Archive for May 15th, 2008

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 144

Thursday, May 15th, 2008
 
 

                             Click to Watch Video Podcast

  (4月5日播出)

  王渊源:韩佳,你这是做什么呢?

  Han Jia, what are you doing?

  韩佳: 哎,你不知道吗,

  Oh, don’t you know

  我们今天要去爬长城啊?

  we’re going to climb the Great

  Wall today?

  所以我要先活动活动筋骨。

  So I’m just doing a warm-up

  before the climb.

  王渊源:长城啊?

  The Great Wall?

  你这肯定是搞错了呀。

  You must have got it wrong.

  这儿是台州的临海市。

  Here is Taizhou’s Linhai City.

  哪儿来的长城啊。

  The Great Wall isn’t here.

  韩佳: 我才没有搞错呢。

  I didn’t get it wrong.

  这儿也有一座长城。

  There is also a Great Wall here.

  王渊源:韩佳,

  Han Jia,

  我来中国不止一年、两年了。

  I’ve been in China for more

  than a couple of years.

  我怎么会不知道

  How could I not know

  中国的长城都是在北方建的呀?

  the Great Wall was built in

  North China?

  你说的我不相信。

  I don’t believe what you

  said is true.

  除非…

  Unless …

  韩佳: 除非?

  Unless what?

  王渊源:除非你让我亲眼看到。

  Unless you let me see it

  for myself.

  “耳听为虚,眼见为实”嘛。

  Words are but wind, but seeing

  is believing.

  这则谚语的意思是

  This is a saying that means

  听到的像风一样虚幻,

  words are but wind,

  亲眼看到的才可信。

  but seeing is believing.

  韩佳: 好好好。

  Good, good.

  这句俗语倒是用得恰当。

  You used this saying perfectly.

  Ěr tīng wéi xū yǎn jiàn wéi shí

  耳 听 为 虚, 眼 见 为 实 。

  Words are but wind, but seeing

  is believing.

  那我现在就带你去

  Now I’m going to take you there

  眼见为实吧。

  to let you see it for yourself.

  王渊源:好。

  Okay.

  旁白: 临海作为国家级的历史文化名城。

  Linhai is a nationally famous historical

  and cultural city.

  有着悠久的历史

  It has a long history

  和深厚的文化底蕴。

  and a profound cultural tradition.

  而我所说的江南长城呢,

  And the so-called Southeast

  China Great Wall

  就是这绵延六公里的临海古城墙。

  actually refers to the six-kilometer-long

  old city wall of Linhai.

  它保存得非常好,

  The well-preserved city wall

  到现在已经有一千六百多年的历史了。

  has a history of more than 1600 years.

  王渊源:都说“不到长城非好汉”。

  People say, “You are no hero unless

  you have climbed the Great Wall.”

  你们瞧瞧,

  But look,

  这一百九十八级台阶多陡啊!

  how steep these 198 steps are!

  看来这好汉可不是那么好当的呀。

  It seems not that easy to be

  a real hero.

  韩佳: 那当然了。

  Sure.

  这儿呢也叫“百步峻”,

  It is called 100-Step Mountain Path,

  是整个江南长城地势最险要的一段。

  the most strategically important section

  of this Southeast China Great Wall.

  怎么样,你现在亲眼看到了,

  Well, now that you’ve seen

  it for yourself,

  总该相信江南也有长城了吧?

  do you believe there is also a

  Great Wall in southeast China?

  王渊源:那当然相信了。

  Sure, of course.

  你看,那边风景多好啊!

  Look, how beautiful the scenery

  over there!

  旁白: 感受过了江南长城的险要,

  Having got a feel for the impregnability

  of this Southeast China Great Wall,

  接下来咱们就该去看看

  now let’s take a look at

  这古城墙上最有特色的一段

  the most striking section of

  this old city wall-

  江南八达岭。

  the Badaling of southeast China.

  韩佳: 渊源,你看这儿的城墙蜿蜒曲折,

  Yuanyuan, do you think

  this winding city wall

  像不像北京的八达岭长城啊?

  looks like Beijing’s Badaling

  Great Wall?

  王渊源:哎。你还真别说。

  Yeah. You’re certainly right.

  这儿真的有点儿像

  It surely looks somewhat like

  北京八达岭长城啊。

  Beijing’s Badaling Great Wall.

  也是那么雄伟。

  It is also that magnificent.

  叫“江南八达岭”很贴切。

  So calling it the Badaling of

  southeast China is quite appropriate.

  韩佳: “贴切”是个形容词。

  ”Tieqie” is an adjective.

  意思是说话或者写文章时,

  It means a word or sentence

  选择的词语或者句子

  chosen in speech or writing

  很恰当,很准确。

  is very appropriate, apt or proper.

  王渊源:“贴切”是个形容词,

  ”Tieqie” is an adjective

  有很恰当,很准确的意思。

  that means appropriate, apt or proper.

  Bǎ zhèli jiào zuò jiāngnán bādàlǐng fēicháng tiēqiè

  把 这里 叫 做 “江南 八达岭” 非常 贴切。

  Calling this the Badaling of southeast

  China is quite appropriate.

  韩佳: 虽然这江南长城在外表上

  Although the Southeast China

  Great Wall

  跟八达岭长城很像。

  looks like the Badaling Great Wall,

  但作用却不完全一样了。

  their functions were different.

  王渊源:不都是用来防御外来入侵吗?

  Were they both built to fend

  off foreign invasion?

  有什么区别啊?

  How different?

