Featured

Hello all, Quite big and good news for the forum. It's been clear for a while I'm not as engaged with the forum as I used to be. For some time I've thought I should pass the site on to another willing steward to, hopefully, keep it up and running until the http protocol is finally retired. I did sound out a few folk about this, but the people who immediately came to mind weren't keen. During October's set of recurrent outages, I got an email from Mike Love of Pleco, saying that if I was having trouble managing the site he'd be willing to take it over. This seemed like a good solution to me - Mike's been around for ages, he's always been a valuable contributor, and he's got the technical skills to keep things running smoothly behind the scenes (which, as we've seen, I lack). There's no money changing hands - the site doesn't owe me anything and I'm glad it'll be in a safer pair of hands. So the plan would be that in the next month or two we'll shift the site onto Mike's own hosting and he'll start taking over the management. I'll be around for a while to come, but will be in more of a "Oh, that breaks because in 2013 I..." and "I know them, they've been trying to post on here since 2008" role. There won't be any major changes you'll notice (except perhaps good ones like the site working more reliably). At some point I'll hand in my admin badge and demote myself to member, which I'm actually quite looking forward to - I think I might visit more if I'm not in charge of the place. There's obviously a bit more to say in the near future, not least some thanks for both your patience (which was appreciated) and your impatience (because it shows you love the place) recently, and a grateful salute to the mods who keep things ticking away behind the scenes. But I'll leave it at that for now. Chinese-forums.com万岁！ Roddy

Hey everyone! Very glad to be able to come in and help carry this site forward hopefully long into the future. I do want to emphasize that I’m *not* looking to Pleco-infuse anything here; I might put a small “sponsored by Pleco” link somewhere, but that’s about all I’m considering. If you want to start a thread an out how Pleco sucks and such-and-such other app is far superior, feel free. (4.0-related dunking is also fine, though in this case it seems like Having A Reputation For Keeping Something Working Smoothly For Many Years But With Annoyingly Few Changes is actually maybe a desirable quality) My motivations for taking this on are mostly a combination of: a) long time fan / user wanting to keep it going; and b) a sense of concern about the recent degradation of centralized social media (Reddit, Twitter, StackExchange), and a desire to make sure that there remains a place to discuss China-related stuff that’s totally independent of all of that. Aside from tidying things up and improving uptime, the biggest improvement I’d be interested in would be looking at ways to further b) by giving people more ways to follow discussions here without visiting the website - ActivityPub feeds, for example. I’m also a little interested - and I suppose this one is a *bit* Pleco-related - in whether this might be a good place for hosting more flashcard lists / audio lessons / etc, in a slightly more organized and possibly API-infused way. And as someone who has drummed up a lot of business from this site over the years, I hope it can continue being a place for people to launch new products and receive critical-but-constructive feedback on them 🙂 Anyway, again, happy to be able to do this and feedback / suggestions are warmly welcome - I’m about to get off a train (actually going to NYC to try out the new Apple VR headset, a subject on which I am legally forbidden from saying any more than that) but will reach out to individual mods shortly too. Best, Michael Love

Fixed that. There's no doubt the forums are less active than they once were. Social media has made a big difference, not just in competition for people's time, but, e.g., agencies, businesses and individuals wanting to set up their own hubs. I'm not sure what happens now, but for a while we had active CSC/BLCU application topics every year, which we don't see so much of now. I suspect a lot of that activity got diverted to Facebook groups and the like. Covid-19 simply reduced the number of foreigners in China with questions to ask. Accessible sources of info about China have multiplied: back in 2006, "How do I get to IKEA in Beijing" would have been a legitimate question, now you can tap on an app a couple of times and be driven there. There's no doubt that could have been slowed or possibly turned around with more active marketing of the site, but it would take real time. It's kind of hard to grasp how much things have changed. We started in 2003, which means we've been around longer than Facebook, Reddit or Twitter, not to mention Snapchat or TikTok. When I started, the nearest equivalent (and something I was trying to improve on) was the Lonely Planet's travel-focused Thorntree forums - which I note with some sadness closed in 2021. I first uploaded this site ON DIAL-UP! I can now count half a dozen 5G/broadband devices in this room, and that's without opening a drawer. We didn't have iPhones, we had Palm handhelds and boy, were they magic. It's a little head-spinning. I almost think there should be a historical note at the top of the site for 18-year-olds who stumble across it, like you might find in a museum of online communities. That all said, there's also no doubt that the forums would be more active if there had been a more engaged admin in place. It would have made more sense to hand the place over to someone else a LONG time ago. It's impossible to say how much difference it would have made, but the right person could have made one.

