Archive for July 6th, 2008

Chinese Culture – Five Famous Kilns in Song Dynasty (1)

Sunday, July 6th, 2008

The Song Dynasty (960-1279) witnessed booming development of Chinese porcelain making crafts, and porcelain making saw big achievements in terms of types, styles and firing techniques. Five kilns became outstanding during this period, namely Royal Kiln, Ding Kiln, Ru Kiln, Jun Kiln and Ge Kiln.

 

Song Dynasty, Vase, Royal Kiln

Royal Kiln: It includes the Northern Song Royal Kiln and the Southern Song kiln. The South Song kiln site was at Hangzhou. Most of its products were bowls, plates, bottles and washing vessels, most of which had no decoration and had cracks. Moreover, there were products with thin body and thick glaze.

 

 

Song Dynasty, Pot with lotus pattern, Ding Kiln

Ding Kiln: It originated in the late Tang Dynasty (618-907) and ended in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The main products of Ding Kiln in the Song Dynasty were white porcelain. In the mean time, green glaze, black glaze and brown glaze were also fired. Ding Kiln was famous for its beautiful, various decorative patterns. The plain, stamped vessels of Ding Kiln were always considered as a rarity of ceramic art.  

Source: chinaculture.org

 

 

 

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 196

Sunday, July 6th, 2008

   

 

 

                                  Click to Watch Video Podcast

旁白: 晋江隶属于泉州。

    Jinjiang is under the jurisdiction

    of Quanzhou.

    是一座历史悠久、

    It is an ancient city

    人文荟萃的古城。

    that has produced many

    talented people.

    而我们今天要去看的

    And today we’re going to see

    两处历史遗迹,

    two historical sites,

    就是平时难得一见的。

    which you’ll find extremely rare.

    相信您一定会有所收获。

    I’m sure the trip is worthwhile.

    王渊源:韩佳,你刚才说的

    Han Jia, you just said

    两处难得一见的遗迹。

    there are two rare historical sites.

    到底是什么呢?

    What are they exactly?

    韩佳: 你先别急嘛。

    Don’t be impatient.

    我先来讲讲“难得”这个词。

    Let me explain the word

    ”nande” first.

    “难得”是个形容词。

    ”Nande” is an adjective.

    就是指不容易办到、得到或见到。

    It means hard to come by,

    or rare.

    王渊源:“难得”就是指不容易办到、得到或见到。

    So “nande” means hard to come by,

    or rare.

    我听你这么一说,

    After you put it that way,

    我就更想知道了。

    now I’m more anxious to know.

    韩佳: 那我先问问你。

    Then I want to ask you first.

    你知道摩尼教吗?

    Do you know Manichaeism?

    王渊源:摩尼教?不知道。

    Manichaeism? No I don’t.

    韩佳: 那明教呢?

    Then do you know anything

    about “ming jiao”?

    王渊源:明教?好像在金庸先生的

    ”Ming jiao”? I seem to have

    heard of it

    《倚天屠龙记》里面听过明教啊。

    in the Heaven Sword & the Dragon

    Saber by Jin Yong.

    韩佳: 没错儿。

    Exactly.

    那明教就是摩尼教

    ”Ming jiao” is an ancient term

    for “mo ni jiao”,

    在中国古代时的称呼。

    Manichaeism.

    我说的两处遗迹啊,

    Of the two historical sites

    I said,

    其中一处

    one

    就是世界上非常难得一见的

    is the rare site of

    摩尼教寺庙遗址。

    a former Manichaean temple.

    旁白: 摩尼教曾经发展得非常迅速,

    Manichaeism once developed

    very quickly

    在泉州一带广泛流行。

    and became prevalent in

    the Quanzhou area.

    可是到了明代,

    But during the Ming Dynasty,

    由于种种原因

    due to various reasons,

    摩尼教逐渐衰落了,

    Manichaeism began to decline

    慢慢地转入民间,

    and gradually evolved into

    演化成了秘密宗教。

    a clandestine religion among

    the people.

