闭门造车- "close the door and make a cart" - divorce oneself from reality, be impractical.
有鉴于－you jian yu - in light of.
无动于衷－wu dong yu zhong - unmoved, unconcerned.
动武－dong wu - take military action. 动物－dong wu - animal. There's a tone difference in here somewhere that leads to a different pronunciation of identically spelled words, but I'll be damned if I know what it is. For instance, 都是中共对台动武的条件does not refer to the Chinese launching animals at Taiwan.
欲振乏力－yu zhen fa li - low morale.
low morale is a good way to end this post. It's not that I haven't been taking notes - I have random characters scribbled in a notebook right next to me - it's just that I'm focusing more on comprehension than on stopping to write everything down. I just posted on Ephblog - it is DEFINITELY time to stop and go to bed!!!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
筹建设立
筹建设立－chou jian she li - prepare to establish (this is all super-boring news reading, so bear with me).
心力衰竭－xin li shuai jie - heart failure (what Pinochet died of).
确凿发展－que zuo fa zhan - "real development" - what the South Koreans are hoping this round of six-party talks will bring.
轨道－gui dao - orbit. What "发现号“ (Discovery) is currently in.
赔偿－pei chang - compensation.
压倒多数－ya dao duo shu - absolute majority.
辱骂－ru ma - curse. (what the Sunnis were doing to the Shiites, and vice versa, on the streets of Beirut last week).
疏散－shu san - evacuate.
独裁者－du cai zhe - dictator. I don't know why, but I have a really hard time remembering this word...
故意－gu yi - intentionally.
涉嫌 － she xian - suspected.
醜 traditional equals 丑 simplified. It is a HUGE pain to have to remember both writing systems (they're both going to appear on the test) - most of the characters are pretty much equivalent, but a few aren't - chou (ugly) is one of the bad ones. It has a ghost 鬼 - gui - radical in it - I just have to remember that ghosts are ugly.
震撼人心－zhen han ren xin - thrilling, exciting (refers to U.S. plans to build a space station on the moon by 2020).
殖民－zhi min - colonize (refers to foreign colonial rule of China, also refers to the U.S. colonizing the moon).
抵制 - dǐ zhì - resistance; refusal (to cooperate); boycott.
暗示－an shi - imply.
旷日持久－kuang ri chi jiu - prolonged.
袭击 ／襲擊 - xi ji - attack. Another simplified/traditional pair I need to remember. The traditional ji is another one I don't like...
陷入－xian ru - to sink into. Combined with 内战（nei zhan - civil war) it refers to Iraq. 派系－pai xi - factions - is another good term here.
即使－ji shi - even if. This is one I really shouldn't forget, but always do. ji shi = even if. ji shi = even if. ji shi = even if.
蒙上阴影－meng shang yin ying - uncertainties arise.
大赦－ da she - amnesty.
得罪－de zui - offend.
ugh. I can't bear to look at any more news articles. more tomorrow... i guess....
心力衰竭－xin li shuai jie - heart failure (what Pinochet died of).
确凿发展－que zuo fa zhan - "real development" - what the South Koreans are hoping this round of six-party talks will bring.
轨道－gui dao - orbit. What "发现号“ (Discovery) is currently in.
赔偿－pei chang - compensation.
压倒多数－ya dao duo shu - absolute majority.
辱骂－ru ma - curse. (what the Sunnis were doing to the Shiites, and vice versa, on the streets of Beirut last week).
疏散－shu san - evacuate.
独裁者－du cai zhe - dictator. I don't know why, but I have a really hard time remembering this word...
故意－gu yi - intentionally.
涉嫌 － she xian - suspected.
醜 traditional equals 丑 simplified. It is a HUGE pain to have to remember both writing systems (they're both going to appear on the test) - most of the characters are pretty much equivalent, but a few aren't - chou (ugly) is one of the bad ones. It has a ghost 鬼 - gui - radical in it - I just have to remember that ghosts are ugly.
震撼人心－zhen han ren xin - thrilling, exciting (refers to U.S. plans to build a space station on the moon by 2020).
殖民－zhi min - colonize (refers to foreign colonial rule of China, also refers to the U.S. colonizing the moon).
