First episode 11 - 奋斗

Yes, I think you've summed her up.

Maybe its not such a bad match though. Xiang Nan is also pretty immature and she seems to be able to dominate him, which appears to suit them both. After having put up with her mother for so long, arguably the last thing she needs is a boyfriend/husband who is a stronger personality than she, which Huazi probably is. At any rate, he seems more mature than either of them.

Xiang Nan explaining to Xia Lin why he bought that kitchen set:

－过这村就没这店了

The direct meaning is: if you pass this village, you won't be able to find this shop anymore. Basically it means: This is the only chance to do or buy something.

而且人家说了 等我搬家就拆走

Moreover, they said that when I move, they will (?? dissassemble it?)

You are right. 拆走here means disassemble

Huazi's bald buddy to Huazi

哥们儿还成吧。他们都给五百。哥们儿一下就让他们上一档次。有零有整

The buddy will be fine (还成 = 还行). Everyone is giving 500. They (哥们儿=the buddies, the people present) will suddenly (一下) help/let them (让他们) go up (上) a level (档次 social standing/one's level).

The two 哥们儿 here both refer to the bald guy himself, which is the same as saying "I..."

为什么非要往上爬呢？ 普通人的生活有什么不好？ 早晚有一天你也会像徐志森一样骗我

Why do you want to climb that hill? What's wrong with the life of regular people? Sooner or later you will cheat my like 徐志森.

往上爬 here means get higher position and richer

Words for the 7th episode. Lots of useful and interesting vocab this time around.

模特 mó tè * (fashion) model

破 pò * to break / to split / broken

失业 shī yè * unemployment

相遇 xiāng yù * to meet / to come across

茫茫人海 máng máng rén hǎi * boundless sea of people / vast crowd

困 kùn * to trap / distress / sleepykùn * sleepy / doze off

同病相怜 tóng bìng xiāng lián * fellow sufferers empathize with each other (成语 saw); misery loves company

四处 sì chù * all over the place / everywhere and all directions

方庄 Fāng zhuāng * Fangzhuang neighborhood of Beijing

四合院 sì hé yuàn * courtyard house (type of Chinese residence)

桑树 sāng shù * mulberry tree, with leaves used to feed silkworms

桑葚 sāng shèn * mullberry (the fruit)

蚕 cán * silkworm

枣树 zǎo shù * jujube tree / date tree / Zizyphus vulgaris

死鬼 sǐ guǐ * devil / You devil! (as joke or insult) / the departed

噼里啪啦 pi lǐ pā lā * onomat.

蚊子 wén zi * mosquito

园林 yuán lín * gardens / park / landscape garden

局 jú * office / situation / classifier for games: match, set, round etc

缺德 quē dé * wicked / unscrupulous

崩溃 bēng kuì * collapse / crumble / fall apart

油条 yóu tiáo * youtiao (deep-fried breadstick)

练 liàn * to practice / to train / to drill

杂技 zá jì * acrobatics

恶心 ě xīn * nausea / to feel sick / disgust

灰溜溜 huī liū liū * dull grey / dingy

陷阱 xiàn jǐng * lit. a pit for trapping animals / a trap / a snare

飞蛾扑火 fēi é pū huǒ * a moth darting into a fire / to seek one's own doom

自投罗网 zì tóu luó wǎng * walk right into a trap

后悔 hòu huǐ * regret / repent

傻 shǎ * foolish

超级 chāo jí * transcending / high grade / super-

放假 fàng jià * to have a holiday or vacation

使劲 shǐ jìn * to exert all one's strength

赞美 zàn měi * admire / applause / praise

精灵 jīng líng * spirit / fairy

招呼 zhāo hu * to call out to sb / to greet sb / to inform sb

烧成灰儿 shāo chéng huī er * burn to ashes

面试 miàn shì * to interview / to audition / interview

智慧树 zhì huì shū * tree of wisdom

亨利 Hēng lì * Henry (name)

