Archive for the ‘Learning Chinese’ Category
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n 22 20
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n 22 20
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ChinesePod affiliate program back up
ChinesePod.com, one of the pioneers for learning languages via podcasts, has recently relaunched their affiliate program, and I gotta say, it’s better than ever.
An affiliate program might not mean much to many of you, but I know a lot of folks that read this blog regularly also run their own China-related blogs and sites, and so I figured I’d help the folks over at ChinesePod get the word out about it.
For any that don’t know, ChinesePod.com is a rather hip podcast that delivers free daily Chinese lessons in a fun and contextual radio-show format. The podcast and…
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n 09 20
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n 09 20
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Soochow/Suzhou University Mandarin Program – Contact Info
As I’ve had no less than half a dozen e-mails asking me this, and as I can’t remember where I got the information initially, here’s some contact/prelim. information about Suzhou’s Soochow University Mandarin language program.
I’ve decided not to continue studying there for a whole number of reasons – none of which have to do with the quality of the teachers, whom I think are fantastic. However, if anyone should have any questions about my experience there, you’re welcome to leave a comment or contact me.
Soochow University Contact:
Admission Office
School of Overseas Education
Soochow University (East Campus)
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c 07 20
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c 07 20
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The Chinese Alphabet – it’s not THAT big
For as long as I’ve been in China I’ve been told, and have told others, that the reason the Chinese language is so impossibly difficult to learn is because of its alphabet of 50,000,000,000,000,000 characters, each strokingly more confusing than the last.
However, I think it’s time to set the record straight. Comparing the number of different Chinese characters to the 26 letters of the English alphabet is a gross misunderstanding of written Chinese.
Though it is true that written Chinese has in around 6,000 “active” characters, to even be considered “literate” in China you need to be able to…
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Practice writing Chinese on your computer
Over the past couple years of half-heartedly studying Chinese I’ve come across a good number of computer-based tools to help in my studies.
ChinesePod, Google’s IME, Adsotrans and Google Translator, Wenlin
However, about two months ago I was casually browsing the local diànzǐ chéng and I stumbled on a little USB input device that allows you to write Chinese as an input method for your computer. I finally pulled it out of the box…
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p 15 20
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p 15 20
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Has anyone seen my face?
One of the things I like about Chinese is that it tends to be quite module-like. There are lots of little structures that you can just modify with new nouns, adjectives or what have you, to create entirely new meanings.
A couple examples:
越 … 越 …
越(来)越(好) | yuè lái yuè hǎo | better and better (lit. more come more good)
越(有钱)越(好) | yuè yǒu qián yuè hǎo | the more money the better (lit. more have money, more good)
又 … 又 …
又(闷)又(热) | yòu mēn yòu rè | stuffy and hot
又(懒)又(馋) | yòu…
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p 10 20
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p 10 20
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First day and I’m already sick and tired
I was up with the construction workers this morning, excited to be heading off to my first day of school. The anticipation of starting something new made me ignore the stomach cramps, and pass them off to nerves.
Arriving at the university with ten minutes to spare, I realized I should have given myself more time. The yard outside the foreign language department was a mess of 外国人 all politely pushing to see the classroom placement list.
Things were organized in typical Chinese fashion. A sort of chaotic mess that leaves you feeling like you should…
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p 07 20
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p 07 20
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Soochow University, here I come
So, I’m registered. As of yesterday afternoon I am officially a student of Mandarin at Suzhou University (cue hollers and hats thrown in a random and celebratory fashion).
The whole process was pretty straight forward, and I have to admit that I’ve little clue as to what is actually going on (mantra – follow the Korean kid that looks like they know where they’re going – it will either lead to a mandarin class or some great kimchi, either way, I win).
Registration
I technically registered about three weeks ago, so as I could get my visa renewed. Registration breaks…
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g 28 20
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g 28 20
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The Laowai Psychological Street Fight
I’ve always been a lousy liar. Remembering whom I’ve told what to is difficult for me when it’s the truth, but add in the complexity of deceit, well… forget it.
About five years ago my buddies and I started up a weekly Texas Hold’em game, and this taught me the “bluff”. Now here was a lie I could get into. It was limited in scope, non-committal, and expected. Sadly (ok, not too sadly) backpacking Europe and S.E. Asia got in the way of honing my skills to a Johnny Chan level.
However, over the course of time I’ve been “in…
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Black Black Heart – 分开旅行 (Travelling Separately)
We all have bands that made an impression on us in those most impressionable years of adolescences. For me (and many of my generation) it was the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, STP, Alice In Chains and pretty much anyone off the Singles and Pump Up The Volume soundtracks.
