Archive for February 10th, 2009

Cri – Lesson 230

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

(mms://enmms.chinabroadcast.cn/new/lang/ch/studio/Lesson351.wma)

Y: Hello and welcome to Chinese studio. Wo Shi Yajie.
R: And wo shi Raymond, we’re here hitting a very small ball into an even smaller hole with weapons singularily ill-designed for this game.
Y: You sound like Winston Churchill.
R: That’s cause Mr. Winston Churchill did say that.
Y: Ok anyways lets go over some key words of the day.
 
Key Words of the Day
Caddie球僮 golf bag 球包Where is my caddie? 球僮在哪儿? My golf bag is too heavy. 我的球包太重了 all in today’s Chinese.
R: Hey Tiger Yaj, you’ve got everything except that you’re missing your worker.
Y: Oh ya. So are you!
R: What the hell, so they both left? What are they out watching a movie together or something.
Y: Ah! Where is my caddie?
R: Ah! teach me how to say that!
球僮在哪儿? Qiu2 tong2 zai4 na3er?
Qiu2 tong2: a caddie, someone who is hired to serve as an attendant to a golfer
Zai4 na3er: at where?
—————–
 Y: Ok now that we’ve finally got those bozos back into carrying our stuff we can continue on.
 R: Ya I can’t imagine carrying my golf bag all over the course again. How do you say: My golf bag is too heavy. 我的球包太重了 
Wo3 de qiu2 bao1 tai4 zhong4 le
Wo3 de: my
Qiu2 bao1: golf bag
Tai4: very much
Zhong4: heavy
———–  
R: Wooosh. Did you see my ball. It was like Woosh woosh.
Y: Yea it was cutting the air in half, I could totally see it.
R: Hey. It was going pretty fast, even happy gilmore would be impressed.
Y: Anyways its all good lets do the quiz of the day. How do you say “Where is my caddie?”
R: Send your answer to Chinese@crifm.com and you could win one of our great prizes.
Y: Also check out our website.

(Source:english.cri.cn)

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 415

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
 
 

  大牛:这里的景色太美了。

  The scenery here is so beautiful.

  我要是有这么一间房间该多好!

  If only I had a house like this!

  韩佳:大牛,你又开始做梦了吧?

  Daniel, are you daydreaming again?

  节目都开始了。

  Our program has started.

  合: 快乐学汉语,轻松又好记。

  Learn Chinese with fun.

  It’s delightful and easy to remember.

  韩佳:我们现在是在千岛湖开元度假村。

  We are now at the Kaiyuan Holiday

  Resort by the side of Qiandao Lake.

  大牛:你要不说,我还以为这里是夏威夷呢。

  If you didn’t mention it,

  I would think this is Hawaii.

  这可真是个好地方。

  This is indeed a very nice place.

  韩佳:当地有句顺口溜说得好:

  There is a local doggerel, which says:

  “来到千岛湖,喝的是纯净水,

  ”Visitors at Qiandao Lake drink pure water,

  吃的是有机鱼,住的是景观房,

  eat organic fish, stay in lake-facing hotels

  打的只要一块钱。”

  and pay just one yuan for their taxicabs.”

  大牛:打的?

  Taxicabs?

  到了千岛湖还坐什么车啊?

  Why do they take taxis here at

  Qiandao Lake?

  要坐就得坐船。

  I’d prefer boats for transport here.

  韩佳:这码头上的船都去哪儿了?

  Where are all those boats gone in

  the dock?

  大牛:韩佳,看什么呢?

  Han Jia, where are you looking?

  那不是有艘船吗?

  Isn’t there one over there?

  韩佳:那艘是从英国进口的豪华游艇。

  That’s a luxury boat imported from Britain.

  贵着呢。

  It’s very expensive.

  大牛:豪华游艇?

  A luxury pleasure boat?

  我得上去观察观察。

  I’d like to take a look on board.

  韩佳:算了吧。

  Forget about it.

  我们日程安排得紧。下次吧?

  We’re having a tight schedule.

  Next time, okay?

  不如去那边那个码头坐船吧。

  Let’s take a boat in that dock over there.

  大牛:好。

  Okay.

  哎哟!

  Oh, my goodness!

  韩佳:怎么了?

  What’s wrong?

  大牛:我的脚…我的脚扭了。

  My foot … my foot is sprained.

  韩佳:脚扭了?

  Your foot’s sprained?

  那你在这儿等着,我找着船就来接你。

  Wait here and I’ll pick you up

  as soon as I’ve found a boat.

  Nǐ zài zhèr děngzhe , wǒ zhǎozháo chuan jiù lāi jiē nǐ.

