Archive for April 18th, 2008

Chinese Culture – Cloth Art in China(3)

Friday, April 18th, 2008

The bedroom:

Cloth of different colors can also be used to create different atmospheres in the bedroom. A red woolen rug with a red gauze curtain and other red decorations can create a joyous wedding mood. On the other hand, a yellow or green bedspread can make one feel like spring is in the air.

 

1. Bed cloth art:

The most common way to change the face of a bedroom is to change the bedspread. A blue bedspread with geometric designs can add a feeling of comfort and calmness.

2. Romantic bed curtain:

A gauze curtain hanging over the bed from the ceiling to the floor makes the bedroom seem warmer and more inviting, as well as romantic. There are several ways to affix the gauze curtain: One way is to roll the curtain into a ball and hang it on either side of the bed; another is to affix a shaft from the ceiling to form a right angle with the headboard, and then string the bed curtain through the shaft.

3. Roman curtains — a brand-new view:

Roman curtains can also create a distinctive flavor in the bedroom; they can also be used on the balcony.

4. A curtain of complementary colors:

Since two parts of a curtain of the same material and design can appear somewhat dull, it may be a good idea to hang up two different curtains. This way, the contrasting curtains can create three different feelings.

Source: chinaculture.org

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 117

Friday, April 18th, 2008
 
 

                          Click to Watch Video Podcast

  (2月19日播出)

  旁白: 要说起绍兴的黄酒,

  Speaking of Shaoxing yellow wine,

  恐怕没有人不知道。

  perhaps no one doesn’t know

  about it.

  酒的度数不高,

  Its alcohol content isn’t high,

  但是却回味无穷。

  but the aftertaste lingers for

  a long time.

  坐在酒店里,

  Sitting in a wine bar

  一碟茴香豆,

  with a plate of tasty

  kidney beans

  再加上几碗黄酒,

  and a few bowls of

  yellow wine,

  慢慢地喝,细细地品,

  drinking and tasting it slowly is,

  在老绍兴人的眼里,

  in the eyes of Shaoxing locals,

  这可是一种享受!

  real enjoyment!

  王渊源:这绍兴的黄酒

  Shaoxing wine

  味道果然不错啊!

  does taste good!

  韩佳: 你可真会找地方啊。

  You are so good at

  finding places.

  这咸亨酒店呢

  The Xianheng Hotel

  是绍兴的老字号酒店,

  is an old-brand hotel

  历史非常悠久。

  with a very long history.

  再加上它

  Besides,

  经常出现在鲁迅的小说里,

  it frequently appears in

  Lu Xun’s novels,

  所以名气相当大哦。

  so it has a very big reputation.

  王渊源:那我还真是挑对了地方。

  That means I did choose

  a right place.

  韩佳: 那渊源刚才说的这个“挑”呢,

  Yuanyuan just said “tiao”.

  是我们常用的一个口语词,

  It is frequently used in

  daily conversation,

  表示选择的意思。

  meaning to choose.

  王渊源:“挑”表示选择的意思。

  ”Tiao” means to choose.

  韩佳,要不要你也来一碗?

  Han Jia, do you also want

  a bowl of wine?

  韩佳: 酒我就不喝了。

  No thanks.

  不过你刚才已经喝过绍兴黄酒了,

  But since you have drunk

  Shaoxing wine,

  那来给大家介绍介绍吧?

  can you tell us something

  about it?

  王渊源:好。这黄酒就是黄色的酒。

  Okay. The yellow wine

  looks yellow.

  韩佳: 没了?

  That’s all?

  王渊源:我就知道这么多。

  That’s all I know about it.

  还是你来吧。

  I’d better let you do the job.

  韩佳: 这绍兴黄酒啊,据说

  Shaoxing wine is said to

  从春秋战国时期开始就有了。

  have existed as early as the Spring and

  Autumn and Warring States Period.

  它是用上好的糯米以及其他配料,

  It is made of quality sticky rice

  and other ingredients

  再加上绍兴鉴湖的水,

  with water from Jianhu Lake

  经过精心的发酵,酿造而成的。

  through a process of fermentation

  and brewing.

  那至于它的味道嘛…

  And its taste …

  王渊源:这个我知道。

  This I know.

  一句话,越品越有味。

  In one sentence, the more you

  taste it, the more you savor it.

  旁白: 品过了绍兴黄酒之后,

  After tasting Shaoxing wine,

  我们对它的酿造工艺

  we developed a strong interest

  也产生了浓厚的兴趣。

  in the wine’s brewing techniques.

  于是决定去酒厂好好了解一下。

  So we decided to visit a

  local brewery.

  王渊源:好浓的一股酒味啊!

  It smells of wine so strongly!

  韩佳: 是啊。这是在干吗呀?

  Yes. What is this?

  师傅,这是酿酒工艺中的哪道工序啊?

  Sir, what procedure is it in the

  wine-making process?

  嘉宾: 这是酿酒工艺中的

  This is the stir-mixing procedure

  开耙那道工序。

  in the wine-making process.

  王渊源:开耙?

  ”Kai pa”?