抵制 - dǐ zhì - resistance; refusal (to cooperate); boycott.
暗示－an shi - imply.
旷日持久－kuang ri chi jiu - prolonged.
袭击 ／襲擊 - xi ji - attack. Another simplified/traditional pair I need to remember. The traditional ji is another one I don't like...
陷入－xian ru - to sink into. Combined with 内战（nei zhan - civil war) it refers to Iraq. 派系－pai xi - factions - is another good term here.
即使－ji shi - even if. This is one I really shouldn't forget, but always do. ji shi = even if. ji shi = even if. ji shi = even if.
蒙上阴影－meng shang yin ying - uncertainties arise.
大赦－ da she - amnesty.
得罪－de zui - offend.
ugh. I can't bear to look at any more news articles. more tomorrow... i guess....
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
书呆子
书呆子 - shu dai zi - "nerd". We just learned this today - according to my Chinese teacher, it's why no one in her family thinks she can cook - because she is a 书呆子。
扬眉吐气－yang mei tu qi - "emerge suddenly from a humble situation to an honorable position." What the Chinese were able to do after the economic reforms of the 1980's: 经济发展最快的国家－中国人扬眉吐气了。
人走茶凉－ren zou cha liang - "the tea cools after people have left." - you forget people when they are no longer there. My teacher used this phrase today to explain why, even though we are technically still at FSI until Friday, our class has already started being left off the schedule. they've forgotten us already!!!
躲避球 - duo bi qiu - dodgeball. In case it ever comes up in conversation.
圣诞老人－sheng dan lao ren - Santa Claus - is going to be coming to town soon along with his 侏儒 － zhu ru - elves.
时事造英雄－shi shi zao ying xiong - heroes are created by the times in which they live. Used to refer to Mao.
依法处置－yi fa chu zhi - to punish someone according to the law. Goes together with 绳之以法－sheng zhi yi fa - to punish somone according to standards.
黑猫，白猫，会抓老鼠就是好猫 －it doesn't matter what color the cat is, so long as it catches mice - famous saying of Deng Xiaoping explaining China's turning away from its planned economy towards a free-market system.
流连忘返－liu lian wang fan - when you love a place so much, you forget to leave.
晕车－yun che - carsick (also 昏车－hun che). This could come in handy if I ever run into an out-of-control cabbie in China...
整整齐齐－zheng zheng qi qi - in order.
财力雄厚－cai li xiong hou - those who have money. 囊中羞涩 - nang zhong xiu se - those who don't (from what I understand, it means that the inside of your pocket is shiny, because there is no longer any money there...)
白马王子－bai ma wang zi - Prince Charming. What every 白雪公主－bai xue gong zhu - Snow White - is looking for.
门可罗雀－men ke luo que - an infrequently visited place. Literally "a doorway where so few people pass through, that you can go out and easily catch birds with a net." Does this make sense? not really. Is it used in newspaper articles to describe an infrequent occurrence? yes.
固执－gu zhi - stubborn. I need to remember this...
返老还童－fan lao huan tong - the older you are, the more childlike you act. Goes together with 老当益壮 - lao dang yi zhuang - "young at heart" and 童心未泯 － tong xin wei min - "traces of childlike innocence". I don't know what we were talking about in class when this came up, but I think it might have been my grandmother - actually, it was the story of my grandmother refusing to go to the hotel pool where we were staying a couple years ago (in her early 80's) because "it was full of old people."
一分为二－yi fen wei er - look at things from both sides.
来龙去脉－lai long qu mai - how something came into being.
无赖－ wu lai - rascal, scoundrel. Used by my teacher to describe the current Taiwanese president.
ok... I have managed to get through the last of my notes. stay tuned for tomorrow, where I try and get through my "blue folder" - where I put all the handouts/articles that I don't know what to do with. lots of random scribblings in the margins to decipher - bis dann!
扬眉吐气－yang mei tu qi - "emerge suddenly from a humble situation to an honorable position." What the Chinese were able to do after the economic reforms of the 1980's: 经济发展最快的国家－中国人扬眉吐气了。
人走茶凉－ren zou cha liang - "the tea cools after people have left." - you forget people when they are no longer there. My teacher used this phrase today to explain why, even though we are technically still at FSI until Friday, our class has already started being left off the schedule. they've forgotten us already!!!
