Discovering Mandarin

Learning Mandarin: Pronunciation Debacles: x & q vs. sh & ch

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

This one of many guest posts here at Discovering Mandarin. This post/lesson is from my friend Megan (@megoizzy on twitter). I have actually been sat here talking to myself for ages after reading it. I implore you to do the same!

Mandarin Pronunciation Debacles

My first semester of learning Chinese was probably the most difficult one. Each week, my fellow wannabe Mando-philes and I were presented with a new series of 10 vocabulary terms, which our teacher went through painstakingly quickly every time. For the first month, I felt like I had missed a class somewhere. In true Chinese style, Zhu Laoshi never intimated the little pronunciation secrets that were my total bugaboos. It wasn’t the tones that were getting me, it was those pesky x’s and sh’s. I couldn’t understand why xian started with x but shen started with sh.

A background in linguistics and basic phonetics helped me to uncover the truth myself, and as the years finally took me to live in China, a local friend was able to help me unpack what was really going on between x and sh, q and ch.

First, there is a very important distinction to make.

x and q are always followed by high, frontal flat vowels like i and ue.

sh and ch are always followed by low, back rounded vowels like a, o and e.

This means that you can have:

xian or sheng but never shian
qiang or chang but never chiang

This might seem arbitrary. It did to me until I learned that there is actually a pronunciation difference between these - they are distinct sounds. And despite what most phrase books want you to believe (which is that x sounds like sh and q sounds like ch), the pronunciation difference between these sounds actually dictates why they are followed by different vowels.

Let’s play a game.

Open your mouth very slightly. Smile. Say the “sh” sound by blowing out the sides of your teeth rather than the front of your mouth. Keep your tongue lying flat. Don’t let it move! That’s the pinyin x. Now say xiàn with that same smile and blowing the air out the sides of your teeth. Keep smiling! You’ve got it.

So what’s the sh? Open your mouth again, this time wider. Purse your lips as if you’re about to plant a big smooch on your Aunt Mildred. Let your tongue curl up a little bit. Blow the air out the front of your lips and say the “sh” sound. That’s the pinyin sh. Now say shèng with those kissy lips still pursed. Keep ‘em puckered. You’ve got it.

This works the same way for q and ch. q is said with a smile, ch with a kiss. Try it now:

qiàn chèng

It’s fairly simple, but it takes a lot of practice to get it right. Don’t be afraid to feel silly. You’ve got to do things with your mouth that don’t feel natural and are not similar to how you use your mouth when speaking English. Don’t be afraid to really test this out. Shout at your wall! qian qian qian! cheng cheng cheng! Flat lips for qian, round lips for cheng.

Once you get your mouth retrained for Mandarin mode, this becomes much easier and feels much more innate. Until then, practice makes perfect!

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Megan Eaves is the author of ‘This Is China: A Guidebook for Teachers, Backpackers and Other Lunatics.’ She has a degree in Intercultural Communication and has been studying and teaching Mandarin Chinese for the past 7 years. www.meganeaveswriting.com

New Phrase: Happy New Year 新年快樂 xīn nián kuài lè

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Chinese New Year is next Sunday (14th Feb)! It is the year of the Tiger! (在虎! hǔ nián!) Happy New Year!! (新年快樂!! xīn nián kuài lè!!)

Chinatown in London will celebrate Chinese New Year on the following Sunday 21st Feb 2010 between 12pm-6pm. There will be dragon dancing, lion dances outside shops and firecrackers to mark the event.

In China the mythical creature Nian (年兽, nián shòu) is a beast that lives underground or in mountains (it also shares the name of a year). Once a year, around the time of spring and new year Nian is said to come out of hiding to devour livestock, crops,and even villagers, especially children. It is thought that loud noises and the colour red scare the Nian, which is where the Lion dance (not to be confused with the dragon dance) and loud firecrackers are thought to stem from.

