Archive for January 23rd, 2009

China Travel – Dai Temple

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

The Dai Temple, commonly known as Dongyue Temple, lies at the foot of Taishan Mountain in Shandong Province.

 

Taishan Mountain is the first of the Five Famous Mountains in China. The Dai Temple constitutes the largest group of constructions at Tai Mountain, where emperors since the Qin (221-206BC) and Han (206BC-220AD) period held grand ceremonies to worship heaven, pray and give thanks for peace and prosperity. The size of the temple reached its peak during the Tang (618-907)-Song (960-1279) period containing over 800 halls and pavilions. It was renovated repeatedly during the Jin (1115-1234), Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties, and extended to its current scale. Dai Temple is listed as one of the four ancient architectural groups in China, along with the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Three-Kong of Qufu in Shandong, the Mountain Summer Resort and the Eight Outer Temples in Chengde.

 

Covering an area of 96,500 square meters, the Dai Temple is divided into three sections — the middle, east and west. Constructions built on the central axis from south to north are the Zhengyang Gate, Yaocan Pavilion, Tiankuang Hall and the Sleeping Hall. In the east section are the Bell Tower, Hanbai Hall and Dongyuzuo. The Drum Tower, Tanghuai Hall and Daoshe Hall lie in the west.

 

The Tiankuang Hall, the main construction at the Dai Temple, was built in 1009 during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The hall has nine rooms and is 48.7 meters long, 19.8 meters wide and 22.3 meters high. It was built on a stone base surrounded by white stone-carved railings. The hall has a double-eaved gable and hip roof covered with yellow glazed tiles. Inside the hall is a huge fresco from the Song Dynasty called the Picture of the Returned God in a Horse-drawn Carriage. The fresco, which is 62 meters long and 3.3 meters wide, describes the return of the god of Dongyue Tai Mountain from an inspection tour. Altogether there are more than 630 painted figures in the picture, including various rare birds and animals, hills, trees, palaces and pavilions that provide precious insight into the study of the Song Dynasty painting style.

 

Located at the back part of the east section is a copper pavilion imitating a wooden structural style. Built in 1615 during the Ming Dynasty, the pavilion is one of the few precious copper-cast constructions in China. the pavilion is wide. Powerfully sculpted, the 4.4-by-3.4-meter structure was built using high techniques that make it an elaborate specimen among other ancient copper-cast works in China.

 

A total of 151 stone tablets from past dynasties containing various inscriptions of memorials, scriptures, names and poems can be found inside the Dai Temple — also reputed as the Forest of Steles. A stone tablet in Dongyuzuo, which was engraved in 209 BC, told of the imperial decree of the second emperor of the Qin Dynasty. It is the oldest inscribed stone tablet in China. Other famous tablets from the Eastern Han (25-220), Western Jin (265-316) and Tang (618-907) Dynasties are also stored at the Hanbai Hall.

(Source: en.beijing2008.cn)

Chinese Character – child:小孩

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

child:

Chinese Pinyin: xiao3 hai2

(Source: about.com)

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 397

Friday, January 23rd, 2009
 
 

      合: 快乐学汉语,轻松又好记。

  Learn Chinese the fun way.

  It’s much easier to remember.

  韩佳:欢迎来到《快乐中国》。

  Welcome to Happy China.

  我是快乐的韩佳。

  I am the happy Jan Jia.

  大牛:我是热爱动物的大牛。

  And I the animal-loving Daniel.

  韩佳:哎,你什么时候又开始热爱动物了啊?

  Hey, when have you started

  to love animals?

  大牛:其实啊我一直是个充满爱心的人。

  Actually, I am always a man with

  a loving heart.

  难道你还没注意到,来到扎龙

  Haven’t you noticed how excited

  I have been

  我的心情是多么的激动?

  since we came to Zhalong?

  韩佳:哦,这我倒是发现了。

  Yeah, I have notice that.

  这些日子啊,你天天都来看丹顶鹤。

  These past few days, you keep watching

  the red-rested cranes every day.

  大牛:那当然,来到扎龙,当然要看丹顶鹤了。

  Of course, visiting Zhalong,

  I should watch the red-crested cranes.

  韩佳:哎,大牛,你那么喜欢丹顶鹤,

  Hey, Daniel, since you are so keen

  about red-crested cranes,

  那你对它的了解又有多少呢?

  then how much do you know

  about the bird?

  大牛:其实我对丹顶鹤了解得并不多。

  Actually I know very little about

  red-crested cranes.

  韩佳:啊,那你就听我慢慢给你讲。

  Then listen carefully to my explanation.

  大牛:啊,她又要给我讲课了。

  Oh, she’s going to give me a

  lecture again.

