Word of the Day project 每日一词计划 (Day 12 updated)

[neverending]

I remember reading an article about it. A Chinese was in UK (or maybe US? can't recall it) and was asked to show his driver's licence to confirm his identity. It happened that he didn't have one and he showed some other licences instead. But people wouldn't believe him. So he said at the end of the article that a driver's licence is a must in Western countries.

A lot of people will only accept ID documents that they're familiar with - sometimes they'll accept foreign driving licenses or foreign ID cards (Poles use their ID cards here all the time) - but it's hard to say what documents they'll be familiar with. If you're a foreign national on a short visit to pretty much any country only your passport will be guaranteed to function effectively as ID. Of course it's unsafe to carry a passport around all the time, so there's no ideal solution. As for arcelectronics.co.uk, I find this quite unusual. In the past, when I had to give simultaneous proof of ID and address, I gave it in two separate documents (council tax bill + passport), with my name matching between the two documents.

[malanting]

Michaelyus

改签 I think can also refer to "amendment to [one's] booking/ticket" / "to amend the booking", which is used by some companies for an advance rebooking. There may or may not be amendment charges associated. I agree that these are largely replaced by the alternatives above most of the time.

Thanks! This sounds more official.

抽查 in official contexts is more commonly expressed as "[ticket] inspection" in Britain.

ticket inspection would be 查票 cha2 piao4. 抽查 is just a random inspection and is not confined to tickets.

realmayo

I can see why he might draw that conclusion in the UK. But lots of western countries have ID cards, I imagine they'd use those over driving licenses?

At least that's the case in China. You can't check in a hotel or buy a train/plane ticket without your ID card.

[malanting]

neverending

If you're a foreign national on a short visit to pretty much any country only your passport will be guaranteed to function effectively as ID.

I agree. I spent six months studying in South Korea. Apart from my temporary ID card, passport is the most useful document. Time for me to hit the hay. I guess it's just past noon in UK right now. Catch you later.

[Michaelyus]

@malanting: Ah yes, 查票 and 抽查 have a funny relationship on some of the more regulated transport lines in Britain. Especially when it comes to age-based discount or status-based (student) tickets, then the confirmation of status is required. So 抽查 doesn't really exist in most places.

However, there is the stop-and-search, which is a type of 抽查 in terms of basic meaning but not within the same context. Big source of controversy when it comes to Britain (especially in London).

[malanting]

Michaelyus

However, there is the stop-and-search, which is a type of 抽查 in terms of basic meaning but not within the same context. Big source of controversy when it comes to Britain (especially in London).

I often hear stop-and-search in BBC London News. Some people complain that they are discriminated against while the police maintain that it's a good way of reducing knife crime.

So when all the passengers have got on the train, a ticket inspector would have an inspection on all of them? What about 检票 jian3 piao4, the sort of inspection before you get on the train (or board the flight) ?

[Michaelyus]

Sometimes (especially during peak hours), it is rare to have any inspection at all. But when there is an inspection [another element of 抽查!], it is usually thorough, so that everyone has his or her ticket inspected. For the London Underground, it is possible for inspectors to be in plain clothes, with a badge that they show. Buses do not have inspections as much as rail travel does, although I have seen it occur.

检票 = check-in (for flights, and international rail and road travel, in Britain)

Although it is perhaps functionally equivalent to the "ticket barrier", used at most rail stations.

Interesting that there is a slight difference of nuance but not of function between referring to the mechanical unit (ticket barrier), the activity of the authority (检票) and the activity of the customer (check-in).

[malanting]

Michaelyus

For the London Underground, it is possible for inspectors to be in plain clothes, with a badge that they show.

We don't have inspectors on the underground. It's nearly impossible to get around ticket barriers without swiping a transportation card (Is it called Oyster Card in London? Heard it several times in the news).

Buses do not have inspections as much as rail travel does, although I have seen it occur.

As for buses, we have 无人售票 (wu2 ren2 shou4 piao4) buses, on which there's only the driver, a collection box for cash and a machine for swiping cards. In Shanghai, we just swipe cards when getting on, but in somes cities, like Beijing, passengers are required to swipe cards when getting off as well (to calculate the travel distance). Other buses have 售票员 (shou4 piao4 yuan2), a bus conductor.

