bachelor (degree):
Chinese Pinyin: xue2 shi4
(Source: about.com)
Archive for September 18th, 2008
Chinese Characters: bachelor (degree):学士
Thursday, September 18th, 2008Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 270
Thursday, September 18th, 2008旁白： 在英语里，澳门被称作Macao，
In English, Aomen is called Macao,
这个大家可能都知道。
which is known to all of us.
可您知道这个名字的由来吗？
Do you know the origin of
this name?
在今天的节目里啊，
In today’s program,
保证您能得到满意的答案。
we guarantee you’ll get a
very satisfactory answer.
王渊源：哎，韩佳，
Eh, Han Jia,
听你刚才那么一说，
hearing what you just said,
我还真是有点儿惭愧。
I feel a bit sorry.
韩佳： 哦，怎么了？
Oh, what’s the matter?
王渊源：别看英语是我的母语，
Although English is my native tongue,
可是关于Macao这个名字的由来
I’m not really very clear about
the origin
我还真是不怎么了解。
of the name Macao.
韩佳： 渊源刚才说的他“不怎么了解”。
Yuanyuan just said he “bu
zenme liaojie”.
“不怎么…”就是不太、不很的意思，
“Bu zenme…” means not very,
表示程度不高。
or don’t particularly.
后面搭配的词语呢，
The words used after it
一般都是表达感受的动词或者形容词。
are usually perceptual verbs
or adjectives.
王渊源：“不怎么…”就是不太、不很的意思，
So “bu zenme…” can mean not very,
表示程度不高。
or don’t particularly.
Guānyú zhè ge míngzi de yóulái wǒ hái zhēn bù zěnme liǎojiě
关于 这 个 名字 的 由来，我 还 真 不 怎么 了解。
I’m really not very clear about the origin
of this name.
韩佳： 其实，澳门的英文名字
Actually, Macao’s English name
跟它有点儿关系。
has something to do with this.
王渊源：哎，这不是妈祖像嘛？
Eh, isn’t it a statue of Mazu?
韩佳： 对呀。
Yes.
相传，妈祖可以预言天气，
According to legend, Mazu can
predict the weather,
指引海上航行的船只躲避风浪。
give guidance to the ships on
the sea to avoid stormy waves.
因此沿海地区，
So people in the coastal areas
自古以来就有信奉妈祖的传统。
have traditionally believed in
Mazu since ancient times.
王渊源：嗯。咱们海疆行这一路上，
Yes. All the way on our
coastal journey,
的确看到了很多妈祖像。
we surely have seen many
statues of Mazu.
韩佳： 是啊。因为地处沿海，
Right. Living near the sea,
所以澳门人在出海前呢
people in Macao would also bow
to Mazu and pray for safety
也会先拜妈祖，祈求平安。
before they put out to sea.
王渊源：哦，看这尊雕像的样子，
Oh, this statue seems
好像是最近几年新建的吧。
to be built in recent years.
韩佳： 这尊雕像是在1998年的时候建成的。
This statue was built in 1998.
高19.99米。
It is 19.99 meters in tall.
一共用了一百二十块汉白玉，
Construction used 120 white
marble stones,
象征澳门
signifying that Macao returned
在1999年的12月20号回归祖国。
to the motherland on December
20, 1999.
王渊源：哎，韩佳，不对。
Hey, Han Jia, something missing.
讲了半天，
For all that you said,
还没说Macao这个名字
you haven’t talked
到底是怎么来的呀。
about the origin of the name Macao.
总不会是因为这尊雕像吧！
Obviously not because of
this statue!
韩佳： 当然不会了！
Of course, not!
不过，你别着急。
But, don’t be so impatient.
答案马上揭晓。
The answer will be revealed
at once.
渊源，就是这里了，妈祖阁。
Yuanyuan, it’s right here,
the Mazu Temple.
这座妈祖阁建于五百多年前，
This Mazu Temple was built
500 years ago
是澳门最古老的一座庙了。
and is one of the oldest temples
in Macao.