    王渊源:原来摩尼教在中国的传播和发展

    Actually Manichaeism didn’t

    spread and develop

    并不是一帆风顺的呀。

    very smoothly.

    韩佳: 是啊。那到了清代,

    No. And in the Qing Dynasty,

    摩尼教就慢慢地被其他宗教所融合了。

    Manichaeism was gradually assimilated

    by other religions.

    在泉州晋江就只留下了

    All left of Manichaeism is

    这座摩尼教草庵。

    this remnant of a thatched temple

    in Jinjiang.

    王渊源:我看这座寺庙是石结构的。

    I can see this temple is

    built with stone.

    那它为什么叫草庵呢?

    Why is it called a thatched temple?

    韩佳: 相传,

    Legend has it that

    这座寺庙在九世纪初建的时候

    when this temple was first built

    in the ninth century,

    是草结构的。

    it was a built with straw.

    所以被称为草庵。

    So it was called a thatched temple.

    到了1339年的时候,

    In 1339, it was rebuilt

    才被改为石结构。

    with stone instead.

    但是“草庵”这个名字

    But the name “thatched temple”

    却一直保留下来,

    has been retained up to

    the present day

    始终没有改变。

    without change.

    王渊源:“保留”就是指保存不变的意思。

    ”Baoliu” means to continue to

    have, or to retain.

    韩佳: 没错儿。“保留”是个动词。

    Right. “Baoliu” is a verb.

    就是指保存不变的意思。

    It means to continue to have,

    or to retain.

    Zhè ge míngzi yìzhí bǎoliú dao xiànzài

    这 个 名字 一直 保留 到 现在。

    This name has been retained

    up to the present day.

    王渊源:那这座草庵是做什么用的呢?

    What was this temple used for?

    韩佳: 这座草庵里面呢

    The temple enshrines

    供奉着摩尼教的神像。

    the Manichaean god.

    别看它规模不大,

    Despite its small size,

    但是保存得却非常完整。

    this temple has been preserved

    in very good condition.

    王渊源:那我们到里面去看看吧。

    Let’s go in and have a look.

    韩佳: 好啊。

    Okay.

    渊源,你看,

    Yuanyuan, look,

    这里面供奉的就是摩尼教的神像,

    enshrined here is this Manichaean god,

    它可是摩尼教的最高神哦。

    the supreme god of Manichaeism.

    王渊源:这尊神像的造型

    The image of this god

    看起来挺特别的。

    looks very special.

    韩佳: 是啊。它的发型还有服饰

    Yes. His hair and attire

    都是波斯风格的。

    are Persian in style.

    而且因为这神像的身后呢

    Because of the carved wavy

    rays of light

    雕刻着波浪线形的光芒,

    behind the statue,

    所以人们就称它为摩尼光佛。

    people call it the Mani Buddha

    of Light.

    王渊源:那它这种造型

    Does the imagery

    有什么特殊的意义吗?

    have any special meanings?

    韩佳: 当然有了。

    Of course, it does.

    这神像身后的波浪形的光芒

    The wavy rays of light behind

    the statue

    正好就象征着

    just symbolize that

    摩尼教信奉光明的意思。

    Manichaean followers believe

    in light.

    王渊源:是这个意思。

    That’s what they symbolize.

    韩佳: 对啊。像这样的摩尼教石雕神像,

    Yes. Stone statues of the

    Manichaean god

    在全世界都是很少见的。

    like this one are extremely

    rare in the world.

    王渊源:随着历史的发展,

    With the development of history,

    摩尼教也已经成了历史。

    Manichaeism has long

    become history.

    这摩尼教遗址

    This Manichaean site

    的确是一笔宝贵的财富。

    is surely a valuable asset.

    韩佳,你今天可是说

    You said we were going

    to see

    要去看两处珍贵的遗迹。

    two valuable historical sites.

    那另外一处又是哪儿呢?

    What is the other one?

    韩佳: 告诉你吧,

    Let me tell you

    就是有着“天下无桥长此桥”称号的

    it is the Anping Bridge,which

    is known

    安平桥。

    for its incomparable length.

    王渊源:天下无桥长此桥?

