Archive for July 30th, 2008

Beijing Olympic – Shenyang Imperial Palace under overhaul

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

Shenyang Imperial Palace under overhaul

(SHENYANG, June 26) — The Shenyang Imperial Palace, the only existing imperial palace in China outside the Forbidden City in Beijing, has been under an overhaul to honor its bid pledge for a site of a site of the world cultural heritage.

With a cost of 400 million yuan, the project is scheduled to complete at the end of July, according to chinavisual.com.

The main structure of the palace was built in 1625 when Nurhachi was in power. It was finished in 1636 by his son Abahai (Huangtaiji). Nurhachi and Abahai were both founding emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

Shenyang Imperial Palace under overhaul

Covering an area of more than 60,000 square meters (about 71,760 square yards), the Palace is one twelfth the size of the Forbidden City. The palace consists of more than 300 rooms, formed around 20 courtyards.

The palace was listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2004 as an extension of the Forbidden City and is the most popular tourist attraction in Shenyang, an co-host city of football events of the Beijing Olympic Games.

Shenyang Imperial Palace under overhaul

(Source: en.beijing2008.cn)

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 220

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

                              Click to Watch Video Podcast

   旁白: “万里海疆行”这一路走来,

    All the way here on our journey

    along the coast,

    除了欣赏数不清的美景之外,

    we’ve not only seen countless

    scenic spots,

    我们也深深体会到了

    we’ve also deeply realized

    “海上丝绸之路”的魅力。

    the charms of the Maritime

    Silk Road.

    而我们今天的目的地,

    And our destination for today,

    澄海区的樟林古港,

    the ancient Zhanglin Port in

    Chenghai District,

    就是曾经向海外

    was one of the representative ports

    通商贸易的代表性港口之一。

    for international trade.

    韩佳: 快乐学汉语,万里海疆行!

    Let’s learn Chinese the fun way and

    enjoy a happy journey across China!

    大家好,我是快乐的韩佳。

    Hello, I’m Merry Han Jia.

    王渊源:我是快乐的渊源。

    And I’m Happy Yuanyuan.

    韩佳: 观众朋友们,

    Audience friends,

    您现在看到的这块石碑呢

    the stone tablet you’re seeing

    就是樟林古港纪念碑。

    is the monument to the ancient

    Zhanglin Port.

    您别看现在的樟林是一个内陆乡镇。

    At present Zhanglin is an inland town.

    但它原本是一个小渔村。

    But in the past it was a

    small fishing village.

    后来,人们利用它的天然优势,

    Making use of its natural advantages,

    在清朝的时候,

    local people developed it

    in the Qing Dynasty

    把它发展成为了一个海外贸易、

    into an important port

    商民出海的重要港口。

    for international trade.

    王渊源:那这么说,

    According to what you said,

    以前这里是个大港口啊?

    it was a big port before, right?

    韩佳: 当时的樟林港可是繁华极了。

    Zhanglin was a very flourishing port.

    早在1875年英国出版的地图上,

    On a map published by Britain

    in 1875,

    就标注了樟林的位置。

    the location of Zhanglin

    was marked.

    由次可见,

    From this we can see that

    那时候樟林港就已经名声在外了。

    the Zhanglin Port was well-known

    all over.

    王渊源:等等。

    Wait, wait.

    你说什么在外?

    What “zai wai”?

    韩佳: “名声在外”呀。

    ”Mingsheng zai wai”.

    “名声”就是指在社会上流传的评价。

    ”Mingsheng” refers to a reputation.

    “名声在外”一般是指

    ”Mingsheng zai wai” means

    that something’s

    名声流传各地,很多人都知道。

    reputation has spread and is

    well-known all over.

    王渊源:“名声”就是指在社会上流传的评价,

    So “mingsheng” means reputation,

    “名声在外”一般是指

    and “mingsheng zai wai” means

    名声流传各地,很多人都知道。

    that something’s reputation has

    spread and is well-known all over.

    韩佳: 就好像我们刚才说的,

    Just as we said,

    Dāng nián de zhāng lín xiàng kě shi míngshēng zài wài a

    当 年 的 樟 林 港 可 是 名声 在 外 啊!

    At the time, the Zhanglin Port

    was well-known all over.

    渊源,你发没发现,

    Yuanyuan, did you find

    这艘船有什么特点啊?

    any characteristics of this boat?

