Archive for April 17th, 2008

Chinese Culture – Cloth Art in China(2)

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

Compared to other types of furnishings, cloth furnishings are more substantial and convenient. For example, if you change the color of your curtains and bedspread in the bedroom, the whole bedroom will take on a brand new look.

The living room

Set off by the cool-colored furniture and white walls, the living room can be decorated with bright-colored cloth artworks, such as red, orange and blue. Coordinated with bright, cool, cold and warm colors, the whole room can become more harmonious.

1. A piece of cloth can change the face of a sofa:

If the slipcover cannot be removed from the sofa, a piece of cloth can be used to cover the surface. For example, a piece of cloth with a rustic pattern that can cover the whole sofa will make it seem more casual and comfortable.

2. Same colors, different designs:

Two single cloth sofas of the same type and color can be made to look more distinct by employing different pattern designs, which can be applied in making flower-pattern cloth.

3. For a low-key lifestyle:

If you prefer a low-key lifestyle, you can build a small lounge in the living room by yourself. A corner by the French window, with a cotton rug on the floor, several cushions and pillows and a low coffee table, can make for a very comfortable reading and resting spot.

4. Creative way to use rugs:

Overlapping different rugs is another way to change the living room atmosphere. For example, a red rug the size of a coffee table can be spread on top of a white rug. Pay close attention when matching rugs of different sizes.

Source: chinaculture.org

Chinese Conversation – lesson 49

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

阿丹跟莫理坐上一台蓝色货车搭便车
莫理:真庆幸这家伙愿意载我们。
阿丹:我打电话跟卡西说了我们大约二十分钟会到礁溪。
莫理:真可惜我们不能骑这一段。
阿丹:都是我的错。我今晚会买一个打气筒。
莫理:所以我们今晚要做什么来庆祝第一天的单车之行?
阿丹:礁溪是个温泉重镇。我们可以去洗个温泉,然后去卡拉OK店唱歌喝酒。
莫理:这计划听起来不错。

Dan and Morley hitch a ride in a blue truck
Morley: I’m glad this guy picked us up.
Dan: I called Kathy and told her we’d be in Chiaoshi in about twenty minutes.
Morley: What a shame we couldn’t ride this section.
Dan: It’s all my fault. I’ll buy a pump tonight.
Morley: So what should we do tonight to celebrate our first day of riding?
Dan: Chiaoshi is a big hot spring town. We could go to one and then sing and drink at a karaoke bar.
Morley: Sounds like a plan, Stan.

(Source: wwenglish.com)

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 116

Thursday, April 17th, 2008
 
 

      (2月15日播出)

  旁白: 在中国,书法是一门艺术。

  In China, calligraphy is an art.

  从古到今,

  Since ancient times,

  中国出现过很多伟大的书法家。

  there have been many great

  calligraphers in China.

  在这些人当中,

  Of these people,

  有一个人的名字特别响亮,

  the most resounding

  那就是王羲之。

  was Wang Xizhi.

  冠男: 你知道王羲之的

  Do you know Wang Xizhi’s

  《兰亭集序》吗?

  ”Preface to the Orchid

  Pavilion Collection”?

  张梵: 知道啊。

  Yes, I do.

  那可是王羲之最有名的作品了。

  It was the most well-known

  work by Wang Xizhi.

  王渊源:韩佳,这个地方叫兰亭。

  Han Jia, this place is called

  Orchid Pavilion.

  我刚才一路上听他们提到很多次

  All the way I’ve been hearing

  people talk about

  《兰亭集序》。

  the “Preface to the Orchid

  Pavilion Collection”.

  这两个之间到底有什么关系?

  What’s the relationship

  between them?

  韩佳: 《兰亭集序》

  The “Preface to the Orchid

  Pavilion Collection”

  是中国东晋时期的书法大家

  was written by great calligrapher

  王羲之在兰亭这个地方写的。

  Wang Xizhi at Orchid Pavilion

  in China’s Eastern Jin Dynasty.

