{"id":2255,"date":"2010-09-04T06:46:41","date_gmt":"2010-09-04T06:46:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=2255"},"modified":"2010-09-04T08:14:32","modified_gmt":"2010-09-04T08:14:32","slug":"a-little-bit-of-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/a-little-bit-of-review\/","title":{"rendered":"A Little Bit of Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having already posted six videos to the blog, I think it’s best that I take some time to go over the vocabulary and sentence structures that were introduced in said videos.\u00a0 When studying a foreign language, it’s a good idea to go over your classes<\/strong> (\u590d\u4e60\u529f\u8bfe – f\u00f9 x\u00ed g\u014dng k\u00e8) every so often to make sure you fully understand what you have learned.\u00a0 That being said, let’s start from the beginning. For this post, I’ll review my first three videos.<\/p>\n

VIDEO POST #1 – “A Rainy Day in Beijing” (\u5317<\/strong>\u4eac\u7684\u96e8\u5929)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

For the first video post, I took a tour of the Beijing Planning and Exhibition Hall.\u00a0 Although I prefer the great outdoors, the weather kept me inside on that particular day.\u00a0 Speaking of weather, the first phrase I introduced was today is a rainy day<\/strong> (\u4eca\u5929\u662f\u96e8\u5929 -j\u012bn ti\u0101n sh\u00ec y\u01d4 ti\u0101n). Let’s break that down to understand it more…<\/p>\n

\u4eca\u5929 – j\u012bn ti\u0101n – today<\/p>\n

\u662f – sh\u00ec – to be\/is<\/p>\n

\u96e8\u5929 – y\u01d4 ti\u0101n – rain day<\/p>\n

As I mentioned before, Chinese is a language without articles, so there is no word for “a”.\u00a0 Also, to describe the weather, you simply say rain\/wind\/snow\/cloud + day.\u00a0 In English, you have to use a different word (rainy, windy, snowy, cloudy), but this is not necessary in Chinese.<\/p>\n

The next phrase was “it’s the weekend, so I don’t want to stay at home”<\/strong> (\u8fd9\u662f\u5468\u672b\uff0c \u6240\u4ee5\u6211\u4e0d\u60f3\u5446\u5728\u5bb6\u91cc- zh\u00e8 sh\u00ec zh\u014du m\u00f2, su\u01d2 y\u01d0 w\u01d2 b\u00f9 xi\u01ceng d\u0101i z\u00e0i ji\u0101 l\u01d0).<\/p>\n

\u8fd9\u662f – zh\u00e8 sh\u00ec – this is<\/p>\n

\u5468\u672b – zh\u014du m\u00f2 – weekend<\/p>\n

\u6240\u4ee5 – su\u01d2 y\u01d0 – so<\/p>\n

\u6211\u4e0d\u60f3 – w\u01d2 b\u00f9 xi\u01ceng- I don’t want (lit. I no want)<\/p>\n

\u5446 – d\u0101i – stay<\/p>\n

\u5728\u5bb6\u91cc – z\u00e0i ji\u0101 l\u01d0 – at home inside<\/p>\n

That’s a big sentence, so it’s best to break it down piece by piece.\u00a0 This sentence actually translates pretty well from English to Chinese, so it shouldn’t be too hard to understand.\u00a0 The phrase “\u5728\u5bb6\u91cc – z\u00e0i ji\u0101 l\u01d0” is very useful, as it is a good example of how to describe location.\u00a0 The word \u5728 means “at” or “again”, \u5bb6 means “home” or “family”, and \u91cc means “inside.”\u00a0 Given the context, the three characters combined mean “at home inside.”\u00a0 Since it was the weekend, I wasn’t too keen on staying inside, and that’s why I used this phrase!<\/p>\n

Since it was a rainy day, I said “I have my umbrella and my rain coat”<\/strong> (\u6211\u6709\u6211\u7684\u96e8\u4f1e\u548c\u6211\u7684\u96e8\u8863 – w\u01d2 y\u01d2u w\u01d2 de y\u01d4 s\u01cen h\u00e9 w\u01d2 de y\u01d4y\u012b).\u00a0 Again, this sentence translates pretty directly, so it’s not too difficult to break down.<\/p>\n