I had the opportunity to spend around 7 weeks in Taiwan in September and October, the first 5 weeks I focused on studying, 2 weeks in Taipei and then 2-3 weeks in Tainan. I mostly wanted to improve my spoken Chinese. Taiwan mobile internet: I used the 60 day data flatrate from 中華電信, super reliable, I used it for my online classes in Tainan and had pretty much zero issues (hot spot from my phone with laptop and tablet connected using USB and wifi) tip: I also brought my previous smartphone, first it's good to have a backup since we use smartphones for everything nowadays, second I used it as a MP3 player with plenty of storage for audio files from old textbooks, podcasts etc. apps: Taxi: 55688 in Tainan and on the East coast, "Find Taxi" in Taipei but there are a few drivers in other cities as well LINE to chat with Taiwanese friends etc. Uber Eats to order food "language wars": almost nobody tried to speak English, most just talked Chinese with me like with any other customer. Occasionally they were surprised ("你的中文很標準！") and asked where I studied Chinese or if I live in Taiwan, but that's just nice positive feedback. Taiwanese: in general super friendly and helpful, this was not my first time in Taiwan so no surprise here... my spoken Chinese now was much better than before though, so I could directly talk to everyone and understand most of the conversation. Example: Once I was walking back on a quiet but well-lit country road, returning to the hotel from a restaurant outside the city. That would have been just a 1h walk, but after 5 minutes the first scooters overtaking me immediatelity stopped and asked me to hop on. Taipei Taipei is pretty much as I remembered from my visits before Corona Stayed in an AirBnB, no issues, plenty of options available I found that taking the bus is often faster and more convenient than the MRT, since they are shown in Google Maps it's quite practical I took private lessons at TLI near 古亭 station Tainan The main reason for me to stay in Tainan was my almost-free accomodation, but I've never been in the South of Taiwan for a longer time so that was a nice opportunity to see something else It was still very hot in September and October and they had the second-largest outbreak of Dengue fever ever (this seems to be a special problem of Tainan for some reason) Tainan is not very convenient to get around unless you drive yourself with a scooter or car. There is no MRT and the bus density is pretty low. In the end I mostly took taxis or walked. There weren't any suitable restaurants near the place I lived, so I ordered my lunch on Uber Eats on most days, usually healthy bentos with some rice, meat and veggies. Tainan provies free city walking tours, definitely worth it! It's not very well known so I got a private tour... Taiwanese is more common in Tainan than in Taipei, but the people I talked to all spoke Mandarin and what I heard on the street was also mostly Mandarin. In Tainan I took private online lessons (LTL flexi classes) for 4-6 hours a day, usually in 2h blocks and 2h breaks in between. Private Lessons Since my Chinese level is somewhere on the high-intermediate to advanced spectrum and I needed the flexibility, private lessons were the only option for me. I'm also not a student anymore so I don't mind spending some money on education. One alternative would have been the "independent study" approach and find some very cheap tutors and just pay them to talk to you and correct you. I didn't really want to deal with the organizational overhead though. italki: as a preparation for my stay in Taiwan I already took some lessons on italki + many teachers, can filter for teachers from Taiwan + teachers usually note down new words which come up during the conversation, so you can review them afterwards, add them to flashcards etc. - you have to find suitable time slots in the teachers calendars - pricing can be confusing with USD being the main currency, some "hours" being 45min units etc. TLI Taipei: + in person class can't be interrupted by connectivity issues + teachers and students can't be distracted since the class is in a private classroom + Taiwanese teachers + good location near 古亭 station - less flexible than the online options - no pricing on their website (the price is 650-800NTD per hour (50min + 10min break), depending on how many classes you book. I paid 700 for 3h per day for 10 days) LTL flexi classes + can just book the time slot I want and I get some teachers assigned cancellation has to be done 72h before the class, which is maybe not as "flexi" as someone might expect + interesting mix of teachers + transparent pricing - no option for Taiwanese teachers (there are some though, and it would be nice to be able to select a preference) +- they provide materials for each class and most topics are quite practical, but in my opinion, there are too many rare words in the texts no structured approach to repeat vocabulary from previous lessons not enough "free speaking" lessons for advanced learners Language Apps Pleco is the workhorse of my Chinese learning, but I thought these two months would be a good opportunity to get the most out of the more expensive subscriptions: Glossika: theoretically it should be just the right tool to improve my spoken Chinese but somehow it doesn't work for me. The app seems to be pretty good but then they ask me to repeat a sentence over and over again just be cause I answered it wrong once. I also think the sentences are too random and not optimized for Chinese learners, e.g. regarding grammar patterns. In the end I gave up on it after a short time. Chinesepod: Not bad but also not really worth it for me since I still have a backlog of audio materials from text books I've bought and read in the past. Conclusion I didn't have any concrete goals, just wanted to learn Chinese, experience the language in Taiwan and have a good time. I can speak more fluently than before, which also makes me hit the vocabulary wall more often. So on the long term I want to grow my active vocabulary (back to flashcards I guess...) and take some online lessons to maintain my spoken Chinese level.

No don't, please just start a new thread! Answering questions per pm is useful to one person, asking & answering on the forums can be useful for many people now and in the future. Not just the answers, but even the questions.

I thought I'd update my progress as Inspired by @matteos thread. I've been working hard on a two-pronged approach to "improve sentence structure". 1. As recommended by @TheBigZaboon I've been doing the Kubler Intermediate Speaking book and audio drills Practice book. This has been absolutely fantastic. So much repetition on patterns that you could not keep them from coming out in your own speech if you wanted to! This has been going much slower than I had planned, partially because it's time consuming (i.e. the sub-unit I'm on now is 24 min of substitution drills and 6 min of Transformation drills, plus role plays) and partially because I am not rushing it. I've been doing the same drills and role plays for days until it's smooth before moving on to the next. Although it's "boring", it's feels like doing sit ups, a really great workout and I enjoy it. So I'm only through 3 units of 14 so far. It is also worth mentioning that the book is not review, there is a lot of new material to me in it. The textbook(apart from the drills) is quite interesting, loaded with language and cultural info. 2. I asked an Italki teacher who Ive studied with on and off for 2 years: "What would you say are my two biggest strengths and my two biggest weaknesses?". For the weak points, she said "word choice"(ie using 电视剧 rather than 节目， or not remembering how to express "body weight" etc.). But she said the absolute biggest is VERBS - using the wrong verb 带 vs 拿, or wrong form 帮助 vs 帮忙， using verb compliments, verb and 地/得 了/着/过，etc. She actually mentioned Grammar patterns as a strength of mine, but need to focus on verbs and words. So with that in mind I found a book to focus on Vocab: Vocabulary Master Hsk 1-4 词汇宝典. I like it because I know the meaning all of the words in the book, there's virtually no new vocab to me other than a few incidentals in example sentences. The example sentences seem to go out of their way to use words from earlier pages and almost all are hsk 1-4 with a few hsk 5 or non hsk words. Some nice 补充 information, collocations, synonyms / antonyms, no pinyin other than the keyword, example sentences all use basic hsk 1-4 grammar points. English versions of sentences often have a Chin-glish feel to them, making it more intuitive to translate, not sure if this was done by design or not. My methodology, mainly following the book's instructions: 1. read the word 2. read the English sentence, and try translating it into Chinese (which @sanchuan also mentioned in this thread as potentially useful) 3. read the Chinese sentence 4. decide if my translation was the same, flawed, or different but also correct 5. "memorize" the book's sentence until I can say it smoothly out loud without reading it 6. if suitable, substitute words to slightly change the meaning 7. on to the next word I have found this to be hard work and again "boring". But then, I wonder, is it boring or HARD? An hour of it and I'm definitely exhausted. But I'm finding my translations getting better and better. I'm seeing words creep into my output that I wasn't using much before. So I think it's worthwhile. I'm giving extra focus to every verb. I think it's a well put together book and 410 pages long. It's hard to evaluate your own progress. But after 2.5 months (so far) of this two-pronged attack, I am definitely seeing improvement in my sentence structures / grammar patterns / word usage both in real world and with my teacher. Apart from this Im also doing a fair bit of reading and listening to other materials to keep moving forward in other areas.

Thank you @roddy for creating one of my favorite places on the internet. I never would have made it this far with Chinese if it weren't for this forum. I love to come here for all of the reasons that @Jan Finster mentioned: But most importantly I love the sense of community here. In my real life, I know exactly zero people that are trying to learn any language, much less Chinese, and I have nobody to turn to for inspiration or support. Thankfully, that's what I get here! When I started to learn Chinese, my end goal was to pass the HSK3. I thought that was the most I could accomplish as a fully employed adult living in a non-Chinese speaking country. This forum inspired me to aim higher and showed me step by step how to climb there. I am extremely grateful for that!