  王渊源:你刚才说的“书法大家”是?

  What do you mean by

  ”shu fa da jia”?

  韩佳: “大家”在这里是指

  ”Dajia” here refers to

  某一方面著名的专家。

  a famous expert in a certain

  area or a master.

  王渊源:“大家”在这里是指

  So “dajia” here refers to

  某一方面著名的专家。

  a famous expert in a certain

  field or a master.

  韩佳: 《兰亭集序》记录的是,

  The “Preface to the Orchid

  Pavilion Collection”

  当时王羲之和他的朋友

  records how Wang Xizhi drank

  wine and chatted

  在兰亭这个地方喝酒聊天的情况。

  with friends at Orchid Pavilion.

  王渊源:那《兰亭集序》

  The “Preface to the Orchid

  Pavilion Collection”

  肯定有什么特别之处吧?

  must be very special, right?

  韩佳: 那当然了。

  That’s for sure.

  它不光文字优美,

  Not only is the description beautiful,

  而且还展现出了

  but it also exhibits

  王羲之高超的书法水平。

  Wang Xizhi’s extraordinary calligraphy.

  被人们称为“天下第一行书”。

  It is billed as China’s best

  cursive handwriting.

  王渊源:原来是用行书写的呀!

  Oh, it was written in the

  cursive style!

  韩佳: 对呀。

  Yes.

  王羲之最擅长的就是行书。

  Wang Xizhi was best at

  the cursive style.

  被人们称为“书圣”。

  And he is known as the King

  of Calligraphy.

  旁白: 《兰亭集序》的影响力

  ”Preface to the Orchid Pavilion

  Collection” has

  真是太大了。

  exerted great influence on

  Chinese calligraphy.

  从古至今,

  Since ancient times,

  它曾经被无数人临摹过。

  it has been copied by

  countless people.

  在兰亭,还保留了不少

  Today, Orchid Pavilion still

  keeps many

  古代书法名家的临摹碑刻。

  tablets bearing imitations by calligraphers

  of throughout the ages.

  王渊源:这么多碑文!

  There are so many stone

  tablets here!

  哪篇是《兰亭集序》呢?

  Which one is “Preface to the

  Orchid Pavilion Collections”?

  韩佳: 每一篇都是啊。

  Each one of them is.

  王渊源:都是?

  Each one of them?

  韩佳: 其实,《兰亭集序》的原本

  In fact, the original “Preface

  to the Orchid

  已经失踪了。

  Pavilion Collection” has been lost.

  现在我们看到的呢

  What we see today

  都是其他的书法家

  are all works by other calligraphers

  临摹出来的作品。

  in imitation of the original.

  王渊源:看不到原本

  It is really a pity

  真是太可惜了。

  not to be able to see

  the original.

  韩佳: 是挺可惜的。

  Yes, it is.

  不过,看看这些临摹的作品

  But it is not bad

  也不错啊。

  to see these imitations.

  要知道,临摹这些作品的人

  After all, some of the imitators

  有好几位

  were also masters

  都是中国书法史上的名家。

  in the history of Chinese calligraphy.

  他们的名气也不小呢。

  They are also very famous.

  王渊源:那他们是不是写得

  Did they write

  和王羲之一模一样呢?

  exactly the same as Wang Xizhi?

  韩佳: 不说别的,

  Aside from the other characters,

  光是文章中重复出现的二十个“之”字

  just the character “zhi” that appears

  20 times

  和七个“不”字,

  and the character “bu” that appears

  seven times in the preface

  它们的样子就没有一个是相同的。

  were all written differently.

  王渊源:刚刚看了那些作品之后,

  After seeing these works,

  连我都想学习书法了。

  even I want to learn

  some calligraphy.

  韩佳: 怎么会突然有这种想法呢?

  Why did you suddenly think

  of that?

  王渊源:我觉得

  I believe

  要想更好地了解中国文化,

  to better understand Chinese culture,

  光会说中国话还不行。

  it is not enough just to

  speak Chinese.