冲 chōng * to rinse / to collide / to water * chòng * of great force / towards

高迪迷 a fan of Gaudi

辞职 cí zhí * to resign

打杂儿 dǎ zár * to do odd jobs here and there

项目 xiàng mù * item / project / sports event

冲动 chōng dòng * impetus / impulse / emotional impulse

擅长 shàn cháng * to be good at / to be expert in

一流的 yī liú de * of the same kind

团队 tuán duì * team

保持联系 bǎo chí lián xì * to keep in touch

任性 rèn xìng * willful / headstrong / uninhibited

继承 jì chéng * to inherit / to carry on / to succeed

拥有者 yōng yǒu zhě * owner, someone who possesses things

宁可 nìng kě * preferably / one would prefer to...(or not to...) / would rather

雇佣 gù yōng * to employ / to hire

报亭 bào tíng * kiosk / newsstand

公共厕所 gōng gòng cè suǒ * public toilet

关键 guān jiàn * crucial / key / pivotal

台球 tái qiú * billiards

客户 kè hù * client / customer

理念 lǐ niàn * idea / concept / philosophy

结构 jié gòu * structure / composition / makeup

角度 jiǎo dù * angle / point of view

塔楼 tǎ lóu * tower (of building)

调整 tiáo zhěng * adjustment / revision

重新 chóng xīn * again / once more / re-

包装 bāo zhuāng * pack / package

绝望 jué wàng * desperation / forlorn / hopeless

瞎 xiā * blind

歌星 gē xīng * singing star / famous singer

伺候 cì hòu * to serve / to act as a valet

拍MV to shoot a music video

桥 qiáo * bridge

企宣 we've had this before, some sort of PR agent for a pop star

捣乱 dǎo luàn * to disturb / to look for trouble / to stir up a row

众目睽睽 zhōng mù kuí kuí * under the gaze of the public

导演 dǎo yǎn * direct / director (film etc)

改 gǎi * to change / to alter / to transform

负面 fù miàn * negative / the negative side

影响 yǐng xiǎng * an influence / to influence / to affect (usually adversely)

专辑 zhuān jí * album / record (music) / special collection of printed or broadcast material

放弃 fàng qì * to renounce / to abandon / to give up

摆平 bǎi píng * to be fair / to be impartial

删 shān * to delete

相机 xiàng jī * a camera / variant of 照相机

精彩 jīng cǎi * brilliant / splendid

彻底 chè dǐ * thorough / thoroughing / complete

优秀 yōu xiù * outstanding / excellent

应聘 yìng pìn * to accept a job offer

资料 zī liào * material / resources / data

留下 liú xià * to leave behind / to stay behind / to remain

小区 xiǎo qū * neighborhood / district

改造 gǎi zào * to change / to alter / to transform

尽量 jìn liàng * as much as possible / to the greatest extent

成本 chéng běn * (manufacturing, production etc) costs

参与 cān yù * to participate (in sth)

好评 hǎo píng * favorable criticism / positive evaluation

获得 huò dé * to obtain / to receive / to get

考察 kǎo chá * to inspect / on-the-spot investigation

周围 zhōu wéi * surroundings / environment / to encompass

环境 huán jìng * environment / circumstances / surroundings

草图 cǎo tú * a sketch / rough drawing

开发商 kāi fā shāng * developer (e.g. real-estate, software etc)

创意 chuàng yì * creative / creativity

新颖 xīn yǐng * lit. new bud; fig. new and original

醒目 xǐng mù * eye-grabbing (headline) / striking (illustration)

脱颖而出 tuō yǐng ér chū * talent reveals itself / talented people cannot be kept down

业主 yè zhǔ * owner / proprietor

字体 zì tǐ * calligraphic style / typeface / font

品位 pǐn wèi * rank / grade / quality

配备 pèi bèi * to allocate / to provide / to outfit with

班底 bān dǐ * ordinary members of theatrical troupe

助理 zhù lǐ * assistant

参加 cān jiā * to participate / to take part / to join

小组 xiǎo zǔ * a group

气盛 qì shèng * arrogant / overbearing

主持 zhǔ chí * preside over / direct

敢于 gǎn yú * to have the courage to do sth / to dare to / bold in

启用 qǐ yòng * start using / enable (as in 'enable a feature')