Thank you for your great work, Roddy. I've been here since 2009. Through Chinese Forums, I've met quite some interesting people, made friends with some of them, and benefited from their advice and/or recommendations. Although I no longer spend as much time here as I used to, I still drop by from time to time. I hope Chinese Forums will continue to be around for many many many years to come. So far, it's been my favourite place on the Internet and I am sure it will remain so in my whole lifetime.

Imron would suggest nuking the forum and starting from fresh.......

A nice milestone tonight: Finally finished the 5 book series of Chinese Made Easier. I started Book 1 with a teacher 5 years ago, the book was recommended to me by the school as being good for someone living "in country" and wanting practical everyday language. The series definitely lived up to that reputation. There is lot's of crossover with HSK books, but CME has plenty of vocab that is very useful in everyday life, but outside the HSK material. The overall level feels similar, CME 5 feeling roughly like HSK 5, with a more practical bent. The book did an excellent job of slowly weening off pinyin and a particularly good with introducing Surnames and given names - new ones in every story, adding up to a lot over the course of 5 books. There is no "小明“ or ”马克“. Lots of place names, jobs, household items, office, countryside, medical etc language. The author was kind enough to supply all of the pdfs and mp3s free of charge, as the book is out of print. I did book 1 to 4 straight through but took a year break while doing different resources before starting book 5. Altogether it's been about 5 years, all done with various tutors, so it feels like an accomplishment to finally have finished. Tonight, on the last unit of book 5, I couldn't help but noticing how much smoother I was than even Book 4, let alone Book 1. Thank you Martin Symonds for an excellent and fun Chinese learning series! **I have added a few more observations in the comments section below...

I've been into forums since about the same as the site, around 2004 type era, and as Roddy said in last post, there was nothing like them before. I admin'd a site for about 10 years (because covid, when I switched to learning Chinese) so I know how much time they need. Thanks for setting it up and all the hardwork involved. I'm glad you've found someone to take it over rather than it fold like many forums (or slowly die). I wouldn't mind Pleco ads personally. I wish I found pleco when I first started. It's an absolute must for me. I'm currently at Omeida school in Yangshuo, and each week new students arrive and when they ask for advice I tell them get that first. I only use it as a dictionary though, not really ventured into the other things on it. Good luck for the future! I actually got chatting to someone from here a year or two ago, and when I was up north last month met in person, went out for beers food and practice, and we had a great time! The only thing I can think of for perhaps the main site, is a complete beginner's section. Might get a few new members in. I know there is a thread somewhere from Roddy about it, but maybe as a main subsection might catch new people's eye.

Literally it means 'I told you to just eat' (or similar). I don't think I've ever heard it to mean 'I told you to shut up', but I guess in context it could have that implication. Small group of people who know each other well sitting in restaurant/Family at dinner table. Person A: Blablabla, gossip... Person B: Alright folks, the food is here, let's eat! Person A: Blablabla, more gossip, spilling beans... Person B: 都告诉你吃饭啊！

I feel listening is the hardest to improve (see also Why is listening in Chinese so hard?). Like with the other aspects, we likely need hundreds of hours of repetitive listening practice to lock everything down and make listening automatic. But if we watch a movie, we may miss a key plot point in the third sentence and struggle to understand anything, or if we watch the news, we might not be able to keep up with the extreme speed (I tune out when they start listing assorted statistics). If we use subtitles, we're effectively reading with extra steps (not listening), but if we don't use subtitles, we might not understand much at all. And if you're like me, you might feel shows in Chinese tend to not be as good as those in English (with exceptions, of course... 妖猫传 is awesome!). If we slow down the audio, it sounds unnatural, and it's kind of "cheating" (and I find it doesn't help that much). If we listen to the radio, we likely tune out and train ourselves to think of it as background noise. YouTube teachers (and teachers in general) tend to like teaching new vocabulary, rather then help you listen correctly to "学过的" vocabulary (i.e. consolidate). If we don't hear what someone says correctly, they may stop talking to us, which is embarrassing and demoralizing. I've encountered many Chinese people who (perhaps out of shyness) simply don't speak loudly enough for me to even hear, which in turn affirms their preconceived belief that I don't speak Chinese. Very few people are willing to talk about the same topic, say, 10 times over. It's hard finding people willing to talk about topics that interest me. Honestly, it's really quite challenging to get useful listening practice. Mentally converting audio input into comprehensible words and sentences is hard. You don't just need to "know" a word, you need to recognize it within a fraction of a second, as part of a broader context, from (potentially misheard or imperfectly or non-standardly pronounced) pronunciation. If you're anything like me, you've learned from crisp, standard, grammatical Mandarin, and it can be a struggle listening outside this bubble. Moreover, for listening, words come from our interlocutor's active oral vocabulary (with different interlocutors having different vocabularies); they may not use the same words or grammar as you, and even as each other. There's also a lot of syllables and words in Chinese that sound really similar to one another! They could be identically pronounced (权利 vs. 权利), differ in tones (季度 vs. 嫉妒; 春节 vs. 纯洁), or involve a syllable that represents many characters (ji4 with 继承 记性 季度 迹象 寄托 忌讳), and so on. Even native speakers are not getting 100% listening comprehension. I recall a time I went to a restaurant with a Chinese friend of mine, and the waiter said something in Chinese (with an accent), and my friend turned to me and asked me what he said. I get the feeling that sometimes, when Chinese people do not hear something correctly, they just pretend like they understand. 总而言之, listening is really hard to improve! Understanding 80% of a drama is truly phenomenal. I suggest comparing your current self vs. your past self: was this always possible?

Here is a recap of 3 short books I've read in the past weeks: - 聚散兩依依 by 琼瑶: A romance novel by Qiong Yao. I can't say I enjoyed this one. Qiong Yao is great for learning (in particular the way she spams adjectives) but I think this will be my last book of hers. Her books are interesting for the cultural insights surrounding love and family, but this one was just too soap opera-ish for me. - 白馬嘯西風 by 金庸: A wuxia novella by Jin Yong. Not as hard as I expected. The vocabulary wasn't really a problem, the only minor issues were the longer sentences (compared to Gu Long) and some words used in a secondary meaning I wasn't familiar with (但 meaning only instead of but, 便 as 就, 那里 as 如何, etc.). I don't know how much harder his novels are, but I think I'll give it a year or so until I read one (書劍恩仇錄 most probably) to have a smoother experience. I don't know how to describe it, but the prose is closer to what I had envisioned before starting reading in Chinese, Gu Long and particularly Qiong Yao felt more familiar, closer to Western prose. Other than the beautiful ending, I absolutely adored the first half of this novella, which focuses on the setting and characters, the second half is more action-heavy and the plot becomes a bit messy. - 秃鹤不是一只鹤 by 曹文轩: A short story for kids by Cao Wenxuan from the collection 草房子, which contains 9 stories that share characters and setting. A very heartwarming story with vivid characters, but in the end not the most engaging read for adults. Still I might read another story in the future, it's very good for learning. I wanted to read 活着 by 余华 next, but I can't escape Gu Long's pulpy charm, so I picked up 血鹦鹉 by 古龙/黄鹰: A wuxia-horror novel by Gu Long, although apparently most of it was written by another author called Huang Ying. This is the first book in the 驚魂六記 series, and from what I've heard 吸血蛾 (and to a lesser degree 黑蜥蜴 and 无翼蝙蝠) are also worth checking out. Like the title says, it's about a parrot made of blood that grants three wishes. So far it's as fun as I expected. The next books I want to read: 活着 by 余华 金刚经说什么 by 南怀瑾: Non-fiction book explaining the Buddhist diamond sutra. 病毒 by 倪匡: My first attempt at science-fiction. 舍不得看完的中国史 by 渤海小吏: Non-fiction history book.