Ticket barrier is 检票口. Here we use 检票 to refer to both the activity of the authority and the activity of the customers. Example：发车前20分钟开始检票，发车前5分钟停止检票。(the authority)/ 我应该去几号站台检票？(the customers)

[anonymoose]

It's nearly impossible to get around ticket barriers without swiping a transportation card

I see people jumping over the barriers all the time in Shanghai, and noone seems to do anything about it.

I also don't understand the point of the security check. I mean, most passengers just walk past and ignore the security officials anyway, even if they are asked to have their bags X-rayed. And the whole procedure is pretty pointless considering that you can just hand things over the barriers to anyone who has already passed the security check.

Anyway, in keeping with the spirit of this thread, 作秀 zuo4 xiu4 means "do for show", for example: 地铁的安检只不过是作秀而已，并不怎么提高安全性。

[malanting]

anonymoose

I see people jumping over the barriers all the time in Shanghai

I do sometimes see this happening. But not all the time. After all at most barriers there's security check like you said. Even though the security check itself may be 作秀, the staff can keep an eye on those who try to 逃票 tao2 piao4 (get a free ride without buy a ticket).

I also don't understand the point of the security check.

Neither do I. I used to joke that a terrorist would easily take a carry with him (rather than put it into a bag). It started two years ago during which time Shanghai hosted the World Expo and went on until today. Beijing's Olympic Games are the reason why they have security check in Beijing.

[malanting]

Day 9

Today is the first day of 高考

高考 gao1 kao3 means "college entrance exam". Remember we talked about 裸考 on the first day? 高考 is considered the most important exam and I don't believe anyone would 裸考. This year there are over 9 million students sitting 高考 (that's already down from over 10 million a few years ago). (Note: when talking about 高考，裸考 has another meaning. This has been updated see Day 1)

Here are some expressions related to 高考.

冲刺 chong1 ci4 is what one does during the last preparation period before an exam. It can be used as a noun or a verb. But it's different from 临时抱佛脚 (see #8). Unlike 临时抱佛脚, which means "to cram for an exam" 冲刺 has a positive meaning. It's sort of like the last period of an entire systematic preparation. For Example: 马上就要高考了，同学们都在做最后的冲刺。冲刺 is also commonly used in sports (to sprint when you're close to the finishing line.) 女子五千米长跑的最后一圈，所有选手都用尽全力冲刺。

倒计时 (dao4 ji4 shi2) is a countdown. You may see blackboards with “离高考还有XX天” on them. Here's a news title: 高考倒计时 全新考场视频监控 It just means 高考 is around the corner. Another example: 伦敦奥运会倒计时：距离2012伦敦奥运会还有50天。(Wow, can't wait)

平常心 ping2 chang2 xin1 is very important in an exam. It means to keep an ordinary mind (during an exam, during an important interview etc.) In other words think of 高考 as just an ordinary exam. For example: 考试时别紧张，保持平常心就好。/ 要用一颗平常心去面对比赛。

What words do you use to express 冲刺 and 平常心? How do you encourage someone who's going to have an important exam?

[anonymoose]

What words do you use to express 冲刺 and 平常心? How do you encourage someone who's going to have an important exam?

In the context of exams, I think 冲刺 would most likely be translated as "final preparation" or "final spirt (of revision*)". One could also say "final sprint", but I don't think that's so commonly used in this context.

*revision is British English. Americans seem to say review.

As for 平常心, you could generally say "normal state of mind", but again, in context, I think one would most likely just say "stay calm".

To encourage someone who's about to have an exam, usually one would say "good luck" or "break a leg" (which is stupid).

[malanting]

anonymoose

In the context of exams

Thanks! What would 冲刺 be in the context of ,say, running a marathon? Sprint? Dash?

"break a leg" (which is stupid)

:mrgreen:

[anonymoose]

Sprint or dash would both work, but usually if it is the last part of a long race, one would usually say "final sprint" or "final dash".

Note that sprint is also an event in its own right, for example the "100 m sprint": 100米短跑

[Shelley]

@neverending

We ask for 2 forms of ID one of which must be a Current British Driving licence and the other Council tax, Inland Revenue, Social Security, Family benefit or credit or Court documents dated within the last year.Passports do not have your address on them, if it does it is written in by hand and can be as old as the passport which can be up to 10 years and out of date.If you look at your passport (if it is british, not sure about others) you will see

This is because these items have the address and show that the address on the Driving licence is current. What we as a company are interested in is where you live. If you hire equipment and do not return it we can then go to your address and retrive our equipment or the cash equivilent. This is why we do not accept a non British address.

