Archive for October 1st, 2009

Chinese Culture – Mysterious Rock Paintings in Guizhou(2)

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

During the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), important official documents and announcements as well as village rules were often carved on stone tablets so that they could be handed down to generations to come. Those stone tablets on cliffs, either in Chinese or in local ethnic languages, provide valuable references for the study of indigenous ethnic cultures and societies as well as the spread of Han culture in the region.

An image of tigers in the rock paintings of Maolaoke

Among thousands of cliff carvings, stone tablets featuring village rules on environment protection boast the largest number. Those local rules were mostly involved with the protection of forests as well as mineral resources and water conservancy facilities, facilitating the study of the relationship between local ethnic groups and the natural environment in Guizhou. There are also many stone tablets recording wedding and festival traditions and customs of local ethnic minorities.

An image of bull in the rock painting of Wushan Moutain

Source: chinaculture.org

Chinese Character – family:家庭

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

family:

Chinese Pinyin: jia1 ting2

(Source: about.com)

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 648

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Click to Watch Video Podcast

快乐学汉语

Learning Chinese the fun way!

轻松过周末

Spending a weekend of relaxation!

观众朋友们 大家好

Hello everyone!

我们现在呢

Here

是在揭阳的京明度假村

at the Jingming Holiday Resort

in Jieyang,

祝您周末愉快

we’re wishing you a very

nice weekend!

在周末呼吸郊外的新鲜空气

It feels so good to breathe

the fresh air

感觉真是太好了

in the suburbs here on

a weekend!

是啊

Yes,

尤其是在环境这么好的度假村里

particularly at a holiday resort wish

such a beautiful environment.

感觉整个人都放松了

I feel totally relaxed!

咱们可不能完全放松啊

Hey, we mustn’t be totally relaxed.

对对对

Right, we mustn’t.

还有重要的任务没有完成呢

We still have an important

task to complete!

你放心吧

Rest assured.

这周的快乐周记我已经准备好了

I’ve already prepared the Happy

Weekly Diary.

真的吗

Oh, really?

我们现在就来看看

Okay, now let’s take a look

本周都去了哪些地方呢

at what places we’ve visited

this past week.

这一周 我们离开了潮州

This past week, after we

left Chaozhou,

进入了粤东古邑 揭阳

we came to Jieyang, an old town

in eastern Guangdong.

潮汕一带的民居

The residential houses in the

Chaozhou and Shantou area

历来享有盛名

have enjoyed a high reputation

since ancient times.

在龙湖古寨

The old Longhu Residence,

一条条沧桑的街道

the time-honored streets

一栋栋古老的房屋

and the row upon row of

antique houses

还有那些精美的雕饰

with beautiful decorations

仿佛在述说当年这里的繁华与兴盛

all seem to be recalling the prosperity

of a bygone time.

揭阳是一个有着两千多年历史的古城

Jieyang is an old town that has a

history of more than 2,000 years.

许多古老的建筑和风俗

Many old structures and customs

至今仍在这里流传

are still in existence today.

著名的城隍庙 孔庙

The well-known Chenghuang Temple,

the Confucian Temple and

还有双峰寺 都位于市中心

the Shuangfeng Temple are all

located in the center of the city.

呈品字形排列

Arranged in a pyramid pattern,

三座代表不同文化的寺庙

the three temples, representing

three types of culture,

位置如此紧密

are close to each other

相处得如此和谐

and stand side by side in

perfect harmony.

在其他地方很难见到

Such a kind of architectural arrangement can

be hardly seen in other Chinese cities.

揭阳的阳美村

Yangmei Village of Jieyang

以制作玉器而出名

is known as a producer of

jade articles.

大量的玉石

Large quantities of jadestones

从东南亚各地被运送到这里

are transported here from

Southeast Asian countries.

经过能工巧匠的打磨和雕刻

The raw stones are ground and

carved by skilled artisans

成为了一件件精美的艺术品

into various fine and beautiful

works of art.

无数海内外客商

A countless number of wholesale dealers

both from home and abroad

来这里选购玉器

come here for a buy.

过去的一个小小村落

A formerly small village

现在已经成为了中国有名的玉都

has turned into a famous capital

of jade in China.

渊源 要不要帮忙

Yuanyuan, can I help you?

不用不用 我没问题

No, thanks. No problem.

那我可休息会儿啦

Then I’m going to take a rest.

韩佳 你别啊

Oh, no, Han Jia.

我一个人开船 太孤零零了

I’ll feel lonely if I steer

the boat alone.

要不你陪我聊会儿天吧

How about having a chat

with me?

聊什么呀

A chat about what?

要不你给我讲个成语故事吧

Um, how about telling me a

story of an idiom?

好啊

Sure.

那你想听什么成语故事呢

But a story of what idiom?

我们在坐船

Since we’re sitting in a boat,

要不你讲一个和船有关的吧

how about a boat-related idiom?

和船有关的

A boat-related idiom?

我想想啊

Let me think.

有一个成语故事

Yeah, there is a story of

an idiom

你肯定没听过

that you must have never

heard of.

什么呀

What is it?

破釜沉舟

“Po fu chen zhou” (burn your boats)!