This happens to me any time I've gone on a business trip, no matter where it is. I've learned to put my foot down after the first or second night and say, "sorry, I need to make some calls home tonight", just so I can skip the meal out and beverages. Usually my stomach is in shambles by the end of a trip like that.

I can't believe you've sold out to Big Lexicography 😡 More seriously, thank you both, and I think forums will make a comeback, it's a format serves a niche other types of social media can't.

@Woodford My willingness, rather than ability, to fiddle around with 繁体字 is purely an artifact of trying to read prewar Japanese Imperial army military materials when I was beginning to study in grad school in Japan. Before and during the war, in Japan, they used the same character set as the Taiwanese use today. Now, modern Japanese uses a more simplified character set that lies halfway between the characters used on the mainland, and those used on Taiwan. That, plus my eternal debt to the late, great Professor John DeFrancis, whose life's work I used to start studying Chinese, means I don't have to struggle so hard with Taiwanese stuff. In addition, my wife, who is Japanese, feels much more comfortable in Taiwan, because when she's lost or has a problem, she grabs the closest septuagenarian she can find, and starts explaining her problem in Japanese. It's amazing to see that person's face light up like a summer sunrise, and soon the two of them are babbling away like lifelong friends. Most educated people in their eighties received their initial education in Japanese. They don't have any way to use that language now, except for watching TV, so my wife's approach, without any preliminary "Do you speak Japanese???" is a source of unexpected delight. So naturally, we tend to go to Taiwan rather than the mainland to play. Just sayin'... TBZ

