Archive for April 29th, 2008

Beijing Olympic – Western Steak, Chinese Style (2)

Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

Wang Steak Restaurant works from a set menu, with your meal priced at 198 yuan per person, plus 10 percent surcharge. Whatever the price, it is a meal that food lovers are quickly finding they cannot afford to miss. A 16oz Wang Steak is very special indeed, as regular diners testify.

 It has been refined somewhat from its original recipe back in Taiwan; an example being that it is cut from between the sixth and eighth ribs of an ox. It is then marinated for two days, and cooked for 90 minutes at a temperature of 250 degrees C. The plate it is served on is heated to 120 degrees C, so be careful with your fingers.

 Inevitably, Wang dishes vary a little from place to place to meet local tastes. In the Beijing branch in Spring and Summer, for instance, you can enjoy steak-accompanying Chinese-style plum juice, a dressing you would never find at, say, Wang¡¯s Los Angeles branch.

 There are two Wang Steak restaurants in Shanghai, so regular diners there are delighted that there is now a Beijing counterpart for them to visit when in the capital. The new outlet here is already making its mark, so it is wise to make a reservation before you visit.

 Wang Steak¡¯s menu follows well-trodden paths when it comes to choices, but there is considerable innovation in the style and taste of individual items. German bread and croissants both go well with the centerpiece steak, while salads range from French smoked salmon roll to shrimp cocktail with a fruit salad.

 Soups include pumpkin with abalone, a seafood consomm¨¦ with pastry, and a corn version in a bread container. When it comes to the Wang Steak, or other mains, there is superb plum juice and good choices of side vegetables and seasonal fruits.

 Some desserts are a bit different too, but no less delectable in quality. Try the chocolate lava, the shelled cr¨¨me renversee, or the blueberry cottage pudding made superb by its orange sauce. There is the usual range of non-alcoholic drinks, though do try the iced apple vinegar or grapefruit tea.

(Source: ebeijing.gov.cn)

Chinese Characters: abed 在床上

Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

abed:

Chinese Pinyin: zai4 chuang2 shang4

(Source: about.com)

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 128

Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
 
 

                         Click to Watch Video Podcast

  (3月8日播出)

  旁白: 这些天,我们在宁波

  In the past few days,

  we were impressed

  感受到了它深厚的文化底蕴。

  by the deep cultural tradition

  of Ningbo.

  今天我们要去看看

  Today we’re going to take

  a look

  两宋时期的建筑艺术精品。

  at some architectural masterpieces

  of two Song dynasties.

  那可都是国宝级的文物呢!

  They are all national-grade

  cultural relics!

  韩佳: 怎么样?

  What do you think?

  听起来很有吸引力吧?

  Does it sound appealing to you?

  王渊源:是啊。

  Yes.

  我来中国这些年,

  In the years since I came

  to China,

  去过很多地方,

  I’ve been to many places

  也看过不少古迹。

  and seen a lot of historical relics.

  不过大部分

  But most of them

  都是明清时期留下来的。

  were left from the Ming and

  Qing dynasties.

  至于两宋时期的古迹嘛,

  As for ancient relics from

  the Song Dynasty,

  我还真没怎么见过。

  I have really barely seen

  any at all.

  所以呀,

  So,

  今天不管大家怎么想,

  no matter what our audience thinks,

  反正我今天是非看不可。

  I want to take a look at

  them anyway.

  韩佳: 渊源,你刚才说了个“反正”。

  Yuanyuan, you just said

  ”fanzheng”.

  那你知道“反正”这个词儿怎么用吗?

  Do you know the usage of “fanzheng”?

  王渊源:这可难不倒我呀。

  You can’t baffle me.

  “反正”用来强调在任何情况下,

  ”Fanzheng” means anyway,

  结果都是一样的。

  anyhow or in any case.

  韩佳: 没错儿。“反正”是个副词,

  Exactly. “Fanzheng” is an adverb,

  用来强调在任何情况下,

  used for emphasis to mean anyway,

  结果都是一样的。

  anyhow or in any case.

  Bù guǎn dàjiā zěnme xiǎng fǎnzheng wǒ hěn gǎn xìngqu

  不 管 大家 怎么 想, 反正 我 很 感 兴趣。

  No matter what everybody thinks,

  I’m interested anyway.

  渊源,你看,

  Yuanyuan, look,

  前面就是我们今天的第一站保国寺了。

  up ahead is our today’s first stop-

  Baoguo Temple.

  旁白: 走进保国寺之后

  It was not until I entered

  Baoguo Temple

  我才发现,

  that I found that

  这里虽然是座寺庙,

  although this is a Buddhist temple,

  但现在已经看不到

  I can’t see any

  烧香拜佛的人了。

  incense-burning worshipers any more.

  而成了一座古建筑博物馆。

  It has already become an ancient

  architecture museum.

  嘉宾: 保国寺始创于东汉。

  Baoguo Temple was first built

  in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

  现在占地面积

  It covers an area

  大概有一万三千八百多平方米。

  of about 13,800 square meters.