秦朝末年

During the last years of

the Qin Dynasty,

各地的人们纷纷举行起义

uprisings occur one after another

in various places

反抗秦朝的暴虐统治

against the tyrannical rule of

the court.

有一次 起义军的领袖项羽

Once, the insurgents’ leader

Xiang Yu

与秦国三十万大军狭路相逢了

meets up with a 300,000-strong

imperial army.

将军 明天我们渡过漳河之后

“General, tomorrow after we

cross the Zhanghe River,

就要与秦军交战了

we’ll engage with the Qin army.

他们的人数远远多于我们

But they far outnumber us.

这可是一场硬仗啊

It’s going to be a very

tough battle!”

我知道了

“Yes, I know.”

我们可以等其他的起义军来了

“We can wait until other

insurgents arrive

一起攻打秦军

to fight the Qin army.”

可是时间不等人

“But time will not wait for us.

这样恐怕会贻误战机的

Any delay may forfeit our

chance for action!”

我已经想好了一个

“I’ve figured out a method

激励战士的办法

to boost the morale of

our soldiers.

这次 我们一定要战胜秦军

This time, we must rout

the Qin army!”

第二天

The following day,

项羽的军队全部渡过漳河以后

after his troops cross the

Zhanghe River,

项羽让士兵们饱饱地吃了一顿

Xiang Yu lets them eat

a full meal

又让战士每人多带了三天用的干粮

and asks them each to carry food

for three days.

然后传下命令把渡河用的船凿穿

Then he orders to sink all

the boats

把做饭用的锅砸碎

and smash all their cooking cauldrons.

士兵们见已经没有了退路

Seeing there is no way

for retreat,

看出了项羽坚定的决心

these troops realize Xiang Yu’s resolve.

谁也不打算再活着回去了

No one is prepared to

return alive.

后来 军队在项羽的亲自指挥下

Later, the troops led by Xiang Yu

与秦军展开了殊死搏斗

fight a tenacious battle with

the Qin army.

最终 大败秦军

In the end, the Qin army

is routed.

破釜沉舟

“Po fu chen zhou”:

“破釜”是打破饭碗

“po fu” meaning to break

up cooking utensils;

“沉舟”是指沉没船只

and “chen zhou” to sink

the boats.

这则成语比喻

This idiom is used metaphorically

下定决心 不顾一切地战斗到底

to mean to be resolved to fight

to the end

决不后退

and never retreat.

万里海疆行

Let’s share the joy and fun

快乐共分享

on our happy journey along

the coast!

又到了我们快乐读信的时间了

It’s the happy time to read

letters again.

最近啊 我们栏目组

Yes. Recently, our program team

可是收到了不少观众朋友的来信哦

has received a lot of letters from

our audience.

没错 我这里就有一封

Exactly. Here’s a letter written

是美国的一对双胞胎姐妹写给我们的

by a pair of twin sisters in

the United States.

她们一个叫韩佐 一个叫韩佑

One is called Han Zuo and

the other Han You.

今年十一岁

11 years old,

刚刚读完小学六年级

they have just finished their six-year

elementary education.

她们在信中说

They said in their letter,

我们出生在美国加州的洛杉矶

“We were born in Los Angeles, California.

经常到中国游玩

We often travel in China.

我们去了北京 杭州

We’ve been to Beijing, Hangzhou

还有“快乐海疆行”中的上海

and Shanghai, which was one of the stops

on your Happy Journey along the Coast.”

那小姐妹在信中还提到

Yes. The two sisters also

said that

爸爸妈妈呢

their dad and mom

从小就给她们俩上中文课

have taught them Chinese ever

since their childhood.

她们掌握了很多汉语知识

They have acquired a lot of knowledge

of the Chinese language.

现如今呢

And today,

姐妹俩又从我们的节目中

the two sisters have learned

学到了更多的词汇

many more words from our program.

不仅如此

Besides,

她们对中国的历史和风景名胜

they have also got to know more

也有了更进一步的了解

about Chinese history and

China’s major scenic spots.

姐妹俩可是有心人哪

They are truly girls with

high aspirations.

她们从今年年初

They’ve started watching

Happy Learning Chinese

开始收看《快乐学汉语》节目

since the beginning of this year.

她们每次收看

Every time they watch the program,

都会把生词记在笔记本上

they jog down the new words

on their notepads.

过几天再回头复习复习

Every few days, they come

back to review them.

这也难怪她们的汉语水平

No wonder the level of their

Chinese proficiency

提高得这么快

has risen so quickly

中文信也写得这么好

and wrote this letter in Chinese

so well.

是的 让我们在这里

Yes. Here, let’s wish

祝福这对小姐妹的中文学得越来越出色

this pair of twin sisters more remarkable

progress in learning Chinese.

韩佳

Eh, Han Jia,

我记得好像还有一封来自美国的信

I remember there is another letter

the United States.

我知道了

Oh, I know

你说的是Nancy Wang

you means the letter from

Nancy Wang.

她在信中说

She said in her letter,

我已经关注你们的节目有四年时间了

“I’ve been following your program

closely for four years now.