\u6211\u6709 – w\u01d2 y\u01d2u – I have<\/p>\n

\u6211\u7684 – w\u01d2 de – my\/mine<\/p>\n

\u96e8\u4f1e – y\u01d4 s\u01cen – umbrella<\/p>\n

\u548c – h\u00e9 – and<\/p>\n

\u96e8\u8863 – y\u01d4 y\u012b – rain coat<\/p>\n

Prepared to head out into the rain, I said “Let’s go!”<\/strong> (\u6211\u4eec\u8d70\u5427 – w\u01d2 men z\u01d2u ba).\u00a0 \u6211\u4eec can mean “we” or “us”, \u8d70 can mean “walk” or “move”, and \u5427 is used to make a suggestion.\u00a0 \u5427 is a very useful character to know, as you’ll hear it very often in China.\u00a0 When you combine these words, you are saying “let’s go”, and you can use this to motivate your lazy friends who don’t want to get off the couch…<\/p>\n

Another very useful phrase used in this post was Qianmen subway station<\/strong> (\u524d\u95e8\u5730\u94c1\u7ad9 – qi\u00e1n m\u00e9n d\u00ec ti\u011b zh\u00e0n).\u00a0 When telling a taxi driver which subway stop you want to go to, it’s quite simple.\u00a0 First, say the name of the stop.\u00a0 In this case, it would be \u524d\u95e8.\u00a0 Then, say the Chinese for “subway” – \u5730\u94c1.\u00a0 Finally, say the word for “station” – \u7ad9.\u00a0 This last character is also useful when you are looking for a gas station<\/strong> (\u52a0\u6cb9\u7ad9 – ji\u0101 y\u00f3u zh\u00e0n).<\/p>\n

Before we move on to the second video, let’s review one more phrase.\u00a0 Inside the Exhibition Hall, you definitely realize that Beijing is a very big city<\/strong> (\u5317\u4eac\u662f\u975e\u5e38\u5927\u7684\u57ce\u5e02 – B\u011bi j\u012bng sh\u00ec f\u0113i ch\u00e1ng d\u00e0 de ch\u00e9ng sh\u00ec).<\/p>\n

\u5317\u4eac\u662f – B\u011bi j\u012bng sh\u00ec – Beijing is<\/p>\n

\u975e\u5e38 – f\u0113i ch\u00e1ng – very\/extremeley<\/p>\n

\u5927\u7684 – d\u00e0 de – big<\/p>\n

\u57ce\u5e02 – ch\u00e9ng sh\u00ec – city<\/p>\n

In this sentence, I used \u975e\u5e38 to represent “very” or “extremely”.\u00a0 This word is basically a step up from \u5f88 (h\u011bn).\u00a0 Think of it this way… In English, you could say something is “very big”, and you could also say something is “huge.”\u00a0 By using \u975e\u5e38 here, I am pretty much saying that Beijing is huge.\u00a0 Speaking of big, one of the easiest Chinese characters to learn is \u5927.\u00a0 In this sentence, I added the particle \u7684, which is used because I said “Beijing is a very big city.”\u00a0 If I just wanted to say “Beijing is very big”, I could just say \u5317\u4eac\u5f88\u5927 (B\u011bij\u012bng h\u011bn d\u00e0).\u00a0 Together, \u5927\u7684 is used to show that it is a big city.<\/p>\n

VIDEO POST #2 – “Summer Has Already Arrived (\u590f\u5929\u5df2\u7ecf\u6765\u4e86)”<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

For the second video, I got outside to show some of the many fun summer activities in Beijing.\u00a0 To start, I said “In Beijing, summer has already arrived” <\/strong>(\u5728\u5317\u4eac\u590f\u5929\u5df2\u7ecf\u6765\u4e86 \u2013 z\u00e0i b\u011bi j\u012bng xi\u00e0 ti\u0101n y\u01d0 j\u012bng l\u00e1i le).<\/p>\n