That is the myth of the creation of Chinese New Year. The truth may be much more prosaic. In the middle of the long winter months, a bang up celebration is a good way to cheer everyone's spirits. Noise and fireworks always make a party go with a bang, and the colour red is the colour of celebration in China.

Here are some phrases that may be useful next weekend:

新年快樂
xīn nián kuài lè
Happy new year

恭賀新禧
gōng hè xīn xǐ
Happy New Year

身壯力健
shēn zhuàng lì jiàn
May you have a healthy body and great strength

心想事成
xīn xiǎng shì chéng
May your wish come true

萬事如意
wàn shì rú yì
to have all one's wishes - 'best wishes'

恭喜發財
gōng xǐ fā cái
Have a prosperous New Year!

在虎年大幸運
hǔ nián xíng dà yùn
Good luck in the year of the Tiger

鼠年數錢數不完
zài hǔ nián shù qiáns hù bù wán
May you have countless amount of money in the year of the Tiger

The Four Pillars of Destiny - Hour

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:02:00 +0000

Hours (时辰 shíchen) within the Four Pillars of Destiny represent the final and most personal pillar. The secret animal is thought to be a person’s truest representation, since this animal is determined by the smallest denomination. It is used by fortune tellers that use the Four Pillars as the pillar representing information about one's kids or late age.

The hours are represented by the helpful 12 Earthly branches (and the same animal mnemonic as years, months and days within the four pillars) which were determined by Chinese scholars who charted the orbit of Jupiter. The Earthly branches also determine the calendar and compass points.

• 23:00–01:00: 子 rat
• 01:00–03:00: 丑 ox
• 03:00–05:00: 寅 tiger
• 05:00–07:00: 卯 rabbit
• 07:00–09:00: 辰 dragon
• 09:00–11:00: 巳 snake
• 11:00–13:00: 午 horse
• 13:00–15:00: 未 ram
• 15:00–17:00: 申 monkey
• 17:00–19:00: 酉 rooster
• 19:00–21:00: 戌 dog
• 21:00–23:00: 亥 pig

What is your secret animal? And what does it mean to you?

Four Pillars of Destiny - Days

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000

The day is the third of the Four Pillars of Destiny and in Chinese fortune telling represents information about the person him/herself, his/her adult and married life.

The sexagenry cycle was used in China since the second millennium BC (Shang Dynasty), as a means of naming days (just as western cultures use the days in the week). This use of the cycle for days is attested throughout the Zhou dynasty. More recently this is not as popular but is still used in Almanacs and calendars.

The 1st day of a new year in the sexagenary cycle should be the Lichun (節氣 lìchūn). The Lichun is the 1st solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 315° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 330°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 315°.

In the lunisolar calendar, New Year's Day might be before or after Lichun. A year without Lichun is called 無春年 wú chūn nián (no spring year). 無春年 is also known as 寡婦年 guǎfu nián (widow year) in northern China or 盲年 máng nián (blind year) in southern China. Marriage is believed to be unlucky in a year without Lichun.

I have found it hard to find the corresponding elements and animals of the days themselves, however you can use the calculator to find out your day on my post about the Four Pillars...

Chinese Children's Song: The 'Ugly' Doll Song 泥娃娃

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000

泥娃娃 : níwáwa

I found this, and it made me giggle, I think it is actually 'Mud Doll' essentially a Doll made of clay not an ugly doll as the video says. I have taken a picture of what I imagine to be 泥娃娃 níwáwa.

