First episode 11 - 奋斗

[rob07]

A part of the Grand First Episode Project -- See this thread for more info.

7th May:奋斗. Follows the trials and tribulations of a cohort of fresh graduates in Beijing as they struggle to cope with job-hunting, love, and plot twists.

Emule - tudou - tudou2

Didn't see a post for this so I thought I would kick it off. I don't normally go much for these angst ridden things, as I just want to take all the characters and slap them, but I'm still at the stage where anything in Chinese is fun as long as I can more or less understand it, and it was well done for what it was, so I had a good time watching it. I don't plan to watch anymore in the foreseeable future however ...

EDIT: Resources for watching:

Episode 1: Vocabulary - Summary - Language - Transcript - Softsubs

Episode 2: Vocabulary - Summary - Language - Transcript

Episode 3: Vocabulary - Summary - Language - Transcript

Episode 4: Vocabulary - Summary - Language - Transcript

Episode 5: Vocabulary - Summary - Language - Transcript (partial)

Episode 6: Vocabulary - Summary - Language - Transcript

Episode 7: Vocabulary - Summary - Language

Episode 8: Vocabulary

Episode 9: Vocabulary

Episode 10: Vocabulary

Episode 11: Vocabulary

Episode 12: Vocabulary

Episode 13-14: Vocabulary

Episode 15: Vocabulary

Episode 16-20: Vocabulary

Episode 21-25: Vocabulary- Summary - Language - Transcript

Episode 26-30: Vocabulary

Episode 31-32: Vocabulary

fendou ep.1.doc

fendou ep.2 complete.txt

fendou ep.6 complete.txt

fendou ep.3 complete.txt

fendou_4_complete_transcript.txt

Edited June 6, 2012 at 01:10 PM by renzhe

[atitarev]

I like the series, although I only watched 2 episodes so far. I put files converted to avi and watch on my Pocket PC.

I don't understand very well but it's quite interesting still.

I like Lu Tao 陆涛 and 夏琳 Xia Lin.

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Struggle

Beginning I have found:

你们说要是他们真不给我学位

不至于 不就是一次作弊吗

学校也不能毁了你一辈子

他们要不给我找人

咱们先礼后兵

据说小钟去年就是这么干的

他怎么干的呀

他买了一点心盒子望校长室一放

管校长要文凭 校长不给

他唰 从背后抽出一把刀

然后就跟校长说

校长 我这辈子交你手上了

您要让我过不去

您想想 您能过得去吗

那后来呢

校长开始说 把你东西拿回去

我不收礼

完了小钟把刀往案子上这么一插

我问你后来呢

小钟现在是工科学士啊

Song lyrics ("I'm fine"):

有你在的冬天总下雪

我不知道冷 就算再寒冷

春来了花开了你走了

我留在这里哪里也不去

可是我好爱你

想和你能永远

永远在一起

你在地球的另一面

我怎么告诉你

夏天的雨来了我看着

潮湿的草地好像走着你

我的心奇怪的伤心着

酸酸的眼睛看不到未来

But I'm fine I'm fine

and I'll try

try to forget you (试图忘记你

I don't like (尽管不喜欢)

but I want try (但我愿意尝试)

But I'm fine I'm fine

and I'll try

try to forget you

I don't like

but I want try

深呼吸空气里有我们

爱情的味道可你闻不到

可你闻不到

[imron]

It isn't really all that angst-ridden, and actually gets quite interesting in later episodes when Lu Tao's natural father comes into play. I agree about all the characters needing a slap to the head though, however some of them come across as quite ok. My favourites are Huazi and Lulu, who seem far more grounded in reality than the others.

I like Lu Tao 陆涛

You've gotta be kidding right? Lu Tao is an idiot

[atitarev]

I missed some dialogues completely. Why? He is not exactly a faithful lover.Because of the way he treated or mistreated Mi Lai (米莱)?

[rob07]

So Lu Tao and Xia Lin get married? How many episodes in is that? She doesn't go to France then presumably?

[imron]

No, not just because of the way he treated Mi Lai, but because he is a self-centered and arrogant and seems to only care about himself. This comes across not just in his love life, but also his career and other aspects of his life.

[imron]

So Lu Tao and Xia Lin get married? How many episodes in is that?

Not by episode 16 at any rate. Actually, that poster has quite a few spoilers in it if it's true

In the episode I just watched, Lu Tao and Xia Lin have just broken up

[muyongshi]

Don't worry about spoilers or no spoilers on this one....technically there aren't any (sh)

The whole thing is so messed up at different times you will think it is actually real life

Okay so joking aside it is a good show but you do get REALLY annoyed with lu tao for the most part... Out of all of them I like 华子 the absolute best and really 米莱 too but her for different reasons. Her character is kind of salt that just flavors the show. But hua zi is successful in so much but leads the most normal and has the most set backs at the same time.

Probably one of the best Chinese shows I've watched....

[imron]

Mi Lai is just too psycho-stalkerish for me. I'll agree that she does add flavour to the show though.

[roddy]

Thanks for starting the thread, Rob.

This show I liked at the start and had high hopes for it, but I gave up at some point - can't remember exactly well. The problem for me was not so much that Lu Tao was annoying, although he was - I can handle an annoying character or two. It was the way he just happened to have a gazillionaire dad turn up a few episodes in - from that point anything involving Lu Tao was just silly. For my money they'd have been better off having his dad being a well-off, but not super-rich, businessman who helped him get started, meant he had an easier time than his mates, but still had to 奋斗 a bit they could have kept the same themes and had a more realistic story.

That said, the other characters are generally good.

[muyongshi]

Mi Lai is just too psycho-stalkerish for me. I'll agree that she does add flavour to the show though.

