Archive for 'Vocabulary'
Winning Prizes Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 15, 2009
The other night I was at a conference which had organized a 抽奖 (prize drawing) activity. I bought 9 tickets at the time, trying to improve my chances of winning. Win I did. There were KTV (karaoke) passes and 餐卷 (food coupons), which could be used another night. Given that the tickets were 10USD or…
Bargaining at the Market Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 11, 2009
A great thing happened the other day at 秀水街 (the silk market), and even the day before at 中关村 (zhongguancun – see below). A friend of mine said that if I could get a deal lower than the one he got on a U-盘(thumb drive), then he would 请我吃饭(treat me to a meal). The first…
Card Madness Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 8, 2009
Hello Readers! The other day I got into Beijing from Newark and was in for a bit of a surprise. You see, when I arrived at #2 航站楼 (terminal), I needed to withdraw some money from the 汇丰取款机 (HSBC ATM). I didn’t expect for my 卡 (card) to be 吞 (swallowed) by the machine. I…
Family Member Titles pt. 1 Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 5, 2009
What people are there in your family? My family is made up of the following members – there’s 妈妈(mom/mother) 爸爸 (dad/father), of course, and 2 姐姐(older sister)- my 大姐 (big older sister) 二姐(little older sister). My 奶奶(paternal grandmother) is from Poland, while my 爷爷(paternal grandfather) was from NYC of Irish extraction, and both 外公…
Alcohol in China pt. 1 Posted by Transparent Language on May 31, 2009
In China, many people do not prefer to drink 烈酒 (strong alcohol) such as 伏特加 (vodka), 威士忌 (whiskey), 朗姆酒 (rum, also known as 甜酒). Some people will drink 香槟 (champagne) or 白葡萄酒 (white wine) but this is more common among accomplished businesspeople. More and more, people are learning more about things such as 红酒 (red…
Setting Up a Party Posted by Transparent Language on May 31, 2009
For the surprise party, we had to prepare several different things- we needed to set out trays of 水果 (fruits), coolers with 啤酒 (beer) and 果汁 (fruit juice), bottles of 汽水 (soda), big bowls of 署片 (potato chips) and 意大利面 (pasta). For the more health-conscious, we set out 沙拉 (salad) and for those more taste-conscious…
Beijing’s First Techno Festival Posted by Transparent Language on May 24, 2009
Yesterday I wen to a huge 音乐会 (concert) where the only music was 电子音乐 (electronic music). It was held at a 广场 (plaza) in the 798 area, a place known for its new-age 艺术 (art). Notably during the festival, there were very few 垃圾桶 (trash cans) near the areas where people were 跳舞 (dancing), leaving…