躲避球 - duo bi qiu - dodgeball. In case it ever comes up in conversation.
圣诞老人－sheng dan lao ren - Santa Claus - is going to be coming to town soon along with his 侏儒 － zhu ru - elves.
时事造英雄－shi shi zao ying xiong - heroes are created by the times in which they live. Used to refer to Mao.
依法处置－yi fa chu zhi - to punish someone according to the law. Goes together with 绳之以法－sheng zhi yi fa - to punish somone according to standards.
黑猫，白猫，会抓老鼠就是好猫 －it doesn't matter what color the cat is, so long as it catches mice - famous saying of Deng Xiaoping explaining China's turning away from its planned economy towards a free-market system.
流连忘返－liu lian wang fan - when you love a place so much, you forget to leave.
晕车－yun che - carsick (also 昏车－hun che). This could come in handy if I ever run into an out-of-control cabbie in China...
整整齐齐－zheng zheng qi qi - in order.
财力雄厚－cai li xiong hou - those who have money. 囊中羞涩 - nang zhong xiu se - those who don't (from what I understand, it means that the inside of your pocket is shiny, because there is no longer any money there...)
白马王子－bai ma wang zi - Prince Charming. What every 白雪公主－bai xue gong zhu - Snow White - is looking for.
门可罗雀－men ke luo que - an infrequently visited place. Literally "a doorway where so few people pass through, that you can go out and easily catch birds with a net." Does this make sense? not really. Is it used in newspaper articles to describe an infrequent occurrence? yes.
固执－gu zhi - stubborn. I need to remember this...
返老还童－fan lao huan tong - the older you are, the more childlike you act. Goes together with 老当益壮 - lao dang yi zhuang - "young at heart" and 童心未泯 － tong xin wei min - "traces of childlike innocence". I don't know what we were talking about in class when this came up, but I think it might have been my grandmother - actually, it was the story of my grandmother refusing to go to the hotel pool where we were staying a couple years ago (in her early 80's) because "it was full of old people."
一分为二－yi fen wei er - look at things from both sides.
来龙去脉－lai long qu mai - how something came into being.
无赖－ wu lai - rascal, scoundrel. Used by my teacher to describe the current Taiwanese president.
ok... I have managed to get through the last of my notes. stay tuned for tomorrow, where I try and get through my "blue folder" - where I put all the handouts/articles that I don't know what to do with. lots of random scribblings in the margins to decipher - bis dann!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
烂醉如泥
烂醉如泥－ lan zui ru ni - "drunk as mud" - how to describe someone who is so drunk that they have become floppy and wobbly - about the same consistency as mud. I love how the Chinese describe things...
左右为难 - zuo you wei nan - stuck between a rock and a hard place. "Difficulties to the left and right."
积怨已久 －ji yuan yi jiu - long term accumulated grievances. also: 怨恨 - yuan hen - stored up hatred, resentment, grudge. 怨 is not a happy word.
尊师重道 - zun shi zhong dao - this is a favorite one of my teacher. It is meant to describe the attitude of the Chinese towards education. The last character, dao, is the dao of Daoism - it literally translates as "the path", but I've also seen it translated as "the Way" when it refers to religion. All together, the four characters read, "respect your teachers and follow the Way" - the Chinese would not really go for blue sheets, or whatever those horrible things were that we used to have to fill out in college to criticize profs. Now that I think about it, maybe Mark Taylor really was more enlightened than the rest of us, because he didn't even pass them out - just threw them straight into the trash can (in front of the entire class). But I digress...
毫不回避 - hao bu hui bi - completely unavoidable.
开诚布公 - kai cheng bu gong - frank, honest.
扭伤你的脚 － niu shang ni de jiao - (I need to remember this one) - to sprain your ankle. After you 扭伤 your 脚，you can 用冰敷脚 - yong bing fu jiao - put ice on it. Other injuries/diseases might require 抗生素- kang sheng su - antibiotics, or 消炎药 - xiao yan yao - anti-inflammatories.