ChatGPT (4) can read Classical Chinese very well, and is very knowledgeable about the Classics. It also can create great illustrations. We're about to get spoiled... 黃收純衣，彤車乘白馬 This phrase, when translated, means "wearing pure yellow robes, riding a red chariot pulled by a white horse." In the image: Pure Yellow Robes (黃收純衣): Emperor Yao is shown wearing traditional Chinese robes in a bright, pure yellow color. Yellow was historically a color of great significance in ancient China, often associated with the emperor and representing power, royalty, and respect. Red Chariot (彤車): The emperor is depicted riding in a bright red chariot. The color red in Chinese culture symbolizes good fortune and joy, and its use in the chariot adds to the imperial and auspicious nature of the scene. White Horse (乘白馬): The chariot is pulled by a white horse. The white horse adds a contrast to the scene, both in color and in symbolism. In various cultures, including Chinese, a white horse can represent purity, heroism, and nobility. The overall image, with Emperor Yao in his yellow robes, the red chariot, and the white horse, brings to life the phrase from the text, illustrating the regal and almost divine nature of Emperor Yao, as well as the splendor and majesty of his reign, as described in ancient Chinese texts. 乃命羲、和，敬順昊天，數法日月星辰，敬授民時。 The image depicts a scene inspired by a specific fragment from the second paragraph of the text, which discusses Emperor Yao's command to observe and chart the heavens. This command is given to figures named Xi and He, directing them to respect and follow the celestial patterns. In the image, you see an ancient Chinese celestial observatory. This setting directly relates to Yao's decree to meticulously observe and record the movements of the sun, moon, stars, and other celestial bodies. The astronomers, dressed in traditional attire, are shown using large, intricate bronze instruments typical of ancient Chinese astronomy, such as armillary spheres and gnomons. These tools were historically used to measure and predict the positions of celestial objects, aligning well with the text's focus on astronomical observation and the regulation of time. The scene captures the mystical and serene atmosphere suggested by the text, with a star-filled sky and ambient lighting, blending earthy tones with deep blues and silvers. This aligns with the ancient Chinese belief in the harmony between earth and cosmos, a theme that is central to the part of the text dealing with the ordering of celestial observations and the imparting of this knowledge to the people. The setting on a high mountaintop further emphasizes the observatory's purpose of connecting with the heavens, reflecting the text's theme of celestial harmony and order. [...] Create an interlinear translation for the story of 帝堯 from the book 史記. Proper names appearing in the translation should have tone marks, and the characters indicated. Add in explanations of cultural references characters objects that are culturally special and significant, also explain if the location of the places mentioned is known. Explain the meaning of the characters in place names. Here's the text: 帝堯者，放勳。其仁如天，其知如神。就之如日，望之如雲。富而不驕，貴而不舒。黃收純衣，彤車乘白馬。能明馴德，以親九族。九族既睦，便章百姓。百姓昭明，合和萬國。 乃命羲、和，敬順昊天，數法日月星辰，敬授民時。分命羲仲，居郁夷，曰暘谷。敬道日出，便程東作。日中，星鳥，以殷中春。其民析，鳥獸字微。申命羲叔，居南交。便程南爲，敬致。日永，星火，以正中夏。其民因，鳥獸希革。申命和仲，居西土，曰昧谷。敬道日入，便程西成。夜中，星虛，以正中秋。其民夷易，鳥獸毛毨。申命和叔，居北方，曰幽都。便在伏物。日短，星昴，以正中冬。其民燠，鳥獸氄毛。歲三百六十六日，以閏月正四時。信飭百官，衆功皆興。 堯曰：「誰可順此事？」放齊曰：「嗣子丹朱開明。」堯曰：「吁！頑凶，不用。」堯又曰：「誰可者？」讙兜曰：「共工旁聚布功，可用。」堯曰：「共工善言，其用僻，似恭漫天，不可。」堯又曰：「嗟！四嶽：湯湯洪水滔天，浩浩懷山襄陵，下民其憂，有能使治者？」皆曰鯀可。堯曰：「鯀負命毀族，不可。」嶽曰：「异哉，試不可用而已。」堯於是聽嶽用鯀。九載，功用不成。 ChatGPT The story of 帝堯 (Dì Yáo) from the 史記 (Shǐjì, "Records of the Grand Historian") is a classic narrative in Chinese history and mythology. The text is rich in cultural and historical references. Here's an interlinear translation of the passage you provided, with explanations and context: 帝堯者，放勳。 Dì Yáo zhě, Fàng Xūn. Emperor Yao, [was] Fàng Xūn [his personal name]. Emperor Yao is a legendary Chinese ruler known for his virtue and wisdom. Fàng Xūn is his personal name. 其仁如天，其知如神。 Qí rén rú tiān, qí zhī rú shén. His benevolence [was] like [the] sky, his wisdom [was] like [a] deity. This expresses Emperor Yao’s vast benevolence and wisdom, likening them to the sky and a divine being, respectively. 就之如日，望之如雲。 Jiù zhī rú rì, wàng zhī rú yún. Approaching him [was] like [the] sun, looking at him [was] like [the] clouds. These lines compare the experience of being near Yao to the warmth of the sun and his esteemed presence to the grandeur of clouds. 富而不驕，貴而不舒。 Fù ér bù jiāo, guì ér bù shū. Rich yet not arrogant, noble yet not lax. Yao was known for his humility and diligence despite his wealth and high status. 黃收純衣，彤車乘白馬。 Huáng shōu chún yī, tóng chē chéng bái mǎ. Yellow for the collected pure clothes, red carriage riding white horses. This describes his simple attire (yellow symbolizing earth and purity in ancient China) and his red carriage with white horses, signifying nobility. 能明馴德，以親九族。 Néng míng xún dé, yǐ qīn jiǔ zú. Able [to] brighten cultivated virtues, thereby making close [his] nine clans. Yao was able to enlighten and improve the virtues of his family, extending to his nine different familial clans. 九族既睦，便章百姓。 Jiǔ zú jì mù, biàn zhāng bǎi xìng. Nine clans already harmonious, then [he] spread [this] to [the] hundred surnames. Having established harmony within his extended family, he then extended these principles to all his subjects (the "hundred surnames" is a term representing all families or common people). 百姓昭明，合和萬國。 Bǎi xìng zhāo míng, hé hé wàn guó. The common people [became] enlightened, [and] harmoniously united ten thousand states. Under Yao’s rule, the people were enlightened, and a harmonious unity prevailed across many regions. The text continues to describe Yao's governance and his efforts to regulate time and seasons, manage natural resources, and his search for a suitable successor. Each part of the narrative reflects important aspects of ancient Chinese philosophy, governance, and cosmology. If you'd like a detailed breakdown of the remaining text, or have specific questions about any part of it, feel free to ask! User please continue with another fragment of the text. ChatGPT Certainly! Continuing with the next section of the text, which focuses on Emperor Yao’s governance, his efforts to regulate celestial bodies and the seasons, and his administration over different regions: 乃命羲、和，敬順昊天， Nǎi mìng Xī, Hé, jìng shùn Hào Tiān, Then ordered [the gods] Xī and Hé, respectfully to follow the High Heaven, Emperor Yao commands Xī and Hé, two deities associated with the sun and moon, to respect and follow the ways of heaven. Hào Tiān refers to the overarching heavenly power or sky. 數法日月星辰，敬授民時。 shù fǎ rì yuè xīng chén, jìng shòu mín shí. to regulate the sun, moon, stars, and constellations, respectfully to teach the people [about] time. He instructs them to regulate the heavenly bodies to help people understand and measure time. 分命羲仲，居郁夷，曰暘谷。 Fēn mìng Xī Zhòng, jū Yù Yí, yuē Yáng Gǔ. Assigned Xī Zhòng, to reside in Yù Yí, named Yáng Gǔ. Xī Zhòng is tasked with a region named Yù Yí (possibly a reference to an eastern land), and the place is called Yáng Gǔ (Valley of the Sun). 敬道日出，便程東作。 Jìng dào rì chū, biàn chéng dōng zuò. Respectfully observe the sunrise, [to] then arrange [work in the] east. This line suggests that Xī Zhòng should observe the sunrise as a guide for activities in the east. 日中，星鳥，以殷中春。 Rì zhōng, xīng niǎo, yǐ yīn zhōng chūn. At noon, [the] Sun Bird, to signal the middle of spring. The Sun Bird (probably a mythical or symbolic creature) indicates the peak of spring. 其民析，鳥獸字微。 Qí mín xī, niǎo shòu zì wēi. Its people are prudent, [and] birds and beasts are gentle. This describes how the people and even animals in the region live in harmony. 申命羲叔，居南交。 Shēn mìng Xī Shū, jū Nán Jiāo. Extended orders to Xī Shū, to reside in Nán Jiāo. Xī Shū is assigned to a southern region called Nán Jiāo. 便程南爲，敬致。 Biàn chéng nán wéi, jìng zhì. [To] then arrange [work in the] south, respectfully. This line indicates that Xī Shū should manage the southern region with respect and care. 日永，星火，以正中夏。 Rì yǒng, xīng huǒ, yǐ zhèng zhōng xià. [With] long days, [the] Fire Star, to signify midsummer. Long days and the appearance of the Fire Star (possibly Mars or another astronomical reference) mark the height of summer. 其民因，鳥獸希革。 Qí mín yīn, niǎo shòu xī gé. Its people adapt, [and] birds and beasts rarely change. The people and nature in this region adapt to the seasonal changes. This section vividly illustrates the ancient Chinese understanding of astronomy, geography, and the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature. It also reflects the importance of celestial observations in governing and time-keeping in ancient China. If you'd like me to continue with the next part of the text or if you have any specific questions, please let me know! User Is there any background on why 羲、和 were ordered to 敬順昊天? ChatGPT The order given to 羲 (Xī) and 和 (Hé) to 敬順昊天 (jìng shùn Hào Tiān, "respectfully follow the High Heaven") in the story of 帝堯 (Dì Yáo, Emperor Yao) reflects important aspects of ancient Chinese cosmology and religious beliefs. The Roles of 羲 (Xī) and 和 (Hé): In Chinese mythology, these two figures are often associated with the sun and the moon. Xī is sometimes considered the sun deity, while Hé is related to the moon. Their roles in this story are connected to the observation and regulation of celestial bodies. 昊天 (Hào Tiān) - The High Heaven: This term refers to the overarching heavenly power or the sky in ancient Chinese belief. It is often synonymous with the highest deity or the ultimate cosmic authority. In early Chinese religion, the sky or heaven was revered as the supreme power that governed the natural order and the fate of humans. Ancient Chinese Cosmology: The ancient Chinese viewed the cosmos as an interconnected and hierarchical structure where the mandate or will of heaven (天命, Tiānmìng) played a crucial role. The emperor or ruler was seen as the Son of Heaven (天子, Tiānzǐ), whose duty was to maintain harmony between heaven, earth, and humanity. This involved aligning human activities with the natural order and celestial patterns. 敬順 (jìng shùn) - Respectful Obedience: The instruction for Xī and Hé to follow the High Heaven "respectfully" is indicative of the ancient Chinese belief in the importance of aligning human affairs with the will of heaven. This obedience was thought to ensure harmony and order in the world. In the context of the story of Emperor Yao, the command to Xī and Hé to follow the High Heaven is likely symbolic of Yao’s efforts to bring order and harmony to his realm by aligning his governance with the natural order of the universe, as dictated by heavenly patterns. This concept was central to ancient Chinese philosophy and governance, where astronomical observations were crucial for calendar making, agriculture, and ritual ceremonies. Emperor Yao's actions in this regard exemplify the ideal ruler's duty to maintain balance and harmony in accordance with heavenly principles. User Proceed to the next fragment of the story. In the explanations you can bring elements from other sources, based on general knowledge of Chinese history, mythology, and traditional understanding of the classics to fill in the gaps. ChatGPT Continuing with the next fragment of the text, which further details Emperor Yao’s governance and his management of various territories: 申命和仲，居西土，曰昧谷。 Shēn mìng Hé Zhòng, jū Xī Tǔ, yuē Mèi Gǔ. Extended orders to Hé Zhòng, to reside in the Western Lands, named Mèi Gǔ. Hé Zhòng is assigned to the Western Lands, named Mèi Gǔ (possibly "Dark Valley," a term reflecting the less sunny nature of the west compared to the east). 