    Is its length incomparable?

    那就是说这安平桥是天下最长的?

    Does it mean it is the longest

    bridge in the world?

    韩佳: 准确地说,

    To be more precise,

    它是现存中国古代最长的石桥。

    it is the longest of extant ancient

    stone bridges in China.

    全长有五千多米。

    It is 5,000 meters long.

    王渊源:那它是什么时候建的呀?

    When was it built?

    韩佳: 它始建于1138年。

    It was first built in 1138.

    一共花了十三年的时间才完工。

    Construction took 13 years.

    整座桥都是用花岗岩建成的。

    The entire bridge was built

    with granite stone.

    王渊源:那在当时来说,

    At that time,

    这可是一项浩大的工程啊。

    it must have been a very

    huge project.

    韩佳: 那当然了。

    Of course.

    这座桥光是桥墩就有三百多个。

    The bridge has more than

    300 piers.

    根据水下的地形,

    According to the different

    underwater terrain,

    桥墩的设计也不一样。

    the designs of these piers

    are also different.

    有尖的、有方的、还有楔形的。

    There are pointed, square and

    wedge-shaped bridge supports.

    当一个事物分成几项,

    When we list a number

    of things,

    我们就可以用动词“有”

    we can use the verb “you”

    把这几项分开来说,

    to mean that there are

    表示一种并列关系。

    such and such things.

    王渊源:“有”在这里指把几项分开来说,

    So “you” here means there are,

    常用于列举不同项目。

    and can be used to list different

    items in a group.

    韩佳: 比如我们刚才说的,

    Just as we said,

    Zhè xiē qiáodūn yǒu jiān de yǒu fāng de hái yǒu xiē xíng de

    这 些 桥墩 有 尖 的、有 方 的、还 有 楔 形 的。

    There are pointed, square and wedge-shaped

    bridge supports.

    王渊源:我们一般看到的桥

    We normally find

    桥墩都是一样的。

    the piers of a bridge are

    all the same.

    这样特殊的桥墩设计,

    But the differently designed

    piers here

    应该是它的一个大特点吧。

    should be a significant feature

    of this bridge.

    韩佳: 嗯,这就是它的一大特点。

    Yes, that’s a significant feature

    of the bridge.

    不过它还有一个特点。

    But it has another significant feature.

    就是在桥上建了很多亭子。

    That is, many pavilions were

    built on the bridge.

    王渊源:这是为什么呀?

    Why?

    韩佳: 据说是因为这座桥很长,

    As the bridge is so long,

    所以就在桥上修建了很多亭子,

    these pavilions built on the bridge

    这样呢可以供人们休息。

    can provide a resting place

    for the people walking on it.

    不过现在保存下来的

    But so far

    就只有少数几座了。

    only a few have been

    preserved to this day.

    王渊源:这桥的确是太长了,

    This bridge is so long that

    我们走了半天,

    after we’ve been walking

    for such a long time,

    好像离桥的那一端还很远哪。

    we seem to be still very far

    from the other end.

    韩佳: 没关系啊。

    That doesn’t matter.

    我们可以边看风景边走。

    We can watch the scenery

    while we walk along.

    这样就不会觉得远喽。

    This way we won’t feel

    the long distance.

    赏心悦目:

    晋江历史悠久

    Jinjiang has a very long history.

    是一座人文荟萃的古城

    It has been home to many talented people.

    安平桥享有“天下无桥长此桥”之誉

    The Anping Bridge is the longest ancient

    stone bridge in China.

    它设计独特 结构坚固

    Its unique design and solid structure

    体现出泉州人民的勤劳与智慧

    demonstrate the wisdom of ancient builders.

    摩尼草庵是世界少有的摩尼教遗址

    Visitors can also see the site of a rare ancient

    它依山而建 穿过岁月的尘封

    Manichaean temple

    散发着浓厚的历史气息

    built on a mountain slope.

    王渊源:在桥上建亭子,

    Building pavilions on a bridge

    这个设计倒挺人性化的。

    was quite an ergonomic concept

    of designing.

    韩佳: 是啊。

    Yes.

