The Chinese Language

When someone ask me what language I speak, I say Chinese just to simplify things. I don't say Mandarin or Cantonese unless that person asks me. I find that most people don't know the difference or really don't understand the difference. The people who do know the difference would ask and I would then take the time to explain.

However, I start to wonder what is 普通話 [pǔtōng huà] and 中文 [zhōngwén]. 中文 [zhōngwén] included all Chinese dialects. If you say 普通話 [pǔtōng huà], you are referring to Mandarin Chinese. 普通話 [pǔtōng huà] is the official language in China.

Internal curiosity: Why is it 普通 [pǔtōng]? 普通 [pǔtōng] means common. Is it that the everyday common people should know the official language of China? Is it because the Han people makes up the largest ethnic group in the world?

Eating in the Wild

Sometimes - well maybe a lot of the times - you look at a sentence in Chinese. You may know each character in the sentence but you still don't know what the sentence means.

I found this: 野餐

野 [yě] wild
餐 [cān] a meal, or to eat

What do you think this means? Eat in the wild? You have a wild game meat meal? You are surprised by some kind of strange meal you hunted? No, none of the above.

This means picnic. Strange, but I guess I can understand why these two characters are together.

Noisy

What do you think of  when you hear the word "noisy"?
If you hear the sentence - "It is New Year and it is noisy."
Do you think the speaker is talking about the event in a festive sense? In Chinese there are at least two ways to say noisy.


熱鬧 (T) /热闹 (S) [rènao]
The meaning of this is noisy, but has a joyful festive undertone.


On the other hand if you hear 
吵 (T/S) [chǎo] It means noisy.

Experience action marker

Previous post was about double negative.
(T) Verb + 過 不 少
(S) Verb + 过 不 少
(pinyin) Verb + guò bù shǎo
Translation: Verb + [experience action marker] not few

You may be wondering about the character 過(T) 过 (S) [guò].
Is there a change to the meaning if it were 得 (T/S) [dé]?  YES!


If you use 過(T) 过 (S) [guò], you are implying that the task has been completed awhile ago and is done.

If you use 得 (T/S) [dé], you are implying that the task has been done but the task may also not be completed.

So if you replace with 吃(T/S) [chī]
using
T: 吃 過 不 少
S: 吃 过 不 少
Pinyin: chī guò bù shǎo
Translation and meaning: Ate a lot already and is done eating

T/S: 吃 得 不 少
Pinyin: chī dé bù shǎo
Translation and meaning: Ate a lot already and may continue to eat

Double Negative

Double negatives are confusing in English and do you remember your English teachers telling you not to use it? Do you remember why? It is confusing for the speaker and the listener.

I was reading my textbook and was faced with this sentence structure. It is not a double negative by definition, but it is confusing and may trip you up. At least it did for me, and wasn't intuitive at first.

(T) Verb + 過 不 少
(S) Verb + 过 不 少
(pinyin) Verb + guò bù shǎo
Translation: Verb + [experience action marker] not few

Let's replace the verb with 吃(T/S) [chī]
Direct translation : eat not few
This means: He ate a lot or he didn't eat a small amount

Another example. Let's replace the verb with to study 讀(T) 读(S) [dú]
Direct translation: study not few
This means: He studied a lot or he didn't study a small amount of time

Do you see why this sentence structure reminds of me of double negative?

Translating for daycare

Today my daycare provider asked me to do some translations for my 20 month old girl.
I thought about using the correct pinyin. However, I decided the best thing to do was make it as easy as possible so they don't have to worry about tones.

So here goes nothing.

* We walk inside. We can run outside.
nee-men zoh zoh. why men pow pow
Pinyin: nǐmiàn zǒuzǒu. wàimiàn pǎo pǎo

* We take turns with our toys.
ee-chee wan
Pinyin: Yīqǐ wán

*We use nice touches when playing with our friends
shaw-shing moh-moh
Pinyin: xiǎoxīn mōmō

It was very hard not to put in the chinese tones in and pronounce it with the sh sounds!