敬道日入，便程西成。 Jìng dào rì rù, biàn chéng xī chéng. Respectfully observe the sunset, [to] then arrange [work in the] west properly. This line indicates that Hé Zhòng should observe the sunset to guide activities in the west, emphasizing the importance of aligning human actions with natural phenomena. 夜中，星虛，以正中秋。 Yè zhōng, xīng xū, yǐ zhèng zhōng qiū. At midnight, [the] Void Star, to signify mid-autumn. The appearance of the Void Star (possibly a reference to a specific constellation) marks the middle of autumn. 其民夷易，鳥獸毛毨。 Qí mín yí yì, niǎo shòu máo xiǎn. Its people [are] simple and easygoing, [and] birds and beasts [have] thick fur. Describes the character of the people and wildlife in the Western Lands, with an emphasis on simplicity and adaptation to a cooler climate. 申命和叔，居北方，曰幽都。 Shēn mìng Hé Shū, jū Běi Fāng, yuē Yōu Dū. Extended orders to Hé Shū, to reside in the Northern Region, named Yōu Dū. Hé Shū is assigned to the Northern Region, called Yōu Dū ("Dark Capital" or "Remote Capital"). 便在伏物。 Biàn zài fú wù. [To] then arrange hidden things. This cryptic line might suggest managing things that are hidden or latent, possibly referring to underground resources or activities suited for colder, darker environments. 日短，星昴，以正中冬。 Rì duǎn, xīng Mǎo, yǐ zhèng zhōng dōng. [With] short days, [the] Pleiades Star, to signify midwinter. Short days and the appearance of the Pleiades (Mǎo) constellation mark the middle of winter. 其民燠，鳥獸氄毛。 Qí mín yù, niǎo shòu rǒng máo. Its people [are] sturdy, [and] birds and beasts [have] soft fur. This describes the hardiness of the people and the adaptation of wildlife to the cold northern climate. 歲三百六十六日，以閏月正四時。 Suì sān bǎi liù shí liù rì, yǐ rùn yuè zhèng sì shí. [The] year [has] three hundred sixty-six days, [with] an intercalary month to correct the four seasons. This line reflects the ancient Chinese lunar calendar's method of aligning with the solar year by adding an extra month. 信飭百官，衆功皆興。 Xìn chì bǎi guān, zhòng gōng jiē xīng. [With] trust [he] arranged the hundred officials, [and] all works [were] prosperously carried out. Emperor Yao is depicted as a wise ruler who effectively organized his administration, leading to flourishing public works. This section of the text shows the comprehensive governance system under Emperor Yao, emphasizing the harmony between human activities and natural phenomena. It reflects the ancient Chinese belief in the necessity of aligning human affairs with celestial movements and the seasons, a concept deeply rooted in Daoist and Confucian thought. The descriptions of different regions also indicate an advanced understanding of geography and the diverse characteristics of China's vast territories. If you'd like me to continue or focus on specific aspects, please let me know! User Proceed to a next fragment. There is no need to include gramatical words in brackets. Use brackets only if a content word is ommited. ChatGPT Continuing with the next fragment of the story from 史記 (Shǐjì, "Records of the Grand Historian") about 帝堯 (Dì Yáo, Emperor Yao): 堯曰：「誰可順此事？」 Yáo yuē: “Shéi kě shùn cǐ shì?” Yao said: “Who can [properly] manage these affairs?” 放齊曰：「嗣子丹朱開明。」 Fàng Qí yuē: “Sì zǐ Dān Zhū kāi míng.” Fang Qi said: “Your successor, Dan Zhu, is clear and bright.” 堯曰：「吁！頑凶，不用。」 Yáo yuē: “Ah! Obstinate and fierce, [he] cannot be used.” 堯又曰：「誰可者？」 Yáo yòu yuē: “Shéi kě zhě?” Yao again said: “Who else is suitable?” 讙兜曰：「共工旁聚布功，可用。」 Huān Dōu yuē: “Gòng Gōng páng jù bù gōng, kě yòng.” Huan Dou said: “Gong Gong has amassed great achievements nearby, [he] can be used.” 堯曰：「共工善言，其用僻，似恭漫天，不可。」 Yáo yuē: “Gong Gong speaks well, but his methods are deviant, [seemingly] respectful but [actually] excessive, [he] cannot [be used].” 堯又曰：「嗟！四嶽：湯湯洪水滔天，浩浩懷山襄陵，下民其憂，有能使治者？」 Yáo yòu yuē: “Alas! Four Mountains: The torrential flood reaches the sky, vast and vast engulfing mountains and hills, the people below suffer, is there [someone] capable of controlling [it]?” 皆曰鯀可。 Jiē yuē Gǔn kě. All said: “Gun is capable.” 堯曰：「鯀負命毀族，不可。」 Yáo yuē: “Gun has disobeyed orders and destroyed [his] clan, [he] cannot [be used].” 嶽曰：「异哉，試不可用而已。」 Yuè yuē: “Strange indeed, try [him] if [he] cannot be used, [then] that’s it.” 堯於是聽嶽用鯀。 Yáo yú shì tīng Yuè yòng Gǔn. Yao then heeded the Mountains’ advice and used Gun. 九載，功用不成。 Jiǔ zǎi, gōng yòng bù chéng. [Nine] years passed, [his] efforts did not succeed. This segment of the story reflects Emperor Yao's challenges in finding a suitable successor and administrator to handle a great flood, a central theme in ancient Chinese mythology. Yao's reluctance to appoint his own son, Dan Zhu, and Gong Gong shows his wisdom and commitment to meritocracy rather than nepotism or favoritism. The mention of Gun and the great flood introduces one of the most significant myths in Chinese culture, often associated with themes of moral responsibility and the importance of effective governance. The four mountains (四嶽, Sì Yuè) represent high-ranking nobles or regional lords offering counsel to the emperor. The failure of Gun to control the floods sets the stage for the eventual rise of Yu the Great, another pivotal figure in Chinese mythology known for successfully managing the flood. If you'd like to continue with the story or have questions about specific elements, please let me know! User Explain who are the characters mentioned in this passage. ChatGPT The passage from 史記 (Shǐjì, "Records of the Grand Historian") about 帝堯 (Dì Yáo, Emperor Yao) features several notable characters from ancient Chinese mythology and history. Here's a brief overview of each: 帝堯 (Dì Yáo, Emperor Yao): A legendary Chinese ruler, Yao is often celebrated as a model of virtue and effective governance. His reign is considered a golden age of harmony and prosperity. In Chinese mythology and historical narratives, Yao is known for his wisdom, benevolence, and concern for the people. 放齊 (Fàng Qí): This character is less well-known in Chinese history. In the context of this story, he appears to be an advisor or court official who suggests Emperor Yao's son, Dan Zhu, as a potential successor. 嗣子丹朱 (Sì zǐ Dān Zhū, Dan Zhu): He is mentioned as the son of Emperor Yao. Despite being his heir, Yao deems him unfit for rulership, highlighting Yao's commitment to meritocratic principles over nepotism. 讙兜 (Huān Dōu): Like Fang Qi, Huan Dou seems to be another court official or advisor. He suggests Gong Gong for the task of managing the floods, but his proposal is rejected by Yao. 共工 (Gòng Gōng): Gong Gong is a prominent figure in Chinese mythology, often depicted as a water god or deity associated with floods. He is known for his role in various myths, including a story where his fight with another deity caused massive flooding. His character is often associated with rebellion and chaos. 鯀 (Gǔn): Gun is a key figure in the mythological narrative of the Great Flood during the reign of Yao. He is tasked with controlling the floods but ultimately fails. Gun is traditionally portrayed as the father of 大禹 (Dà Yǔ, Yu the Great), who eventually succeeded where Gun failed. 四嶽 (Sì Yuè, Four Mountains): These are not individual characters but rather represent the collective voice of high-ranking nobles or regional lords. They offer counsel to Emperor Yao, suggesting Gun to manage the flood. In Chinese mythology and history, mountains often have spiritual significance and are sometimes personified or seen as sources of wisdom. Each of these characters plays a role in illustrating the challenges faced by Emperor Yao and the importance of wise and moral leadership in ancient Chinese philosophy and mythology. Their interactions and decisions reflect the values and beliefs of the time, particularly regarding governance, virtue, and the relationship between humans and the natural world. User Ok, next passage. ChatGPT Continuing with the story from 史記 (Shǐjì, "Records of the Grand Historian") about 帝堯 (Dì Yáo, Emperor Yao): 於是堯舜相與語於蒼梧之野。 Yú shì Yáo Shùn xiāng yǔ yú Cāng Wú zhī yě. Then, Yao and Shun spoke together in the fields of Cang Wu. 堯曰：「嗟！四嶽，爾何以治天下？」 Yáo yuē: “Ai! Sì Yuè, ěr hé yǐ zhì tiānxià?” Yao said: “Alas! Four Mountains, how would you govern the world?” 四嶽對曰：「唯施於民，惟恤乏窮。」 Sì Yuè duì yuē: “Wéi shī yú mín, wéi xù fá qióng.” The Four Mountains replied: “Only to bestow upon the people, only to care for the poor and needy.” 堯曰：「爾安知其民之閒暇與？」 Yáo yuē: “Ěr ān zhī qí mín zhī xiánxiá yǔ?” Yao said: “How do you know of the leisure and spare time of the people?” 四嶽對曰：「春種一粒粟，秋收萬箪食。」 Sì Yuè duì yuē: “Chūn zhǒng yī lì sù, qiū shōu wàn dān shí.” The Four Mountains replied: “Plant one grain of millet in spring, harvest ten thousand in autumn.” 堯曰：「嗟！舜，爾試與處之。」 Yáo yuē: “Ai! Shùn, ěr shì yǔ chǔ zhī.” Yao said: “Alas! Shun, you try and deal with it.” 舜曰：「嘻！予何敢當！」 Shùn yuē: “Xi! Yú hé gǎn dāng!” Shun said: “Haha! How dare I undertake [it]!” Explanation of Characters and Terms: 蒼梧之野 (Cāng Wú zhī yě): This refers to a location, the fields of Cang Wu, which is a place in ancient China. The term "蒼梧" (Cāng Wú) literally means "dark green forest" or "lush forest," indicating a natural, possibly remote setting for this important conversation. 治天下 (zhì tiānxià): This phrase means "to govern the world" or "to manage the affairs of the world," reflecting the scope and responsibility of the emperor's duty. 唯施於民，惟恤乏窮 (Wéi shī yú mín, wéi xù fá qióng): This is a philosophy of governance focusing on providing for the people and caring for the poor and needy. It reflects a core principle of benevolent leadership in Chinese philosophy. 閒暇 (xiánxiá): This term refers to leisure and spare time, indicating concern for the well-being and work-life balance of the people. 春種一粒粟，秋收萬箪食 (Chūn zhǒng yī lì sù, qiū shōu wàn dān shí): This proverb-like statement means "plant one grain of millet in spring, reap ten thousand in autumn." It's an expression of agricultural productivity and prosperity. 舜 (Shùn): Another legendary sage-king, Shun is often paired with Yao as a model of virtue and effective governance. He is known for his humility, wisdom, and dedication to the welfare of the people. This passage illustrates a significant moment where Emperor Yao is testing or considering Shun as a potential successor. The emphasis on agriculture, concern for the people’s welfare, and effective governance reflects the values of ancient Chinese rulership. The conversation between Yao, Shun, and the Four Mountains symbolizes the transfer of wisdom and the search for a capable leader. User What/who is 四嶽? ChatGPT In ancient Chinese texts, including the 史記 (Shǐjì, "Records of the Grand Historian"), the term 四嶽 (Sì Yuè, "Four Mountains" or "Four Peaks") refers to a group of four prominent mountains that were believed to mark the boundaries of China and were of great geographical and spiritual significance. Each of these mountains was associated with a particular direction: north, south, east, and west. In a broader and more symbolic sense, the 四嶽 also represented high-ranking nobles or regional rulers/lords who were in charge of vast territories in ancient China. They played crucial roles in governance and were often regarded as intermediaries between the heavens and the human world, tasked with maintaining order and harmony within their respective domains. In the context of the story of Emperor Yao, the 四嶽 are likely mentioned to symbolize these influential regional leaders who were consulted by the emperor on matters of state and governance. The conversation between Yao and the 四嶽 demonstrates the collaborative nature of ancient Chinese rulership, where the emperor sought wisdom and advice from these powerful and respected figures in order to govern effectively and ensure the welfare of the people. This reflects the importance of collective wisdom and the role of regional authorities in ancient Chinese political thought.