  主要是由宋、明、清

  It is mainly comprised of structures

  三个朝代的建筑组合而成。

  from the Song, Ming and

  Qing dynasties.

  主要的建筑

  All the major structures are

  全部都是在一条中轴线上面。

  centered along this central axis.

  主要有天王殿、大殿、观音殿,

  They include the Heaven King Hall,

  the Main Hall, the Goddess of Mercy Hall

  还有藏经楼。

  and the Scripture Storing Tower.

  王渊源:这个是不是就是大殿?

  Is this the Main Hall?

  嘉宾: 对,这个就是大殿了。

  Yes, this is the Main Hall.

  它是北宋时候建造的。

  It was built during the Northern

  Song Dynasty.

  现在是中国江南地区现存最古老、

  It is one of the oldest extant and

  best preserved

  保存最完善的一个木结构建筑之一。

  wooden structures in the

  Jiangnan region.

  韩佳: 这么大型的木结构建筑,

  Such a huge wooden structure

  能够在南方潮湿的环境下

  has been preserved so well

  under the humid

  保存得这么好!

  conditions in south China!

  真不简单啊!

  That’s just remarkable!

  王渊源:是啊。你刚才说的“不简单”就是指

  Yes. You just said “bu

  jiandan” means

  不平凡、不容易、了不起,对吗?

  not simple, or remarkable,

  right?

  韩佳: 没错儿。

  Right.

  “不简单”是我们常用的口语。

  ”Bu jiandan” is a common colloquialism.

  就是指不平凡、不容易、了不起。

  It means not simple or easy,

  or remarkable.

  比如,木结构的建筑

  For instance, it is really remarkable

  能够保存上千年,

  for this wooden structure

  真不简单!

  to have been preserved for

  a thousand years!

  嘉宾: 对,你们说对了。

  Yes, you’re right.

  它的确非常地不简单。

  It is surely very remarkable.

  现在里面有非常丰富的

  It is of great

  历史科学和艺术价值。

  historical, scientific and artistic value.

  走,让我们进里面

  Come on. Let’s go inside

  再去看一下吧。

  to take a look.

  王渊源:好。

  Okay.

  嘉宾: 现在,我们就进入了这个大殿了。

  Now, we’re already inside the

  Main Hall.

  这个大殿一进里面,

  In the Main Hall,

  我们会发现…

  we’ll find …

  旁白: 工作人员详细地为我们

  Our tour guide gave us a

  detailed account

  介绍了这座大殿的主要特点。

  of the Main Hall’s major characteristics.

  整座大殿呈纵长方形。

  The entire hall takes a

  rectangular shape.

  全部结构都是用

  The whole structure is joined together

  斗拱衔接和榫卯固定的。

  by mortise and tenon joints.

  三个镂空藻井和天花板

  Three hollowed caissons

  and the ceiling

  一起遮住了大殿的梁架。

  hide away the hall’s

  beam framework.

  因此,这里又被人们称为“无梁殿”。

  Therefore, it is also called

  the Beamless Hall.

  大殿内的柱子

  All the pillars here

  全部都是向中间倾斜的,

  lean inward

  这是为了加强大殿的牢固性。

  so as to strengthen the

  hall’s firmness.

  嘉宾: 它这个柱子

  This kind of pillar

  它还有一个非常好听的名字,

  has a beautiful name,

  叫瓜棱柱。

  called “gua leng zhu” – round-

  edged pillar.

  来,我们试着敲打一下它。

  Well, let’s try and tap on it.

  韩佳: 这里面是空的,

  It is hollow inside;

  这里面是实的。

  and this one is solid.

  王渊源:是啊。

  Yes.

  嘉宾: 对了。它是一实一空的。

  Right. One is hollow and

  one is solid.

  是拼和起来的。

  The pillar is made of wood

  strips fitted together.

  这柱子是中国已知最早的拼合柱实例。

  They are known as the earliest

  pieced-together pillars in China.

  旁白: 参观完大殿,

  After visiting the Main Hall,

  热心的工作人员

  the enthusiastic tour guide

  又带我们去看了寺里其他的建筑。

  showed us around the other

  structures in the temple.

  它们都是保国寺古建筑群的一部分。

  They are all parts of the Baoguo

  Temple architectural complex.

  虽然我们还想再多看看,

  Sure we do want to see

  some more here,

  可是还有坐落在东钱湖畔的

  but a group of Southern Song

  stone statues

  南宋石刻群在等着我们呢。

  by the side of Dongqian Lake

  is awaiting us.

  王渊源:哇,真是没想到!

  Wow, I never imagined!

  韩佳: 没想到?

  Never imagined?

  你没想到什么呀?

  Never imagined what?

  王渊源:我没想到这里居然有这么多石刻。

  I never imagined there would be

  so many stone statues here.

  韩佳: 嗨,我们现在看到的

  Oh, what we are seeing

  只是东钱湖南宋石刻群的

  is only a small part of the

  Dongqian Lake

  一小部分而已。

  stone statues from the Southern

  Song Dynasty.