Using a rope

One night a little boy and his father were in the woods. The little boy walked fast and walked ahead of his father. He wasn't careful and felled down a hole. Luckily he wasn't hurt, but he still needed help to get out. The little boy called out for help and his father heard him. His father ran home and retrieve a rope. He rushed to his son and tied one end to himself and threw the other end into the hole. The rope was very long and was able to reach his son.

The little boy ties the rope around his own waist. He couldn't see very well but he can hear his father's voice. He made his way up the hole, touching and feeling the sides of the dirt wall. He was scared and wasn't very good climbing at first. However, with time he was able to fumble his way out of the hole.

Sometimes you don't have the experience to do a task or you are put in a situation where you have to learn on the spot. You grope your way and figure things out. That is what 摸索 (T/S) [mōsuǒ] means.

摸 (T) [mō] to touch
索 (S) [suǒ] large cable or rope

Confusion between do not have and do not want

I think for non Chinese speakers it is easy to mix the two together. Perhaps since the pinyin is similar it is easy to mix the two.

不要[búyào] Do not want
没有[méiyǒu] Do not have

Think of the yǒu has the u. The u is like a bowl. It holds items. When there are no items in the bowl then it is empty. When you don't have something you use 没有[méiyǒu].

Why not eat meat congee?

The direct translation of 何不食肉糜 (T/S) [hébù shíròu mí] is why not eat meat congee? Congee, in case you don't know, is rice porridge. It is very soupy rice and you put various garnishes on it.

What do you think this phrase mean and why would you use it? Do you think the speaker is actually asking you why not eat a meal that has minced meat on it? Here's another clue... if a homeless person use this phrase versus a person who is not homeless, do you think the tone or the meaning would be different?

Ok give up? When someone uses this phrase s/he is being sarcastic. Something that is affordable to you is not affordable to him or her. In this case a plain dish with rice on it is a very simple dish to you. You can whip that up without too much effort or money. However to him or her they don't have the resources or the money to afford that meal.

fly train fly!

I have a few years head start on Mandarin over my daughter but lately we are both learning the same way: by hearing children's songs.

We both like trains, and now we have an appropriate song to sing: 火車快飛 (Fly Train, Fly!)

Actually, here's another word that could go into Kaitlyn's post a few days ago about word origins. 火車 literally translated is "fire car." Even though there are hardly any steam engines, the word still evokes images of a coal-fired boiler powering freight down the valley.

But, back to the song:

火車快飛

火車快飛　火車快飛
穿過高山　飛過小溪
不知跑了幾百里
搭到家裏　搭到家裏
媽媽看見真歡喜

Even for a kids song there are some intermediate grammar points here. 過 (guò)is a tough concept for me. Like 會 (huì), it doesn't really have an exact translation to english, but in this case 穿過高山 (chuān'guò gāo shān) means to pass through a tall mountain, and 飛過小溪 (fēi guò xiǎo xī) means to speed past a creek.

The textbooks say 過 means the action happened in the past but has bearing on the present. I guess the train has to traverse these features (the mountain, the creek) in order to finally take the passengers home.

Chinese Mouth Radical

Once I started reading Chinese children books and singing Chinese songs to my daughter I realized the mouth radical 口 appears a lot. It looks like a square.

Here's one example:
嘿(T/S) [hēi] has the 口 radical with the 黑 hēi character. (黑 means black). Putting the two together you get 嘿. The radical gives you a clue of what it sounds like. In this case it is 'hey.'

Here are more examples:

• 哼(T/S) [heng] grunting  example:"哼，好吧" (grunt. Ok fine) 
• 哇 (T/S) [wā]    wow 
• 可 kě, kè chuckling  example:可可可 (*chuckles*)

Back to the beginning. Remember when I said I noticed this radical while reading Chinese books and singing Chinese songs? Don't use these types of vocal expressions in essays. Think about it, you don't want to write to your mom or teacher by writing LOL, ROFL!  Keep in mind who you are writing to. If you are texting your friend that is another matter.

Zon

Imagine you can go to China or Taiwan and spend time any amount of time to practice your Chinese. Um, you don't have the time, money, or resources?