\u5728\u5317\u4eac – z\u00e0i b\u011bi j\u012bng – in\/at Beijing<\/p>\n

\u590f\u5929 – xi\u00e0 ti\u0101n – summer<\/p>\n

\u5df2\u7ecf – y\u01d0 j\u012bng – already<\/p>\n

\u6765 – l\u00e1i – come<\/p>\n

\u4e86 – le – used after an action that has taken place<\/p>\n

Most of those translations are self-explanatory, so let’s focus on the combination of \u6765 and \u4e86.\u00a0 Used by itself, the word \u6765 means “come” or “happen.”\u00a0 When we attach \u4e86, we show the past tense form of the verb, so the two together can translate to “came” or “arrived.”\u00a0 For example, every time I get to the home of my private students, the kids will yell” \u8001\u5e08\u6765\u4e86! (l\u01ceo sh\u012b l\u00e1i le)”, which means “Teacher has arrived!”<\/p>\n

Due to the scorching hot temperature, I said “The weather is getting hotter and hotter”<\/strong> (\u5929\u6c14\u8d8a\u6765\u8d8a\u70ed \u2013 ti\u0101n q\u00ec yu\u00e8 l\u00e1i yu\u00e8 r\u00e8).<\/p>\n

\u5929\u6c14 – ti\u0101n q\u00ec – weather<\/p>\n

\u8d8a\u6765\u8d8a – yu\u00e8 l\u00e1i yu\u00e8 – more and more<\/p>\n

\u70ed – r\u00e8 – hot<\/p>\n

I introduced this vocabulary mainly because the phrase \u8d8a\u6765\u8d8a is quite useful.\u00a0 My hope is that my videos will help your Chinese get better and better<\/strong> (\u4f60\u7684\u4e2d\u6587\u8d8a\u6765\u8d8a\u597d – n\u01d0 de zh\u014dng w\u00e9n yu\u00e8 l\u00e1i yu\u00e8 h\u01ceo).<\/p>\n

As you probably noticed in this video, I used the word \u73a9 (w\u00e1n) quite a bit. This is a great word to know, as it literally translates to “play.”<\/p>\n

\u724c\u620f \u2013 w\u00e1n p\u00e1i x\u00ec \u2013 play cards<\/p>\n

\u73a9\u8df3\u68cb \u2013 w\u00e1n ti\u00e0o q\u00ed \u2013 play checkers<\/p>\n

\u73a9\u6bfd\u5b50 -w\u00e1n ji\u00e0n zi \u2013 play Chinese hackey-sack<\/p>\n

If you like to have fun like I do, \u73a9 is a great word to know.\u00a0 Very often, my neighbors will ask me, “Where are you going?”<\/strong> (\u4f60\u53bb\u54ea – N\u01d0 q\u00f9 n\u01ce), to which I will simply respond, “To play” <\/strong>(\u53bb\u73a9 – q\u00f9 w\u00e1n).\u00a0 It should be noted that, since I live in Beijing, I attach an “r” to the end of lots of words, so w\u00e1n is actually pronounced w\u00e1nr.<\/p>\n

In the first video, I talked about how Beijing is really big.\u00a0 Well, since we already learned the word for “big”, we might as well learn the word for “small.”<\/p>\n

\u5c0f\u72d7 \u2013 xi\u01ceo g\u01d2u \u2013 small dog<\/p>\n

This one is super easy – \u5c0f means small, and \u72d7 means dog.<\/p>\n

Finally, I showed one of the most popular activities in Beijing – singing and dancing<\/strong> (\u6b4c\u821e \u2013 g\u0113 w\u01d4).\u00a0 In Chinese, the word “sing” is \u5531\u6b4c (ch\u00e0ng g\u0113) and “dance” is \u8df3\u821e (ti\u00e0o w\u01d4).\u00a0 As we all know, singing and dancing go hand in hand, so when you talk about doing both, you simply shorten the phrase and say \u6b4c\u821e.<\/p>\n

VIDEO POST #3 – The Summer Palace (\u9890\u548c\u56ed)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