  我还是去听丹顶鹤唱歌好了。

  I’d rather go listen to the songs

  of cranes.

  韩佳:哎。

  Yes.

  丹顶鹤的叫声啊,非常嘹亮。

  The calls of red-crested cranes

  are very loud.

  而且它的鸣叫声还有很多种意思呢。

  And their calls have meanings.

  大牛:她怎么那么爱卖弄啊。

  Look how much she loves to show off.

  韩佳:嗯,你说什么啊?

  Hey, what did you say?

  大牛:我说,你怎么那么有学问啊。

  I said how knowledgeable you are.

  韩佳:是说的这个吗?

  Did you say that?

  大牛:啊。

  Yes.

  韩佳:算了,哎。

  Oh, forget it.

  你知道丹顶鹤的鸣叫声都有什么作用吗?

  Do you know what functions the

  calls of red-crested cranes have?

  大牛:这个像人一样嘛,

  Like humans,

  心情好的时候当然要唱歌了。

  they would surely sing when

  they are happy.

  它们向我唱歌,就是在欢迎我。

  If they sing to me, they mean I

  am welcome.

  韩佳:这你就错了。

  You are wrong.

  丹顶鹤用鸣叫声来求偶。

  Red-crested cranes call to attract

  their mates.

  Dāndǐnghè yòng míng jiào shēng lái qiú ǒu

  丹顶鹤 用 鸣 叫 声 来 求 偶。

  Red-crowned cranes use their calls

  to court potential mates.

  它也通过鸣叫来向别人宣告

  They also use their calls to mean

  to declare

  这块领地是我的。

  that certain territories are theirs.

  大牛:那如果要是有人侵入了它的领地

  What would happen if an intruder

  怎么办呢?

  enters a crane’s territory?

  韩佳:它就会用嘴啊狠狠地啄他。

  It would peck the challenger real hard.

  哎,大牛,

  Eh, Daniel,

  你还觉得它们是在欢迎你吗?

  you thought they were welcoming you?

  大牛:韩佳,我们还是躲远一点儿吧。

  Han Jia, we’d better keep a distance

  from them.

  韩佳,你看这里有这么多鹤。

  Han Jia, there are so many cranes here.

  看上去都差不多。

  And they all look like one another.

  怎么分别出来哪个是雌的

  How do you distinguish the females

  哪个是雄的呢?

  from the males?

  韩佳:的确很难分辨。

  It’s difficult to do so by their appearances.

  不过我们可以通过它们的鸣叫声

  But we can tell the differences

  from their calls

  以及鸣叫时的姿态来分辨雌雄。

  the the postures when they call.

  大牛:那一定是雌鹤叫起来更好听一点。

  Female birds must sing more melodiously.

  韩佳:哎,恰恰相反。

  Just on the contrary.

  雄鹤叫起来呢会更嘹亮、更动听一些。

  The calls of male cranes are sonorous

  and more pleasant to hear.

  大牛:是这样。

  Oh, I see.

  韩佳:还有,这鹤有一个很大的特点,

  Another salient feature of the birds is that

  那就是一雄一雌一旦结合,

  once a female and a male have

  tied the knot,

  它们就会对对方忠贞不渝,

  they would remain forever loyal

  to each other

  永远都不分开。

  and never part.

  大牛:忠贞不渝就是指意志坚定不移。

  ”zhong zhen bu yu” is an expression which

  means to be loyal to one another until death.

  忠贞不渝。

  ”zhong zhen bu yu”.

  看来丹顶鹤很专一。

  It seems red-crested cranes are

  faithful lovers.

  让我们在这里祝所有的丹顶鹤红头偕老。

  We’d like to wish all the cranes here

  a happy married life forever.

  韩佳,这些都是什么鸟啊?

  Han Jia, what kind of birds are they?

  韩佳:这些啊,是两个多月的小丹顶鹤。

  They’re two-month-old red-crested cranes.

  都是在扎龙出生的小宝宝。

  These chicks were all born in Zhalong.

  大牛:哦,原来丹顶鹤小时候就是这个样子。

  Oh, this is how they look when they

  are young.

  毛绒绒的,挺可爱!

  These downy and cute chicks!

  韩佳,它们头上什么时候

  Han Jia, when will the feathers

  才能长出红色的羽毛呢?

  on top of their heads turn red?

  韩佳:丹顶鹤头上红色的是冠,

  It’s their comb, not feathers, that turns red

  一般要到两、三岁的时候才会变红,

  Normally it takes two to three years

  冠一变红呢,就代表小丹顶鹤成年了。

  for a young crane’s comb to become

  red, indicating the crane has matured.

  大牛:那成年以后呢?

  What happens after they have matured?

  成年以后就要开始交配、繁殖了。

  After they have matured, they’ll begin

  to mate and breed their young.