It is a horribly catchy song and after a while gets really quite annoying. But here is a popular Chinese children's song that caught my attention, I have translated it below. I hope you enjoy it. I have been singing along. (I think I successfully have annoyed my girlfriend, but learnt to sing a small amount of Chinese)

泥娃娃
níwáwa
Clay Doll

泥娃娃，泥娃娃
ní wá wá ， ní wá wá
Doll of Clay, Doll of Clay

一个泥娃娃
yī gè ní wá wá
A Doll of Clay

也有那眉毛
yě yǒu nà méi máo
She has eyebrows

也有那眼睛
yě yǒu nà yǎn jīng
She has eyes

眼睛不会眨
yǎn jīng bú huì zhǎ
but eyes that cant wink

泥娃娃，泥娃娃
ní wá wá ， ní wá wá
Doll of Clay, Doll of Clay

一个泥娃娃
yī gè ní wá wá
A Doll of Clay

也有那鼻子
yě yǒu nà bí zǐ
She has a nose

也有那嘴巴
yě yǒu nà zuǐ bā
She has a mouth

嘴巴不说话
zuǐ bā bú shuō huà
But mouth cannot speak

她是个假娃娃
tā shì gè jiǎ wá wá
She's a fake baby

不是个真娃娃
bú shì gè zhēn wá wá
Is not a real baby

她没有亲爱的爸爸
tā méi yǒu qīn ài de bà ba
She doesn't have a dear dad

也没有妈妈
yě méi yǒu mā ma
There is no mum

泥娃娃，泥娃娃
ní wá wá ， ní wá wá
Doll of Clay, Doll of Clay

一个泥娃娃
yī gè ní wá wá
A Doll of Clay

我做她爸爸
wǒ zuò tā bà ba
I'm her dad

我做她妈妈
wǒ zuò tā mā ma
i'm her mum

永远爱着她
yǒng yuǎn ài zhe tā
love her forever

| Repeat from start|

Four Pillars of Destiny – Months and Solar Terms

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:00:00 +0000

Months and Solar Terms

Within the Four Pillars, the month (本月 běnyuè) that you are born is the pillar that represents information about the person's parents or later years in life. Many Chinese astrologers consider the month pillar to be the most important pillar in determining the circumstances of one's adult life.

The Gregorian (Western) calendar is used for day to day activities in most of East Asia, but the Chinese calendar is still used for marking traditional East Asian holidays such as the Chinese New Year (or Spring Festival (春節).

Solar Terms (节气 jiéqi) are based on seasonal markers and make up the Chinese agricultural calendar. This table shows the correlation between the Western calendar and the Chinese months. It also shows which animals (mnemonic) belong to each astrological month giving the second of the four pillars in Chinese astrology and fortune telling.

I had trouble making this table in html, but if you click the image, you can download the pdf with the full table.

Four Pillars of Destiny - Years

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Four Pillars Year & Sexagenary Cycle
六十花甲 liùshí huājiǎ or
干支gānzhī

Within the Four Pillars (Ba Zi) Years are the largest element. They are the most generic and least personal in fortune telling. The years are based off of the Ten Heavenly Stems (十天干 shí tiāngān) and Twelve Earthly Branches (十二地支 shí'èr dìzhī).

There are 5 'Elements', 五行 wǔxíng in Chinese Astrology,

* Wood 木 mù
* Fire 火 huǒ
* Earth 土 tǔ
* Metal 金 jīn
* Water 水 shuǐ

These 5 elements combine with yin and yang to make the Ten Heavenly stems 天干 tiāngān.

The 12 earthly branches were devised from the orbit of Jupiter (the twelve years of the Jupiter cycle also identify the twelve months of the year, directions, seasons, months, and Chinese hour in the form of double-hours.)

The more commonly known animals of the zodiac provide a mnemonic for remembering them. The animals of the zodiac in addition to the Ten Heavenly Stems give us 60 years with each animal and each element pairing up only once in the sexagenary cycle.

To explain how this cycle works, lets give both stems and branches by their numbers. We denote 1 by (1,1) or (甲,子), 2 by (2,2) or (乙,丑) and so on up to (10,10) or (癸,酉). But now we have run out of stems, so we denote 11 by (1, 11) or (甲,戌) and 12 by (2, 12) or (乙,亥). Now we have run out of branches, too, so 13 becomes (3, 1) or (丙,子). We continue in this way through 6 cycles of stems and 5 cycles of branches up to 60, which is (10, 12) or (癸,亥). The next number is then (1,1) or (甲,子), which starts a new sexagenary cycle.