That's kind of why I liked her.....

Without her, the show could be pretty dull at times, but her stalker side can add a lot of interesting turns to the show. She can get annoying though as well.

[imron]

I like the effect that the millionaire dad has though. He's trying to shape Lu Tao into himself and Lu Tao resisting that is the only thing I like about Lu Tao so far

[renzhe]

This show was very interesting. Although it occasionally delves into soap-opera sillyness, it was relatively realistic, with modern language and setting.

I'll probably watch a few more and then decide between watching this one or empty mirror to the end. Or neither.

Edited July 2, 2009 at 01:48 PM by renzhe

[imron]

Ok, I've finished watching this now. Overall, my favourite character is still Huazi. I think actually Lu Tao would have been more likeable if he didn't act like a child all the time. At least he grew up a little bit towards the end.

I really liked the two conversations he had with his two dads (biological father and step-father) in the last episode. What he said to Xu Zhisen was spot on, and you could see each point striking home like a blow.

[atitarev]

The first episode's transcript is available here (scroll down):

http://relearnchinese.wordpress.com/

or

directly:

http://relearnchinese.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/奋斗01-4721/

Summary:

http://gb.cri.cn/9964/2007/08/13/421@1715696.htm

[renzhe]

Awesome.

Is that your site?

[atitarev]

No way

[renzhe]

OK, a short update here. A couple of words are missing, and I can't find them, if anyone has ideas, they can fill in the blanks.

--- Plot Summary ---

We follow a group of graduates. One of them, 高强 fails to graduate, which leads to a fight with parents at home, after which he suddenly commits suicide. The reason for failing was his addiction to computer games, and the rest of the group vows never to play again.

They end up partying in a restaurant with the rest of the class, which leads to a drunken brawl with the people from the next table, and they end up in the police station. 向南's father is a policeman, though, so he makes a phone call and they all get out.

陆涛 is in a taxi with his girlfriend, 米莱, and they run into 夏琳, her best friend. They are invited to her fashion show tomorrow. At home, 向南 gets a lecture from his parents.

After the fashion show, they go to a restaurant with 夏琳 and her boyfriend. She is about to go to France, and 陆涛 pulls a party trick, getting 夏琳 to recite 20 phone numbers, one of which is hers. He remembers them all, and later calls her and they have an affair.

米莱 is at her friend 杨晓芸's place, and arranges to rent an appartment from her mother -- she wants to move in with 陆涛. The mother rents her an appartment, but apparently takes a markup in the process, which angers 晓芸.

陆涛 and 夏琳 share some more secret romantic moments, and have obviously fallen for each other, while still having reservations.

--- Summary End ---

至于 zhì yú - as for / as to / to go so far as to

作弊 zuò bì - fraud / to cheat / to plagiarize

毁 huǐ - defame / to slander

先礼后兵 xiān lǐ hòu bīng - peaceful measures before using force

文凭 wén píng - diploma

烧焦 shāo jiāo - scorch

头破血流 tóu pò xuè liú - I'm guessing this is something like "blood and sweat", great effort

善意 shàn yì - goodwill

火急

办学 bàn xué - to run a school

声誉 shēng yù - fame

大款

传卷

求职 qiú zhí - seek employment

简历 jiǎn lì - Curriculum Vitae (CV) / résumé

等于 děng yú - to equal

泡 pào - to dawdle, to waste time

网吧 wǎng ba - internet cafe

鼠标垫 shǔ biāo diàn - mouse pad

下岗工人 xià gǎng gōng rén - laid-off worker

孝顺 xiào shùn - filial piety

珍惜 zhēn xī - treasure / value / cherish

遗体 yí tǐ - remains (of a dead person)

场面 chǎng miàn - scene / occasion

免得 miǎn de - so as not to / so as to avoid

孤单 gū dān - lone / loneliness

依然 yī rán - still / as before

时髦 shí máo - in vogue / fashionable

酷 kù - cool

脆弱 cuì ruò - weak / frail

垃圾 lā jī - trash

意义 yì yì - meaning / significance

毕业 bì yè - graduation / to graduate

赔钱 péi qián - lose money

鲁迅 Lǔ Xùn - Lu Xun (1881-1936) famous modern Chinese writer

鼎鼎 dǐng dǐng - great / very important

铁磁

地道 dì dao - authentic / genuine / typical

菜瓜

校花 xiào huā - the prettiest girl of the school / school beauty queen

私奔 sī bēn - to elope

白领 bái lǐng - white collar

复印 fù yìn - to photocopy / to duplicate a document

鞠射

嘱咐 zhǔ fù - to tell / to exhort

士帽

乱七八糟 luàn qī bā zāo - everything in disorder, mess

姿势 zī shì - posture / position

猴急

抱怨 bào yuàn - to complain / to grumble

辞职 cí zhí - resign

防针 fáng zhēn - vaccine?

时装设计 shí zhuāng shè jì - fashion design

愤世嫉俗

意犹未尽 yì yóu wèi jìn - to wish to continue sth / to have not fully expressed oneself

过分 guò fèn - excessive / undue

彩屏手机 cǎi píng shǒu jī - mobile phone with a colour display (??)

严肃 yán sù - solemn

讽刺 fěng cì - to satirize / to mock

随波逐流 suí bō zhú liú - to drift with the waves and go with the flow

控制 kòng zhì - control / to exercise control over

[renzhe]

I'm going to watch the rest of this show.

Is anyone interested in making a group effort? atitarev is interested, and maybe we can get a couple of other people onboard.

We could discuss the plot, help each other out with sticky parts, or discuss the more difficult vocabulary.

If you've always wanted to watch a Chinese series, but found it too difficult, this is your chance.

[md1101]

im interested.. are we starting at the very first episode?