    王渊源:它很抽象。

    It is very abstract.

    韩佳: 你没发现它的船头是红色的吗?

    Did you find that its bow is red?

    那这座雕像要突出的

    The highlight of this sculpture

    就是红头船的红船头。

    is the red bow of this boat.

    我还是来给你说说这艘船的来历吧。

    Let me explain to you the history

    of this kind of boat.

    王渊源:好好。

    Okay.

    “来历”就是指历史或背景,对吧?

    ”Laili” means background or

    origin, right?

    韩佳: 没错儿。“来历”就是指

    Right. “Laili” means someone

    or something’s

    人或者是事物的历史或背景。

    history, origin, or background.

    王渊源:那干吗非要把船头刷成红色的呢?

    Why was the bow of this boat

    painted red?

    韩佳: 是这样的,

    The reason is that,

    因为十八世纪的时候,

    in the 18th century,

    当时的政府规定,

    the government required

    全国每个省的船只

    the vessels of each province

    都必须有各自的标志。

    to have its own mark.

    那广东省的商船船头就被刷上了红漆。

    So the bows of Guangdong commercial

    boats were painted with red varnish.

    福建的呢被刷上了绿漆。

    and the bows of Fujian boats were

    painted with green varnish.

    从那个时候起就有了什么,

    So starting from that time,

    “红头船”、“绿头龟”的叫法了。

    there were the terms “red-bowed

    boats” and “green-bowed boats”.

    王渊源:哦,原来是这么回事儿啊。

    Oh, I see.

    旁白: 祖辈的潮汕人,

    Many people in the Chaozhou-Shantou

    area of earlier generations

    就是乘着这红头船跑运输、

    relied on this kind of red-bowed

    boats to conduct transportation,

    做买卖、出外做工的。

    to do business or just to leave

    home to make a living.

    潮汕人是怎样表达

    How did people in the Chaozhou-

    Shantou area

    他们的思乡、思家之情的呢?

    express their homesick feelings?

    离这里不远处的一处建筑

    A structure not far from here

    或许可以给我们一个答案。

    perhaps may give us an answer.

    韩佳: 观众朋友们,

    Audience friends,

    我们现在是在锡庆堂。

    we’re now at Xiqingtang.

    这里其实是当年樟林地区

    In fact, it used to be an

    ancestral temple

    富豪蓝氏家族的祠堂。

    of the rich Lan family

    in Zhanglin.

    作为一个家族的象征,

    As a symbol of a family clan,

    祠堂在当地人心目中

    ancestral temples claimed

    an important

    有着非常重要的地位。

    position in the hearts of

    local people.

    对于在外漂泊的游子们来说,

    For people making a living

    away from home,

    建房子是他们一生的目标。

    building a house was a

    lifetime pursuit.

    有了房子,

    With a house,

    家和根的概念才会更加具体。

    the concept of home and roots

    would be more concrete.

    王渊源:也许,这也是他们

    Perhaps, this was also a

    way for them

    联系家乡亲人的一种感情寄托吧。

    to create a place for their affection

    for their loved ones.

    韩佳: 说得太好了!

    You spoke so well!

    渊源刚才说的“寄托”就是指

    Just now Yuanyuan used the

    word “jituo”.

    把理想、感情、希望

    It means to place on,

    as in to place

    放在某个人身上或者是某种事物上。

    one’s hopes on something.

    王渊源:“寄托”就是指把理想、感情、希望

    So “jituo” means to place on, as in

    to place

    放在某个人身上或者是某种事物上。

    one’s hopes on something.

    韩佳: 那我们常常会说,

    We often say

    感情寄托、精神寄托等等。

    to place hopes on something.

    那我再来造个句子。

    Let me make a sentence.

    Xiūjiàn cítáng shì dāng dì rén de yìzhǒng gǎnqíng jìtuō

    修建 祠堂 是 当 地 人 的 一种 感情 寄托。

    Building the temple was a way for the local

    people to create a place for their emotions.

    旁白: 当年,

    At the time,

    千千万万的人们

    tens of thousands of people

    带着对故土亲人的思念,

    embarked on their journeys

    from here,

    从这里踏上征途。

    bringing with them their affection

    for their loved ones.

    离开家乡,在海外创业。

    They left for abroad to make

    a living.

    这其中有个叫郑镛的人。

    One of them was Zheng Yong.