  王渊源:“只是…而已”?

  ”Zhishi … eryi”?

  这是什么意思啊?

  What does it mean?

  韩佳: 这个“而已”呢是个助词,

  ”Eryi” is an auxiliary word,

  通常放在陈述句的末尾。

  normally placed at the end of

  a sentence.

  我们刚才说的“只是…而已”

  Just now I said “zhishi … eryi”

  表示仅仅是这个样子,仅仅如此。

  to mean merely or only.

  王渊源:“只是…而已”,

  ”Zhishi … eryi”,

  表示仅仅是这个样子,仅仅如此。

  it’s used to express merely

  or only.

  “而已”和“that’s all”意思相近,

  ”Eryi” has a meaning similar to

  and “that’s all”,

  通常放在陈述句的末尾。

  and it’s often used at the end of

  a statement to impart finality.

  Zhèxiē zhǐshi nánsòng shíkèqún de yì xiǎo bùfen éryǐ

  这些 只是 南宋 石刻群 的 一 小 部分 而已。

  This is but a small portion of the group

  of stone statues from the Southern Song.

  韩佳: 据我所知,

  To my knowledge,

  这一带的南宋石刻呢

  these Southern Song stone

  statues here

  主要是南宋

  are mainly those located along

  the paths to the tombs

  四位宰相的墓道石刻。

  of four Southern Song prime ministers.

  它们原本是散落在

  They were scattered around

  东钱湖各个地方的。

  the Dongqian lake area.

  后来啊,人们把它们收集起来,

  Later, people gathered them together

  放在这里集中保护。

  and placed them here for protection.

  王渊源:原来是这样的。

  Oh, I see.

  那这一时期的石刻

  What are the characteristics

  都有哪些特点呢?

  of the stone statues of

  this period?

  韩佳: 那我简单地说一说吧。

  Let me tell you briefly.

  南宋石刻的造型准确、

  Stone statues of the Southern

  Song Dynasty

  表情生动,形体动作呢

  are precise in shape, vivid in

  facial expression

  也很丰富。

  and varied in body gesture.

  你看,

  Look,

  从两边的文臣、武将、

  these characteristics can be seen from

  these statues of ministers and generals,

  石羊、石马就可以看出来了。

  stone sheep and stone horses.

  而且呢,

  Besides,

  东钱湖南宋石刻的人物造型

  all the stone statues at

  Dongqian Lake

  全部都是写实风格的。

  were sculpted in a realistic style.

  王渊源:听你这么一讲,

  Hearing what you explained,

  我觉得特别有收获。

  I feel I’ve learned really a lot.

  韩佳: 是吗?

  Really?

  那我们现在只是看了一部分。

  But we’ve seen is only a

  small part.

  要是把它全部看过,

  If you see all of them,

  相信你更觉得没白来了。

  I’m sure you’ll feel the visit

  even more worthwhile.

  王渊源:那我们还等什么呢?

  Then what are we waiting for?

  观众朋友们,

  Audience friends,

  咱们一起去瞧瞧吧。

  let’s go take a look.

  赏心悦目:

  保国寺已有近千年的历史

  Baoguo Temple has a history of nearly

  1,000 years.

  是江南现存最古老最完整的木结构建筑之一

  It is one of the oldest and best preserved

  wooden structures in south China.

  阳光穿越镂空的窗棂

  The sunrays pierce through the window lattice

  洒落一地斑驳的光影

  and cast mottled shadows on the ground.

  斗拱之间巧妙衔接 高超的榫卯技法令人称奇

  The pillars and beams are joined firmly

  with mortise and tenons.

  东钱湖石刻群墓道石刻遍布

  Ancient stone statues can be found

  堪称石刻艺术遗址

  all over the Dongqian Lake area.

  石刻造型比例得当 线条流畅 精美传神

  The figures are carved in proper proportion with

  flowing lines and vivid facial expressions.

  达到了写实风格与浪漫主义的完美统一

  A perfect combination of realism and romanticism,

  是中国石刻艺术的瑰宝

  they are gems of Chinese stone sculpture.

  韩佳: 好了,看完了精彩的

  Okay, after the wonderful

  赏心悦目之后呢,

  Feast for the Eyes,

  又到了我们今天的快乐问答时间了。

  it’s the day’s joyful question

  time again.

  渊源?

  Yuanyuan?

  王渊源:没问题。我都想好了。

  No problem. I’ve already

  prepared one.

  (问题部分略)

  好了,我们今天的节目

  Well, that’s it for today.

  就要跟您说再见了。

  We have to say goodbye

  to you now.

  明天同一时间,

  Don’t forget, tomorrow at

  the same time,

  别忘了收看我们的周末加油站。

  to watch our Weekly Filling Station.

  韩佳: 最后还是要提醒您,

  Before we head out, we’d still

  want you to remember

  口号不能忘。

  our slogan.

  合: 学说中国话,朋友遍天下!

  Learn Chinese and make friends everywhere!

  韩佳: 明天见。

  See you tomorrow.

(Source: cctv.com)