    这个亭子呢不光可以供人们休息,

    These pavilions are not just

    resting places,

    而且还可以告诉人们

    they can also tell people

    在桥上的位置。

    their exact position on the bridge.

    王渊源:不过按照我们这个速度,

    But according to our current pace,

    想走到桥的另一边,

    it will still take some time

    还要花上一些时间呢。

    for us to get to the other

    end of the bridge.

    韩佳: 没关系嘛。

    It doesn’t matter.

    我们先给大家出

    Let’s first set today’s

    今天的有奖问答题。

    award-winning question for

    our audience.

    然后到亭子里去休息一下,

    Then we’ll take a rest in

    a pavilion

    再继续走。

    before we continue our stroll.

    王渊源:好。问答题我来出吧。

    Okay. I’ll set the question.

    (问题部分略)

    节目的最后呢,

    At the end of the program,

    还是要提醒您,

    we 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!

    韩佳: 明天见。

    See you tomorrow.

(Source: cctv.com)

Cri – Lesson 11

Sunday, July 6th, 2008

Y: Perfect Chinese your way, in only five minutes a day. Welcome to Chinese Studio. I’m Yajie.
C: It’s good to be back.  I’m Cam.  你好 Yajie.
Y: 你好!Today we’ll learn more numbers. Before continuing with more numbers this time, let’s first review what we learned during the last two lessons, ‘cause what we are going to learn this time has an intimate relationship with them.
C: Well, during the last two lessons we learned how to say the numbers from 1 to 10 in Chinese.
Y: Cam, could you please have a try to speak them out?
C: Ok. No problem. From 1 to five they are 一二三四五 (yī èr sān sìwǔ.) Right?
Y: Exactly. Then what about those from six to ten ?
C: They are 六七八九十 (liù qī bā jiǔ shí).
Y: Great! Then we’ll learn more numbers. First let’s check our key words of the day!

 

************Key words of the day
Today we’ll learn more numbers from 11 to 100. 11. 14. 16.
************

C: Wow, that sounds challenging. Let’s get started!
Y: Ok. The numbers from 10 to 20 are very easy.  10 is shí. We learned it during the last time. The pronunciation of 10 is similar to “sh” of the English word “shield”. The second tone, 10 (shí). 11 is shi yi, 12 is shí èr, and so on.
C: shí yī, shí èr.
Y: Right! And 14 is?
C: shísì.
Y: And 16 is?
C: shí liù.
Y: you got it.  In Chinese, double digit numbers are said the same way from 20 onwards.  20 is er shi. Literally, 2 and 10. Thirty is san shi.  33 is san shi san.
C: sān shí sān
Y: 32 is san shi er.
C: sān shí èr.
Y: And 85 is bā shíwǔ.
C: bā shíwǔ.

Y: Last time we learned how to say “10 books” in Chinese? Do you still remember that, Cam?
C: Yes, it’s 十本书 (shí běn shū). 本 is a measure word, and 书 means book.  That’s easy! So I can say“我有23 本书”, I have 23 books.
Y: 我有23 本书. There is an important verb in the sentence. It’s 有. Here 有express possession. 我有, 我, I. 有, have.
Yeah, and also “我23岁”。 我 is I , and suì means year. So “我23岁” means “ I’m 23 years old”.

**********Key words reminder
19 is shíjiǔ, 47 is sìshíqī, 82 is bāshí’èr and 100 is yìbǎi. And also 我25岁,我 31岁。
**********

C: Then what about 100?
Y: It’s yìbǎi。
C: yìbǎi. My grandfather is yìbǎi suì.
Y: Really?
C: haha, I’m joking!
Y: Well, that’s it for today. Don’t forget you can win a gift by answering the question of the day in Chinese: From one to one hundred what’s your favorite number?
C: Just make a sentence! Send us your answer to chinese@crifm.com. That’s chinese@crifm.com. If you answer the question correctly, you’ll be able to win CRI prizes! You are also welcome to visit our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn, and learn Chinese anytime!
Y: Well class is over. 再见!
C: 再见!

(Source:english.cri.cn)