Archive for April 15th, 2008

Chinese Culture – Qiuse Arts of Foshan(4)

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

A zhi pu lion

Zhi pu (“paper sculpting”) is another unique genre of Qiuse arts in Foshan. Zhi pu handicrafts actually include paper, cloth and lacquer sculptures. Over the past several hundred years, after many reforms and innovations, the techniques of making zhi pu handicrafts were gradually improved. Some famous items include archaized porcelain, bronze and iron ware, as well as human figures, animals, wooden and stone sculptures, redwood articles and metal art ware. It is very difficult to distinguish zhi pu artworks at Qiuse contests from real objects.

To create a zhi pu artwork, the first step is to make a clay or gesso mold and then dry it in the sun. Next, the first layer of paper is pasted to the mold, which requires much patience. During this process, the paper is torn into many small triangles, dipped into clean water to moisten, and then evenly pasted one after another to the mold. Then, the second, third and fourth layers of paper are pasted on top to obtain the desired thickness.

The third step involves carefully carving the desired patterns onto the paper cast and peeling unwanted parts off the mold. Lastly, the mold is painted. Much care is required in the pigmentation process to make the artwork as lifelike as possible.

Source: chinaculture.org

Chinese Conversation – lesson 47

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

莫理:这真是趟很棒的单车之旅。我很高兴你同意骑车。
阿丹:(看起来有点累)我开始觉得有点力不从心。
莫理:也许是那场比赛的关系。我该早点告诉你我以前是个单车快递。
阿丹:(爆胎)嘿,我爆胎了。我们停到路边换轮胎。
莫理:我有备用内胎。你有记得带打气筒吗?
阿丹:我就知道我忘了带某样东西。

Morley: This is a great bike ride. I’m glad you agreed to do it.
Dan: [Looking tired] I’m beginning to think I bit off more than I can chew.
Morley: Maybe it’s because of that race. I should told you I used to be a bike messenger.
Dan: [Gets a flat tire] Hey, I got a flat. Let’s pull over and change it.
Morley: I’ve got the spare tube. Did you remember to bring the pump?
Dan: I knew I forgot something.

(Source: wwenglish.com)

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 114

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008
 
 

  

  (2月13日播出)

  旁白: 绍兴是中国著名文学家

  Shaoxing was the hometown

  鲁迅的故乡。

  of China’s famous writer

  Lu Xun.

  在上海的时候,

  When we were in Shanghai,

  我就已经对他有了一定的了解。

  we already got some understanding

  of him.

  这次来到鲁迅的故乡,

  This time when we are in

  his hometown,

  肯定能了解更多关于他的故事。

  we’ll definitely learn more

  stories about him.

  韩佳: 快乐学汉语!

  Learn Chinese the fun way!

  合: 快乐学汉语!

  Learn Chinese the fun way!

  韩佳: 万里海疆行!

  And enjoy a Happy Journey

  across China!

  合: 万里海疆行!

  And enjoy a Happy Journey

  across China!

  韩佳: 王渊源,你怎么才来呀?

  Wang Yuanyuan, why are you

  coming so late?

  王渊源:没有,没有。

  No, no.

  我早来了。

  I came here a long

  time ago.

  韩佳: 还说没有?

  Not late?

  刚才我们可都看见你刚刚坐下啊。

  But we all saw you just

  sit down here.

  你们说是不是啊?

  Tell me, you guys,

  is that true?

  合: 没错儿。

  Yes, it is true.

  吕媛: 就说他吗?

  Did you mean him?

  韩佳: 你可不是第一次了,

  This is not your first time

  老迟到。

  to be late.

  王渊源:这个,

  That’s because

  我昨晚上睡得太晚了。

  I went to bed too late.

  所以…

  So …

  韩佳: 别找借口啊。

  Don’t try to find any excuse.

  看来你真的得跟鲁迅先生

  It seems you should really learn

  好好学习学习了。

  from Mr. Lu Xun.

  走,我先给你讲讲

  Come on, let me tell you

  鲁迅先生读书的故事吧。

  a story about Lu Xun’s

  school years.

  王渊源:三味书屋。

  ”Sanwei Study.”

  韩佳: 这里就是鲁迅先生

  This was where Mr. Lu Xun

  小时候读书的地方了。

  read books in his teenage years.

  王渊源:这名字起得真奇怪。

  This name sounds so odd.

  难道读书和吃饭一样有味道吗?

  Are books as tasty as food?

  韩佳: 还真让你给说对了。

  Yes, you are right.

  这“三味”就是比喻

  The “san wei” here means

  读书像吃饭一样。

  reading is like eating.

  读不同的书,

  Different books

  就能感受到不同的味道。

  have different tastes.

  王渊源:这还是我第一次听说呢。

  This is the first time I’ve

  ever heard about it.

