Posts from September 2009

Typhoon

Posted by Transparent Language Comments Off
Sep 14 2009

It’s 台风 (typhoon) season here in southern China, and in Hong Kong the warning level has gone up to 8级 (level 8) which is when they stop airplanes from flying.  It’s been 暴雨 (raining heavily) all day, which has led to 降温 (a drop in temperature). Even the most 勤劳 (arduous) people from work had to get off early or else there wouldn’t be any buses. Meanwhile, a colleague had to go 打针 (get a shot) because she had 感冒 (caught a cold) .  Has anyone heard about getting shots when having a cold?  It doesn’t seem like a part of 中医 (Chinese medicine) , as my experience with 中医 has largely involved drinking a 苦 (bitter) mixture which alleviates symptoms after a few days.

words
台风 tai2feng1- typhoon
级 ji2 – level/category
暴雨 bao4yu3 – heavy rain
降温 jiang4wen1 – lower the temperature
勤劳 qin2lao2 – hardworking, arduous
打针 da3zhen1 – get a shot
感冒 gan3mao4 – catch a cold
中医 zhong1yi1 – Chinese medicine
浓 nong2 – thick
苦 ku3 – bitter

Living in Another Country

Posted by Transparent Language No Comments
Sep 10 2009

As someone who is living in 国外 (a foreign country/abroad) , there are a lot of 生活习惯 (lifestyle habits) and 观念 (values/views) that can be 适应不了 (impossible to adjust to).  Sometimes it can be in the way people 思考 (think) about certain issues,  and it may come off to local people as 抱怨 (complaining), 批评(criticism), or 指责 (criticism- see note below).  Among some people, there can be a tendency to 怪 (blame) the surroundings, but others will readily offer that nothing is making them 留住 (stay).

国外 guo2wai4 – outside the country, abroad
生活习惯 sheng1huo3xi2guan4 – habits in daily life
观念 guan1nian4 – values/ideals
适应不了 shi4ying4bu4liao3 – unable to adjust
思考 si1kao3 – thinking about something
抱怨 bao4yuan4 – complain
批评 pi1ping2 – criticize, usually used from someone who is of a higher rank or standing than another
指责 zhi3ze2 – criticize, usually between people on the same level
怪 guai4 – to blame
留住 liu2zhu4 – stay

Border Crossings

Posted by Transparent Language No Comments
Sep 6 2009

Today I wanted to 过关 (cross the border), and so I hopped on the usual 班车 (shuttle bus) to the border station.  There I noticed a sign saying that you couldn’t carry more than  2000支 cigarettes.  For purchasing bus tickets into the city, you can use 八达通 (octopus card) which is similar to Beijing’s 一卡通 (yikatong stored-value card).  Once you’re through the 口岸 (port) and have nothing to 申报 (declare), you’re pretty much in the clear.  I haven’t yet noticed stronger border controls due to 国庆 (national founding holiday) but we’ll see what happens as October approaches.  In the meantime, I’m enjoying my new 一卡双号 (1 card 2 numbers) phone which switches between sides of the border so I can’t be charged for 漫游 (roaming).
words

过关 guo4guan1 – cross the border
班车 ban1che1 – shuttle bus
2000支 – 2000 cigarettes (measure word)
八达通 ba1da2tong1 – octopus stored value card of HK
一卡通 yi1ka3tong1 – similar card in Beijing with limited rollout
口岸 kou3an4 – port
申报 shen1bao4 – report
国庆 guo2qing4 – country’s anniversary
一卡双号 – yi1ka3shuang1hao4 – 1 card 2 numbers
漫游 man4you2 – roaming

Relatively Speaking

Posted by Transparent Language No Comments
Sep 4 2009

When speaking another language, it can sometimes feel like trying to stick a square peg into a round hole.  Some ideas in your native language do not carry over into the target language.  Although plurals in English may often lose distinctions in Chinese, the most elusive counterpart may be a direct answer.

When somebody says应该 (should) as in 应该没问题 (there should be no problem).  An English native speaker may be wracked with anxiety over the question of “what if there is a problem?”  However, this is how many people make statements. However, the statement is said to mean something like “barring any surprise circumstances, yes.”

比较 – “relatively, comparatively” this is a qualifier used a lot.  A lot of people with English-language backgrounds want to identify things in absolute terms, while in Chinese a lot of things are referred to relatively.  The clearest example I can think of is from last year’s Olympic rowing events.  In one event, the lead boat was lengths ahead of the competition to the point where it looked like there were 2 races going down the course, and about 1/8 of the race remained.  The English-language announcer said “and the [lead crew] are ahead, this event is all but a done deal!”  The Chinese announcer said 比赛快结束了, [lead crew]胜算比较大.” (“the chances of winning of the lead boat are relatively high.”)   That was a significant difference between the two types of announcers’ narratives.  Under the right contexts, “relatively” can mean “absolutely.”

words

应该 – ying1gai1 – should
比较 bi2(3)jiao3 – relatively, comparatively
比赛 bi3sai4 – competition
结束 jie2shu4 – conclude, finish
胜算 sheng4suan4 – chances of winning

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