  最好还能写一手漂亮的中国字。

  You’d better also write Chinese

  characters beautifully.

  韩佳: 那倒是。

  That’s true.

  渊源刚才说的“一手”是个量词,

  Yuanyuan just said “yi shou”.

  It is a measure word

  用来指技能或者是本领。

  for certain skills.

  王渊源:“手”是个量词,

  ”Shou” can be used as a

  measure word

  用来指技能或者是本领。

  for certain skills.

  Tā xiǎng xué xiě yì shǒu piàoliang de zhōngguó zì

  他 想 学 写 一 手 漂亮 的 中国 字。

  He wants to learn how to write

  beautiful Chinese characters.

  韩佳: 要想写好字,得多练习。

  If you want to write well, you

  would need a lot of practice.

  对了,王羲之对练字

  Oh, yeah, Wang Xizhi had

  his own way

  有他自己的一套方法。

  to practice calligraphy.

  王渊源:是吗?

  Really?

  那他是怎么练的呀?

  How did he practice?

  韩佳,你怎么带我看鹅呀?

  Han Jia, why did you take me

  here to see these geese?

  韩佳: 这你就不知道了吧。

  You obviously don’t know.

  观察鹅

  Observing geese

  是王羲之练字的一个重要方法。

  was an important method of Wang

  Xizhi to practice his calligraphy.

  王渊源:你别逗了。

  Don’t kid me.

  哪有看着鹅练字的呀?

  How could you practice calligraphy

  by observing geese?

  韩佳: 我可没有逗你。

  No, I’m not kidding you.

  王羲之爱鹅是出了名的。

  Wang Xizhi was well-known

  for his love of geese.

  他认为养鹅不仅可以陶冶情操,

  He believed raising geese was

  not only good for self-cultivation,

  而且可以从中领悟到

  it could also help people

  better understand

  书法执笔、运笔的道理。

  the technique of using the

  writing brush.

  王渊源:那他领悟到了什么呢?

  What did he get in the end?

  韩佳: 你看那块碑,

  Look at that tablet

  看看碑上的“鹅”字,

  and the character “e” on it,

  再看看那些真鹅的样子。

  as well as those real geese.

  王渊源:我知道了。

  Oh, I see.

  那个有点儿像鹅头。

  That looks a bit like the head

  of a goose.

  那个有点儿像鹅的翅膀。

  And that looks a bit look

  a goose wing.

  这种方法通过观察鹅

  This method of practicing calligraphy

  来练习书法,

  by observing geese

  我可得研究研究。

  is worthy of my study.

  你们在这里干吗呀?

  What are you doing here?

  韩佳: 渊源,

  Yuanyuan,

  跟我们一块儿玩游戏吧。

  come play the game with us.

  王渊源:什么游戏?

  What game?

  韩佳: 我们在玩儿曲水流觞。

  We are playing the wine-cup

  floating game.

  当年王羲之他们在兰亭,

  When Wang Xizhi and his friends

  were at Orchid Pavilion,

  玩儿的也是这个游戏。

  they just played this kind

  of game.

  在《兰亭集序》里面还有记载呢。

  This was recorded in “Preface to

  the Orchid Pavilion Collection”.

  王渊源:那游戏的规则是?

  What are the rules of

  this game?

  韩佳: 是这样的。

  The rules are like this.

  你看,酒杯从上游漂下来,

  As the wine cup floats

  from upstream,

  要是漂到谁的面前,

  whoever it floats to

  谁就要做诗。

  has to compose a poem.

  如果不会做诗的话呢,

  If you can’t compose a poem,

  就要把酒都喝了。

  you have to drink up the wine.

  王渊源:这难度也太大了吧。

  It is a difficult game.

  我不会做诗。

  I can’t compose poems.

  我能不能不参加呀?

  Am I allowed not to participate?

  王老师:晚了,晚了。晚了。

  It’s too late. It’s too late

  to quit.

