Archive for 'Uncategorized'
The Power of Hello Posted by Stephen on Mar 8, 2010
Upon your first visit to China as a 老外 ［lǎo wài] foreign guest , regardless of whether or not you speak the language, will almost always be an emphatic, yet English: HELLO! From school children to cabbies, random strangers to tour guide members the greeting is awkwardly pronounced, but western specific. Sometimes it would border…
History of the PRC – Part Four Posted by sasha on Jan 24, 2010
At the end of our last lesson, Duan Qirui had given up his position as the Premier of China. However, pressure from his Anhui Clique soon forced President Feng to restore him. In the 1918 elections, which are thought to have been rigged, members of Duan’s clique took over 3/4 of the seats. At the…
Chinese Zodiac: The Rooster Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 31, 2009
Hello Readers! Today’s topic is the Rooster. Those who were born in the year of the 鸡 (Rooster) are known to have particularly 敏锐的反应 (keen instincts). They are fond of 开玩笑 (making jokes). They have a particular 天赋 (natural talent) in the arena of 创造 (creation). That is to say that they 擅长 (are good…
The Chinese Classroom Posted by Transparent Language on May 21, 2008
At first glance, it’s the picture of a certain ideal: a teacher standing at the head of a classroom with a piece of chalk in one hand, the students listening attentively and hanging on the teacher’s every word. The students are quiet and reasonably well behaved, repeat like a chorus what the teacher asks them…
Surviving the Banquet Posted by Transparent Language on May 19, 2008
“Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.” – Robert Louis Stevenson The art of the business deal here in China goes one step further than the boardroom, and it’s in the arena of the banquet hall that many a deal can be made or unmade. A banquet is a way of…
Do You Have the Tone, Please? Posted by Transparent Language on May 11, 2008
One of the first challenges for the Western speaker of Chinese to overcome in learning to speak Mandarin Chinese is the introduction of tones to a language. In English, a rising or falling tone does little other than indicate emphasis: The whiny “What do you waaant?” as opposed to “What do you want!?” Not so…