  嘉宾: 对。“开耙”就是说它这个酒啊

  Yeah. “Kai pa” means to stir-mix

  with a rake

  给它冷却的时候翻动一下。

  the fermented rice.

  韩佳: 那这道工序一定非常重要吧?

  Is this procedure very important?

  嘉宾: 对。这道工序对黄酒的质量

  Yes. This procedure plays a

  significant role

  起到一定的作用。

  in guaranteeing the wine’s quality.

  所以说,一定要由

  So it must be done

  经验丰富的老师傅来做。

  by very experienced workers.

  韩佳: 那酿酒除了开耙

  In addition to stir-mixing,

  这道工序以外,

  are there any other procedures

  其他还有什么工序吗?

  in making rice wine?

  嘉宾: 酿酒除了开耙,还有浸米、蒸饭,

  There are also such procedures

  as soaking, steaming,

  还有压榨、煎酒。

  pressing and heating.

  王渊源:工序挺多的!

  There are so many procedures!

  听起来还够复杂的!

  And they sound really quite complex!

  韩佳: 对啊。

  Yes.

  渊源刚才说到的“够”啊,

  Yuanyuan just said “gou”.

  是用来表示程度高。

  It means “quite”.

  王渊源:“够”除了表示充足,

  So “gou” in addition to

  meaning “enough”,

  还有十分、彻底的意思。

  can also have a meaning

  similar to “quite”.

  (这些工序可真够复杂的。

  These procedures are really quite complicated.)

  原来这酿酒的工艺不简单。

  Actually wine making is

  no easy job.

  嘉宾: 这是我们古越龙山

  This is Guyue Longshan Company’s

  最传统的那种酿酒方式。

  most traditional brewing method.

  我们在那边还有

  We also have rice wine

  over there

  全部是机械化生产的那个黄酒生产线。

  which are all produced with machinery.

  韩佳: 是吗?

  Really?

  那我们真应该去看看啊。

  We should really go take

  a look.

  王渊源:这个我们应该去看看。

  Yeah, we should go take

  a look.

  韩佳: 好,走。

  Good, let’s go.

  旁白: 繁忙的车间里,

  In the busy workshop,

  现代化的机器

  modern machinery

  将生产效率大大的提高了。

  has raised productivity significantly.

  不过酒的好品质

  But the wine’s quality

  一点儿也不会改变。

  remains unchanged.

  王渊源:这么多酒啊!

  There is so much wine here!

  我真想打开一坛尝尝。

  I really want to open a jar and

  taste the wine in it.

  韩佳: 这里面的酒可不能喝啊。

  You can’t drink the wine here.

  王渊源:为什么呀?

  Why not?

  韩佳: 你忘了。

  Did you forget that

  刚才师傅说的前发酵之后呢

  Mr. Zhou said the wine has to

  undergo primary fermentation

  还有后发酵?

  and secondary fermentation?

  那这些酒正在这里

  The wine in these jars

  进行后发酵呢。

  is for the secondary fermentation.

  王渊源:那后发酵完了应该就可以喝了吧?

  Is it drinkable after the secondary

  fermentation?

  韩佳: 早着呢。

  Still too early.

  后发酵之后呢,

  After the secondary fermentation,

  还有压榨、煎酒、

  there are still the procedures

  of pressing, heating,

  封坛、存储之后才能喝呢。

  bottling and storing before the

  wine becomes drinkable.

  王渊源:存储?还要存多久呢?

  Storing? How long is the wine to

  be stored?

  韩佳: 一般呢要存放一到三年,

  Normally it is stored for one

  to three years

  甚至是更久啊。

  or even longer.

  酒嘛存放的时间越长,

  The longer the wine is stored,

  它的味道就越醇厚。

  the mellower the wine tastes.

  所以人们又管绍兴黄酒叫老酒。

  That’s why people also call

  Shaoxing wine “Aged Wine”.

  王渊源:“管”绍兴黄酒什么意思呀?

  What does “guan” mean?

  韩佳: 我刚才说的“管”是个介词。

  The “guan” I just said is

  a preposition.

  它跟“把”是同一个意思。

  It means the same as “ba”.

  我们平常经常会说“管…叫…”。

  We often say “guan … jiao …”.

  王渊源:“管”在这里和“把”用法相同。

  So “guan” here has the same

  function as “ba”.

  韩佳: 那我们举个例子来说吧。

  Let’s explain with an example.

  Rénmen yòu guǎn shàoxīng huángjiǔ jiào lǎo jiǔ

  人们 又 管 绍兴 黄酒 叫 老 酒。

  People also call Shaoxing

  wine “Aged Wine”.

  王渊源:看来要喝点酒还真不容易。

  It seems it isn’t really easy

  to drink some wine.

  这工艺这么讲究。

  The techniques are so intricate.

  韩佳: 是啊。

  Yes.

  不光它的酿造工艺很讲究,

  Not only are the brewing techniques

  very intricate,

  连它的包装都非常讲究。

  the packaging process is also

  very intricate.

  王渊源:对对对。

  Oh, yes.