Within the Four Pillars, the year is the pillar representing information about the person's ancestry or early age.

You can download the table below by clicking the image and saving the pdf. It provides the full sexagenary cycles between 1924-2044 with the associated elements and zodiac animals.

Understanding the Chinese Zodiac - Four Pillars of Destiny - 八字 Ba Zi

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Four Pillars of Destiny

Even today, when people talk about Chinese Astrology, it is a common misconception that the animals assigned by year are the only signs of the zodiac. Many western descriptions of Chinese astrology draw solely on this system. In fact, there are also animal signs assigned by month (called inner animals) and hours of the day (called secret animals).

Four Pillars of Destiny is a Chinese term that comprises of four elements of a person’s destiny or fate. The four components are taken from the moment of birth. They are the year, month, day, and time (hour). Each of these elements are important in Chinese astrology, the zodiac and fortune telling.

The term Four Pillars of Destiny come from the Chinese:

时辰八字
shíchen bāzì
Hour of the Eight characters

四柱命理学
sì zhù mìnglǐxué
The Four Pillars Life-ology

子平命理
zǐ píng mìng lǐ
The Four Pillars of Life

Commonly referred to by the shortened names of "Four Pillars" or "bā zì" these charts include both the element (Ten Heavenly Stems) and zodiac animal (Twelve Earthly Branches) of the year, month, day, and hour of birth, giving eight characters.

Ten Heavenly Stems are the yin and yang components of the Five Elements: Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire , Yang Earth, Yin Earth, Yang Metal, Yin Metal, Yang Water, Yin Water.

The Twelve Earthly Branches are more popularly represented by the twelve animals of the Zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.

The culture of Chinese Fortune Telling (中华吉祥文化 Zhōnghuá jíxiáng wénhuà) is based on five principles that to the skilled can be judged from the balance found in the Eight Characters determined by the Ten Heavenly Stems and the Twelve Earthly Branches that are associated with the time and date of your birth. The five principles are:

• Fu, 福 (fortune) signifying luck;
• Lu, 禄 (affluence) for fame and recognition;
• Shou, 寿 (longevity) for health;
• Xi, 喜 (happiness) for joy;
• Cai, 财 (wealth) for abundance and riches.

There are a couple of online Charts available, although the real value in this style of reading is the readers themselves.

Try it out with this Bazi Calculator:

Some other calculators can be found below...

http://www.dragon-gate.com/bazi-astrology-calculator/index.asp
http://www.astro-fengshui.com/4P%20Charting.html

The following blog gives some topical readings about famous people and explores the readings in more depth. http://www.bazidiary.com/

Birthday, Deadlines and Icons

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:50:00 +0000

I recently got a comment on my Heisig post from a while back asking how I was doing (as today was supposed to be my finish date if I had kept up with my proposed schedule).

I have got to admit I have been lazy, or if you like excuses; I have been so busy that I have ended up ignoring what I wanted to achieve. I have got about 600 characters into Heisigs method and despite a lot of effort have found my motivation waning. I read Greg's recent post about motivation in language learning add that to the sense of guilt I feelby not meeting my own deadline and I feel a much renewed sense of wanting to complete Heisig and start really pushing my learning forwards again.

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今天是我的生日!
jīntiān shì wǒ de shēngrì !
Today is my Birthday!!

I am going to an event which is setting off over 100 Chinese Flying Lanterns in our local park tonight (The Rye, High Wycombe @ 18:30) as a celebration of my birthday. :) Hopefully there will be a video of the lanterns, so I will share when possible, it should be an awesome sight.

Also I have seen other people do this and it seems interesting. So please feel free to ask me anything. http://www.formspring.me/charliesaidthat

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Also whilst I am catching up a little... I thought I would share a way for all you blogger bloggers to change the little icon at the top there. I did it this week, and although my new 'favicon' isn't the most recognisable. It does set it apart from the rest of the blogger blogs.

