Posted by Andrew
As nearly everybody in the world knows, the other day a famous 歌星 (music star) 逝世 (passed away). Yes, it was 迈克尔 杰克逊 (Michael Jackson), the creator of the record-holding best-selling 唱片 (album) in history. Nobody expected for him to 去世 (pass on) at such an early age. Thousands of 歌迷 (fans) lined up all around the world to mourn him. News from 伊朗 (Iran) was moved to the side on all major media portals. There will never be another person who could make the 灵异 (supernatural) as mainstream as he did, nor will there ever be a dance quite like the 太空舞步 (moonwalk) again.
歌星 ge1xing1 - music star
逝世 shi4shi4 - pass away
迈克尔 mai4ke4er3 - Michael
杰克逊 jie2ke4xun4 - Jackson
唱片 chang4pian1 - album (of music)
去世 qu4shi4 - pass on (more colloquial than shi4shi4)
歌迷 ge1mi2 - music fans
伊朗 yi1lang2 - Iran
灵异 ling3yi4 - supernatural
太空舞步 tai4kong1wu3bu4 - translated, it’s something like “space dancestep”
Posted by Andrew
Hello readers!
So these days it’s pretty hot in Beijing, reaching 40 摄氏度 (degrees Celsius), that’s 104F for people who use 华氏度 (degrees Fahrenheit). I have tried to use my 空调 (air conditioner) but to no avail, leaving me somewhat 郁闷 (melancholy). Also, in Beijing, the 空气 (air) owing in part to 污染 (pollution), can be a little bit 浓 (thick). Concerned urban residents have little choice but to 出汗 (sweat) and pity those who 怕热 (are afraid of heat).
摄氏度 she4shi4du4 - Celsius degrees
华氏度 hua2shi4du4 - Fahrenheit degrees
空调 kong1tiao2 - air conditioner
郁闷 yu4men4 - melancholy
空气 kong1qi4 - air
污染 wu1ran3 - pollution
浓 nong2 - thick
出汗 chu1han4 - sweat
怕热 pa4re4 - be afraid/averse of/to heat
Posted by Andrew
Sometimes in 跨文化谈判 (cross-cultural negotiations) , some of the 幽默(humor) can be lost, and it can lead someone approaching the situation in a 认真 (serious/diligent) manner to be at a loss for words and unable to communicate further. Today, let’s take a look at some words that people use to express annoyance.
First, there’s 烦 (annoyed, fed up). It’s used in situations where in English, a person might say “ugh, I can’t BELIEVE this.”
甲: 排队这么长时间了, 真烦!
A: I’ve been waiting so long, this is so annoying!
讨厌 (”hate”) is a little bit different. It can be used in a playful sense. Look at the dialogue below to see how some of the usage works.
A: Wow, I just won another raffle prize!
B: Oh my god, I hate you!
甲: 哇塞, 我又抽奖了!
乙: 讨厌!
Vocab-
跨 kua4 - (prefix) cross-
文化 wen2hua4 - culture
幽默 you1mo4 - humor
认真 ren4zhen1 - serious, diligently
烦 fan2 fed up
讨厌 tao3yan4 - dislike, disgusting
Posted by Andrew
Hi there readers!
Today, let’s take a closer look at some of the recent BYKI words featured on the Twitter feed.
自己 (zi4ji3) is defined as meaning “self,” but that’s not the only way it’s used. Take the example below.
这是你自己想要的 - This is what YOU wanted. Note that in the translation, there’s nothing like “you yourself.” It’s closer to “YOU’RE the one who wanted this.” Alternatively you could use 你才想要这个. (It was you who wanted this).
一会儿 (yi(2)4hui4(3)r) Pronunciation note here-, it’s not like “hui-er ” in pronunciation. In practice, the combination of the two words sounds like the English word “were” with an “h” in front. Also, the tone can vary. Some will pronounce huier with a second tone, while others use the fourth tone.
马路(ma3lu4) is defined as meaning “street.” - although it can mean “street,” bear in mind that it can be like “road” as well. The word 街 (jie1) is also used to refer to streets. There is an idiom which means “in the streets and alleys” - 街头港尾 - jie1tou2gang2(3)wei3.
爱(ai4) is defined as meaning “to love”. It is important to note here that “love” is not used in exactly the same way in Mandarin as it is in English. If you see a piece of clothing you want to buy, you wouldn’t say “I love that!” Love is usually used between people and to describe someone’s fondness of doing something. For example:
我不爱吃汉堡. - I don’t love eating hamburgers. This can be taken as “I don’t like hamburgers” as interpreted by an English speaker.
Posted by Andrew
How do people talk about their careers in China? Many people here work very hard, to the point where they 做牛做马 (work as hard as oxen or horses). Even so, sometimes a horse has to 跳槽 (jump stables). It is important to be as 用功 (hardworking) as they come in this economic climate. For some people, salary isn’t as important as a 事业平台 (career) platform that’s oriented in the proper 方向 (direction). Following that, the most important step is to find a 伯乐(judge of talent) for you, the 千里马 (thousand-li horse- hard worker) to maximize your 进展 (progres and development). If not, you may soon find yourself in the army. Not the actual army, but the 失业大军 (army of the unemployed).
做牛做马 zuo4niu2zuo4ma3 - work as hard as an ox or horse
跳槽 tiao4cao2 - jump stables, change positions
用功 yong4gong1 - hardworking
事业 shi4ye - career
平台 ping2tai2 - platform
方向 fang1xiang4 - direction
伯乐 bo2le4 - a person able to see talent
千里马 qian1li2(3)ma3 - thousand-li horse, a hard worker
进展 jin4zhan3 - development/progress
失业大军 shi1ye4da4jun1 - army of the unemployed