  已经到你跟前了。

  It has already come

  to your front.

  王渊源:我真不会做诗啊。

  I really can’t compose poems.

  我真不行。

  I am not up to it.

  韩佳: 那你要不会做诗的话呢,

  If you can’t compose a poem,

  就把酒喝了吧。

  drink up the wine.

  王渊源:我酒也不行,韩佳。

  I’m no good at drinking either,

  Han Jia.

  韩佳: 既然你酒也不喝的话,

  Since you don’t drink wine,

  就只能罚你写字了。

  you have to be punished

  to write.

  王渊源:这倒还可以。

  This I can do.

  韩佳刚才说的“既然…就…”

  Han Jia just said “jiran … jiu …”

  和“since”在英文中的用法相似。

  is similar in meaning to “since”

  in English.

  韩佳: “既然…就…”这组副词呢

  The adverbial phrase

  ”jiran … jiu …”

  是用来表示因果关系的复句的。

  is used in a cause-and-effect

  complex sentence.

  那“既然”后面要加前提。

  ”Jiran” is followed by

  a precondition.

  “就”后面要加结论。

  ”Jiu” is followed by a conclusion.

  Jìrán nǐ cānjiā le yóuxì jiù yào zūnshǒu guīzé

  既然 你 参加 了 游戏,就 要 遵守 规则。

  Since you joined the game,

  you must follow the rules.

  好吧,那赶紧去写字吧。

  Okay, you’d better hurry and write.

  王渊源:这怎么写啊?

  How should I write?

  韩佳: 就这么写呀。

  Just like this.

  王渊源:那要我写多少?

  How much should I write?

  韩佳: 写完这一缸水吧。

  After you’ve used up the

  whole jar of water.

  王渊源:什么?

  What?

  韩佳: 跟你开个玩笑。

  Just kidding.

  不过,古时候的人练字

  But the ancients practiced calligraphy

  就是用这种方法的。

  just by this method.

  王渊源:看来我想学书法,

  It seems if I want to

  learn calligraphy,

  以后还得下大工夫呢。

  I’ll have to make really

  strenuous efforts.

  赏心悦目:

  王羲之被誉为“书圣”

  Wang Xizhi is regarded as the King

  of Calligraphy.

  名作《兰亭集序》流传千年

  He wrote “Preface to the Orchid Pavilion

  Collection” over a thousand years ago.

  兰亭风光优美

  The graceful Orchid Pavilion

  山水相映成趣

  has a setting of hills and water.

  令书圣文思泉涌 灵感四溢

  It gave Wang Xizhi immense inspiration.

  自古无数文人墨客临摹《兰亭集序》

  Numerous men of letters imitated

  this calligraphic masterpiece.

  仍难得其真韵

  But none of them achieved the original charm.

  矫若游龙 翩若惊鸿

  Forceful like a dragon and flying like a swan,

  龙飞凤舞 字字传神

  each of his characters was written vividly.

  不负“天下第一行书”的盛名

  He deserved the title of Number One

  Cursive Calligrapher.

  韩佳: 怎么样了,渊源?

  How is it going, Yuanyuan?

  王渊源:我刚开始还不行。

  Not very well as it’s just

  the beginning.

  以后我得更加努力。

  I’ll make even greater efforts

  in the future.

  要不你把今天的有奖问答题

  Would you please tell our audience

  告诉大家吧?

  today’s award-winning question?

  韩佳: 好吧。

  Okay.

  您听好了。

  Listen carefully.

  今天的题目是这样的。

  Here’s today’s question.

  (问题部分略)

  王渊源:别忘了明天同一时间,

  Don’t forget, same time tomorrow,

  继续收看我们的节目。

  to continue to watch our program.

  韩佳: 当然了,也别忘了我们的口号。

  Of course, either should you

  forget our slogan.

  合: 学说中国话,朋友遍天下!

  Learn Chinese and make friends everywhere!

(Source: cctv.com)