Just finished 骆驼祥子, and...I must confess that it was way better than I expected it to be. One of my favorite aspects of the book is that it contains an afterword, written by Lao She himself, about how he wrote the story. He says that he's personally quite satisfied with it, he put a lot of work into it, and he feels good about showing it to the world, basically. And that really shows. He did a lot of research, even asking a friend to help teach him some phrases in the old Beijing dialect so that he could insert them in the book and make it feel more authentic. And I think that's the most painful part--there was a scattering of places where I just couldn't understand what was being said. A lot of words weren't in the Pleco dictionaries I own, and even when they were, Pleco had them labeled as "dated" or "literary." That's not to say that the book is extremely hard. Lao She's writing is, famously, quite simple and unadorned. But I'd say that the old dialect is prevalent enough to be a bit of an annoying encumbrance. I typically spend 5-7 minutes reading a page of a Chinese book, depending on how difficult it is. This book slowed me down to 8 minutes. One of the most interesting parts of the experience was reading along with WeChat community notes, discovering what native Chinese speakers think about the book. Surprisingly, many of them had trouble understanding parts of the book, too. Just a lot of, "Who was this character again, and what role does he play in the story? I can't remember." Or, "What on earth does this phrase mean?" When I struggle to understand a book as a language learner, I'm very quick to place all the blame on the fact that I'm a non-native reader. But actually, reading can be a challenge for natives, too. People's explanatory comments helped me understand a lot of things and gave me food for thought. Even so, the book was otherwise readable, quite beautiful in its depiction of certain scenes, deep and scholarly, and interesting in its plotline. The main character, Camel Xiangzi, is a rickshaw puller who wants nothing more than to buy himself a new rickshaw (rather than renting one from others), but he never seems to have enough money to do so. He lives in horrible poverty and constantly faces setbacks and disasters. Because of his singular desire to hoard more money and use other people for his own benefit, he plays the role of an unlikeable loser, as though Lao She is saying, "Don't be like this guy." It's a really dark novel that reminds me a little bit of Yu Hua's "To Live," except in that story, I think Fugui becomes way more relatable. But anyway, that's no accident--Lao She deliberately wrote the character that way, and he tells a really engaging story. To sum it up, I'd say that if I were the kind of person to read novels more than once (and I'm not), then I would probably read this one again! It's a rewarding book if you approach it with patience. Now I am moving on to 我曾走在崩溃的边缘 by 余敏洪, which is an autobiographical work about an entrepreneur who started a famous education company in China called "New Oriental." Along with that, I'm reading a very short and fun book, apparently aimed at kids: 汉字就是这么来的 by 孟琢. I am interested in learning the basics of how Chinese characters came to exist.