上当受骗 － shang dang shou pian - to be taken for a ride and cheated. What (occasionally) happens when you buy 昌牌货 (chang pai huo - fake label clothes) or 盗版 (dao ban - pirated) anything at the 购物中心。 You 吃亏- chi kui - get the worst part of the bargain.
储藏 － chu zang - to hide away. 收藏 － shou zang - to collect. 西藏 - xi zang - Tibet.
乡巴佬 - xiang ba lao - "hicks". This all started with a discussion about farming, and degraded into learning the Chinese words for "hicks" and "rednecks" - 红脖子 (hong bo zi - literal translation!). We also learned 偏僻 (pian pi - out of the way, secluded) and 畜牧业 (xu mu ye - livestock).
顺时针 － shun shi zhen - clockwise. 逆时针 - ni shi zhen - counter-clockwise.
沉 - chen - sink. 浮 - fu - float.
暖阳阳 － nuan yang yang - nice and warm (though possibly only in Sichuan province). This goes along with 冷嗖嗖 － leng sou sou - kind of cold, and 热乎乎 - re hu hu - hot! Used to describe the weather - again, I think this is regional, as the automatic Pinyin typing thing on the computer didn't recognize it at all。
雪人赏雪，赏雪人赏雪 - xue ren shang xue, shang xue ren shang xue - snowmen enjoy the beauty of the snow, and those who enjoy snow admire the beauty of it. A nonsense play on words, but truer words were never spoken！
男尊女卑 －nan zun nü bei - “men are respected, and women are humble." I have this in my notes right next to 玻璃天花板－(bo li tian hua ban - "glass ceiling"), 包办婚礼－(bao ban hun li - arranged marriage), and 妇权主义者－(fu quan zhu yi zhe - feminist).
狐假虎威 - hu jia hu xie - "the wolf borrows the tiger's power." My teacher (from the mainland) used this phrase to describe how Taiwan uses the United States to threaten China.
无可厚非- wu ke hou fei - beyond reproach.
滥杀无辜 - lan sha wu gu - to kill innocents.
And on that incredibly uplifting note, I am going to take a break from studying, and postpone this until tomorrow. Everything is seriously starting to blend together, and I think I need a break from trying to read my own handwriting. 再见！
左右为难 - zuo you wei nan - stuck between a rock and a hard place. "Difficulties to the left and right."
积怨已久 －ji yuan yi jiu - long term accumulated grievances. also: 怨恨 - yuan hen - stored up hatred, resentment, grudge. 怨 is not a happy word.
尊师重道 - zun shi zhong dao - this is a favorite one of my teacher. It is meant to describe the attitude of the Chinese towards education. The last character, dao, is the dao of Daoism - it literally translates as "the path", but I've also seen it translated as "the Way" when it refers to religion. All together, the four characters read, "respect your teachers and follow the Way" - the Chinese would not really go for blue sheets, or whatever those horrible things were that we used to have to fill out in college to criticize profs. Now that I think about it, maybe Mark Taylor really was more enlightened than the rest of us, because he didn't even pass them out - just threw them straight into the trash can (in front of the entire class). But I digress...
毫不回避 - hao bu hui bi - completely unavoidable.
开诚布公 - kai cheng bu gong - frank, honest.
扭伤你的脚 － niu shang ni de jiao - (I need to remember this one) - to sprain your ankle. After you 扭伤 your 脚，you can 用冰敷脚 - yong bing fu jiao - put ice on it. Other injuries/diseases might require 抗生素- kang sheng su - antibiotics, or 消炎药 - xiao yan yao - anti-inflammatories.
上当受骗 － shang dang shou pian - to be taken for a ride and cheated. What (occasionally) happens when you buy 昌牌货 (chang pai huo - fake label clothes) or 盗版 (dao ban - pirated) anything at the 购物中心。 You 吃亏- chi kui - get the worst part of the bargain.
储藏 － chu zang - to hide away. 收藏 － shou zang - to collect. 西藏 - xi zang - Tibet.
