2009 Nov 24 Quick Language Link: Who left the water dragon head running?!
We all wrestle with the language during our time in China, and most of us are either studying or have studied Mandarin in the past. We’ve also all experienced the frustrations, as well as joys, that come with learning any foreign tongue. Here’s an amusing site to make Mandarin study a little more lighthearted.
“Those Crazy Chinese” describes itself as “an investigation into why the Chinese language kicks ass.” Run by Chris West, a laowai who has lived in Fuzhou since 2007, the site looks at the literal meanings of Chinese words and phrases, often to comic effect.
It’s an interesting insight into Chinese culture, and a great way to pick up some off-the-wall phrases that you’re unlikely to learn in respectable language schools.
My personal favorite word currently on the site’s homepage is ear shit [耳屎], defined thus:
“The Chinese government has made great strides in recent years to improve the quality of hygiene across China, with endless "no-spitting" campaigns and entertaining billboard posters. But how do you explain the fact that everyone in China has shit in their ears? In fact, while in English we enjoy using over-complicated names for commonplace things, in China, people are much more direct. ‘Ear shit’ is in fact just ordinary ear-wax. Similarly, the dirt in your eyes in the morning is called ‘eye shit’ (眼屎) and your snot is, surprise surprise, known as ‘nose shit’ (鼻屎). Quick! Clean the shit out of your eyes and carry on studying!”
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Quick Links: Is Chinese Really the Hardest Language in the World?
Here are two very different Chinese language-related links we stumbled upon this week, one serious, one not so serious.Wokipedia: K is for....
… kaifan 开饭
This imperative sentence sounds even more succinct than its English equivalent, “Let’s eat!” It could be a call from a loving mother, ready to serve dinner, or a call to arms for starving students rushing to the school cafeteria as soon as the bell rings.Instant Character Recognition Feature for iPhones
Pleco, a New York-based company who specialize in developing tools to learn Chinese, have announced a new iPhone feature that looks like it will be invaluable, not only for those learning Chinese characters, but for anyone who lives here and isn’t fluent in reading Chinese. The feature uses the iPhone camera to look at and “read” Chinese characters through an Optical Character Recognition system. There’s no need to take a photograph – you just point you camera and the app provides an instantaneous definition.Quick Link: Malcolm McLaren Remembered as the Sound of Beijing
Sex Pistol manager, godfather of punk, Vivienne Westwood's ex-husband...labeling Malcolm McLaren can be the easiest thing in the world, or should we just call him a guy in Teddy boy suits? Anyway, since we all know he passed away this morning at the age of 64, we found this video on a page from Daily Telegraph about him talking about "the sound of Beijing".
Quick Link: Carsick Cars Washington Post Favourite
lolaliu
Re: Quick Language Link: Who left the water dragon head ...
Chinglish
it's never too late to learn...