计较 jì jiào * to haggle / to bicker / to argue

势力 shì li * power / (ability to) influence

平步青云 píng bù qīng yún * to have a rapid rise / rise to fame suddenly

难堪 nán kān * hard to take / embarrassing

高尔夫球 gāo ěr fū qiú * golf / golf ball

幼稚 yòu zhì * young / childish / naive

毕竟 bì jìng * after all / all in all / when all is said and done

注定 zhù dìng * be doomed / be destined (to failure etc)

获利 huò lì * profit / obtain benefits / benefits obtained

名片 míng piàn * (business) card

退路 tuì lù * a way out / a way to retreat / leeway

诚意 chéng yì * sincerity / good faith

曲折 qū zhé * complicated / winding

制作 zhì zuò * make / manufacture

贝多芬 Bèi duō fēn * Beethoven

巴赫 Bā hè * Bach

肖斯塔科维奇 Shostakovich

芝加哥 Zhī jiā gē * Chicago, Illinois

交响 jiāo xiǎng * symphony, symphonic

乐团 yuè tuán * band / orchestra

艺术 yì shù * art

恕 shù * forgive

潜意识 qián yì shí * unconscious mind

I need help with the following:

供货单 supplier notice? supplier receipt?

业务员 professional worker? It sounded demeaning, some kind of vocational employee?

灯箱 he was referring to a big neon box with shiny letters on it, I guess that's it

安列

签售

图便宜 to look for an easy way to do something ???

I don't have long conversations, not too many were really important, but I have a few confusing sentences to throw at all of you:

(Xiaoyun to Xiang Nan)

你可真是死要面子活受罪

我又灰溜溜地杀回来了

(she will come back as a zombie???)

(someone to Lu Tao)

辞了算了

(quit or don't, whatever you want? ???)

没人比得过你

nobody can top you/beat you

(Lu Tao's boss to the group of young designers)

以观察学习为主。 多听多看。好吧？

Observing is the most important thing for learning (or is it the other way around?)

(Xia Lin about her job)

明儿还有一场热闹呢

Tomorrow, there is another loudness/happening/event. (I'm guessing 一场热闹 refers to an event expected to be lively/loud)

这个企宣我也不能当了

I cannot do this (PR job) either.

(That fat boyfriend from hell to the horny actor)

你要再努嘴儿往上冲，小心我对你不客气

If you pout again (upwards???), be careful, I won't be nice to you anymore.

What does 往上冲 mean here?

(I forgot the context with these two)

我一路跟来的凭什么走啊？

I've followed all the way here, why should I leave? (??)

别生在福中不知福了

生在福中不知福 means something like "born into happiness/prosperity, but doesn't realise it".

I need help with the following:

Here's some support for the lovely work done by renzhe.

供货单 delivery note

业务员 in this context, it means salesman, working on acquiring customers for the advertisement company

灯箱 you are right, it's a big neon box with photos on it and it shines in the dark when the light insight is on.

签售 I don't remember the context, it probably means a event that somebody signs and sells his book or album in public

图便宜 (buy something) because it's cheap. 图...... means (do something) because of......

(Xiaoyun to Xiang Nan)

你可真是死要面子活受罪

死要面子活受罪is an idiom, means somebody suffers from something because he wants to keep himself from losing face. Xiang Nan doesn't want to ask Xiao Yun's mother to help them renting an apartment, because he doesn't want to lose face. But then he has to suffer from looking for an apartment everywhere himself and ended up with only crappy ones.

我又灰溜溜地杀回来了

灰溜溜 is an adjective describing loser, somebody who lost a battle, a game or somebody who failed in doing something.

Here 杀回来了 just means come back. The sentence is expressed in a funny way. Because 灰溜溜地 describes a image of loser, but 杀回来了 or 杀来了 describes a image of very spirited man, who desires to win or succeed in doing something.

(someone to Lu Tao)

辞了算了

Just quit.

(Lu Tao's boss to the group of young designers)

以观察学习为主。 多听多看。好吧？

Observing is the most important thing for learning (or is it the other way around?)

Your main job is to observe and learn. More listening and watching.

(That fat boyfriend from hell to the horny actor)

你要再努嘴儿往上冲，小心我对你不客气

If you pout again (upwards???), be careful, I won't be nice to you anymore.

What does 往上冲 mean here?

here 努嘴儿 means the movement of giving a kiss, 往上冲 means move towards to the singer (that girl). That fat boyfriend is warning the actor not to kiss his girl.