  韩佳: 这个嘛,就要说说灵江了。

  Well, I have to start with

  the Lingjiang River.

  你们看,

  Look,

  这条在古城边缓缓流过的大河呢,

  this wide river flowing slowly

  by the side of this old city

  就是临海的母亲河——灵江。

  is Linhai’s mother river-the

  Lingjiang River.

  也是浙江省的第三大河流。

  It is also the third longest river

  in Zhejiang.

  别看它现在这么平缓。

  Currently it looks slow and calm.

  到了汛期,

  But during flooding seasons,

  上游的大水会流下来,

  the torrential waters from upstream

  而下游的海水又会涨潮倒灌,

  and the rising tides from downstream

  所以沿江这一带就会发大水。

  will cause big floods along

  this river.

  王渊源:哎,我知道了,

  Now I understand

  这个江南长城

  this Great Wall of southeast China

  也有防洪的功能,对吧?

  has the function of protecting

  from floods, right?

  韩佳: 嗯,没错儿。

  Yes, exactly.

  这其实,也是它最主要的特点之一。

  In fact, this is one of its most

  important distinctions.

  人们为了防洪,

  For flood prevention purposes,

  就对沿江这一带的城墙

  the city wall along the river

  进行了特别地设计。

  was specially designed.

  王渊源:是什么特别的设计呢?

  How specially designed?

  韩佳: 比如这马面。

  For instance, it has the

  ”horse-face” buttresses.

  王渊源:马面

  Are the horse-face buttresses

  是指向外面凸出的这一部分吗?

  the protruding parts of the wall?

  韩佳: 对啊。

  Yes.

  一般的城墙都会有马面

  Most city walls have such buttresses

  主要起到军事防御的作用。

  built for the purpose of

  military defense.

  那从外面看它特别像马脸。

  Seen from the outside, they

  look like horse faces.

  所以人们就给它起了

  So people gave them

  这样一个形象的称呼。

  this figurative name.

  “形象”在这里是个形容词,

  ”Xingxiang” here is an adjective,

  意思是描述或者表达得

  meaning a figurative

  非常具体、生动。

  or vivid description.

  王渊源:“形象”在这里是个形容词,

  ”Xingxiang “is an adjective

  意思是描述或者表达得非常具体、生动。

  that means something is described

  or expressed vividly and specifically.

  那这儿的马面

  Are the horse-face buttresses here

  和其他古城墙的马面有什么区别呢?

  different from those of other

  city walls?

  韩佳: 一般城墙上的马面都是方形的。

  Most city wall buttresses are

  cubical with sharp edges.

  而沿江这一带城墙的马面

  But the buttresses of the city wall

  facing the river here

  都是弧形的。

  are circular in shape.

  这样设计呢

  Such a design

  就可以大大减小水流的冲击了。

  can alleviate the impact of the

  rushing water.

  王渊源:还真是挺巧妙的。

  The design is quite ingenious.

  赏心悦目:

  临海是国家级的历史文化名城

  Linhai is a nationally famous historical

  and cultural city.

  雄伟的江南长城环绕四周

  Its magnificent city wall is billed as

  the Great Wall of southeast China.

  和其他的城墙不同

  Different from other city walls,

  江南长城还有着防洪的作用

  the city wall here also functions

  悠悠青山 巍巍古城

  as a flood embankment.

  江南长城以它的古老和雄壮

  The age-old imposing city wall has become

  成为了临海深厚文化底蕴的标志

  a symbol of Linhai’s profound cultural tradition.

  王渊源:哎呀,真是没想到啊,

  Wow, I never imagined

  能在江南看到这么雄伟的长城。

  I could see such a magnificent

  Great Wall in southeast China.

  我今天也算是大开眼界了!

  It’s indeed an eye-widening experience!

  韩佳: 哎,那今天的有奖问答题

  Well, could you please

  就由你来出吧?

  set today’s award-winning question?

  王渊源:好,没问题。

  Sure, no problem.

  (问题部分略)

  好了,我们今天的节目就到这里。

  Well, that’s it for today’s program.

  我们明天同一时间不见不散。

  Let’s meet tomorrow at the

  same time.

  韩佳: 哎,还有呢。

  Hey, one more thing.

  王渊源:哦,口号不能忘。

  Oh, we shouldn’t forget 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)

China Travel – Pinyangfu Watchtower

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

The Pinyangfu Watchtower is located near the Xianren Bridge, 4 km to the northeast of Mianyang City, Sichuan Province.

 

 

The Pinyangfu Watchtower is a double-watchtower, which was built during the year from 190 to 195 in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). Both of the watchtowers have sub-watchtowers and the distance between the two is 26.19 meters. The northern one is 4.35 meters high and the southern one is 3.5 meters high.

 

The stone watchtowers, resembled wooden structures, are built by laying bricks or stones one layer upon another to six layers. The shape and material of two sub-watchtowers are similar as the main ones. Dragons, white tigers, red birds, tortoises and other animals are carved on the four corners of the cover of the watchtowers. The main content of basso-relievos on the stone railings is a picture of many horses and carts. Both the east and west side are carved with the image of a mythical ferocious animal. The four corners are carved with Hercules. On the east wall of each watchtower there are vivid frescos of hunting, a hawk holding a man, wild deer hit by an arrow and so on.

 

(Source: chinaculture.org)

Chinese Characters: abjuration (abjure, abjuring) 发誓放弃

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

abjuration (abjure, abjuring):

Chinese Pinyin: fa1 shi4 fang4 qi4

(Source: about.com)