  你 在 这儿 等着, 我 找着 船 就 来 接 你。

  You wait here,I’ll go and find a

  boat and pick you up.

  大牛:就这么办吧。

  Do as you said.

  韩佳:小心点啊。

  Be careful.

  大牛:哎。

  I will.

  我就不信我大牛坐不上那条豪华游艇。

  I don’t think I can’t sit in that pleasure boat.

  韩佳:请问这条船有人租了吗?

  Excuse me, is this boat hired?

  大牛:韩佳,韩佳…

  Han Jia, Han Jia …

  韩佳:大牛,他怎么租到那条船了?

  Daniel, why did you hire that boat?

  大牛:快上船吧。

  Get aboard.

  韩佳:大牛,你租这艘游艇花了多少钱啊?

  Daniel, how much did you pay for

  this boat?

  大牛:一分钱没花。

  Not a penny.

  韩佳:没花?又吹牛吧?

  Not a penny? Are you bragging?

  大牛:谁吹牛了。

  No, I’m not bragging.

  我跟这里的工作人员说

  I told the crew here that

  我和这艘船来自同一个国家—英国。

  I and this boat came from the same

  country-Britain.

  人家就把船借给我开了。

  And they agreed to lend it to me.

  韩佳:真的?

  Really?

  你可真能套近乎。

  You’re good indeed at “tao jin hu”.

  大牛:套近乎?什么意思?

  ”tao jin hu”? What does it mean?

  韩佳:“套近乎”就是说和不熟悉的人拉关系;

  ”tao jin hu” means to strike up an

  acquaintance

  表示亲近,多含贬义。

  or to curry favor, used mostly as

  a derogative.

  大牛:韩佳,我渴了。你去给我倒杯咖啡吧。

  Han Jia, I am thirsty. Get me a

  glass of coffee.

  韩佳:好的,船长。

  Yes, captain.

  来,牛船长。咖啡。

  Here you are, Captain Daniel. It’s coffee.

  大牛:谢谢。不错。

  Thanks. Not bad.

  韩佳我累了。

  Han Jia, I am tired.

  你替我开会儿船,我去休息一下。

  Control the boat for me for a while

  so that I can take a rest.

  韩佳:嗯,好吧。

  Yes, sir.

  Nǐ tì wǒ kāi huìr chuán, wǒ qù xiūxi yíxiàr.

  你 替 我 开 会儿 船, 我 去 休息 一下儿。

  Help me to navigate the boat for a

  while,I’m going to take a rest.

  哎,大牛。这船我控制不了了。

  Eh, Daniel, I can’t take control of the boat.

  大牛,大牛,快醒醒!

  Daniel, Daniel, wake up!

  你怎么在这儿睡着了呀?

  How could you have slept here?

  大牛:韩佳,是这样的

  Han Jia, the fact is that

  我刚才想借这艘游艇开开,

  just now I wanted to borrow this boat,

  人家不同意。所以我就在这里等你,

  but they turned me down. So while I was

  结果睡着了。

  waiting for you here, I dozed off.

  韩佳:做什么美梦呢。

  You must have had a sweet dream.

  睡得那么香。

  You slept so soundly.

  大牛:没什么,没什么。那现在去哪儿啊?

  Not exactly. Where are we going now?

  韩佳:五龙岛啊。上船吧。

  Wulong Island. Get aboard.

  大牛:好。

  Okay.

  韩佳:哎,你的脚不疼了?

  Eh, your foot doesn’t hurt now?

  大牛:好了。

  It’s recovered.

  韩佳:好了,上船吧。

  Since it has recovered, get aboard now.

  大牛:真热闹。

  It’s crowded.

  韩佳:咱们的运气真不错,

  We are lucky to be here

  正好赶上了淳安有名的民俗活动—跳竹马。

  when one of Chun’an’s folk activities,

  bamboo horse dancing, is going on.

  大牛:竹马?

  Bamboo horse dancing?

  韩佳:对啊。这些马是用竹子做成骨架,

  Yeah. These horses are made

  with a bamboo

  外面用五颜六色的布缠起来。

  framework covered with colorful cloth.

  你知道吗,

  Do you know bamboo horse dancing,

  这跳竹马跟唱戏一样,

  like Peking Opera,

  分生、旦、丑等角色。

  also involves roles like “sheng”,

  ”dan” and “chou”.

  嘉宾:跳跳归堂,福寿万年长。

  We dance for your long life.

  竹马跳归村,庆喜福无边。

  We dance for your happiness.

  竹马跳三圈,个个都健康。

  We dance for your health.