Here's the vocab for episode 8, scheduled for this weekend. It took a while, I was away for much of the week. I only took the more difficult words this time, the easier ones should all be covered by the previous episodes.

(SPOILER) In this episode, Mi Lai comes back, and she's a bit insane, and Lulu breaks up with the cheesy singer and thinks about starting a business with Huazi. It will be interesting to see what comes out of this...

小户 xiǎo hù * small and humble family

防虫

火柴 huǒ chái * match (for lighting fire)

蟑螂 zhāng láng * cockroach

负责 fù zé * to be in charge of / to take responsibility for / to be to blame

别墅 bié shù * villa

发誓 fā shì * to vow / to pledge / to swear

过日子 guò rì zi * to live one's life / to pass one’s days / to get along

大熊 dà xióng * bear

葡萄 pú tao * grape

展示 zhǎn shì * to open up / to reveal

镳 biāo * darts / escort / horsebit

茅坑 máo kēng * cesspit, latrine pit

腐蚀 fǔ shí * corrosion / to corrode (degrade chemically) / to rot

站岗放哨 zhàn gǎng fàng shào * to stand guard and alert if someone comes

精装

争气 zhēng qì * to work hard for sth / to resolve on improvement / determined not to fall short

女婿 nǚ xu * daughter's husband / son-in-law

咨询费 zī xún fèi * consultant fee

收条 shōu tiáo * receipt

签名 qiān míng * to sign (one's name with a pen etc) / to autograph

支招儿 = 支着儿 to help a player by by cueing

蒙 mēng * (knocked) unconscious / to deceive / to cheat

忒 tè * excessive / to change

阳台 yáng tái * balcony / porch

前途 qián tú * prospects / outlook (for the future) / future

伊妹儿 yī mèir * email (loan)

失踪 shī zōng * missing / lost / unaccounted for

血压 xuè yā * blood pressure

发动 fā dòng * to start / to launch / to mobilize

伊卡璐

光脚

蘑菇 mó gu * mushroom

奶油 nǎi yóu * cream

开会 kāi huì * have a meeting / be at a meeting / to hold or attend a meeting

尊重 zūn zhòng * esteem / respect / to honor

牛排 niú pái * steak

空虚 kōng xū * hollow / emptiness / meaningless

发廊 fà láng * hair dresser's shop

双喜临门 shuāng xǐ lín mén * two simultaneous happy events in the family

虎口 hǔ kǒu * tiger's mouth (fig. danger)

台球 tái qiú * billiards

Anyone still watching this?

Does anyone know if/where this might be available on DVD or VCD?

I've searched as best I can on the sites I'm aware of, but I'm not having any luck.

In China or abroad?

It should be easy to get your hands on this in China (for example, here). If you're abroad, the easiest way would be to arrange for someone in China to mail it to you, or to download it and have a geeky friend of yours make VCDs out of it.

Downloading the whole thing should take you about a week, and I wouldn't worry too much about it, as there is basically zero market for this outside of Chinese-speaking countries. Once you've downloaded it, any guy good iwth computers can make VCDs out of it.

Anyone still watching this?

Yes, I've seen the first 11 episodes now. I'm far enough in that I'm confident I'll eventually get to the end.

Is that the Christian god that Lulu prays to? Is that common in Beijing?

I'll tone down the vocabulary lists to the level I used for the 8th episode. It's a good compromise between the time I spend on it and the usefulness of the words.

I guess we can go to a more loose (and faster) schedule now, as the remaining people don't need to stick to a weekly schedule. And atitarev is on a slower one already.

Thanks for the tips on DVDs, renzhe. I'll see if I can find someone to help. I did try plugging in my usual Amazon info but it doesn't seem to work the way it does with, say Amazon.uk or Amazon.fr.

Downloading something for a week sounds like too much for this Luddite!!

Elf Piper, you've been following this project for quite a while now.

It is a shame that you can't watch these shows because of such trivial things. Don't you know someone who is good with computers who could help you download this stuff?

Shipping from China is another option, but you need someone to mail it to you, and it will take a while.