It dosen't usually come to that. as we have this information people usually return on time. As we have their address we can also write to them and letters can be more effective than phone calls.

If it gets serious and the police get involved and the items are deemed stolen our insurance company are more likely to pay out if we have taken the precaution of taking the correct ID.

Hope this clarifies it for you

[Shelley]

For final sprint or dash, maybe Last Leg would apply here. the last leg of a race, journey, it works for almost any task.

Break a leg is usually used for people about to go on stage to perform.

I would say to someone taking an exam stay calm, don't stress, and good luck. Although I personally don't believe luck has any thing to do with it

[li3wei1]

You can also say 'home stretch' for the last part of a race, and figuratively apply it to an exam situation, or anything on which you've been working for a long time. This may be an Americanism.

[Michaelyus]

I seem to say "all the best with the exam" or "hope the exam goes well"; I personally like to specify the exam in my best wishes.

Apart from highly metaphorical allusions for 冲刺, "last minute go-over" sounds quite relaxed; "final burst of effort" sounds a little bit more intense; "final spurt/dash" even more so. "Last leg / home stretch" I've not heard applied to exam revision (yet!) over here.

I like the encouraging statement "Treat it as any other ordinary essay/question/performance", which expresses the concept of 平常心 in a new way. Then there's also "keep calm and carry on", from that famously rediscovered British WW2 poster.

Note that 高考 is usually transliterated as "gaokao" and left like that in English, perhaps with the added descriptor "the Chinese gaokao", almost as a proper noun. NHEEE may be used officially, but I've never seen that abbreviation (unlike e.g. HKCEE or HKALE), only the full name and then gaokao.

[陳德聰]

I have taken to telling people to "think 90" as in 90% on exams that they seem stressed over. Visualize the high grade, knowing you will get some things wrong if you didn't study hard enough, but then just imagining a 90% is such a nice feeling it can bring down the stress... Temporary delusion leading to 平常心, if you wil.

I'd say 平常心 is a level head. In an interview or exam, it's important to stay level-headed/keep a level head.

[malanting]

Shelley

For final sprint or dash, maybe Last Leg would apply here. the last leg of a race, journey, it works for almost any task.

Thanks. I often associate the term with a president visiting several countries. last leg of revision sounds like 冲刺 though it just implies "last" not "sprint"

li3wei1

You can also say 'home stretch' for the last part of a race, and figuratively apply it to an exam situation, or anything on which you've been working for a long time.

I like this. I've looked it up in the dictionary and found that the British equivalent is "home straight".

Michaelyus

Apart from highly metaphorical allusions for 冲刺, "last minute go-over" sounds quite relaxed; "final burst of effort" sounds a little bit more intense; "final spurt/dash" even more so.

"final burst of effort" reminds me of 最后一搏 zui4 hou4 yi4 bo2 , in the context of an exam, it would be 考前最后一搏

Note that 高考 is usually transliterated as "gaokao" and left like that in English

NHEEE may be used officially, but I've never seen that abbreviation (unlike e.g. HKCEE or HKALE), only the full name and then gaokao.

So you can actually recognize it when you see gaokao? Didn't know that the word is so popular. I've never seen NHEEE or HKCEE or HKALE before.

陳德聰

I have taken to telling people to "think 90" as in 90% on exams that they seem stressed over.

Is is a common term? Didn't find it in the dictionary.

I'd say 平常心 is a level head. In an interview or exam, it's important to stay level-headed/keep a level head.

There's a slight difference between them. Having 平常心 doesn't necessarily mean one is able to judge things quite well, just that they can perform as well as before, and that they don't expect too much from it. But I guess in this context, "stay level-headed" is a good one.

[陳德聰]

Lol no, think 90 is not a common thing at all. People will say things like "think big" or "think ____" though.

There isn't a perfect English translation but aside from level-headed which doesn't really have an implied ability to judge things well/differently from usual, there's also a clothing brand that's gaining traction in my area "cool.calm.collected" which uses the cliché that pretty much sums up 平常心. Cool, calm, collected pretty much presupposes that those are the "regular" mindsets.

I think it's interesting to see the way that different Chinese speakers translate these words too, especially when they don't fully coincide.