当地人也习惯地称它为妈阁庙。
Locals also customarily call
it Mage Temple.
有人说，Macao这个英文名
Some say the name Macao
就是从这个习惯称呼得来的。
came from this alias.
王渊源：你快说说啊。
Tell us the details quickly.
韩佳： 相传四百多年前，
According to legend, more
than 400 years ago,
葡萄牙人来到澳门，
the Portuguese came to Macao
在妈阁庙前登陆。
and landed in front of
the Mage Temple.
他们询问当地人
They asked some local people
这个地方叫什么名字。
what the name of this place was.
而澳门人呢，
But the local people
却误以为他们在问这座庙叫什么。
misbelieved they were asking
about the name of this temple.
于是就告诉他们叫“妈阁”。
So they told them it was
called Mage.
后来，葡萄牙人就以为澳门叫妈阁，
Later, the Portuguese believed
Aomen was called Mage
并将其音译成了Macao。
and transliterated it as Macao.
王渊源：原来是这么来的。
Oh, that’s where it came from.
这下我可明白了。
Now I’m clear.
韩佳： 据考证，
According to textual research,
这可是几百年前的古迹了。
this is a historical relic dating
back hundreds of years.
王渊源：你是说这幅石刻画
You said this stone carving
有几百年的历史啊？
has a history of several
hundred years?
韩佳： 是啊。
Yes.
据说是一位福建的商人，
It is said a Fujian merchant
had it carved
为了感谢妈祖保佑他
as a memento of his gratitude
for Mazu’s blessing
平安上岸而特别做的纪念。
after he got ashore safely.
王渊源：哦，是这么回事儿啊！
Oh, that’s what it’s all about!
韩佳： 嗯。经常出海的人呢，
Yes. People who put out
to sea very often,
当然希望能够一帆风顺、
of course, hope that they
would sail smoothly
平安无事喽。
and safely.
王渊源：好像送人上火车
When you see someone off
at the train station
或者出远门，
or upon a long trip,
也可以说“祝您一帆风顺”吧？
you can also wish him “yi fan
feng shun”, right?
韩佳： 没错儿。
Exactly.
“一帆风顺”是一个成语，
“Yi fan feng shun” is an idiom
可以用来比喻前程非常顺利。
used to refer to things going smoothly.
也可以用来比喻
It can also be used metaphorically
工作顺利，没有挫折。
for working smoothly without
a hitch.
王渊源：“一帆风顺”是一个成语，
So “yi fan feng shun” is an idiom
可以用来比喻前程非常顺利。
used to refer to things going smoothly.
韩佳： 比如，
For example,
我们在祝福别人做事成功的时候
when we wish someone success,
就可以说，
we may say
zhù nǐ yìfānfēngshùn xīnxiǎngshìchéng
祝 你 一帆风顺， 心想事成。
I hope that everything goes smoothly,
and that all your wishes come true.
中国人出海前会去妈阁庙，
While the Chinese would visit the Mage
Temple before they put out to sea,
而葡萄牙人出海前呢，
the Portuguese would definitely pray
就一定会来这儿——圣老楞佐教堂。
at St. Lawrence’s Cathedral here
before they put out to sea.
王渊源：这个我知道。
This I know.
圣老楞佐是天主教中的海神。
St. Lawrence is the Sea God
in Catholicism.
所以，人们相信出海前
So people believed that
拜拜圣老楞佐，
praying to St. Lawrence
就能为自己和家人带来好运。
would bring good luck to themselves
and their families.
韩佳： 没错儿。
Exactly.
这座教堂也因此被称为
This cathedral is also called
“海神庙”或者是“风顺堂”。
the Sea God Temple or “Fong
Son Tong”.
王渊源：这座教堂看上去也很有些年头了。
This church looks quite old.
韩佳： 说得对。
You’re right.
这座教堂建于1560年，
This church was built in 1560
是澳门最古老的教堂之一。
and is one of Macao’s oldest churches.
