Archive for December 11th, 2009

Chinese Culture – Painting on Silk(2)

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Twenty-four years after the Human, Dragon and Phoenix Painting was discovered, another silk painting was found, also in a tomb of the Chu Kingdom. It depicts a man wearing a thick hat, holding a rein in one hand and a sword in the other, and riding a dragon boat. It is called the Dragon Boat Riding Painting.

Dragon Boat Riding Painting

According to experts, the man is a likeness of the one buried in the tomb, and the picture symbolizes his soul rising up to heaven. The concept of one’s soul going up to heaven after death was very popular in the Chu Kingdom. This picture is similar in content and expressive form to the Human, Dragon and Phoenix Painting. The only difference is that the figures in the Dragon Boat Riding Painting are rendered more realistically and the proportion of the human bodies is closer to that of real people. These examples show that there were already varied painting styles in the Warring States Period . Some tended to be realistic, others more decorative. Paintings on silk developed to a high level during this period, an advance that laid the foundation for meticulous Chinese painting.

Written theories on painting first appeared during the Warring States Period. For example, the philosopher Han Feizi commented that it is difficult to draw dogs and horses, but easy to depict ghosts. There is also a record of an artist painting a winnowing fan for a king with the figures of snakes, dragons, horses, carts and so on. Qu Yuan‘s famous poem Tian Wen (Asking Heaven), written during the period, contains descriptions of wall paintings in the Chu temples .

Before paper was invented, paintings on silk continued to develop. By the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- A.D.23), they had become richer in content and color, smoother and more forceful in brush strokes and the depiction of figures had become more vivid.

Source: chinaculture.org

Chinese Character – gem (gemstone):宝石

Friday, December 11th, 2009

gem (gemstone):

Chinese Pinyin: bao3 shi2

(Source: about.com)

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 719

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Click to Watch Video Podcast

快快乐乐学汉语 轻轻松松过周末

Let’s learn Chinese with fun.

And spend a weekend of relaxation.

欢迎收看《快乐中国》周末版节目

Welcome to this weekend edition

of Happy China.

快乐的韩佳 大牛

The happy Han Jia and Daniel

在美丽的黄龙向您问好

are saying hello to you at the beautiful

Huanglong National Park.

希望您能度过一个愉快的周末

We hope you would have an

enjoyable weekend.

只要您快乐 我们就快乐

So long as you are happy,

we’ll be happy too

快乐在中国

because this is Happy China.

哎呀 这黄龙的景色真是美不胜收

Wow, there are too many scenic attractions

to take in all at once at Huanglong.

Uh-huh.

韩佳 你最喜欢哪里啊

Han Jia, which scenic spot do

you like most?

当然是五彩池最美了

Of course, it should be the

Multicolor Pond.

我觉得明镜池也不错啊

I think the Mirror Lake isn’t bad either.

那争艳池也挺漂亮的

Zhengyan Lake is also very beautiful.

那它能跟杜鹃映彩池媲美吗

Bur it would pale compared with

the Azalea Reflecting Lake.

好了 好了 咱俩别在这儿说了

Well, well.

we’d better stop arguing here.

耳听为虚 眼见为实

Seeing, not hearing, is believing.

不如让观众朋友们到我们的出行指南中

Let our audience join us in taking

a look

好好去看一看

at today’s Travel Guide.

黄龙风景区位于中国四川省北部的

The Huanglong Scenic Area lies

in the jurisdiction

松潘县境内

of Songpan County in northern

Sichuan Province.

总面积700平方公里

Covering a total area of 700

square kilometers,

以美丽的地表钙华奇观著称于世

it boasts spectacular travertine

land formations.

这里资源丰富 景观奇特

The area is blessed with rich resources

and unique landscapes.

生态原始 保存完好

Due to its well-protected eco-environment,

被誉为人间瑶池

Huanglong is also billed as the

Abode of Immortals on Earth.