防虫

精装

伊卡璐

光脚

房虫 somebody, who is like Xiaoyun's mother, working as a estate agent

精装 apartments with complete interior design and decoration

伊卡璐 probably a shampoo

光脚 bare feet

Oh, yeah, I have a question.

When Mi Lai comes back, she seems to be in the same apartment that she rented from Xiaoyun's mother and then left over to Xiaoyun. It makes sense, because she can see Lu Tao's room from there, and in an earlier episode it was mentioned that Xiaoyun had moved into the same neighbourhood as Lu Tao.

But didn't Xiaoyun's mother rent that to some young couple a few episodes back?

I can't remember the specifics, but I thought she double-rented it, i.e. it was still rented out to Mi Lai and then because Mi Lai wasn't around, she rented it out again. When Mi Lai came back, the other couple presumably had to move out, although like I said, it's been a while and I can't remember the specifics now.

Yeah, she double-rented it, but I'm wondering how on Earth she kicked the other couple out as soon as Mi Lai came back without Mi Lai noticing that she was being duped. This hasn't been mentioned at all, and I'm wondering what the point of spending an episode on that couple was

To show how money-grabbing Xiaoyun's mother is?

I would think that the episode where she overcharges Mi Lai plus the episode where she shows up at Lu Tao's work asking for her consultant fee would have sufficed. A bit strange to throw half an episode away like that.

But I was worried that I had missed something, I guess it was just sloppy writing.

Episode 9:

休整 xiū zhěng * to rest and reorganize (military)

一眨眼 a blink of an eye

小业主 small proprietor

企业家 qǐ yè jiā * entrepreneur / industrialist

身份证 shēn fèn zhèng * ID card / proof of identity

估摸 gū mo * to reckon / to guess

热乎 rè hū * chummy / warm and cosy

委屈 wěi qū * to feel wronged / to nurse a grievance / to cause sb to feel wronged

假装 jiǎ zhuāng * to feign / to pretend

客厅 kè tīng * drawing room (room for arriving guests) / living room

沙发 shā fā * sofa

陌生 mò shēng * strange / unfamiliar

在乎 zài hu * determined by / to care about / to mind

犟 jiàng = (强) * stubborn / obstinate / tenacious

轻松 qīng sōng * gentle / relaxed

幸运 xìng yùn * fortunate / lucky / fortune

保佑 bǎo yòu * to bless and protect / blessing

苗条 miáo tiáo * slim, slender, graceful

按摩 àn mó * massage

保准 bǎo zhǔn * reliable / to assure

扑腾 pū teng * pitter-patter

洗头 xǐ tóu * to shampoo/wash hair

兜风 dōu fēng * to catch the wind / to go for a spin in the fresh air

私企 sī qǐ * private business

高材生 gāo cái shēng * student of great ability

认命 rèn mìng * to accept misfortunes as decreed by fate / resigned to sth

装饰 zhuāng shì * to decorate / decoration / decorative

报价 bào jià * quoted price

信誉 xìn yù * prestige / distinction / reputation

竞争 jìng zhēng * to compete / competition

诚意 chéng yì * sincerity / good faith

内疚 nèi jiù * a guilty conscience / to feel a twinge of guilt

心理 xīn lǐ * mental / psychological

靠谱 kào pǔ * to play by the score / do things the right way

姿势 zī shì * posture / position

磨练 mó liàn * to temper oneself / to steel oneself / self-discipline

否定 fǒu dìng * to negate / negative (answer)

水夫妻

讲穷

费油 guzzle petrol ?? (Huazi can't sell his car because it 费油)

旧奥拓 ?? used car ?? (aotuo == auto?)

Edited November 19, 2008 at 09:11 PM by renzhe

水夫妻

讲穷

费油 guzzle petrol ?? (Huazi can't sell his car because it 费油)

旧奥拓 ?? used car ?? (aotuo == auto?)

露水夫妻 (it should be)： 露水is dew, here is a figurative expression says very short-lasting husband-wife relationship

费油：waster too much petrol. 费is a verb here, means to waster, to cost.

旧奥拓：奥拓is a brand name of car, which is produced by 长安铃木（ChangAn Suzuki)

讲究 I think, not 讲穷. Note the 九 rather than 力 at the bottom.