乡巴佬 - xiang ba lao - "hicks". This all started with a discussion about farming, and degraded into learning the Chinese words for "hicks" and "rednecks" - 红脖子 (hong bo zi - literal translation!). We also learned 偏僻 (pian pi - out of the way, secluded) and 畜牧业 (xu mu ye - livestock).
顺时针 － shun shi zhen - clockwise. 逆时针 - ni shi zhen - counter-clockwise.
沉 - chen - sink. 浮 - fu - float.
暖阳阳 － nuan yang yang - nice and warm (though possibly only in Sichuan province). This goes along with 冷嗖嗖 － leng sou sou - kind of cold, and 热乎乎 - re hu hu - hot! Used to describe the weather - again, I think this is regional, as the automatic Pinyin typing thing on the computer didn't recognize it at all。
雪人赏雪，赏雪人赏雪 - xue ren shang xue, shang xue ren shang xue - snowmen enjoy the beauty of the snow, and those who enjoy snow admire the beauty of it. A nonsense play on words, but truer words were never spoken！
男尊女卑 －nan zun nü bei - “men are respected, and women are humble." I have this in my notes right next to 玻璃天花板－(bo li tian hua ban - "glass ceiling"), 包办婚礼－(bao ban hun li - arranged marriage), and 妇权主义者－(fu quan zhu yi zhe - feminist).
狐假虎威 - hu jia hu xie - "the wolf borrows the tiger's power." My teacher (from the mainland) used this phrase to describe how Taiwan uses the United States to threaten China.
无可厚非- wu ke hou fei - beyond reproach.
滥杀无辜 - lan sha wu gu - to kill innocents.
And on that incredibly uplifting note, I am going to take a break from studying, and postpone this until tomorrow. Everything is seriously starting to blend together, and I think I need a break from trying to read my own handwriting. 再见！
海誓山盟
海誓山盟 - hai shi shan meng - vow eternal love (to the mountains and the sea). Goes together with 花前月下 - hua qian yue xia - "the ideal setting for a couple in love." See also 一日夫妻，白日恩 - yi ri fu qi, bai ri en - "one day of married life fastens enduring affection." I have no idea how we got on this topic in class!
画龙点睛 - hua long dian jing - "add eyes when drawing a dragon" - to put the finishing touch on something. Not to be confused with 画蛇添足 - hua she tian zu - "add legs when drawing a snake" - go one step too far, be superfluous.
崛起 - jue qi - "to rise". As in, “中国的崛起对美国是不是一种威胁？”The answer to this, of course, is "维持现状！" - wei chi xian zhuang - "maintain the status quo!"
霸权国家 - ba quan guo jia - a hegemon. What the United States is, to the Chinese (at least in the opinion of my teacher).
烫手山芋 - tang shou shan yu - a very troubling problem. Literal translation: "burning your hand with a hot sweet potato."
鹿死谁手 - lu si shui shou - "at whose hand will the deer die?" meaning: "who will emerge victorious?"
蓝精灵 - lan jing ling - the Smurfs. Someone keeps walking past our classroom whistling the Smurfs theme song. I have no idea why. The State Department is a very strange place...
礼轻仁义重 - li qing ren yi zhong - the gift is small, but given with love.
逆来顺受 - ni lai shun shou - submit to adversity meekly. What the central labor union in China is NOT doing any more, since it started challenging Wal-Mart.
固定的形势 - gu ding de xing shi - stereotypes. Goes along with 杜撰 - du zhuan - "fabricate, make up."
杯弓蛇影 - bei gong she ying - another snake one. "See the shadow of a snake in the handle of your mug" - think that everything is dangerous.
望梅止渴 - wang mei zhi ke - when you are very thirsty, thinking of a plum tree will make you salivate, and this ease your thirst. Unfortunately, I learned this totally out of context, and it's one of the more obscure ones!
洪水猛兽 - hong shui meng shou. Very scary things, like tests, exams, and going to China for the first time. Literally: "fierce floods and savage beasts."
天真烂漫 - tian zhen lan man - (said of childhood) - innocent, simple and unaffected. The days before I started learning Chinese...!