后来也是经过几次重修
Later it underwent several renovations
才有了现在这样的规模。
before it took on the appearance
as it is today.
王渊源：哦，韩佳，你看那上面。
Eh, Han Jia, look up there.
那边是钟表，那边是铜钟。
It’s a clock up there. And it’s a
bronze bell over there.
而两个钟楼里面的钟都不一样啊！
The timepieces in the two towers
so are different!
韩佳： 对啊。
Yes.
据说这边的钟是用来报时的，
It is said the clock on this side
is to give the correct time
而那边的铜钟呢
whereas that bronze bell
则是供教徒们做弥撒时用的。
is used by the Catholics
at masses.
王渊源：哦，原来是这样的。
Oh, I see.
那咱们到里面去看看怎么样？
How about taking a look inside?
韩佳： 好啊。
Good.
王渊源：嗬，这里面还挺宽敞的呢。
Ha, it’s so spacious in here.
韩佳： 嗯。“宽敞”呢是一个形容词，
Yes. “Kuanchang” is an adjective
就是用来形容空间宽阔，
that means roomy
面积或者是体积很大。
or spacious.
王渊源：“宽敞”是个形容词，
So “kuanchang” is an adjective
就是用来形容空间宽阔，
that means roomy,
面积或者是体积很大。
or spacious.
你瞧，这些巨大的梁柱，
Look, how beautiful these
huge columns
还有古老的吊灯，多精美啊！
and those old chandeliers are!
还有这窗户上的玻璃，
And how pretty the colorful
glass panels
五颜六色，多好看啊！
of the windows are!
韩佳： 是啊。
Yes.
每一扇窗户上的彩色玻璃图案
The colorful pattern on every
glass panel
都讲述了《圣经》中的小故事。
tells a small Bible story.
渊源，你看那儿。
Yuanyuan, look here.
王渊源：祭坛里供奉着的那尊神像，
The icon on the altar
应该就是人们心目中
should be the Sea Guardian
保佑平安的海神圣老楞佐。
in people’s hearts, St. Lawrence.
韩佳： 没错儿。
Absolutely.
祈求一帆风顺，幸福平安呢
Praying for plain sailing, happiness
and peace
是人们共同的愿望！
is the common aspiration
of all people!
所以我们在这里，
So here we’d also
也要祝愿电视机前的观众朋友们
like to wish all our TV viewers
一帆风顺，
success in everything,
合： 幸福平安！
happiness and peace!
赏心悦目：
澳门有一座背山临海的妈祖阁
The Mazu Temple in Macao sits at the foot
of a mountain facing the sea.
古老的洋船石
The age-old picture of a sailboat carved
in stone
历代文人题写的摩崖石刻
and the stone inscriptions from
many dynasties
无不承载着人们对平安生活的向往
all bear people’s aspiration for a
peaceful life.
女神从此护海 护国 庇民 保安康
Thus the Goddess became a guardian of
the sea, the country and the people.
圣老楞佐是天主教中的海神
St. Lawrence is the Sea Guardian
in Catholicism.
葡萄牙人出海前
The Portuguese settlers would
always pray
总要来圣老楞佐教堂祈求平安
for peace and safety before they
put out to sea.
绚丽夺目的彩色玻璃
The colorful glass windows
精致华丽的水晶吊灯
and the brilliant chandeliers
令澳门这座古老的教堂倍添光彩
make this time-honored cathedral
more attractive.
韩佳： 好了，精彩的赏心悦目之后呢，
Well, after the wonderful Feast
for the Eyes,
又到了我们的有奖问答时间了。
now it’s time again for the award-
winning question.
王渊源：今天的有奖问答题是这样的。
Here’s today’s award-winning question.
韩佳： 好了，
Well,
今天的节目到这里呢就要结束了。
our program for today is about
to end here.