    他的儿子后来成为了泰国的国王。

    Later, his son became a king

    of Thailand.

    王渊源:泰国的国王?

    A kind of Thailand?

    你的意思是说,

    Do you mean

    这位泰国的国王有中国的血统?

    the Thai kings have Chinese blood?

    韩佳: 没错儿。

    Exactly.

    他叫郑信,

    He was Zheng Xin,

    是惟一一个有中国血统,

    the only Chinese

    并且在外国当上国王的人。

    who became a king of a

    foreign country.

    你瞧,这就是当地人为了纪念他

    This is the Tomb of King Zheng

    而修筑的郑王墓。

    local people built to commemorate him.

    王渊源:那可真够特别的呀!

    This is really something special!

    可是他是怎么当上泰国的国王的呢?

    How did he become a Thai king?

    韩佳: 是这样的,

    As the story goes,

    郑信的父亲是中国人,

    Zheng Xin’s father was Chinese

    母亲是泰国人。

    and his mother was Thai.

    他十几岁就掌握了

    When he was a teenager,

    he already

    中、泰、印、越等多国的语言文字。

    mastered Chinese, Thai, Hindi

    and Vietnamese languages.

    在皇宫任职。

    At first he served in

    the royal palace.

    后来,由于外来者的入侵,

    Later, due to foreign aggression,

    当时的泰王朝就灭亡了。

    the Thai kingdom perished.

    他招集人马,

    He raised an army

    最终当上了国王。

    and eventually became the Thai king.

    王渊源:这太传奇了!

    It was quite a legend!

    韩佳: 郑信去世之后,

    After Zheng Xin died,

    他的后人把他的衣物

    his descendants brought his

    clothes here

    从泰国运回来,埋葬在这里,

    from Thailand and buried them here

    这也表达了中泰两国的亲情和友谊。

    as a token for the kinship and friendship

    between China and Thailand.

    王渊源:我今天算是彻底感受到侨乡的魅力了。

    Today, I’ve really got a feel for the charms

    of this home of overseas Chinese.

    韩佳: 那好吧。

    Sure.

    现在就让我们到赏心悦目中,

    Now let’s continue to appreciate

    继续去领略侨乡的美景吧。

    the charms of this home of overseas

    Chinese on the Feast for the Eyes.

    赏心悦目:

    这里是曾经盛极一时的樟林古港

    This is the site of the former Zhanglin Port,

    也是红头船的故乡

    the home of the red-bowed boats

    红头船曾经承载着先辈人飘洋过海

    that carried earlier residents abroad.

    虽已随着历史的长河渐渐漂远

    Though it is all history now,

    但却成为了奋进拼搏的精神象征

    it’s remained a symbol of the pioneering spirit.

    当年 泰国国王郑信的父亲从这里踏上征途

    It was from here that the father of Thai King

    Zheng Xin embarked on his voyage to Thailand.

    如今 人们将郑信的衣物埋葬在这里

    Today, the clothes of Zheng Xin buried here

    表达了中泰两国人民的亲情和友谊

    symbolize the kinship and friendship

    between the Chinese and Thai peoples.

    今天的潮汕人 正依靠自己的勤劳与智慧

    Today people here are recreating an ideal life

    创造理想的生活

    with their diligence and wisdom.

    韩佳: 听说,

    I heard that

    早在十八世纪的时候,

    as early as the 18th century,

    这里就已经有

    there already existed

    十条颇具规模的商业街了。

    ten full-scale commercial streets here.

    那我们现在所在的新兴街呢,

    Xinxing Street, where we’re strolling,

    就是其中的一条。

    is one of them.

    王渊源:二百多年过去了,

    More than 200 years have passed,

    这条街依然保留着当年的样子。

    but the street has remained

    as it was then.

    哎,韩佳,

    Eh, Han Jia,

    要不我们就在这条古街上

    how about setting today’s

    award-winning

    给大家出今天的有奖问答题吧?

    question here on this ancient street?

    韩佳: 好。您听好了。

    Good. Listen carefully.

    今天的题目是这样的。

    Here’s today’s question.

    (问题部分略)

    没错儿。

    Absolutely.

    那明天就是我们在汕头的最后一天了。

    Tomorrow will be our last day

    in Shantou.

    我们会去哪儿看看呢?

    What else shall we see?