除了秀美的自然风光

In addition to its beautiful scenery,

历史上有名的边陲重镇

the region is also known for

the ancient town

松潘古城也屹立在这里

of Songpan, an important outpost

in the past.

作为一个多民族聚居的地方

Cohabited by

藏羌回汉各民族在这里互相融合

ethnic Tibetan, Qiang, Hui and Han people,

形成了独具特色的古城文化

the town exhibits distinctive

cultural features.

漫步古城 店铺林立

Strolling in the town, the visitor can find

您在这里可以买到各种

a whole array of shops selling

具有地方特色的民族手工艺品

all sorts of indigenous handicrafts.

如果运气好的话

If you are lucky,

还能欣赏到羌族多声部合唱

you may have a chance to enjoy

an ethnic Qiang multipart chorus

羌笛等古老的民族曲艺表演

or a traditional Qiangdi flute

music performance.

相信您一定会不虚此行

We’re sure your visit here will be

a most rewarding experience.

哇 唱得太棒了

Wow, how beautifully you sang!

谢谢

Thanks.

您是藏族吧

Are you Tibetan?

您看我穿的这身藏族服装

Do you think just because as I am wearing

a Tibetan costume and sang a Tibetan song,

唱的藏族歌曲就是藏族吗

I must be a Tibetan?

汉语说得那么好

Since you speak Mandarin so well,

肯定是汉族的对不对

you must be ethnically Han.

不是 我是回族

No. I am ethnically Hui.

What!

回族

Hui?

Yes.

难怪说啊

No wonder

这松州古城是一个藏羌回汉

Songzhou is a town cohabited harmoniously

四个民族和睦聚居的地方呢

by ethnic Tibetan, Qiang, Hui

and Han people.

对啊 在我们这个地方

Yes. In this town,

回族人会唱藏族歌

Hui people can sing Tibetan songs.

藏族人又会唱羌族歌

Tibetans can sing Qiang songs.

羌族人又会唱汉族歌

And Qiang people can sing

ethnic Han songs

而且啊 他们的汉语都说得非常地棒

And they all speak perfect Mandarin.

嗯 真可以看出来

Yeah. I can see

松州古城不但是民族大融合的体现

Songzhou is not only an embodiment

of ethnic harmony,

而且这里的每一个人都是能歌善舞的

everyone here is also very good

t singing and dancing.

是啊 这位回族姑娘唱的歌啊

Yes, indeed. This Hui girl sings

so melodiously that

真可以说是余音绕梁啊

her songs are just “yu yin rao

liang” (enthralling).

传说战国时期

Legend has it that during the

Spring and Autumn Period,

韩国有个名叫韩娥的歌唱能手

there is a well-known singer, Han E,

闻名全国

in the State of Han.

有一次她外出旅行

Once she takes a trip away from home.

路过齐国

When she passes by the State

of Qi, she finds

因为路费用完了

she has used up all the money

she has with her.

便在齐国都城的雍门

In Qi’s capital city Yongmen,

举行一次歌唱演出

she holds a concert.

韩娥的歌声真是太美妙了

Han E sings so beautifully

唱完之后

that after her performance,

齐国的百姓都聚集在雍门不肯散去

the Qi audience remains in Yongmen,

reluctant to leave.

有人便到旅店去找韩娥

Some goes to her hotel

请她再演唱一次

to ask her to sing one more time.

可是 由于旅店的老板对韩娥很不礼貌

But due to the hotel owner’s

impoliteness toward her,

韩娥便出城离去了

Han E has left the hotel and the

town to continue her trip.

人们得知这个消息便赶紧派人去追

Hearing of this, they send people

to chase after her.

并苦苦挽留

When they reach her, they

beg her to stay.

韩娥不忍心拒绝众人的好意

Not having the heart to turn down

their request,

于是回来为大家再演唱了一次

he returns and sings once again

for the locals.

