  Oh, the town’s other alleys

  都这么窄啊。

  couldn’t be all as narrow

  as this one.

  韩佳: 不会,不会。

  No, of course not.

  王渊源:那还有什么弄堂呢?

  Are there any other alleys here?

  韩佳: 哟,那可多了,

  Oh, plenty of them,

  什么杀牛弄、磨坊弄、

  such as Sha Niu Long,

  Mo Fang Long,

  书场弄那个美周弄,

  Shu Chang Long, Mei Zhou Long,

  陈家弄、陆家弄、席家弄…

  Chen Jia Long, Lu Jia Long,

  Xi Jia Long …

  王渊源:打住打住。

  Stop.

  一不留神你就说快板了。

  You started rapping before

  I knew it.

  韩佳: 是你问我的嘛。

  That’s because you asked

  me for it.

  王渊源:从窄窄的弄堂里来到古街上,

  Coming to this ancient street

  from the narrow alleys,

  果然觉得格外的敞亮、

  I do feel it’s much wider

  格外的亲切,尤其是…

  and also very intimate especially

  when I see …

  韩佳: 尤其是对面的那家小吃店,

  Especially when you see that

  eatery across the street,

  就格外亲切了吧。

  you feel very intimate.

  王渊源:你还真善解人意。

  You’re being so considerate.

  时候不早了。

  It’s been a long time.

  我们该体验“食”了。

  We’d better experience

  the food here.

  韩佳: 对。

  Yes.

  王渊源:咱们赶紧。

  Let’s hurry.

  韩佳: 赶紧到那边的

  Let’s hurry to the grain store

  隔壁的隔壁的隔壁的

  three doors next to this one

  那家米行去看看吧。

  for a look.

  王渊源:哎,去米行啊?

  Oh, a gain store?

  这个是用来称米的吧?

  A place where grain is weighed?

  韩佳: 对啊。

  Yes.

  你知道它具体叫什么吗?

  Do you know what this

  is called?

  王渊源:这个具体叫什么?

  What is this called?

  我就不知道了。

  No that I know.

  韩佳: 这个叫斗,

  It’s called “dou”,

  是中国古代

  a traditional Chinese

  用来称粮食的一种量器。

  grain measuring container.

  王渊源:这个就叫斗?

  This is called “dou”?

  韩佳: 对啊。

  Yes.

  在我们中国还有一句俗语

  There is a Chinese saying,

  是跟它有关的。

  which has something to

  do with it.

  知道是哪句吗?

  Do you know what it is?

  王渊源:是不是那个

  Is it

  “人不可貌相,海水不可斗量”?

  ”ren bu ke maoxiang, haishui

  bu ke dou liang”?

  韩佳: 没错儿。就是这句。

  Exactly. That’s the very

  Chinese saying I meant.

  王渊源:它说的“斗”就是这个呀?

  Does “dou” in the saying

  refer to this exactly?

  韩佳: 对啊。

  Yes.

  一斗也就相当于十升。

  One “dou” is equal to

  only ten “sheng”.

  那怎么可能

  How could you measure

  用这样的量器去测量大海呢?

  the ocean with this kind of

  measuring instrument?

  所以人们常常会用

  That why people often say

  “人不可貌相,海水不可斗量”

  ”you can’t judge a person by

  his appearance and

  来比喻

  measure an ocean with a

  bushel” to indicate that

  观察或者是评价一个人的时候,

  one should not underestimate

  a person’s

  不能只看外表而低估了他。

  abilities because of his

  ordinary looks.

  王渊源:“人不可貌相,海水不可斗量”,

  ”Ren bu ke maoxiang, haishui

  bu ke dou liang”

  意思是观察或者是评价一个人的时候,

  is chinese saying that used to express

  that you shouldn’t judge people

  不能只看外表而低估了他。

  just by their appearance because

  you might underestimate them.

  Rén bù kě màoxiàng hǎishuǐ bù kě dǒuliáng

  人 不 可 貌相, 海水 不 可 斗量。

  You shouldn’t judge a person just by their appearance

  because you might underestimate them.

  旁白: 在这家百年米行里,

  At this 100-year-old grain store,

  我认识了中国古代

  I learned to know about various

  kinds of

  各种收获稻米的工具。

  rice harvesting tools.

  真是佩服古人的智慧!

  Ancient people’s wisdom is

  really admirable!

  看了这么半天,韩佳也该…

  Seeing so much, Han Jia,

  don’t you think …

  韩佳: 好了,

  Okay,

  带你去尝尝朱家角的特色美食吧。

  now let me take you to have a taste

  of Zhujiajiao’s delicious food.

  王渊源:哎,这就对了嘛。

  Yeah, that’s right.

  终于可以体验

  I can finally savor

  朱家角镇的“食”了,

  Zhujiajiao’s local food,

  什么咸粽子、豆腐干、

  such as salty zongzi,

  dried bean curd,

  胡桃云片糕…

  walnut cakes …

  光听名字我就已经胃口大开了。

  Just hearing these names is

  mouth-watering.

  哎哟,这种样子

  Oh, a scene like this

  可不能让观众朋友们看见。

  shouldn’t be seen by our audience.

  导演,快看赏心悦目啊。

  Director, please cut to Feast

  of the Eyes.

  赏心悦目:

  朱家角位于上海近郊

  Zhujiajiao lies in suburban Shanghai.

  是一座历史悠久

  It is a time-honored and

  保存完好的江南古镇

  well-preserved old town in the Jiangnan region.

  万余户人家依水傍河

  About 10,000 homes flank the riverside,

  似一幅淡雅清新的水墨画

  forming an elegant and graceful ink painting.

  别具一格的建筑

  The unique houses,

  古色古香的街市

  quaint streets

  纯朴的风土民情

  and rustic folk customs

  令游人流连其中

  are always attractive to visitors.

  王渊源:您看了朱家角镇的美景,

  You’ve feasted your eyes

  饱了眼福;

  on Zhujiajiao’s scenery

  我尝了朱家角镇的美食,

  and I myself had a gourmet’s luck

  饱了口福。

  to have tasted Zhujiajiao’s

  delicious food.

  韩佳: 我猜,渊源肯定会说

  I guess Yuanyuan would

  definitely say

  今天真是不虚此行。

  he didn’t come here in

  vain today.

  王渊源:这句话点评得很到位嘛。

  That’s a very perfect comment.

  韩佳: 好了,好了,

  Okay,

  我是来给大家

  let me set

  出今天的有奖问答题的。

  today’s award-winning question.

  您听好了。题目是这样的。

  Listen carefully. Here’s the question.

  (问题部分略)

  王渊源:特别的纪念品先到先得。

  Special souvenirs will be given

  to whoever responded quickly.

  韩佳: 对,那今天的节目就到这里了。

  Well, that’s it for today.

  我们明天再见。

  See you tomorrow.

  王渊源:还有还有,

  One more thing,

  我们那句老话可不能忘。

  that old saying of ours shouldn’t

  be forgotten.

  合: 学说中国话,朋友遍天下!

  Learn Chinese and make friends everywhere!

      (Source: cctv.com)