Characters you just can't get right, damnit!

[studentyoung]

If there are such festivals in Mainland, why aren't they listed as public holidays like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Korea do?

Saint Valentine's Day and Women’s Day aren’t listed as public holidays in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea and even America but can you say that there are no Saint Valentine’s Day and Women’s in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea and America? No matter Qing Ming, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn and Chong Yang Festivals are public holidays or not, they are in our hearts and we still observe them and take them as part of our traditional culture, just as Saint Valentine’s Day and Women’s Day are in people’s heart, no matter they are public holidays or not!

But Ian_Lee, you don't observe these traditional festivals just because they are listed as public holidays, right? I wonder if you observe these traditional festivals in Hawaii? You see, they are not listed as public holidays in Hawaii. I hope you do, but ...who knows?

And young student, even with Opium War, Christmas is being observed by many people in China now!

Yes! And at least, we won’t ask, “Why does Christmas become the festival of weirdo”.

Thanks!

[Ian_Lee]

I wonder if you observe these traditional festivals in Hawaii? You see, they are not listed as public holidays in Hawaii.

You are right. I don't observe these festivals in Hawaii because they are not listed as public holidays in Hawaii. My kids don't even know what mid-Autumn Festival is before I took them to Hong Kong to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival there.

And at least, we won’t ask, “Why does Christmas become the festival of weirdo”.

Do you mean most people in China only have the IQ of my 12-yr old daughter who can't tell the difference between X'mas and the festival of weirdo?

[studentyoung]

My kids don't even know what mid-Autumn Festival is before I took them to Hong Kong to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival there.

Oh, really? And your kids won’t even know that Mid-Autumn Festival originates in mainland China, if you don’t take them to China mainland. Of course, I see that you will keep hiding truth and history from your kids. So, go on!

Do you mean most people in China only have the IQ of my 12-yr old daughter who can't tell the difference between X'mas and the festival of weirdo?

Take it easy, Ian_Lee! I think it has nothing to do with the IQ of most people in China, but it is very clear that your daughter’s question is the very result of your cultural -revolution-like educational style.

Thanks!

[Ian_Lee]

And your kids won’t even know that Mid-Autumn Festival originates in mainland China, if you don’t take them to China mainland.

In the days that even Mainland tourists flock to buy Moon Cakes in HK and are afraid to eat those made in their homeland, taking my kids to learn about Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong is a safer bet.

your daughter’s question is the very result of your cultural -revolution-like educational style.

圣 is a by-product of Cultural Revolution. Without Cultural Revolution, my daughter would not get confused with X'mas and the Festival of Weirdo!

[imron]

圣 is a by-product of Cultural Revolution.

Actually, more correctly you should say that it's the product of the CCP. The characters were simplified before the start of the cultural revolution, so cultural revolution or not, it would still be the festival of weirdos. Although there were further simplifications made after the cultural revolution, these further simplifications were later retracted due to being unpopular.

[studentyoung]

In the days that even Mainland tourists flock to buy Moon Cakes in HK and are afraid to eat those made in their homeland, taking my kids to learn about Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong is a safer bet.

But you won’t deny that moon cakes, like Mid-autumn Festival, originates in mainland China, too, right? Without the traditional culture in mainland China, how come Hong Kong has mid-autumn festival and moon cakes?

圣 is a by-product of Cultural Revolution. Without Cultural Revolution, my daughter would not get confused with X'mas and the Festival of Weirdo!

Your imagination is fascinating, Ian-Lee! And you even try to use “Cultural Revolution” as an excuse to cover your cultural revolution to your kids. It is a shame!

Thanks!

[Ian_Lee]

moon cakes, like Mid-autumn Festival, originates in mainland China, too, right? Without the traditional culture in mainland China

Straighten your logic. Something that originates there does not necessarily flourish there. A lot of things originate in China (which has nothing to do with PRC since they were there hundreds or even thousands years earlier), so what?

The classical case is that Kyoto, which modeled exactly on the Tang City of ChangAn (now Xian), preserves more of the Tang tradition than Xian does.

And please save whatever your argument about the traditional culture in Mainland. Whatever left of the tradition in Mainland has been done away during the Cultural Revolution.

you even try to use “Cultural Revolution” as an excuse to cover your cultural revolution to your kids.