由于韩娥的歌声婉转动听

Han E sings so beautifully that

唱完以后两三天

a couple of days after her concert,

似乎还有遗留的歌声在屋梁间缭绕飘荡

local people seem to be still hearing

her songs lingering in the air.

好了 观众朋友们

Well, ladies and gentlemen,

又到了我们今天快乐读信的时间了

it’s time again for us to read with relish

letters from our audience.

韩佳你看

Han Jia, look.

我这里有两封来信

Here are two letters with me.

一封是德国的阿明老人写来的

One was written by A Ming of Germany.

另一封是美国的Aimy朋友发来的

And the other’s written by Aimy

of America.

他们在来信中表达了同一个想法

These two letters expressed

a consensual opinion.

哦 什么想法啊

Oh, what opinion is it?

听好了

Listen carefully.

年轻的阿明老爷爷在来信中说

The young grandpa A Ming

said in his letter

《快乐中国—学汉语》是他生活的必需品

that Happy China-Learning Chinese

was one his daily necessities.

Aimy 则说《快乐中国》已不知不觉地

Aimy said that Happy China had

unknowingly

成为他生活中不可缺少的一部分了

become an indispensable part

of his life.

韩佳 看到这些来信啊

Han Jia, reading these letters,

我大牛工作起来就更带劲了

I feel more energized to work.

没错儿 我也是

Yes, me too.

哎 大牛 我这儿还有一封信呢

Eh, Daniel, I’ve also got a letter here.

读给你听听啊

Now I read it to you.

我是一名在荷兰的中国留学生

“I’m a Chinese student studying

in Holland.

叫李云良

My name is Li Yunliang.

我的汉语说得非常标准

Although I speak standard Chinese,

但我仍然坚持收看你们的节目

I keep watching your program,

《快乐中国—学汉语》

Happy China-Learning Chinese.”

大牛 你知道是为什么吗

Daniel, do you know why?

知道 想跟我们节目学英语呗

Yes, I do. He wants to learn English

from this program.

不对 李云良朋友是说啊

No. Li Yunliang said that

通过我们的节目呢

through this program, he was able

他可以欣赏到中国的大好河山

to see many of China’s scenic attractions.

他特别喜欢我们节目中赏心悦目那一部分

He said he particularly enjoyed

the Feast for the Eyes segment.

他说那里面的风景啊实在是太漂亮了

He said the scenery it shows

is extremely beautiful.

嘿 我们节目真是一举多得啊

Hey, our program does serve

manifold purposes!

嗯 没错儿

Yes, exactly.

哎 最近德国的Marina又给我们来信了

Eh, Marina of Germany wrote us

again lately.

Marina真是老朋友

Marina is indeed an old friend of ours.

对啊

Yes.

她在信中说什么呀

What did she say in her letter?

她呢 提了一个问题

She raised a question,

希望我们能帮她解答一下

which she hoped we could answer it.

好 我大牛最喜欢助人为乐

OK, I enjoy helping other people.

Marina提了什么样的问题

What question did Marina ask?

看看我能不能当场给她解答

Let’s see if I can answer it on the spot.

嗯 Marina在信中问啊

Oh, Marina asked in her letter

“将要”的“将”都有哪些用法

how many usages the “jiang” as in

“jiang yao” have

应该如何正确地使用呢

and how it should be used.

哎 这个问题我还真能解答

Oh, this is surely a question I am

able to answer.

“将”常常做时间副词

“jiang” is often used as a temporal adverb,

表示在时间上快要达到的意思

meaning to be going to or about

to do something.

比如说我将在中国欢度春节

For instance, I am going to spend

Spring Festival in China.

嗯 解答得不错

Uh-huh. You answered pretty well.

“将”在做副词的时候啊

When used as an adverb, “jiang”

还有勉强的意思

also means “barely” or “hardly”.

比如说那辆车将够坐下五个人

For instance, that car is barely big

enough to sit five people.

