Posts written by Transparent Language

Going to a Concert

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Jun 13 2010

The other day I attended a concert where the band 五月天 (wu3yue4tian1 – Mayday) was playing.  They’re a group from 台湾 (tai2wan1 – Taiwan) who has been playing their form of 摇滚乐 (yao2gun3yue4 – rock music) for over a decade.  They make it very clear that they draw a lot of inspiration from the 披头四  (pi4tou2si4 – Beatles) and especially 约翰列侬 (yue1han4 li4nong2 – John Lennon).  His face was featured during some of the 视频 (shi4pin2 – videos) broadcast during the concert.  Besides that, there was a large plastic 电人 (dian4ren2 – robot) which looked like one of the 变形金刚 (bian4xing2jin1gang1 – Transformers) which shot 激光 (ji4guang1 – lasers) all around the arena.  Concertgoers waved their 荧光棒 (ying2guang1bang4 – lightsticks) as the stadium filled with their 掌声 (zhang3sheng1 – applause lit. palm sound).  It was a show to remember, as all the tickets had already been 卖光了 (mai4guang1le) and there wasn’t an empty seat in the house.  It was my first concert in the Greater China area, and I hope it won’t be the last!

An Art Show

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Jun 11 2010

The other day I went to an art show in Hong Kong sponsored by 德意志银行 (de2yi4zhi4 yin2hang2 – Deutsche Bank), held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.  Works from 世界各地 (shi4jie4ge4di4 – all over the world) were on display.  Some of the more recognizable works on display included the exaggerated smiling faces made famous by 岳敏君 (yue1 min3jun1 – Yue Minjun) and the post-apocalyptic photographic landscapes from 陈家刚 (chen2jia1gang1 – Chen Jiagang).  Much of the art was for sale, and unlike (I’ve heard) other years it was more 商业化 (shang1ye4hua4 – commercialized) works than art for the sake of art.  Popular themes included 头骨 (tou2gu3 – skulls) and the 迅速发展 (xun4su4fa1zhan3 – rapid development) of China, although not necessarily in the same works.  Modern art has been developing at a breakneck pace, and if this past weekend’s recession-beating sales are any indication, the trend is likely to continue.

Talking about Income Inequality

Posted by Transparent Language 1 Comment
Jun 8 2010

The income gap in China is a topic of frequent discussion, and below are some relevant terms that can help you understand news reports as well as participate in discussions of your own.

Numerous reports of the Foxconn employees leaving their 宿舍 (su4she4 – dormitories) to 跳楼 (tiao4lou2 – jump [from a] building) has raised questions about the working conditions that could lead to 自杀 (zi4sha1 – suicide).  Factory workers aren’t the only people facing this 生活压力 (sheng1huo3ya1li4 – life stress), as the 贫富差距 pin2fu4 cha1ju4 – gap between poor and rich) grows 越来越大 (yue4lai2yue4da4 – getting larger and larger).  Almost everyone I ask talks about the stress of 养家 (yang3jia1 – providing for one’s family) and their fears of 养不起家 (yang3bu4qi3jia1 – being unable to provide for one’s family).  Younger people will work tirelessly at their jobs because they know they have to 养老 (yang2(3)lao3 – take care of [elderly] parents) and will need money.  The stress becomes taxing to the point where people 受不了 (shou4bu4liao3 – cannot take it) or 忍不住 (ren3bu2zhu4 – cannot endure it).  Even those among the 暴发户 (bao4fa1hu4 – new rich) know how fortunate they are to have escaped (if only temporarily) the drag of the rat race.

Comparing Ideas or Actions

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Jun 3 2010

Earlier I discussed how to compare people, places, and things.  What about comparing ideas?

Take a look at the first example, which follows from the previous illustrations of how to make comparisons using 比 (bi3).

Swimming’s more fun than dancing.

游泳比跳舞好玩 (you2yong3 bi3 tiao4wu3 hao3wan2 – lit. swimming [compare] dancing fun)
To form a negative comparison, we would use the following structure: 跳舞没有游泳好玩 (tiao4wu3 mei2you3 you2yong3 hao3wan2 – lit. dancing [doesn't have] swimming fun)

How do we compare ideas and form the comparison into a suggestion?  One method is below:

与其跳舞不如游泳. yu3qi2tiao4wu3 bu4ru2 you2yong – swimming is better than dancing.  Note that the activity which is worse is located at the front of the sentence, similar to English constructions like  “Don’t ___ when you can ____/ Why ___when you can ____?”

Another way to set up the comparison of an action or idea is to use the 不如 construction by itself, see below:
跳舞不如游泳 tiao4wu3 bu4ru2 you2yong3- lit. dancing not as good as swimming.

If you can put these into practice, your communicative ability in Chinese will reach yet another level!

Easy Characters to Mix Up

Posted by Transparent Language 1 Comment
Jun 1 2010

Every time you learn a new character, you may feel like you’ve met a new person or a new friend.  At the same time, just like meeting real people, make sure you don’t mistake your new friend for any lookalikes!  Below are some characters which I’ve found easy to mix up.

部 (bu4 – department) 陪 (pei2- accompany)
接 (jie1 – receive/catch) 按 (an4 – according/to press)
楼 (lou2 – building) 数  (shu4 – number)
城 (cheng2 – city) 域  (yu4 – region)
宫 (gong1 – palace) 官 (guan1 – official)
己 (ji3 – self) 已 (yi3 – already)
吉 (ji2 – auspicious) 古 (gu3 – ancient)
旮旯儿 (ga3la2r – corner) isn’t one that I mix up, but it’s a fun example of the beauty and fun of Chinese characters.

There are also some compounds which are easy for me to mix up with each other, one example being 江西 (jiang1xi1 – Jiangxi province) and 红酒 (hong2jiu3 – red wine).  Readers, feel free to share your favorite lookalike characters in the comments!

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