    要想知道的话,

    If you want to know,

    就请您明天同一时间,

    please continue to be with us

    继续跟我们一起

    tomorrow at the same time

    “万里海疆快乐行”。

    for the Happy Journey across China.

    王渊源:也别忘了我们的口号。

    And don’t forget our slogan.

    合: 学说中国话,朋友遍天下!

    Learn Chinese and make friends everywhere!

 (Source: cctv.com)

Cri – Lesson 35

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

Cam:你好,我是Cam. Hello, I’m Cam. Welcome to join us on Chinese Studio.
Yajie: 欢迎收听《欢乐汉语》。大家好,  I’m Yajie. Time now to perfect Chinese your way, in only 5 minutes a day. Cam, ni zen me le?
Cam:  What does that mean?
Yajie:  It means, what’s wrong with you?
Cam:  Why… does my hair look different?  Do I smell?
Yajie:  yi diar… a little… let’s check key words of the day.

 

Key Words of the Day
怎么了? What’s wrong with something or somebody. Headache, 头疼; a little, 有点儿; hurt from a fall, 摔伤; All in today’s Chinese Studio on China Radio International. 

Yajie: 怎么了 means ‘What happened..’, ‘What’s wrong with..’. 怎么 means ‘how’, and了 is a particle word in a light tone. 怎么了.
Cam: If we want to ask ‘What’s wrong with you?’, we just need to put YOU, 你,in front of怎么了. So it becomes你怎么了? What’s wrong with you? Oh, Yajie, you don’t look good? 你怎么了?
Yajie: My old problem, I have a headache. 我头疼。头, means head. 疼. It means pain, ache. 头疼 is headache. It also means to have a headache. 我头疼。I have a headache.
Cam: Is it serious?
Yajie: No, just a little bit, 有点儿.
Cam: 有点儿, a little bit. Is it有点 (yo dian) attached with儿(er)?
Yajie: You’re right. 儿(er ) doesn’t change the meaning of the phrase. 有点 is not typical Chinese. It should be有点儿. 我有点儿头疼。I have a little bit of a headache.
Cam: So Yajie, since 你有点儿头疼, (ni yo dian’er tou teng) why not have a short break for some conversations?
Yajie: Good times.  Xie xie.
 
Conversation 1:

Cam: So how do you ask what’s wrong with him then? Right, 他怎么了?(ta zen me le)
Yajie: 他摔伤了。He hurt himself in a fall. 摔, to fall. sh-u-ai, flat first tone, 摔. 伤, to hurt.  摔伤, to hurt upon a fall.
Cam: 他怎么了?(ta zen me le) What’s wrong with him? He hurt himself in a fall. 他摔伤了. (ta shuai shang le)  In this case, 他 in the reply can be omitted. So the answer can be shortened to just : 摔伤了.

Conversation 2:
Yajie: We’d better send him to the hospital. 快去医院。Remember, we learned 医院, hospital, last week. 去医院。Go to the hospital. 快,hurry.  快去医院。Go to the hospital right now.
Cam: Where is the hospital? This is also what we learned last week. Hope you didn’t forget it. 医院在哪儿?
Yajie: 在前面。It’s ahead.  在前面.

Conversation 3:
Cam: Just now, we learned how to ask about what’s wrong with sb. or sth. in Chinese. There is a handy pattern: ‘Somebody or something + 怎么了’ . For instance, 你怎么了?他怎么了?Now let’s have some drills to replace the subject.
Yajie: 那儿怎么了?What’s wrong there? 左边怎么了?What’s wrong on the left?
Cam: Yajie zen me le? What’s wrong with Yajie? 
Yajie: Oh, I have a headache. 我头疼。You remind me of the pain again.
Cam: You’d better take some medicine after the show. But before we sign off, let’s review the key words of the day.

Key Words Reminder
怎么了? What’s wrong with you? 你怎么了?What’s up with him? 他怎么了?
Headache, 头疼; a little, 有点儿; hurt from a fall, 摔伤;
Cam: Today’s question is how to ask ‘What’s wrong with him’ in Chinese.
Yajie: Your answer can be either in Chinese characters or Pinyin. Please send us the answer to Chinese@crifm.com. Again, Chinese@crifm.com.
Cam: And don’t hesitate to write us your comments on our program, or share with us the problems you have with Chinese learning. We’d love to hear from you.
Yajie:明天见。
Cam: 再见!

(Source:english.cri.cn)