Enter the online game, Zon.
It is a virtual environment for one to learn Chinese. I didn't get a chance to play with it yet. But watching the video I see some pros and cons

Pros
Interactive way to explore a virtual space and learn Chinese
Use of video and game to make learning fun
It is free!

Cons
Looks like only simplified Chinese is supported
May be good for beginners but not intermediate to expert people. I am interested in seeing how advance the vocabulary is.

I can't wait to try it out and report back.

Interesting Chinese Phrases That involves Blind Cat and Ants

瞎貓撞到死老鼠 (T)
瞎猫撞到死老鼠 (S)
[Xiā māo zhuàng dào sǐ lǎoshǔ]

A blind cat runs into a dead rat. What do you think this phrase means in Chinese? Is this good or bad? Cats like to show that they can catch a rat!

The phrase means lucky. Look! I'm blind but I can still contribute and catch a rat! I'm told a similar phrase in English is "even a blind squirrel can find an acorn one in a while."

熱鍋上的螞蟻(T)
热锅上的蚂蚁(S)
[Rè guō shàng de mǎyǐ]

Ants on a hot pan. Strange to picture this, but can you figure out the meaning. If you were an ant on a hot pan, what is your feeling? I'm going to die here! Yes! How does that make you feel? Probably not so good. You will probably be running in all directions trying to figure out a way to escape! This phrase means anxious, nervous, and running in all directions.

Origin of words

I saw a post that the phrase "muffin top" have been added to the Oxford English dictionary. In case you don't know it is that excess flab of skin around the waist. The addition of this new phrase made me think about the origin of Chinese words.

How did some words even get started? If you are familiar with Chinese, you may already know that some characters were based on pictographs. Wikipedia has a good list of some of the characters.

Then there's words or phrases that made me wonder who thought of that. Here is my list:

bicycle 自行車 (T) 自行车(S) [zìxíngchē]
Direct Translation: self operated car

kangaroo 袋鼠 (T/S) [dàishǔ]
Direct Translation: pouch rat

giraffe 長頸鹿(T) 长颈鹿(S) [chángjǐnglù]
Direct Translation: long neck deer

owl 貓頭鷹(T) 猫头鹰(S) [māotóuyīng]
Direct Translation: cat head eagle

computer 電腦(T) 电脑(S) [diànnǎo]
Direct Translation: electric brain

telephone 電話(T) 电话(S) [diànhuà]
Direct Translation: electric spoken word

taxi 出租汽車(T) 出租汽车(S) [chūzū qìchē]
Direct Translation: to rent car

diaper 尿布[T/S) [niàobù]
Direct Translation: to urinate cloth

Multiple Meanings Of The Verb To Allow

Have you every thought about the verb, to allow?  How do you use it in English? Do you use it in a positive context such as "I allow her to drive the car." Or do you use it in a negative context, "She is young, but I allowed her to drive the car." Does either of these two sentences imply anything to you?


The second sentence has the word "but" in there. So you know  the speaker doesn't want to let the girl drive the car by herself. In Chinese if you can leave out the "but" and have  the verb to allow: 讓(T) 让(S) [ràng] the audience knows the speaker may be implying s/he didn't want the event to occur.


For example:
她小， 我讓她開車。(T)
她小， 我让她开车。(S)
tā xiǎo, wǒ ràng tā kāichē
She's young, I allow her to drive the car.


I find it interesting to allow in Chinese has other meanings. It can mean to yield or to permit.  In English, we don't use yield, permit, and allow interchangeably.

Children Song: Little Mouse

I have a 20 month old daughter. Sometimes we listen to Chinese children songs. Here's one song in particular that I sing to her and I was wondering about the lyrics.

(T)
小老鼠, 上燈台
偷吃油, 下不來。
喵喵喵, 貓來啦
嘰哩哩滾下來。


(S)
小老鼠, 上燈台
偷吃油, 下不来。
喵喵喵, 猫来啦
叽哩哩滚下来。

[pingyin]
Xiǎo lǎoshǔ, shàng dēngtái
Tōu chī yóu, xià bù lái.
Miāo miāo miāo, māo lái lā,
jīlili gǔn xiàlái.