So.. first off, you have to make your favicon. It is a 16px by 16px square, you can make it on your computer and save it as a .ico (windows icon) or you can use this favicon maker online.

You download your file, then all you have to do is insert the bit of code (you can find it here) in the head section of the html.

I used imageboo.com to host my icon, but it does support some very NSFW ads and annoying pop ups, if you can find a better place to host your icons for free let me know.

Chinese Sweet : Dragon Beard Candy: 龙须糖

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 19:36:00 +0000

Dragon Beard Candy - 龙须糖 - lóng xū táng

This is a Chinese sweet treat, Dragon Beard Candy (龙须糖) or (龍鬚糖) consists of many very fine strands of sugar, which gives an appearance and consistency of a fine beard, apparently like that of a dragon – hence its name. You can get many flavours of this tasty speciality, spicy, crispy icy, almond and ones I cannot imagine like wasabi laver and black sesame and the list goes on.

I bought some almond flavour dragon beard candy today from Chinatown, London. It blew my mind. I cannot think of anything that even comes close to describing the texture, taste or how great it is. It is soft and fluffy, but has a slight crunch to the crumbling crushed peanuts. The combination of odd textures is quite remarkable.

This is a truly rare and unique dessert which will leave you speechless. It is said that only recently have Dragon Beard Candy been allowed to be eaten by anyone other than the emperor of China. Although one feels that this could just be a persuasive sales technique to remind you of the quality of them.

My friend Jack likes to describe it as "like eating a hairy cloud full of almonds..." I like the cloud metaphor, it suits the sweet deservedly well. A disarmingly soft, melt in your mouth moment occurs (much like candy floss) but you do have some substance left with the peanuts.

There is a video of some Dragon Beard candy being made here. It is extraordinary how the sugar is so elastic-y and really is an artform unto itself.

Jack took a picture of one of our candies today. Simply gorgeous to look at, and although an odd textural experience, very tasty.

I did find a Dragon Beard Candy recipe, and it is one that I am definitely going to have to try out.

Does anyone know of somewhere in London that makes Dragon beard candy from scratch? Preferably so I can watch them make it too? I had some boxed ones today. And whilst they were lovely, I get the feeling having them fresh would be exquisite.

Photo credits:
Me
Flickr:AnnMing
Jacksaidwhat
Jacksaidwhat

Jack on twitter

Google To Stop Censoring? Or to Leave China?

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:09:00 +0000

It is being widely reported that this looks like Google removing their censorship in China. What I see though, is Google finding a way to remove itself from the problems it faces in China.

"We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China." Google blog post

I think that some of the reports being made from this blog post are a little misleading (like this Guardian article). I don't think Google want to leave operations in China, however maybe this is the leverage that could make the government change their mind?... ...I think not.

I really wonder whether the Chinese Government would allow Google to remove it's censorship? If they do I get the feeling they might take the step of ultimately censoring internet access further up the chain, from behind the scenes.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out. What do you think will come of this latest news from Google?

New Mandarin Phrase: In My Opinion

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 09:16:00 +0000

Yesterday I muttered 'à mon avis' from the small amount of French I know; meaning in my opinion. (I must admit to being quite bad at French, so apologies here.) So I was thinking, about how to say 'In My Opinion' in Mandarin.

MDBG suggests:

在我看来
zài wǒ kàn lái

But I know from both the French & English, there are many ways to say this.

selon moi and d'après moi

or in English variations include:

"In my opinion", "In my view", "As I see it", "I believe that", "To my mind" etc.

So on Twitter I posted the Question. So far I have had several responses, it was interesting to see how different they all were.

So here are the suggestions I have had, below with Hanzi and Hanyu Pinyin:

我觉得
wǒ juéde

我认为
wǒ rènwéi

我的观点是
wǒ de guāndiǎn shì

我的看法是
wǒ de kànfǎ shì

对我来说
duì wǒ lái shuō
(as far as I'm concerned)

我以为
wǒ yǐwéi
I (originally) thought - (but it turns out I was wrong.)