  我今天去咸亨酒店的时候,

  When I was at the Xianheng Hotel,

  看到一些酒瓶子非常漂亮。

  I saw some very beautiful

  bottles of wine.

  韩佳: 我知道了,

  I am sure

  你看到的肯定是

  what you saw

  绍兴黄酒中的花雕酒。

  must have been the Huadiao Wine,

  one of the Shaoxing Wine brands.

  好漂亮的酒瓶啊!

  What a beautiful wine bottle!

  王渊源:真好看!

  Very attractive!

  韩佳: 您好!

  Hello!

  请问一下画这样一个酒瓶

  How many steps does it require

  大概要有几道工序啊?

  to paint a wine bottle

  like this?

  嘉宾: 这个坛子有五道程序。

  It requires five steps.

  王渊源:哪五道啊?

  What are those five steps?

  嘉宾: 第一道是要打磨、沥粉、上油漆,

  Polishing, powder dripping, varnishing,

  干了之后呢还要雕刻、彩绘。

  and after drawing, carving

  and color painting.

  韩佳: 那您能教教我们吗?

  Can you teach us?

  我们也试试。

  We also want to have

  a try.

  嘉宾: 可以的。坐吧。

  Sure. Sit down.

  韩佳: 渊源,你那儿怎么样了?

  Yuanyuan, how about yours?

  王渊源:差不多了。

  Alomst done.

  师傅,你看。

  Madam, please take a look.

  韩佳: 师傅,您看,我们这个做得怎么样?

  Madam, what do you think

  of our job?

  嘉宾: 挺好的。

  Pretty good.

  韩佳: 谢谢师傅的鼓励。

  Thank you for your encouragement.

  其实我们俩的水平

  Although our skills

  虽然很一般,

  are quite mediocre,

  但是做出来的酒坛子

  the bottles we painted

  却是很有纪念意义的。

  are certainly of commemorative significance.

  您看,快乐学汉语,

  Look, “Learn Chinese the fun way”.

  王渊源:万里海疆行。

  ”Happy Journey across China”.

  韩佳: 渊源,我们去把它埋起来吧。

  Yuanyuan, let’s bury them.

  王渊源:这个主意不错。

  That’s a good idea.

  等我们这次“万里海疆快乐行”

  After we finish this leg of

  圆满结束之后,

  Happy Journey across China,

  我们再把它挖出来,

  we’ll dig them out

  大家可以一起开怀畅饮。

  and let’s drink together.

  韩佳: 好嘞。

  Okay.

  赏心悦目:

  说起黄酒

  The mention of rice wine

  人们会很自然地想到绍兴

  would make people think of Shaoxing.

  绍兴这座古城

  The ancient city of Shaoxing

  已有两千五百多年的黄酒酿造史

  has a rice wine making history of

  over 2,500 years.

  蒸腾的热气 浓郁的酒香

  Amid hot steam and sweet smell,

  一坛坛香醇的美酒

  the jars of rice wine

  都是用世代相传的古老工艺酿成

  are all brewed with age-old traditional methods.

  醇厚芳香 远近驰名

  The mellow wine is famous both at home

  and abroad.

  韩佳: 我说渊源,你埋好了吗?

  Eh, Yuanyuan, did you bury

  them well?

  王渊源:你放心吧。

  Rest assured.

  埋得可深了。

  I buried them very deep.

  韩佳: 那埋酒的地方你还记得吗?

  Do you still remember where

  the wine is buried?

  王渊源:忘不了。

  I won’t forget.

  我还特意做了记号呢。

  I especially put a mark there.

  你可以安心地给大家

  Please rest assured and set

  出今天的有奖问答题。

  today’s award-winning question.

  韩佳: 好吧。

  Okay.

  您听好了。今天的题目是这样的。

  Listen carefully. Here’s today’s question.

  (问题部分略)

  王渊源:知道答案的朋友,

  If you know the answer,

  可以通过屏幕上的方式告诉我们。

  you can tell us according to the

  information on the screen.

  韩佳: 回答正确呢,

  If your answer is correct,

  就可以获得我们的特色纪念品一份。

  you’ll get a package of special

  souvenirs from us.

  王渊源:节目的最后,还是要提醒您,

  But before we wrap up, we’d

  still want to remind you

  别忘了我们的口号。

  not to forget our slogan.

  合: 学说中国话,朋友遍天下!

  Learn Chinese and make friends everywhere!

    (Source: cctv.com)

Chinese Conversation – lesson 50

Friday, April 18th, 2008

大多数美国人去看牙医作牙齿检查。牙医指出,一年查两次是必要的。然而,大多数人每年只看一次。美国人看牙医比世界上大多数人都勤快,但仍然有些成人从未踏进牙医诊所半步,这些人当中有些是需要牙医照料的。

Most Americans visit dentists to have their teeth checked. Dentists state that 2 visits a year are desirable. However, most people go only once a year. Americans visit dentists much more frequently than most other people in the world. Still, there are many adults who have never been inside a dentist’s office. And some of these people are in need of a dentist’s care.

(Source: wwenglish.com)