For the third post, I took a trip to the beautiful Summer Palace<\/strong> (\u9890\u548c\u56ed \u2013 y\u00ed h\u00e9 yu\u00e1n), which is probably my favorite place in Beijing.\u00a0 As you’ve probably realized by now, Beijing has many tourist attractions. For example, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven<\/strong> (\u5317\u4eac\u6709\u5f88\u591a\u540d\u80dc. \u6bd4\u5982\u6545\u5bab\u3001\u548c\u5929\u575b\u7b49. – B\u011bij\u012bng y\u01d2u h\u011bn du\u014d m\u00edng sh\u00e8ng. B\u01d0 r\u00fa g\u00f9 g\u014dng, h\u00e9 ti\u0101n t\u00e1n d\u011bng).<\/p>\n

\u5317\u4eac\u6709 – B\u011bij\u012bng y\u01d2u – Beijing has<\/p>\n

\u5f88\u591a – h\u011bn du\u014d – very many<\/p>\n

\u540d\u80dc – m\u00edng sh\u00e8ng – tourist attractions\/famous places<\/p>\n

\u6bd4\u5982 – b\u01d0 r\u00fa – for example<\/p>\n

\u6545\u5bab – g\u00f9 g\u014dng – Forbidden City<\/p>\n

\u5929\u575b\u7b49 – ti\u0101n t\u00e1n d\u011bng – Temple of Heaven<\/p>\n

Again, there is a lot of useful vocabulary contained in this sentence.\u00a0 The word \u591a (du\u014d) means “many” or “more.”\u00a0 The opposite is \u5c11 (sh\u01ceo), which means “few” or “less.”\u00a0 When you combine these words, you get one of the most useful phrases in Chinese, \u591a\u5c11\u94b1\uff1f(du\u014d sh\u01ceo qi\u00e1n) which means “How much?”, as in “How much does it cost?”\u00a0 It is sort of a funny translation, as it means “more less money”, but sometimes languages just don’t translate directly…<\/p>\n

At one point in the video, I found a guy enjoying an afternoon nap<\/strong> (\u5348\u7761 \u2013 w\u01d4 shu\u00ec).\u00a0 If you are planning on visiting or living in China, you should get yourself ready by participating in the custom of taking a rest after lunch.\u00a0 Time permitting, people in China love to take a short nap in the afternoon.\u00a0 Maybe it’s because they wake up at 5 a.m., or maybe it’s because of all the MSG in the food.\u00a0 Either way, who doesn’t love a good nap?<\/p>\n

Before we call it quits for today, let’s review one more phrase – Chinese traditional instruments<\/strong> (\u4e2d\u56fd\u4f20\u7edf\u7684\u4e50\u5668 \u2013 zh\u014dng gu\u00f3 chu\u00e1n t\u01d2ng de yu\u00e8 q\u00ec).<\/p>\n

\u4e2d\u56fd – zh\u014dng gu\u00f3 – China<\/p>\n

\u4f20\u7edf – chu\u00e1n t\u01d2ng – tradition<\/p>\n

\u4e50\u5668 – yu\u00e8 q\u00ec – instrument<\/p>\n

Obviously, it is pretty important to know the name of the country in the local language.\u00a0 \u4e2d\u56fd literally means “middle country,” and it seems to be a pretty fitting name these days, as not a day goes by where China is not in the headlines.\u00a0 In a country that has thousands of years of history, there are obviously tons of traditions.\u00a0 Whether it be eating dumplings<\/strong> (\u997a\u5b50 – ji\u01ceo zi) or drinking tea <\/strong>(\u8336 – ch\u00e1), there are plenty of things that China has been doing for a long, long time, and will continue to do long into the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Having already posted six videos to the blog, I think it’s best that I take some time to go over the vocabulary and sentence structures that were introduced in said videos.\u00a0 When studying a foreign language, it’s a good idea to go over your classes (\u590d\u4e60\u529f\u8bfe – f\u00f9 x\u00ed g\u014dng k\u00e8) every so often to…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[2663,11168,11132,11169,11170],"class_list":["post-2255","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-vocabulary","tag-beijing","tag-beijing-planning-and-exhibition-hall","tag-chinese-vocabulary","tag-summer-fun","tag-summer-palace"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t