才华横溢 - cai hua heng yi - used to describe a person who is literally brimming with talent. In class, used by my teacher to describe Jackie Chan. Not to be confused with 才华干涸 - cai hua gan he - "no talent". Used by my teacher to describe my classmate and I. I think she was kidding...
狗胆包天 - gou dan bao tian - "be monstrously audacious." Lots of good insulting Chinese phrases start with 狗 (dog).
胆小如鼠 - dan xiao ru shu - timid as a mouse. Mice also get their share of phrases in Chinese, as does 胆 (gallbladder - where courage is thought to be contained).
崇洋媚外 - chong yang mei wai - worship foreign things and foreign powers - think that everything overseas is better.
微不足道 - wei bu zu dao - too insignificant or inconsequential to mention.
小脑小解决，大脑达解决 - xiao nao xiao jiejue, da nao da jiejue - small brains make small decisions, large brains make large decisions. Used by some in China as a reason why peasants either don't need or wouldn't understand a democratic system.
恐龙 - "fearsome dragon" = dinosaur. Shows up in my notes in between 丰收 (fengshou - “bountiful harvest“) and 欣赏 (xinshang - "admire"). Also on the same page are 闹鬼 (naogui - "to be haunted") and 资产阶级 (zichanjieji - bourgeoisie). I have NO idea what we were talking about in class that day...
肆意妄为 - si yi wang wei - do whatever you want, boldly and wilfully. What the extremists are currently doing in Iraq.
挨门挨户 - ai men ai hu - go door to door.
TBC - am hungry, and need lunch. will probably get back to this later on this afternoon. I had no idea I had so much written down in my notes - we cover so much in class, so quickly, that it's almost impossible to keep up with everything. hopefully this will help!
画龙点睛 - hua long dian jing - "add eyes when drawing a dragon" - to put the finishing touch on something. Not to be confused with 画蛇添足 - hua she tian zu - "add legs when drawing a snake" - go one step too far, be superfluous.
崛起 - jue qi - "to rise". As in, “中国的崛起对美国是不是一种威胁？”The answer to this, of course, is "维持现状！" - wei chi xian zhuang - "maintain the status quo!"
霸权国家 - ba quan guo jia - a hegemon. What the United States is, to the Chinese (at least in the opinion of my teacher).
烫手山芋 - tang shou shan yu - a very troubling problem. Literal translation: "burning your hand with a hot sweet potato."
鹿死谁手 - lu si shui shou - "at whose hand will the deer die?" meaning: "who will emerge victorious?"
蓝精灵 - lan jing ling - the Smurfs. Someone keeps walking past our classroom whistling the Smurfs theme song. I have no idea why. The State Department is a very strange place...
礼轻仁义重 - li qing ren yi zhong - the gift is small, but given with love.
逆来顺受 - ni lai shun shou - submit to adversity meekly. What the central labor union in China is NOT doing any more, since it started challenging Wal-Mart.
固定的形势 - gu ding de xing shi - stereotypes. Goes along with 杜撰 - du zhuan - "fabricate, make up."
杯弓蛇影 - bei gong she ying - another snake one. "See the shadow of a snake in the handle of your mug" - think that everything is dangerous.
望梅止渴 - wang mei zhi ke - when you are very thirsty, thinking of a plum tree will make you salivate, and this ease your thirst. Unfortunately, I learned this totally out of context, and it's one of the more obscure ones!
洪水猛兽 - hong shui meng shou. Very scary things, like tests, exams, and going to China for the first time. Literally: "fierce floods and savage beasts."
天真烂漫 - tian zhen lan man - (said of childhood) - innocent, simple and unaffected. The days before I started learning Chinese...!
才华横溢 - cai hua heng yi - used to describe a person who is literally brimming with talent. In class, used by my teacher to describe Jackie Chan. Not to be confused with 才华干涸 - cai hua gan he - "no talent". Used by my teacher to describe my classmate and I. I think she was kidding...
狗胆包天 - gou dan bao tian - "be monstrously audacious." Lots of good insulting Chinese phrases start with 狗 (dog).
胆小如鼠 - dan xiao ru shu - timid as a mouse. Mice also get their share of phrases in Chinese, as does 胆 (gallbladder - where courage is thought to be contained).