I would love to hear the ways in which you say 'In my opinion' and if there are required situations for each of the above...

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:06:00 +0000

Here is to a wonderful Christmas and English new years holiday to everyone that has supported me this year. I will be back in the new year, with renewed efforts to learn Mandarin. In the mean time, all my best wishes for a peaceful, wonderful time this Christmas.

圣诞快乐
Shèngdànkuàilè
Merry Christmas

新年快乐
xīnniánkuàilè
Happy New Year

Daily Chinese Proverb: Anger

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:31:00 +0000

I came across this Chinese proverb today. I am completely confused as to its usage. Funny imagery though. I couldn't find a picture to do this proverb justice either. Maybe it is just a way to express one's anger.

怒发冲冠
nù fà chōng guān
lit. hair stands up in anger and tips off one's hat

Learning Mandarin: Inspired By Martial Arts

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:26:00 +0000

The following article is written by Karen, who lives in Canada and is part of my growing series of Guest Posts from people I have met online that are also Learning Mandarin. She founded the Chen Pan Ling Kuo Shu Preservation Group in Atlanta, Georgia with a friend. Without martial arts, she would never have started learning Chinese.

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My Chinese studies all started with martial arts. My teacher in Atlanta, Allen Pittman, had studied with Chen Yun Ching in Taiwan in the 70's. My friend and I realized he was still alive. A friend's father agreed to phone him for us; then we communicated by fax, and arranged a visit. Considering Mr. Chen knew little English, we thought anything we could learn would be helpful.

We took a Chinese I class at the community college, and found a college student who tutored us. She drilled us on pronunciation- a good thing. At least if our vocabulary was small, people understood what we did say. It also allowed us to use a dictionary and pronounce words correctly.

Our visit was a success, but I think our Chinese failed us. We took our clothes to the laundry, and the clerk ended up calling the hotel to find out what we wanted. I think the surprise of strangers visiting the laundry was more the issue than our language. There were very few Caucasians around. Once we left Taipei for Taichung, we only saw eight Caucasians in two weeks.

With the help of Mr. Chen's translator, we started setting up a teaching tour in the United States. I needed to know more Chinese! So, more tutoring sessions, listening to language CD's, and eavesdropping on conversations in restaurants. I could visit our Chinatown and have brief conversations. My tutor told me she shamed an American-born Chinese because my Chinese was better than his. I also worked with a professor from a local university, to provide more language practice.

We have continued our exchange of visits with Mr. Chen. We have been to Taiwan two more times and he has been to the US twice. He is returning to the US in 2010.

My skills are about those of a three year old. Studying Chinese is fun. I don't think additional Chinese skills will help significantly in my martial arts training, but I like learning the language. It is satisfying to visit Taiwan and not feel totally lost. I feel comfortable touring around Taiwan (dictionary in hand!).

It's tough being a self-guided student, though. The encouragement of language-learning bloggers, the expatriates living in Taiwan and China, and my fellow Twitter tweeters has encouraged me. I am now using Anki for SRS. It is easier and more accessible than cards. Our library has an ESL program that provides speaking practice. I rearranged my lunchtime to talk with my Chinese co-workers. I am using more language immersion, and purposely listening to things beyond my language skills to get a better sense of the language. Sometimes I can tell what it's about even if I don't get the details.

I make up stories about what goes on in my life, as if I were talking to a Chinese friend. "I went to Chinatown last week. There was a Chinese college professor there. She had brought her students to the market. The girls liked the candy. Some of the students bought tea. All the students thought the freezer area was icky. I don't think they learned much at the store." When I translate it back to English, it's not too bad. Maybe I have progressed and now can speak like a five year old! I look forward to speaking something closer to my own age level.