希望您明天同一时间，
We hope that tomorrow at
the same time,
继续跟我们一起
you’ll continue to be with us
“万里海疆快乐行”！
for the Happy Journey along
the Coastline!
王渊源：别忘了我们的口号。
Don’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 – Bizaklik Thousand-Buddha Caves
Thursday, September 18th, 2008
The Bizaklik Thousand-Buddha Caves lie 60 kilometers to the southeast of the Baicheng County in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region.
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Bizaklik in the Uygur language means red. The caves are chiseled between the cliffs. There are 236 numbered caves extant today, about 1/3 of which have comparative intact shapes and relatively more frescoes. According to the causal analysis of the characteristics of the shape, the themes of the frescoes, the artistic styles and so on, and through the method of the radiocarbon dating, the grottoes are judged to mainly be the remains between the 4th and 8th centuries, which can be divided into early, middle and late periods.
In the early 19th century, Xu Song, a scholar of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), wrote something about the Bizaklik grottoes in his writing The Waterways of the Western Regions. In 1903, two Japanese stole cultural relics in the Bizaklik grottoes. In 1913, another two Japanese did some investigation in the grottoes. In 1906 and 1913, two Germans not only spent a long time on mapping, recording, and photographing, but also robbed a large number of valuable cultural relics. In addition, a Russian, a Frenchman, and an Englishman came to the Bizaklik Grottoes in succession. In 1928, a Chinese scholar, Huang Wenbi, numbered 140 caves in the Bizaklik Grottoes, but also surveyed and cleaned up some caves. In 1953, an investigation group of Xinjiang cultural relics appointed by the Culture Bureau of the Northwest Region, made a thorough survey and mapping of the grottoes. Another cave was found in 1973.
All the statues and frescoes in the Bizaklik Thousand-Buddha Caves were engraved and painted in the Zhiti Grotto. Although most of the statues have been damaged, about 5,000 square meters of frescoes are preserved till now, whose themes are mainly about the legends of Buddha, principles and subsidiary causes and natural stories. There are two types of legends of Buddha: one is the biography of Buddha, mostly distributed around the four walls of the quadrate cave. The paintings on the wall were drawn in the continuous squares, which narrate the whole life of the Buddha. The other is the picture of expounding the Buddhist doctrines, mostly distributed on the flank walls of the main room of the Central Pillar Grotto. Though they mostly were drawn in the form of graticulation, every picture is independent and has its own theme, that is, no direct relationship with each other. The stories on the principle and subsidiary cause manifest the enshrinement and worship offered by all flesh to the Buddha, and display the infinite power of the Buddha. However the natural stories narrate all the hardships and ascetic practices that the Buddha has endured when he practiced the Bodhisattva Tao during his previous existence. Except for a few were drawn on the four walls of the Square Grotto, these two kinds of story pictures are mainly distributed in the main room of the Central Pillar Grotto and the top of the Square Grotto, in the form of single picture, which means that the top of the Square Grotto is divided into many rhombic grilles, each having a picture. Because of the small space of a rhombic grille, only a few figures and scenes appear in a picture, and the most typical plots that could best generalize the story are selected to be in the picture, which therefore make the picture concise and sprightly. Only the top of the No. 17 grotto is painted with 38 natural stories. In addition, some frescoes also reflect the conditions of production, living styles and folk customs. For instance, in the painting of a happy professional singer in the No.38 grotto, some of the musicians are playing the pipa (a plucked string instrument with a fretted fingerboard), some are playing konghou (ancient plucked stringed instrument with five to twenty-five strings), and some are playing the flute, which are not only of a great variety of shapes and postures, but also full of wits and interests. The paintings of plowing lands and making potteries in the No.175 grotto show the scenes of production and working at that time, and therefore it is the precious material for the research into the history of Xinjiang and its culture and art. The Bizaklik Thousand-Buddha Caves holds a certain position in the grotto art in China, which is of great significance for the research into the culture of Buddhism and the cultural exchange between China and western countries.
(Source: chinaculture.org)