  我回去读书的时候也要试试,

  When I am back, I’ll also

  try to see

  看能不能读出味道来。

  if I can find some different tastes

  in the books to read.

  韩佳: 那得等你试过之后才知道。

  You’ll only know after you

  have tried.

  鲁迅先生从十二岁开始呢,

  Starting at the age of 12,

  就在这里读书一直到十七岁。

  Mr. Lu Xun read his books

  here until 17.

  对了,你这个爱迟到的人,

  Oh, yeah, as you always

  come late,

  我带你去看一样东西。

  let me show you something.

  渊源,你看,这里有个“早”字。

  Yuanyuan, look, there is a

  character “early” here.

  这是鲁迅先生

  Mr. Lu Xun

  小时候刻在课桌上的。

  carved on the desk in childhood.

  王渊源:他没事儿刻字干吗呀?

  Why did he carve it?

  韩佳: 你听我说完嘛。

  Let me finish.

  鲁迅先生小的时候,

  When Lu Xun was a teenager,

  有一次上课迟到了。

  he was once late for class.

  被老师批评了一顿。

  He was scolded by his teacher.

  但是他没有给自己找任何借口

  But he didn’t try to find

  an excuse.

  只是在课桌上刻了一个“早”字

  He only carved the word “early”

  on his desk

  用来提醒自己。

  as a reminder for himself.

  从那以后,

  After that,

  鲁迅先生再也没有迟到过了。

  Mr. Lu Xun was never late

  for class.

  王渊源:看来,我每天定好几个闹钟,

  It seems my setting of several

  alarm clocks

  还比不上鲁迅刻了一个字。

  is no match for Lu Xun’s carving

  of a single character.

  韩佳: 那是当然的了。

  That’s for sure.

  虽然他只是刻了一个字,

  Although he carved only

  one character,

  但是在他心里面

  he made a great decision

  却下了很大的决心。

  deep in his heart.

  王渊源:你刚才说的“下”

  You just said “xia”.

  在这里指的是什么意思?

  What does it mean here?

  韩佳: 刚才我说的“下”呢

  The word “xia” I said

  在这里是作出的意思,

  means to make,

  比如说,下结论,下决心等等。

  as in make a decision or

  draw a conclusion.

  王渊源:“下”在这里是作出的意思,

  So “xia” here means to make,

  比如说,下决心。

  as in make a decision.

  韩佳: 那我们举个例子来说吧。

  Let’s explain with an example.

  Tā xià juéxīn yǐhòu zài yě bu chídao le

  他 下 决心 以后 再 也 不 迟到 了。

  He made the decision never

  to be late again.

  王渊源:那看来我也得下个决心

  It seems I also have to

  make a decision

  再也不迟到。

  never to be late again.

  韩佳: 那可得看看你的实际行动喽。

  We have to see your

  concrete action.

  王渊源:没问题,你看。

  No problem, you see.

  韩佳: 啊?

  What?

  王渊源:鲁迅后来能取得那么高的成就,

  Lu Xun later made such a

  great achievement,

  和他的勤奋刻苦也有关吧?

  was it because of his diligence?

  韩佳: 那是当然的了。

  That’s for sure.

  “勤奋”就是指不断地努力、学习。

  ”Qinfen” means diligent.

  王渊源:“勤奋”就是指不断地努力、学习。

  ”Qinfen” means diligent.

  那我也要跟鲁迅先生学习,

  Then I’ll learn from Mr.

  Lu Xun

  勤奋刻苦地学习汉语。

  and learn Chinese diligently.

  韩佳: 其实,鲁迅先生

  Actually, Mr. Lu Xun

  这么勤奋刻苦地读书,

  studies so diligently

  跟他的家境非常有关。

  also because of his

  family background.

  他小时候,

  When he was a small child,

  家里环境并不是很好。

  his family financial condition

  wasn’t very good.

  他很小就开始帮家里做事儿。

  He started helping with the family

  chores early as child.

  所以,他比一般的孩子

  So he was a lot more mature

  都要懂事得多。

  than other children.

  对自己的要求也更加严格。

  He was also very strict

  with himself.

  鲁迅的母亲和他的祖母

  Lu Xun’s mother and grandmother

  都非常爱护他。

  loved him very much.

  那他小时候最喜欢的一件事情呢,

  One of the things he enjoyed

  most in childhood

  就是坐在这棵桂花树底下,

  was to sit under this

  cinnamon tree

  听他的祖母

  and hear his grandmother

  给他讲各种各样的民间故事。

  tell him all kinds of folk tales.

  王渊源:我小时候,

  When I was small,

  也特别喜欢听老人讲故事。

  I also liked to hear old

  people tell stories.

  韩佳: 那鲁迅跟他的母亲

  Lu Xun had an even

  deeper affection

  感情就更深了。

  for his mother.

  连“鲁迅”这个名字,

  Even the name, Lu Xun,

  都跟他母亲有关。

  had something to do with

  his mother.