从九年级开始

Since my ninth grade,

我就锁定你们的节目

I have begun to stay tuned

to this program.

今年秋天呢

This fall,

我就要上大学了

I’m going to enter college.

那时 我就会用上

Then I’ll make use of

从你们节目中学到的知识了

the knowledge I’ve learn from

your program.

我想说你们干得很好

I want to say you’ve done

an excellent job.

谢谢你们的精彩节目

Many thanks for this

wonderful program.

它已经深深地印在我心中了

It has been deeply imprinted

on my heart.”

Nancy 你的来信让我们非常感动

Nancy, we’re deeply moved

by your letter.

感谢你一直关注我们的节目

Thank you for caring about

our program.

对我们来说

For us,

你的来信是最好的礼物和支持

your letter is the best gift

and support.

我们会做得更好

We’ll work even harder.

是的 Nancy

Yes. Nancy,

你马上呢就要上大学了

you’ll be entering college soon.

这是你人生又一个新的开始

It will be a new start of your life.

那在大学里呢

In college,

你会学到更多的汉语知识

you’ll learn a lot more knowledge

of Chinese.

明年啊 就是中国的奥运年了

Next year, the Olympics will

be held in China.

到时候呢 欢迎你来到北京

At that time, you’re welcome

to visit Beijing

来到我们《快乐学汉语》的栏目组

and us at the Happy Learning

Chinese team.

在这里呢

Here,

我们要感谢你对我们节目的关注

we also want to thank you for

caring for our program.

同时啊

At the same time,

也要祝福你幸福 快乐

we also wish you happiness

and good luck!

韩佳 你瞧

Han Jia, look,

有这么多新老观众支持我们

with the support of so many friends,

old and young,

我们也要努力

we should also work hard

把节目办得更加成功

to make our program even

more successful!

渊源说得没错儿

Yuanyuan is right.

那让我们的节目伴随着您的生活

May our program be a companion

of your life

让我们彼此分享成功和喜悦吧

and let’s share the joy of

success together!

现在又到了

Good. Now again

我们最激动人心的抽奖时刻

it’s the most exciting award-

drawing time!

那我们马上要看一看

Let’s find out

哪三十位观众啊

which 30 viewers

会成为我们上一周的幸运儿呢

will be Fortune’s favorites

of last week.

中奖名单已经出来了

Okay, the list of winners

has come out!

恭喜这些朋友

Congratulations to these friends!

不久呢 您将会收到

Soon afterward, you’ll be receiving

我们为您准备的特色纪念品一份

a package of special souvenirs

from us.

如果这次没有中奖呢

Yes. If you didn’t win this time,

也不要灰心

please don’t feel disheartened.

只要您积极收看我们的节目

As long as you watch our program

踊跃参与答题

and answer questions actively,

说不定啊

perhaps,

下一个中奖的就是您

one of the next winner

will be you!

下面请看我们的

Next let’s take a look at

成语猜猜看

the Idiom Guess.

快乐学汉语

Learning Chinese the fun way!

轻松过周末

Spending a weekend of relaxation!

快乐在哪里

Where’s fun?

快乐在前方

More Fun Ahead!

93号到97

From September 3 through September 7,

快乐的韩佳和渊源

Merry Han Jia and Happy Yuanyuan

将带您在汕尾和惠州学汉语

will be learning Chinese with you

in Shanwei and Huizhou.

“打扮”呢就是指装饰

“Daban” means to dress up

使容貌 衣着好看的意思

to make oneself look

more impressive.

“齐心协力”就是指认识一致 共同努力

So “qin xin xie li” means to make

concerted efforts or to work together.

中国中央电视台中文国际频道

On Chinese CCTV International,

周一到周五 每天十分钟

the 10-minute program

《快乐学汉语》与您准时相约

Happy Learning Chinese airs

Monday through Fridays.

听一听鸟儿的鸣叫

Listening to the singing birds!

闻一闻茶树的芳香

And smelling the fragrant tea trees!

那接下来的一周呢

Yeah, our program for next week

节目会更加精彩

will be even more fascinating.

要想了解那些精彩的内容

If you want to find out how

fascinating it is,

那就别忘了准时收看我们的

then don’t forget to stay tuned

万里海疆快乐行

for our Happy Journey along

the Coast.

好了 渊源 时间也差不多了

Okay, Yuanyuan, it’s about time

是不是该跟观众朋友们说再见了

to say goodbye to our audience.

唉呀 真是让人遗憾

Oh, what a pity!

快乐的时间过得太快了

A happy moment always

passes quickly.

那我们只能下周再见了

We have to see you again

only next week.

好了观众朋友们

Audience friends,

千万别忘了可以随时跟我们联系哦

make sure to contact us at any time.

我们的联系方式就在屏幕上

Our contact information is right

here on the screen.

口号也不能忘

And don’t forget our slogan.

学说中国话 朋友遍天下

Learn Chinese and make friends everywhere!

我是快乐的韩佳

I’m Merry Han Jia.

我是快乐的渊源

I’m Happy Yuanyuan.

让我们下周同一时间

Let’s meet again next week

at the same time.

不见不散

Be there or be square!

(Source: cctv.com)