天天中文 Bejing's Courtyard / 中文天天读 "What a Beautiful Jasmine Flower" (3B) Group Read

[Argenia]

I was also interested in the structure you describe with 也. It's an interesting construction, and I'd like to practise using it.  I'll try to run it past some of my Chinese friends to see if it's just a poetic use.

 

On a technical note, if we're working on a chapter during any given week, then post at the end of that week, replies will be swallowed up in the following week's work.  However, if we're replying the week after we have done the chapter, that will give us a chance to practise it while we're preparing the following week's work (does that make sense?  It makes sense in my head).  That means that we spend an additional week reinforcing the previous week's work.  Okay, my head hurts now.

[SiMaKe]

RE: 好一朵茉莉花

 

Found answer to my own question (in #20) about 四溢. It is a contraction of 四散飘溢 meaning "to waft".

 

http://www.chazidian.com/r_ci_edfd713049b753259e919e0ad94784f9/

基本解释

◎ 四溢 sìyì
[waft] 四散飘溢
我睡得十分香甜,梦中恍惚在那香气四溢的梨花林里漫步。——《驿路梨花》

[SiMaKe]

Argenia (#21)

 

Not sure who else is playing along here but 对我来说,没问题。

Alternatively, if we use the chapter title at the beginning of each post to identify the relevant chapter, one can pass over it until they are ready. Does that work for you (or others)?

[Argenia]

Fine for me!

[Argenia]

Chinese Tea Etiquette

 

(A bit late, sorry - computer problems!)

 

中国人、英国人都很喜欢喝茶，不过英国茶叶比中国茶叶不同。在中国有很多种茶叶。如果人在饭店想喝茶可以选择红茶、绿茶、白茶、花茶、等，但是英国人宁和红茶加牛奶。许多英国人起床喝二、三杯茶。一二小时候喝一杯茶， 一二小时候还喝一杯茶。。。还有英语的唱歌叫“我早上喜欢好喝的茶叶！一段歌词就是：

 

我早上喜欢喝杯茶开始白天

十一点半我非常喜欢喝杯茶

午饭的时候我就喝杯茶

晚饭的时候还喝杯茶

睡觉前还很喜欢喝杯茶。

 

英国的茶杯总是很大，所以英、美国人比中国人喝多的。英国的茶点很有名。许多人喜欢在茶店里喝茶吃蛋糕， 不过英国人没有茶礼仪。

 

[SiMaKe]

Argenia (#25)

Glad to see you are still here.

Some observations/considerations on your write up:

1. believe you want to use 跟 rather than 比 to indicate whether two persons/things are the same or different. 比 is used to indicate differences in properties or degrees.

2. not sure about the use of 宁和. More standard way (I believe) would be with 往 as in 往红茶宁加牛奶.

3. since 小时候 means childhood, maybe 一二个小时以后 might be clearer.

[Argenia]

谢谢你！I didn't know that about 比.  Thank you so much for your help with this.  As you can see, my Chinese is pretty rough, and I tend to throw words in just to see if they work in a given context.  It's really useful to have the feedback. I wonder what's happened to everybody else?

[SiMaKe]

RE: 中国茶礼仪 Chinese Tea Etiquette （第三文章）

 

Following are some comments that might (or not) be of interest to some. Nothing insightful here just highlighting some of the grammar, vocabulary and usage. Please feel free to refute any comments you don’t agree with.

 

讲究 the Language Points section presents this as an adjective but I believe it is used here as a verb in the construction  对。。。讲究 in the second paragraph (people are particular/fussy about how they drink tea…).

 

Contrast讲究 with 注意 as both basically mean to pay attention to but 讲究 carries the idea to a greater extent (not just paying attention but to the extent of being “fussy” about it).

 

地方 good reminder that this word has both concrete (place, location) and abstract (aspect) meanings.

 

Sequencing a discussion: this article uses this scheme to focus its various points

首先 first

其次 second or next

再次 next

最后 finally

 

 另一 another one of those “other” words; use is predominantly (exclusively?) with singular nouns as in "the other" or "an another"

 

才是 actually is

 

Vocab in the Cultural Highlights

待客 to receive guests (“entertain guests”)

一带 the area around ("same area")

提神 to refresh oneself (“raise spirit”)

止渴 to quench thirst (“stop thirst”)

防止 to prevent/guard against (“protect stop”)

悠久 a long time

追溯 to trace back

享誉 to enjoy a good reputation (“enjoy fame”)

[Argenia]

^{Grinding iron into a needle}

 

^{I have no idea what's going on with the font size here.  Maybe it will look different when I post it.} 

 

^{Here's my response to the story:}

 

^{有一个很老中国的故事是一个旅行的人见到几个农夫。农夫们工作很难。旅行的人说：为什么你们每天很多工作？你们可能去城市买蔬菜。农夫们说：我们想种自己的蔬菜 ，不想买蔬菜。旅行人说：不过你们岂不制作工具和锅具。农夫们说：当然不制作。我们就是农夫。如果我们制作工具和锅具，没有时间种蔬菜！我们去城市卖蔬菜，买工具和锅具。我们用蔬菜交换工具和锅具。}