哎 这“将”啊还可以做动词

Eh, the word “jiang” can also be

used as a verb.

中国人下象棋的时候

When Chinese play chess,

总是喜欢说“将你一军”

the word they use most often is “jiang”.

这将啊 是指在下象棋的时候

Here “jiang” refers to the chess move

攻击对方的将或帅

to attack the opponent’s general commander.

嗯 解释得完全正确

Yeah, you explained correctly.

不过“将”啊还有另外一个读音

But the word “jiang” has another

pronunciation,

那就是“将”一般做名词用

that is “jiang”, fourth tone, used

as a noun.

比如“将领”啊

For instance, “jiang ling” (commander) and

“将士”啊 等等

“jiang shi” (commanders and

rank-and-file soldiers).

没错儿 不过观众朋友们一定要记住

Exactly. But, you must remember

clearly that

这“将领”和“将军”虽然都是名词

although “jiang ling” and “jiang ju”

are both nouns,

但是读音可不一样

their pronunciations are different.

“将军”的“将”一定要读第一声

The “jiang” in “jiang jun” should be

pronounced in the first tone.

没错儿

Yes.

好了 回答完问题呢

Well, having answered this question,

又要来看看我们今天成语猜猜看的内容了

now we move into today’s Phrase

Look & Guess.

请看

Please watch.

怎么样观众朋友们

Ladies and gentlemen,

您猜出来了吗 是哪个成语啊

did you make a successful guess

at which set phrase it is?

请您赶紧跟我们联系

Please contact us now

参与我们的答题活动

to take part in this quiz.

精美礼品等您拿

A beautiful gift is awaiting you.

最后祝朋友们好运

And lastly, we wish you good luck!

快乐学汉语

Let’s learn Chinese with fun.

轻松过周末

And spend a weekend of relaxation.

哎 下周看什么呀

Eh, what’s up for next week?

看寺庙

We’ll see a temple.

What?

哦 不 看预告

Oh, no. Let’s watch the Viewer Guide.

1月16号到1月21号

From January 16 through 21,

快乐的韩佳 大牛

the happy Han Jia and Daniel

将与您继续在风光旖旎的

will be taking you to the picturesque

人间瑶池黄龙学汉语

Huanglong National Park to learn Chinese.

“酝酿”啊原本是指造酒的发酵过程

“yun niang” originally referred to the

fermentation process in wine making.

后来呢 比喻事前做准备工作

Now it means advance preparations.

“健步如飞”这个成语形容步伐矫健

“jian bu ru fei” is a Chinese idiom

which means to walk with fast

走得很快

and vigorous strides.

中国中央电视台国际频道

On CCTV International,

周一到周六 每天十分钟

the 10-minute Happy China

《快乐中国》与您不见不散

meets you every day Mondays

through Saturdays.

快乐的时光总是那么地短暂

A happy moment always passes

so quickly.

《快乐中国》周末版节目就要跟您说再见了

It’s time for this weekend edition of

Happy China to bid you goodbye.

这周在黄龙美景

This week, accompanied by the beautiful

还有韩佳和大牛的陪伴下

Huanglong scenery, as well as Han

Jia and Daniel,

不知道您过得快不快乐呢

did you have a good time?

在我们跟您说再见之前

Before we say goodbye to you,

韩佳和大牛还有三件事

Han Jia and I would like to

要提醒大家

remind you about three things.

对 第一件事情啊

Yes. First,

就是下周同一时间不要忘了

don’t forget to watch our program

收看我们的节目

next week at the same time.

第二件事情就是

Second,

如果您有什么建议或者是想法的话

if you have any suggestions

and any comments,

请您按照以下方式跟我们联系

please let us know using the method

given here.

这最后一件事啊

And last,

当然是别忘了我们的口号

of course, don’t forget our slogan-

学说中国话 朋友遍天下

Learn Chinese and have friends everywhere.

(Source: cctv.com)