Daily Chinese Proverb: The Rice Is cooked

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:09:00 +0000

This Chinese proverb is the same as the English proverb 'what's done is done' or 'Let bygones be bygones'. It means that things are too late noe to do anything about them. In this situation, it is wise to forgive and be prepared to move forwards positivley as it's too late to change anything now.

In this situation; the rice is cooked. It cannot now be uncooked, therefore this proverb talks about how you must let things be as they cannot be changed after it is happened. Just your attitude and perception of the event can be changed.

生米煮成熟饭
shēng mǐ zhǔ chéng shú fàn
the rice is cooked

Daily Chinese Proverb: Time Flies Like an Arrow

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

This Chinese proverb has a strong meaning for me today. It is the first anniversary of my girlfriend and I going out together. This proverb talks about how time flies, and resembles an arrow.

My first year with my girlfriend has gone scarily quickly, yet also seems like I have known her this way forever.

光阴似箭
guāng yīn sì jiàn
time flies like an arrow

Daily Chinese Proverb: Business is Business

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:29:00 +0000

This Chinese proverb relates to when you keep business seperate from private issues. It means keeping your private interests seperate from business, no matter what.

公事公办
gōng shì gōng bàn
Business is Business

Daily Chinese Proverb: Suffering

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

This Chinese proverb is in a similiar vein to the English proverb 'to bear ones cross'. Which means - to accept trials or troubles patiently, as in the story of Jesus carrying his cross.

含辛茹苦
hán xīn rú kǔ
to suffer every possible torment

Daily Chinese Proverb: All Roads To Rome

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:58:00 +0000

This Chinese proverb is similiar to the English proverb "All roads to Rome". It means that there are many ways to go about things and there is no one right way to do it. This is very relavant when talking about how people learn Mandarin. There are so many different ways to learn, and none is 'one and only correct way' all the different methods are valid.

殊途同归
shū tú tóng guī
different routes to the same destination

Daily Chinese Proverb: Excited

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:06:00 +0000

This Chinese proverb can be used in situations where you are in high spirits. This proverb means to be elated, really happy, I imagine people would use this before and during festivities.

兴高采烈
xīng gāo cǎi liè
happy and excited

Daily Chinese Proverb: Superhuman

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:06:00 +0000

This Chinese proverb when broken down literally means 'three heads and six arms'. It is metaphorical of being above the ability of a normal man. I think this can be used in situations where someone does something so far beyond what was expected of them that it was a 'superhuman' effort.

三头六臂
sān tóu liù bì
Superhuman

Incidentally I think that Greg has made a superhuman effort with his Heisig learning.

Photo Source: DamnDigital

Daily Chinese Proverb: Relax vs. Effort

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:50:00 +0000

These two Chinese proverbs are very much like the English pairs of proverbs that contradict each other.

Personally I feel that sometimes when you are really struggling to do something you end up making a mess of it by overthinking it. Yet times where you are relaxed you end up being more productive.

事半功倍
shì bàn gōng bèi
get twice the result with half the effort

事倍功半
shì bèi gōng bàn
get half the result with twice the effort

An English pair of contradictory proverbs like these above are

Many hands make light work

and

Too many cooks spoil the broth

Daily Chinese Proverb: Perfect Order

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:06:00 +0000

This Chinese proverb is about how things in order are perfect and methodical. For me it is a strong signifier of the historical Chinese figure Qin Shi Huangdi unifying the country. The emperor gave the unified empire a single currency, a standardised system of weights and measures and a legal system and introduced a common written language.

井井有条
jǐng jǐng yǒutiáo
in perfect order; neat and tidy

Photo Source: Flickr

Daily Chinese Proverb: No Pain, No Gain

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:36:00 +0000

This Chinese proverb is in stark contrast to 不劳而获. The English equivalent to this proverb is no pain, no gain. It says without the work, there is no harvest.

一分耕耘, 一分收获
yī fēn gēngyún, yī fēn shōuhuò
Without plowing and weeding there is not a harvest