It is your injection first of "Cultural Revolution" and "Opium War" in this purely academic discussion (I don't blame you since that is the common drawback of most people from Mainland). So? Well, unlike you guys in Mainland, I am not that lunatic to teach my kids that "Father and Mother are not as close to me as Chairman Mao" or put a "ox-ghost-reptile-God" labeled dunce cap on your father or teacher before you curse them! Who should be more shameful? Anyway, the one who knew "Shame" had already swum thru the shark-infested water to Hong Kong!

[studentyoung]

Straighten your logic. Something that originates there does not necessarily flourish there. A lot of things originate in China (which has nothing to do with PRC since they were there hundreds or even thousands years earlier), so what?

So what? So you can’t deny history! Do you mean you deny history very often? I think 饮水思源 (not to forget one's origins) is our tradition, right?

So? Well, unlike you guys in Mainland, I am not that lunatic to teach my kids that "Father and Mother are not as close to me as Chairman Mao" or put a "ox-ghost-reptile-God" labeled dunce cap on your father or teacher before you curse them! Who should be more shameful?

Hehe. Who is more shameful? Those who couldn’t stand the cultural revolution and tried to swim to Hong Kong are not shameful. But the one who tries to mock their hard situation should consider where he is shameful or not.

The last words I want to say to you on this thread: Please study more, before you post again, Ian_Lee. I can understand why you don’t like the Cultural Revolution, but it doesn’t mean that you have the right to make rumors. You love Hong Kong and HKers, but it is not an excuse for you to slander mainland Chinese people and their culture!

Thanks!

___________________________________________

P.S. It is my last post on the thread!

[HashiriKata]

It is my last post on the thread!

That's good! Ian_Lee also, let's get on with "Characters we can't get right". Are there other confusing characters, anyone? .

[wushijiao]

another one is 吏 lì which I always seem to read as shǐ.

I'm reading a book in which I always meantally read 胥吏 (xu1li4, petty official) as "dan4shi3".

[Ian_Lee]

young student:

Glad that you finally chicken out and I just wish that you can make some constructive input rather than politicize every forum.

Do I slander culture in Mainland China? Not me. I just quote what some big mouth said.

Here is what you guys' beloved writer Jin Yong said about the destruction of Chinese culture during Cultural Revolution:

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/060721/12/1qce7.html

「『俠』字在中國歷史上是不好的，後來成為做人的典範。不過文革後也沒有太多人理會，唯有透過小說體現出這種『俠義』精神，並把它發揚光大。」

See. Even Jin Yong says that the traditional virtue of 俠義 is lost in Mainland during the Cultural Revolution and he has to reintroduce it to you guys. Go sue him please if you think he slanders you!

Instead of 饮水思源, you guys should 禮失求諸野!!

[赫杰]

I just thought of some. For me it is pronunciation, I used to voice 拆 like 折, 竖 like 坚, 吟 like 令, 刁 like 习, 粤 like 奥, 辛 like 幸, 哨 like 肖, ummm

that is all i can think of at the moment. Just remember to listen to yourself as you read, and being familiar with the context should help a bit too.

HJ

[Yuchi]

复 and 夏 get me, they just look too similar especially when in small print.

[imron]

素 and 索 are also ones that I can never seem to remember which pronunciation goes with which character unless I see it in a compound word.

[gato]

素 and 索 are also ones that I can never seem to remember

Maybe you can remember 素 by seeing the 丰 as in 丰收 on top, which may remind you of 素菜.

It took me a long time to distinguish between 遂 (sui4, meaning "then") and 逐 (zhu2; 逐渐)

[heifeng]

It took me a long time to distinguish between 遂 (sui4, meaning "then") and 逐 (zhu2; 逐渐)

I have a very BAD, incorrect (in terms of tones) method of remembering this one...

basically, most pigs, 'zhu' don't have horns....i dunno..somehow this worked for me..so if you see 'horns' don't say zhu....

[mewaters]

已己巳

None is more confused than the above three characters with three entirely different meanings. Most Chinese kids got mixed up too.

I just learned an easy way to remember these. It goes like this:

已半巳满不出己

[JimmySeal]

I'm new to learning Chinese but these characters have been endlessly confusing me:

辦綁辯

Aargh!

[trien27]

To heifeng:

concerning 乌 & 鸟. If you learned the Traditional Form instead of the Simplified form it might be easier to see which is which (written totally different from each other: Sorry, I don't have Chinese software, so I can't show you).

[xiaocai]

concerning 乌 & 鸟. If you learned the Traditional Form instead of the Simplified form it might be easier to see which is which (written totally different from each other: Sorry, I don't have Chinese software, so I can't show you).

Really?