 

^{有其他的故事说有名的大诗人叫李白不喜欢上学。他一天见老婆婆用铁杵磨成绣 缝针。李白说：为什么把铁杵磨成针？你可能去城市买绣缝针 。老婆婆说：我想做衣服。}

 

^{老婆婆想做衣服， 但是不可能因为没有绣缝针。老婆婆应该借钱去城市买绣缝针，做衣服，用衣服交换绣缝针。}

 

^{我知道这个故事说沥水穿石， 但是这个老人必须选择：绣缝针或者衣服。农夫们选择种蔬菜，不选择制作工具和锅具。很聪明啊！}

 

 

[Argenia]

^{Grinding iron into a needle}

 

 

^{One of my contacts in China has given me some feedback about the above post, so I'm putting it here in case it's of use to anyone else.}

 

^{有一个很老的中国故事，there is an old story of China}

^{有一个古时候中国的故事，there is an story of ancient China}

 

^{是一个旅行的人见到几个农夫  >  一个旅行的人见到几个农夫, you don't have to use 是 here. You can just start the story direct.}

 

^{你们可能去城市买蔬菜  >  你们可以去城市买蔬菜, 你们可以 means maybe you can. 你们可能 has entirely another meaning in this context.}

 

^{旅行人说：不过你们岂不制作工具和锅具 >  旅行人说：不过你们不也不制作工具和锅具, means but you don't make tools and pots either. I will give you an example to show you how to use 岂不. 如果你准备充分，通过这个考试岂不容易。If you had prepared well, then you would have pass the exam very easily(I am not sure if this sentence is right or not).}

 

^{如果我们制作工具和锅具，没有时间种蔬菜, you'd better add a 就 before 没有 to connect the two sentence.}

 

^{有其他的故事说有名的大诗人叫李白不喜欢上学。他一天见老婆婆用铁杵磨成绣缝针。李白说：为什么把铁杵磨成针？你可能去城市买绣缝针 。老婆婆说：我想做衣服。}

 

^{有其他的故事说有名的大诗人叫李白不喜欢上学. You'd better take care of the structure of this sentence. > 还有另外一个故事说有名的大诗人李白（小时候？）不喜欢上学. 另外一个=another one, 其他的=other one/ones, and you have to use 其它的 when you are not referring to a person.}

 

^{他一天见老婆婆用铁杵磨成绣缝针, > 有一天他见老婆婆用铁杵磨成绣花针, 一天=all the day long, from dawn to dust. 有一天=one day. And you have to change 绣缝针(no such word) to 绣花针.}

 

^{老婆婆想做衣服， 但是不可能因为没有绣缝针。老婆婆应该借钱去城市买绣缝针，做衣服，用衣服交换绣缝针。}

 

^{但是不可能因为没有绣缝针 > 但是这是不可能的事，因为没有绣花针. But this is something(something = 老婆婆想做衣服) impossible due to lack of needle.}

 

^{This is no basic mistake in 老婆婆应该借钱去城市买绣缝针，做衣服，用衣服交换绣缝针, but I would to add some a conjunction word to make the sentence fluent. 老婆婆应该借钱去城市买绣花针(，you can put a commas here. It is not important)做衣服，再用衣服交换绣花针.}

 

^{我知道这个故事说沥水穿石， 但是这个老人必须选择：绣缝针或者衣服。农夫们选择种蔬菜，不选择制作工具和锅具。很聪明啊！}

 

^{沥水穿石 > 滴水石穿, this is a fixed phrase, and you'd better change 说 to 讲. 我知道这个故事讲滴水石穿.}

 

 

 

[Argenia]

The clever prince

 

 

聪明的王子就是逆向思维的故事。这是其他的逆向思维故事：

 

你是在一间房屋里。房屋有两扇门。如果你通过其中一扇门，你将会死去， 但是如果你通过别一扇门你就会得到自由。房屋里 还有两个男人。一个男人总是说谎，别一个男人总是说真话， 但是你不知道谁说谎谁说真话。你可以问一个问题，但是，什么问题？谁说真话？怎么办呢？

 

答案就是逆向思维啊！你应该问：如果我问别的人哪扇门会让我死掉，他会怎么回答？随后你应该这扇门出去。

 

[Argenia]

... and my friend's comments and suggestions for improvement:

 

 

 

 

聪明的王子就是逆向思维的故事

I cannot understand the meaning of this sentence even after having read through your story.

你是在一间房屋里

No need to add 是 in this sentence. You can just say你在一间房屋里

但是如果你通过别一扇门你就会得到自由

但是如果你通过另一扇门你就会得到自由,  另一 =  another

别一个男人总是说真话

The same as 另一扇门, you’d better say 另一个男人

如果我问别的人哪扇门会让我死掉

别的人 à 他 or 那个人, since there are just 3 peoples in the room, so you can use 他 or 那个人 to refer the 3^rd person.

哪扇门会让我死掉 you can say in this way but you can also say 走出哪扇门会让我死掉 and the latter is better.

随后你应该这扇门出去

随后你应该从这扇门出去, you have to add 从 in this sentence and it means through