Great Wall Follies Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 29, 2010
At different times, I have been to different parts of the Great Wall with my landlord, a national rowing team, my friends, and my parents. The Jiankou 箭扣 (jian1kou4 – arrow nook) section of the great wall is unrestored, and the only hint that it is still accessible lies in the careful placement of 梯子…
Entertainment and Nightlife Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 27, 2010
I’ve never been to a bar in the states that didn’t have a deck of cards on hand, and I’ve only once been to a bar in China that didn’t have a few cups for playing dice games. This is, of course, to participate in one of the numerous 酒令 (jiu3ling4 – drinking games) in…
“Welcome to take Beijing Taxi”, pt 2: Directions Posted by Stephen on Apr 26, 2010
Once you get past simply telling the cabbie the name of the location, you can now move onto basic directions and driving commands. Not only does it help you get a feel for the city, but it keeps you practicing Chinese and will often lead to further discussion with your 司机 (driver). For Example: 一直走。西三环路出口以后，右拐。去到第一个路口，左转。往到北四环路，掉头。我的房屋在饭馆在小路的后面。再这儿，停车。…
“Welcome to take Beijing Taxi” pt. 1 Posted by Stephen on Apr 25, 2010
Until private automobiles in major Chinese metropolises all but choke traffic to standstill, the use of taxi cabs (出租车 chū zū chē）will be a mainstay of how you get around cities. Notice how I say “until” here, because traffic congestion in cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing has grown into a major fiasco. That being…
A Phrase to Avoid Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 24, 2010
Sometimes when you’re speaking Chinese- especially when you’re at the beginning or intermediate level- it’s easy to get caught up in trying to express your meaning by directly translating your thoughts from English without fully considering what the listener understands. Here is an example of where that can go awry: I once was with a…
Spring Cleaning Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 23, 2010
Taking a break from urban transport discussion, I’d like to talk about cleaning up the apartment. If you’ve found that your 木板 (mu4ban3 – floorboards) are caked with 灰尘 (hui1chen2), it may be time to break out the 拖布 (tuo1bu4 – mop) and start to clean your abode. You’ll need your best 海绵 (hai3mian2 –…
Urban Transport in China pt. 2 Smart Cards Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 22, 2010
When you’re riding public transport in China, you may go some time without seeing people using 现金 (xian4jin1 – cash), opting instead for their 智能卡 (zhi4neng2ka3 – smart card), maybe just 刷 (shua1 – swipe) their 钱包 (qian2bao1 – wallets) without even taking the card out. Where can you get these cards? In cities that…