  每年的春天,

  Every spring,

  丹顶鹤都会到扎龙来繁衍后代。

  red-crested cranes will fly to Zhalong

  to breed their young.

  Měi nián de chūntiān ,dāndǐnghè dōu huì dào zhālóng lái fǎnyǎn hòudài.

  每 年 的 春天, 丹顶鹤 都 会 到 扎龙 来 繁衍 后代。

  Every spring,red-crowned cranes fly to

  Zhalong to lay eggs and raise their young.

  这又是一种什么鸟啊?

  what is this bird?

  韩佳:这叫蓑羽鹤,

  It’s called the demoiselle crane,

  它是鹤类中体形最小的。

  the smallest crane species.

  你看它眼睛后面的羽毛像不像飘带?

  Look at the feathers behind its eyes.

  Do they look like ribbons?

  大牛:哎,还挺像。

  Yes, indeed.

  那边还有一种鹤呢。

  there is another crane species.

  韩佳:那是白鹤。还有,

  That’s the white crane. And still

  another kind.

  这种啊,叫灰冠鹤。

  This is called gray-naped crane.

  大牛:想不到这里能看到这么多种鹤。

  I didn’t expect many kinds of cranes here.

  韩佳:对啊,世界上一共有十五种鹤。

  Yeah, there are a total 15 kinds

  of cranes in the world.

  在这里呢,我们就能看到六种。

  And here we can find six of them.

  所以说扎龙是中国最大的鹤类保护区。

  So Zhalong is China’s biggest nature

  reserve for cranes.

  大牛:嗯,作为鸟的栖息地,

  Yes, as cranes’ habitat,

  扎龙的条件真可以说是

  Zhalong’s natural conditions

  can be said

  得天独厚。

  ”de tian du hou” (uniquely endowed

  by nature).

  Zuòwéi niǎo de qīxīdì, zhālóng de tiáojiàn dé tiān dú hòu.

  作为 鸟 的 栖息地, 扎龙 的 条件 得 天 独 厚。

  As a bird habitat, Zhalong is endowed

  with perfect natural conditions.

  得天独厚就是具备了别人不具备的好条件。

  ”de tian du hou”, means to be richly

  endowed by nature.

  得天独厚。

  ”de tian du hou”.

  哎,韩佳,今天我可是大饱了眼福。

  Han Jia, Today I had an opportunity

  to glut my eyes.

  韩佳:你大饱眼福了。我可没看够呢。

  You have glutted your eyes.

  But I still want to see more.

  大牛:那还是跟观众朋友们一起

  Then, together with our audience,

  进入今天的赏心悦目吧。

  let’s move into today’s Feast

  for the Eyes.

  赏心悦目:

  扎龙是中国著名的珍贵水禽自然保护区

  Zhalong is one of China’s well-known

  nature reserve for aquatic birds.

  这里湖泽绵延 水草丰茂

  Here there are vast swamps with lush

  aquatic weeds.

  全世界现有15种鹤 而扎龙就有6种

  Six of the world’s 15 crane species live here.

  它们嬉戏于青草碧水之间

  Sporting on the surface of the swamps.

  时而高歌齐鸣 时而振翅翱翔

  they are singing in unison or hovering

  high above surface of the water.

  徜徉其间 独特的湿地风光一览无余

  The visitor will enjoy a full view

  of the wetland.

  怎么样,您是不是被美丽的扎龙、

  Did you find yourself

  美丽的鹤所吸引呢?

  fascinated by Zhalong’s beautiful cranes?

  韩佳:如果有机会啊,一定要亲自来看一看。

  If you have the chance, we suggest

  you also visit this place.

  好了,接下来呢,

  Well, next,

  就要给您出今天的问题了。

  it’s time for you to answer today’s question.

  本期问题:

  形容具备了别人所不具备的好条件是哪个词语?

  Which of the following idioms means to have

  the favorable conditions which others don’t have?

  Yǐ yī dí bǎi

  A.以 一 敌 百 Having one against one hundred

  Wàng chén mò jí

  B.望 尘 莫 及 Fall far behind

  Dé tiān dú hòu

  C.得 天 独 厚 Uniquely endowed by nature

  精美礼品等您拿。

  A beautiful gift is waiting for you to claim.

  大牛:如果你有任何意见和建议,

  If you have any comments or suggestions,

  请按屏幕上的方式与我们联系,

  please send them to address

  shown on the screen,

  感谢收看《快乐中国》。

  Thanks for watching Happy China.

  韩佳:好了,请明天锁定我们的节目

  Well, please stay tuned for our

  program tomorrow

  继续收看。

  and continue to watch our program.

  大牛: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 have friends everywhere.

(Source: cctv.com)