崇洋媚外 - chong yang mei wai - worship foreign things and foreign powers - think that everything overseas is better.
微不足道 - wei bu zu dao - too insignificant or inconsequential to mention.
小脑小解决，大脑达解决 - xiao nao xiao jiejue, da nao da jiejue - small brains make small decisions, large brains make large decisions. Used by some in China as a reason why peasants either don't need or wouldn't understand a democratic system.
恐龙 - "fearsome dragon" = dinosaur. Shows up in my notes in between 丰收 (fengshou - “bountiful harvest“) and 欣赏 (xinshang - "admire"). Also on the same page are 闹鬼 (naogui - "to be haunted") and 资产阶级 (zichanjieji - bourgeoisie). I have NO idea what we were talking about in class that day...
肆意妄为 - si yi wang wei - do whatever you want, boldly and wilfully. What the extremists are currently doing in Iraq.
挨门挨户 - ai men ai hu - go door to door.
TBC - am hungry, and need lunch. will probably get back to this later on this afternoon. I had no idea I had so much written down in my notes - we cover so much in class, so quickly, that it's almost impossible to keep up with everything. hopefully this will help!
Monday, December 11, 2006
呆若木鸡
呆若木鸡 - dai ruo mu ji - this is absolutely my favorite thing to say in Chinese. "Dumb as a wooden chicken." It says so much with so little. Why dumb as a chicken? And why a wooden chicken? ahhh... the mysteries of Chinese!
潜力可挖 - qian li ke wa - "qian" means hidden (specifically, submerged - 潜艇 means "submarine") "li" is power, and "wa" means to dig (plus, it is a fun word to say). So, the closest English equivalent is "untapped potential" - my Chinese teacher used it to refer to the Chinese economy. Another one of my favorite phrases.
勤能补拙 - qin neng bu zhuo - This began with a discussion of 勤奋 (qinfen - "diligence") and 刻苦 (keku - a word hard to translate into English, but which most closely means "hardworking") - these two words both being necessary to the successful study of the Chinese language. That is, unless you are stupid, in which case "qin neng bu zhuo" - which my Chinese teacher explained as "using hard work to make up for what is lacking in your brain." Or, starting a blog to help you study Chinese. hooray for 勤！
拭目以待 - shi mu yi dai - "wait and see." Also used in relation to the Chinese economy.
蒸蒸日上 - zheng zheng ri shang, 一日千里 - yi ri qian li - both mean "improving daily", both also used to describe the current state of the Chinese economy.
繁荣昌盛 - fan rong chang sheng - I actually forgot to write down the meaning of this in class, so just Googled it - one of the first hits was titled, "我国现在算是繁荣昌盛吗?" The meaning? "prosperous".
身监其境 / 身监体验 - shen jian qi jing / shen jian ti yan - your own personal experience. 我不会了解中国，因为没有这个。
鼠目寸光 - shu mu cun guang - "mice can only see an inch" - describes someone who is very narrow minded.
窥豹一斑 - kui bao yi ban - "look at a leopard (through a tube) and see only one spot" - get a general idea of something from only a small part. My favorite chengyus are the ones which involve animal characteristics, including...
骑虎难下 - qi hu nan xia - "once you start riding a tiger, it is hard to get off." Used by my Chinese teacher to describe the U.S. invasion of Iraq, specifically, timetables for troop withdrawal.
疑神疑鬼 - yi shen yi gui - to be afraid of your own shadow. Used by my teacher to describe hypochondriacs, and Americans who find it necessary to get vaccinated against all kinds of diseases before they go to China, like 甲肝 (Hepatitis A), 乙肝 (Hepatitis B), and my least favorite, 狂犬病 (rabies - "mad dog disease").
道貌岸然 - dao mao an ran - sanctimonious, holier than thou attitude. In my notes, this is followed by...
土拔鼠 - tu ba shu - groundhog. I have no idea where this juxtaposition came from. I think we were talking about dreams (though the dream about the groundhog wasn't mine). My awful dream is one where I find myself onstage, suddenly part of a school play, where I don't know my lines, and have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing. As a result, I...
