Posted by Andrew
The other weekend I got back from 武汉 (Wuhan), where I was giving a 演讲 (speech). Some pretty memorable things happened there. I went with my host to a 偏远的农村 (very rural village), which was where he grew up before leaving to attend high school. We dined on 农家菜 (countryside food) such as meatballs and noodles. One of the strangest things that happened though was this woman ran up to me gesturing excitedly and pointing towards the mountains in the distance. I’m normally in Beijing, so I don’t hear very much Wuhanese; after thinking to myself that I should really make a better effort to learn more Wuhanese while there, I looked to my host for an explanation of what she was saying. He looks at me blankly and says “she’s a 哑巴 （mute)， I don’t know what she’s saying either.” Another thing that happened was that we were at a restaurant and my host picked a spice out of the soup, examined it carefully, and called the manager in to the room where we were eating. He pointed out that this spice was a complete fake and that they should check their supplier. He indicated that this type of root grows at a height of 海拔2000米 (2000 meters above sea level) and can only be harvested in 3 places in China. Everyone took his word for it, as he was an accomplished 专家 (expert) in the field of 中药 (Chinese medicine).
武汉 wu2han4 - Wuhan, capital of Hubei province in southern China
演讲 yan2(3)jiang3 - speech
偏远 pian1yuan2 - rural
农村 nong2cun1 - village
农家菜 nong2jia1cai4 - rural village food
哑巴 ya3ba1 - mute/dumb
海拔 hai3ba2 - sea level
米 mi2 - meter(s)
专家 zhuan1jia1 - expert
中药 zhong1yao4 - Chinese medicine
Posted by Andrew
It’s just about time to 交税 (pay taxes) to the 税务局 (tax bureau). Hopefully nobody went over their 预算 (budget) for this year and were able to be a little bit 节约 (economical) rather than 贪钱 (greedy). Hopefully you were able to 存钱 (deposit money) into your account and have it noted on your 存折 (bankbook). If you’re going to pay taxes, it might make more sense to use a 支票 (check) rather than 汇款 (wire money). Remember that if you’re going to claim work expenses that you’re going to need thorough 发票 (receipts) to do so. Stay tuned for my next installment on money!
交税 jiao1shui4 - pay taxes
税务局 shui4wu4ju2 - tax bureau
预算 yu4suan4 - budget
节约 jie2yue1 - economical, thrifty
贪钱 tan1qian2 - greedy
存钱 cun2qian2 - deposit/save money
存折 cun2zhe2 - bankbook
支票 zhi1piao4 - check
汇款 hui4kuan3 - wire money
发票 fa1piao4 - receipt
Posted by Andrew
The other day, I went hiking on the great wall with my landlord and a friend. We took a 公交车 (public bus) to Huairou County, where we proceeded to 爬长城 (climb the Great Wall). There were a lot of places where it would be very easy to 摔 (slip), and the hills could be quite 斗 (steep). Having eaten a hearty 煎饼 (fried egg pancake) for breakfast, I had more than enough energy to take in and enjoy the 风景 (scenery) and fresh 空气 (air). When we were 下山 (coming down the mountain), I slipped and fell down backwards but immediately grabbed a tree root which was fortunately grounded. Hanging upside down, I reported to my 2 hiking partners that I was fine, and took about 20 seconds to right myself and get on stable ground. They say that cats have 九条命 (9 lives), I don’t know about humans but I’d say that I nearly lost one this past weekend. All said, a memorable excursion!
公交车 gong1jiao1che1 public bus
爬 pa2 climb
长城 chang2cheng2 Great Wall
摔 shuai1 slip
斗 dou3 steep
煎饼 jian1bing3 a type of fried pancake with egg and vegetables
风景 feng1jing3 scenery
空气 kong4qi4 air
下山 xia4shan1 to descend a mountain
九条命 jiu3tiao2ming4 9 lives
Posted by Andrew
No matter where you are, 营养 (nutrition) is key. It can be the deciding factor in lowering your 胆固醇 (cholesterol) and preventing further buildup in your 血管 (blood vessels). Although there are people in the states who outright condemn 碳水化合物 (carbohydrates), there are plenty of places in the world where they’re the staple of the diet, leaving 蛋白质 (protein) and 脂肪 (fat) as secondary things. One overlooked part of nutrition is 纤维素 (fiber), as it can aid with 消化 (digestion). I think that trying to maintain a constant 比例 (ratio) of the different macronutrients works best, although it can be tough to stay on top of that sometimes. There’s an old Chinese saying which says 早上吃得饱, 中午吃得好, 晚上吃得少. (In the morning, eat until you’re full, midday eat a good meal, at night only eat a little bit.)
营养 ying2yang3 - nutrition
胆固醇 dan3gu4chun2 - cholesterol
血管 xue2(3)guan3 - blood vessels
碳水化合物 tan4shui3hua4he2wu4 - carbohydrates
蛋白质 dan4bai2zhi4 - protein
脂肪 zhi3fang2 - fat
纤维素 xian1wei2su4 - fiber
消化 xiao1hua4 - digest(ion)
比例 bi3li4 - ratio
早上吃得饱, 中午吃得好, 晚上吃得少 zao3shang4chi1de bao3, zhong1wu2chi1de hao3, wan3shang4chi1de shao3. In the morning, eat until you’re full, midday eat a good meal, at night only eat a little bit.
Posted by Andrew
When you’re in the gym, what’s next? Are you just going to hop in the 更衣室 (locker room), put your business suit into an 衣柜 (locker), change into some 运动服 (workout clothes), and go to the track and 跑几圈 (run some laps) and call it a day? Or are you going to step up, load up the 杠铃 (barbell) with weights, bust out some 硬拉 (deadlifts) and some 引体向上 (pullups) until not a speck of 脂肪 (fat) is visible on your frame? Do a couple of 俯卧撑 (pushups) while you’re thinking about it and get back to me.
更衣室 geng1yi1shi3 - locker room
衣柜 yi1gui4 - locker
运动服 yun4dong4fu2 - workout clothes
跑 pao3 - run
圈 quan1 - circle/lap
杠铃 gang1ling2 - barbell
硬拉 ying4la1 - deadlift
引体向上 yin2(3)ti3xiang4shang4 - pullup
脂肪 zhi3fang2 - fat
俯卧撑 fu2wo4cheng1 - pushups