  因为他母亲姓鲁,

  As his mother’s family

  name was Lu,

  所以他才起了这个笔名。

  he gave himself this penname.

  目的就是要纪念他母亲。

  He did this to memorize

  his mother.

  王渊源:这个我知道。

  This I know.

  鲁迅是他的笔名。

  Lu Xun is his penname.

  他的原名叫周树人。

  His original name is

  Zhou Shuren.

  韩佳: 可以啊,渊源!

  Hey, great, Yuanyuan!

  你连这个都知道。

  You even knew this.

  那我刚才说的“连 … 都 …”呢,

  I just said “lian … dou …”.

  这是一个常用的结构。

  It is a frequently used structure.

  “连”是个介词,

  ”Lian” is a preposition

  用来强调后面的人或者是事。

  meaning “even” for emphasis.

  王渊源:“连 … 都 …”这个结构

  So using “lian … dou …”

  structure in Chinese

  和“even”在英文里的结构相似。

  is similar to saying “even”

  in English.

  韩佳: 那我们举个例子来说吧。

  Let’s explain with an example.

  Zhēn méi xiǎng dao nǐ lián lǔxùn xiānsheng de yuán míng

  dōu zhīdao

  真 没 想 到 你 连 鲁迅 先生 的 原 名

  都 知道。

  I never imagined that you even knew

  Lu Xun’s original name.

  王渊源:今天可真是一个好机会,

  Today was indeed a very

  good opportunity

  让我加深了

  for me to deepen

  对鲁迅先生的了解。

  my understanding of Mr.

  Lu Xun.

  韩佳: 那我们继续再去了解了解吧。

  Then let’s continue to deepen

  our understanding.

  王渊源:没想到,这屋子后面

  To my amazement, behind

  this house,

  还有一个小园子呢。

  there could be such a

  small garden.

  韩佳: 对呀。

  Right.

  这里就是鲁迅先生

  This was the place Mr.

  Lu Xun

  小时候最喜欢来玩儿的地方了。

  liked most to play around.

  叫百草园。

  It’s called Baicao Garden.

  你看,那边墙上

  Look, on the wall over there,

  还写着一篇鲁迅先生的文章。

  there’s even an essay by

  Mr. Lu Xun.

  这篇文章的名字呢

  The title of this essay

  is called

  叫《从百草园到三味书屋》。

  ”From Baicao Garden to

  Sanwei Study”.

  主要写的就是

  What’s written in it is

  mainly about

  鲁迅先生小时候在百草园玩儿,

  how Mr. Lu Xun played in

  Baicao Garden and

  和在三味书屋读书的情况。

  read books in Sanwei Study

  in his teen years.

  王渊源:我觉得这个园子

  I’m sure this garden

  肯定给他的童年

  must have given a lot

  带去了很多快乐。

  of fun to his childhood.

  韩佳: 没错儿。

  Absolutely.

  鲁迅先生对他的故乡、

  Mr. Lu Xun thought fondly

  对他的童年都是非常怀念的。

  of his hometown and childhood.

  那现在就请您跟随我们的镜头,

  Now let’s follow our camera

  再次走进鲁迅先生的故乡吧。

  and take another look at Mr.

  Lu Xun’s hometown.

  赏心悦目:

  绍兴自古出名人

  Shaoxing has been home to famous people

  since ancient times.

  鲁迅便是其中最杰出的代表

  The most outstanding of them was Lu Xun.

  江南的灵秀之气

  It was the town’s charm and beauty

  孕育出中国的一代文豪

  that had nourished this great Chinese writer.

  百草园 三味书屋

  Baicao Garden and Sanwei Study,

  作品中描写的境地

  which frequently appear in his works,

  一一展现在人们眼前

  have become tourist attractions today.

  从保存完好的故居

  The well-preserved residence of Lu Xun

  可见鲁迅往日的生活

  helps people understand his life in

  those years.

  韩佳: 好了,

  Well,

  今天节目结束的时间又该到了。

  it’s time again to end today’s program.

  不知道您对鲁迅先生

  I wonder if you have

  increased your

  是不是又多了几分了解呢。

  understanding of Mr. Lu Xun.

  王渊源:我可是不仅

  I myself have not only gained

  对鲁迅了解得更多,

  some more understanding

  of Lu Xun,

  而且还有实际行动呢。

  but also shown some

  concrete action.

  韩佳: 你就别提你这实际行动了。

  Don’t mention your concrete action.

  赶快来给大家出

  Hurry up and set

  今天的有奖问答题吧。

  today’s award-winning question.

  王渊源:好了。

  Okay.

  今天的题目是这样的。

  Here’s today’s question.

  (问题部分略)

  口号不能忘。

  Don’t forget the slogan.

  合: 学说中国话,朋友遍天下!

  Learn Chinese and make friends everywhere!

(Source: cctv.com)