出洋相 - chu yang xiang - make an idiot of oneself. Literal translation: "act like a foreigner." I will have to remember this when I go to China, so I can tell people exactly why I don't want to sing karaoke.
Here ends the first installment. stay tuned for many more!
潜力可挖 - qian li ke wa - "qian" means hidden (specifically, submerged - 潜艇 means "submarine") "li" is power, and "wa" means to dig (plus, it is a fun word to say). So, the closest English equivalent is "untapped potential" - my Chinese teacher used it to refer to the Chinese economy. Another one of my favorite phrases.
勤能补拙 - qin neng bu zhuo - This began with a discussion of 勤奋 (qinfen - "diligence") and 刻苦 (keku - a word hard to translate into English, but which most closely means "hardworking") - these two words both being necessary to the successful study of the Chinese language. That is, unless you are stupid, in which case "qin neng bu zhuo" - which my Chinese teacher explained as "using hard work to make up for what is lacking in your brain." Or, starting a blog to help you study Chinese. hooray for 勤！
拭目以待 - shi mu yi dai - "wait and see." Also used in relation to the Chinese economy.
蒸蒸日上 - zheng zheng ri shang, 一日千里 - yi ri qian li - both mean "improving daily", both also used to describe the current state of the Chinese economy.
繁荣昌盛 - fan rong chang sheng - I actually forgot to write down the meaning of this in class, so just Googled it - one of the first hits was titled, "我国现在算是繁荣昌盛吗?" The meaning? "prosperous".
身监其境 / 身监体验 - shen jian qi jing / shen jian ti yan - your own personal experience. 我不会了解中国，因为没有这个。
鼠目寸光 - shu mu cun guang - "mice can only see an inch" - describes someone who is very narrow minded.
窥豹一斑 - kui bao yi ban - "look at a leopard (through a tube) and see only one spot" - get a general idea of something from only a small part. My favorite chengyus are the ones which involve animal characteristics, including...
骑虎难下 - qi hu nan xia - "once you start riding a tiger, it is hard to get off." Used by my Chinese teacher to describe the U.S. invasion of Iraq, specifically, timetables for troop withdrawal.
疑神疑鬼 - yi shen yi gui - to be afraid of your own shadow. Used by my teacher to describe hypochondriacs, and Americans who find it necessary to get vaccinated against all kinds of diseases before they go to China, like 甲肝 (Hepatitis A), 乙肝 (Hepatitis B), and my least favorite, 狂犬病 (rabies - "mad dog disease").
道貌岸然 - dao mao an ran - sanctimonious, holier than thou attitude. In my notes, this is followed by...
土拔鼠 - tu ba shu - groundhog. I have no idea where this juxtaposition came from. I think we were talking about dreams (though the dream about the groundhog wasn't mine). My awful dream is one where I find myself onstage, suddenly part of a school play, where I don't know my lines, and have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing. As a result, I...
出洋相 - chu yang xiang - make an idiot of oneself. Literal translation: "act like a foreigner." I will have to remember this when I go to China, so I can tell people exactly why I don't want to sing karaoke.
Here ends the first installment. stay tuned for many more!
Getting things started...
so... I have a blog! It looks incredibly lame right now - I need to post some pictures, maybe choose some different colors, figure out how I'm going to format everything... but for now, it works! I am currently scheduled to leave for China in less than a month - I will be arriving in Beijing on January 10th - so in the next few weeks, I will be trying to figure out the whole blogging thing, and also (hopefully) using it to study for my big job-related Chinese tests (listening on the 18th, reading on the 22nd). I am not even sure how to go about studying, but I thought I would start by going back through my notebook and writing down the random Chengyu and various phrases that I don't want to forget (whether or not they show up on the test). My notebook is where I write down everything we talk about in class, which runs the gamut from getting married to getting vaccinated. Hopefully it will be interesting to those who are learning Chinese - and I promise that once I get to China, I will focus more on my daily life, and less on the language. It's just that for now, my daily life is somewhat less-than-interesting ("Today I filed my tax extension! Then I paid my credit card bill! Then I did laundry! CRAZY!!!") but the language itself is something I really need to focus on. so... here goes! bear with me. and your comments are always welcome!
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