Translation
Little mouse goes up on the lamp stand.
He steals the oil, cannot come down.
Miao Miao Miao (sound), the cat comes
JiLiLi (sound), the mouse falls down.

Everything here makes sense to me till the oil part. Why is there oil at the lamp? After some searching, I found that before electric lamps, oil lamps existed. Now it seems obvious, but I didn't realize it. Oil was an alternate fuel source. Oil can be olive oil (Mediterranean cultures), whale oil, castor oil (ancient Egyptians), carrot oil, peanut oil (Africa), and ghee (India). I guess one day I will explain to my daughter what a manual typewriter is.

I like Chinese Food

I like Chinese food. Simple phrase, right? Sometimes I open up learn Chinese textbook I see

Version One: 我喜歡中國飯 (T)/ 我喜欢中国饭 (S)/ wǒ xǐhuan Zhōngguó fàn
Direct Translation: I live Chinese rice.

not

Version Two: 我喜歡中國菜 (T)/我喜欢中国菜 (S)/ wǒ xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài
Direct Translation: I like Chinese meals.

So what is going on here? Is the textbook outdated and it doesn't follow the hip and modern everyday speak? I ask my teacher, Professor Liu. I believe he has a good explanation. There was a time when rice is the staple on your table. You will always have rice with a meal. Vegetables and meat dishes are more expensive and can be a luxury for some families. As our society advances our standard of living goes up. Rice doesn't have to be part of the meal to fill us up anymore. You look forward to the dishes serve.

To Help

幫忙 (T) / 帮忙 (S) [bāngmáng] and 幫助 (T) / 帮助 (S) [bāngzhù] means to help in Mandarin. However they are used differently.

Let us analyze the sentence "I help my mother"

• Version One: 幫忙 (T) / 帮忙 (S) [bāngmáng]

Grammatically, 幫忙 (T) / 帮忙 (S) [bāngmáng] is used in a verb + object structure.
我 幫 媽媽 忙 (T)

我 帮 妈妈 忙 (S)

wǒ bāng māma máng

verb = 幫忙 (T) / 帮忙 (S) [bāng máng] /help
object = 媽媽 (T)/ 妈妈 (S) [māma] / mother

• Version Two: 幫助 (T) / 帮助 (S) [bāngzhù]

Grammatically, 幫助 (T) / 帮助 (S) [bāngzhù] is a vocabulary word used together. You may not separate it.
我 幫 助 媽媽 (T)
我 帮 助 妈妈 (S)
wǒ bāng zhù māma



So why would you use version one versus version two? Is the meaning interchangeable? No it is not. The meaning of 助 (T/S) [zhù] is to assist or to support. If you use version two you have a supporting role. You may buy groceries and do some errands here and there, but your mom will be able to finish her task with or without you. On the other hand in version one your mom is extremely busy and your help is crucial in her finishing her task. Got it? Great.

Excuse Me, May I Borrow Your Light?

借光 [jièguāng] means "excuse me." But the literal translation is "to borrow light" in Chinese.
I'm paraphrasing an old story here:

Imagine two houses very close together. In each house lives a young girl. Julia lives in the house on the right. Karen lives in the house on the left. One day Karen's parents became ill and can no longer work day to day as shoemakers. Karen wants to help her parents so she works through the night to get things done. However her family cannot afford to have the lights on, so she works in the dark as much as she can. One day she realizes she can use the light that is coming through her neighbor's window to work. Karen does this till Julia realizes what is happening and shuts off that light. Karen goes to Julia and says "Excuse me, may I borrow your light? It is insignificant to you to have that light on, but it means the world to me because I can help my family."

This phrase may be more common: 對不起 (T)/ 对不起 (S)/[duìbuqǐ].
This also means excuse me, but has a underlying meaning. When you said this you are also implying, I have done you wrong - I am beneath you, you are above me in status. Nuances! I now it is hard enough to remember the vocabulary and meaning.