Thanks to some strict CanCon laws in my homeland, there is also no shortage of nostalgia for Canadian bands that brought me through my angst. Early albums by Hayden, Holly McNarland, Finger Eleven (then Rainbow Buttmonkeys), Our Lady Peace and Moist all have some amount of responsibility for my…
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l 04 20
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What Teachers Make
Watch this…
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxU[/video]
and then go here and watch these…
The Impotence of Proofreading
Like, You Know?
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r 22 20
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r 22 20
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Put Down The Chalk & Pick Up The Language
My road through the Chinese language has been a bumpy one full of roundabouts and dead-ends. In the more than two years I’ve been here I’ve not had any formal Chinese education, and I’ve really no excuse for it.
I’m often praised and then quickly chastised by Chinese co-workers on my level of Chinese. When they first meet me they lather it on, but once they know I have a Chinese wife, their faces screw up and they try desperately to understand why I can’t speak better.
The truth is, nothing has hurt my Chinese more than having a Chinese…
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r 23 20
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r 23 20
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Conversations With 小i
No friends? No problem. John, at Sinosplice, has got an interesting post about a new little Chinese netizen called 小i, China’s first chat bot, who will happily be your chat partner. The little unisex critter offers up some quick responses to nearly anything you ask of it.
John references Roddy’s post at Chinese-Forums.com, incidentally, a great resource for anyone learning Chinese. Playing with it for a while, you quickly see that you can take the bot out of China, but you can’t take the China out of the bot:
Ryan says:
你认为日本人好吗? (Are Japanese people good?)
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r 15 20
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r 15 20
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How to add a cool pinyin mouseover tooltip for WordPress
Alright, this post is admittedly narrow in the scope of people that might find it interesting, but with all the new in-China blogs starting up, I figured I’d throw a little help their way. Mind you, this is particularly for blogs that use WordPress.
The desired result:
Take a Chinese sentence, 这个博客真厉害!, and cause it to do this (put your mouse cursor over the sentence): 这个博客真厉害!
Now, of course, this can be changed to have the language in any order depending on what you’re trying to express:
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r 10 20
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Finally made it to the Guardian, sort of…
I’ve generally been a fan of The Guardian since becoming acquainted to it via Brits I’ve met while abroad. Now, as a journalist cum blogger, I’ve fallen out of like with the modern manifestations of traditional media and have started to rely on less “corporately suave” mediums for my news. However, generally speaking, I still like what the publication has to say…
So it is with a bit of pride that I got the following e-mail:
Hi Ryan,
Just a quick note to let you know that the email interview you did for us at Expats
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Chinese Character Riddle
Hey, so my Chinese learning book (still level one, sigh) has a riddle in part of the homework. I have my suspicions of the answer, but am not sure. As such, I figured I'd post it here and see what you guys have to say (hover over for pinyin):
人有"他"大
天没"他"大
请问"他"是谁?
你也认识"他"
My first guess is that the answer is "夫", the logic being that the character for fu's tallest radical would be "人" (as tall as a person), and the radical extends past the "天" part of the…
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Professional Translators Needed
Though my Chinese abilities are no where near "there yet", I thought this link might be cool for some of you that best my monolinguality. If you've considered breaking into the translation service industry or have been looking for a translator job, check out Translation Services.
At the site, aspiring translators can create a profile, and include a resume with examples of their work. The free membership gives you access to e-mail notifications when clients are searching for someone with your specific translation abilities.
In the sampling of current job postings, it did list an English to Mandarin…
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Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, and Tits
Well, that’s bound to get your attention. First, perhaps I (and George Carlin) should apologize to my mom, as this post contains words of an expletive nature – but c’mon, they’re just words.
As this blog is a testament to, I am a major advocate for free speech in every form. I think people should have the right, without fear of persecution, to say whatever they damn well feel like. To let religious groups, governments, lobbyists or whonot determine what sounds we’re allowed to make is just wrong and fuckin’ offensive.
My love of…
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g 17 20
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Firefly – Entertaining Chinese Lessons
I stumbled across a show last night that is just fan-frigin’-tastic. Now, like a lot of things, I have a feeling I’m coming late to the game with this and am generally braced for a bunch of “get with the program, Firefly is SOOOO three years ago” comments … but here we go.
I remember back in my pre-China days seeing advertisements for the latest in a long line of ‘boot around space and avoid the bad guys with interesting life lessons along the way’ sci-fi shows. And when Maggie brought home the movie Serenity that touted “Based On The…
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n 22 20
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n 22 20
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What’s in a name…
“I view living the day-to-day grind sort of like smoking. It’s not cool, it’s bad for you and in the end, it just leaves you feeling dirty and used.”
Names. A funny thing at the best of times, in China it’s a bit of an on-going practical joke that Westerners use to communicate to those that come after them. Many Chinese people do not have English names, but want them and are more than happy to take whatever name may be suggested to them by there Western “friend”, “teacher” or what have you.
The interesting part is, largely when put…
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Yeeling: 
AJB: 
Ping Pong: 
ccddmj: 
ji xiang: 