  大牛:韩佳,他们围着我们说了那么多吉利的话。

  Han Jia, dancing around us, they’ve

  said so many propitious words to us.

  Tāmen wéizhe wǒmen shuōle nàme duō jí lì de huà.

  他们 围着 我们 说了 那么 多 吉 利 的 话。

  They encircled us showing us

  with so many lucky adages.

  韩佳:吉利的话当然是越多越好了。

  Surely the more propitious words

  they say, the better.

  不过按照当地的习俗,

  But according to local customs,

  听完吉利话就要给红包。

  after hearing these propitious words,

  the audience has to give them tips.

  大牛:给红包?

  We have to give tips?

  那你慢慢欣赏。我先走了。

  Take your time and enjoy yourself.

  I have to go now.

  韩佳:哎,大牛,回来。要看赏心悦目了。

  Eh, Daniel, come back. It’s time

  for today’s Feast for the Eyes.

  现在就请观众朋友们去欣赏一下,

  Now, ladies and gentlemen,

  please enjoy

  千岛湖的迷人风光和民俗表演吧。

  the charming Qiandao Lake and

  some local folk performances.

  大牛:韩佳,你带钱了吗?

  Han Jia, do you have money with you?

  赏心悦目:

  千岛湖不仅自然风光秀美

  Apart from the beautiful lake scenery,

  旅游入住高档舒适

  the visitor can also enjoy the excellent

  accommodations of luxury hotels

  还有丰富多彩的娱乐设施

  and various recreational amenities.

  坐上飞驰的豪华游艇

  A cruise aboard a luxury pleasure-boat

  湖光山色尽收眼底

  is an ideal way to enjoy the lake scenery.

  淳安竹马载歌载舞

  The unique Chun’an bamboo-horse dance

  自有一番独特的风情

  enables the visitor to have a taste

  为千岛湖平添几分热闹气息

  of the region’s time-honored customs.

  大牛:现在我不用给别人红包了。

  Now I don’t have to give tips to anybody.

  别人倒是该给我红包了。

  Somebody else has to give me a tip.

  韩佳:大牛,你别光想着红包了。

  Daniel, don’t just think about tips.

  今天的任务完成了吗?

  Have you fulfilled your task for today?

  大牛:哦,我知道了。该出问题了吧。

  Oh, I know what you mean. It’s time

  to set a question for today.

  观众朋友们,听好了。

  Ladies and gentlemen,

  listen carefully.

  (问题部分略)

  最后别忘了我们的口号:

  And lastly, please don’t forget our motto-

  合: 学说中国话,朋友遍天下。

  Learn Chinese and have friends everywhere.

(Source: cctv.com)

China Travel – Flower Opera Tower

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

The Flower Opera Tower stands in the Daguandi Temple in the northwest corner of Boxian County, Anhui Province.

 

The Flower Opera Tower, also known as the Song Stage, was built particularly for opera performances. Built 1676, the 15th year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the Flower Opera Tower is both an independent construction and part of the Daguandi Temple.

 

The tower covers an area of about 1,000 square meters. Its gate was built on an imitation-wood structure in the shape of a memorial archway with three roofs. It was engraved with exquisite patterns from top to bottom, including figures, carts pulled by horses, cities, hills, trees, flowers, birds and beasts, as well as six complete play texts and over 70 kinds of stories. A pair of 2.4-meter-high stone lions sit on both sides of the gate. Next to the lifelike statues are two iron masts 16 meters high. A bell tower and a drum tower were also built on both sides of the opera tower. Although the huge bell has been destroyed, but the massive drum has been well preserved. An inscription on the drum reads: the second year of the Kangxi reign (1663).

 

Sitting in the north and facing the south, the Flower Opera Tower has a huge wooden stage shaped like the Chinese character, , that reaches the bell and drum towers. Colored wooden carvings decorate the stage, which is paved with glazed tiles. The Flower Opera Tower is supported by six columns. In the center of the stage is a folding screen with carvings of two dragons playing with a huge pearl. Hanging above the screen is a horizontal tablet with four inscribed characters: Beautiful Song, Excellent Dance. There are four gates leading to the stage. Two viewing towers were built in front of the stage, each with two stories and six rooms. Facing the central gate of the stage is the main hall of the Daguandi Temple. Its front hall is decorated with color patterns, while the back hall has a Guangong statue and various cultural relics displayed inside. There are also many carvings and examples of calligraphy stored in the hall. The Flower Opera Tower is of great value to the study of architectural art and traditional opera of the early and mid-Qing period. The Boxian County Museum has been set up at the site.

(Source: chinaculture.org)