I saw a post on Reddit saying that HSK 7-9 sample tests have been released here. Looks interesting, maybe not as difficult as I thought it would be.

I was having a look at the vocabulary for different shows and noticed that things like 狂飙 and 隐秘的角落 were relatively lexically easy (the vocabulary wasn't very difficult, even compared to something like 家有儿女). Despite this, I found that I had to work reasonably hard to follow them, and I started to wonder what other metrics could be included for analyzing difficulty, especially of something that includes an audio aspect. So I followed the rabbit hole and analyzed the speaking speed of a bunch of shows and other media to compare. I thought the results were pretty interesting and wanted to share. I found that 狂飙看 (The Knockout) and 谁是被害者 (Victim's Game) were way up at the top, which matched with my experience of finding them hard work to follow compared to other shows. I also calculated language density, which is how much speaking there is in relation to the full length of the audio (why a sitcom is more useful to watch than an action movie is because there is way more speaking). I'd like to include this here too, as well as a breakdown and comparison on vocabulary difficulty and HSK density. As I go I'll update this post. Hopefully it's interesting to others.

Google says it is this - scroll down for text and click link for audio: https://vocaloid.fandom.com/wiki/兔子先生_(Tùzǐ_Xiānshēng) https://www.bilibili.com/video/av2877056/

铁将军把门 tiě jiāngjūn bǎ mén a locked door Just now encountered this in a novel. Fortunately it was a person in the story remembering an event that was described earlier in the book or I would have been so confused. As it was, I almost overlooked the term as I already knew what was happening. I wonder if there is a story behind it, or if it's simply a flowery phrase.

A good Chinese name -- a harmonious-sounding name that fits her personality and doesn't look like a phonetic translation -- is important. Her hosts will mentally identify with her more quickly when they see her name in Chinese, and this is where name cards are useful. But make sure her name is chosen by a well-educated native speaker who is sensitive to language.

More context would help

Call to attention all Chinese language lovers and enthusiasts! The conference held at Harvard University from March 14th to 16th, 2023, is now available as a PDF. Among the PDFs, the most interesting one is "Workshop on Digital Dictionaries - Li Lifeng and The Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters: A Dictionary with Digital DNA". It features a special focus on the semi-automatic creation of dictionary entries from Excel data using Python. Michael from Pleco also touches upon this subject, particularly outlining the history, purpose, and design of the dictionary app and some of the changes in the soon-to-be-released version 4.0. However, the link is currently unavailable. You can access the PDFs here: https://fccs-dci.github.io/tott-projects/day_three/

I am slightly too young and missed the golden age of internet forums (pre-facebook I suppose), but I had always thought reddit was basically a superior improvement of forums. But I see now that the community aspect of forums never really made it to reddit, and I do wish more (active) niche forums like this existed. Thanks for all the work in keeping this place running, and for all the posters on this forum, past and present. btw I still have a "new member" tag on my profile that probably restricts me in some way, hope I can graduate to being a regular member soon

@roddy Thanks for your many years of looking after this Forum so well. Where many floundered. Chinese-forums persisted helping new and old students, and providing an endless source of references and advice. Job well done! Also, many thanks for your inspiring choice of a successor. @mikelove, welcome to your new role, may it all run smoothly and harmoniously!

I just want to say I'm comfortable with a Pleco ad. It's a high-quality app, I (for one) use it basically daily, and is not constantly badgering me for money. I heavily utilize its Chinese-Chinese dictionaries.

I would suggest giving your colleague a briefing on baijiu 白酒。Start with: "It is not white wine regardless of what your translation app says."

Sounds like an intelligent solution! It seems inadequate to just say "thank you for your many years of leadership and service," but I will start with that anyhow. If I feel wordy later, I'll return and do a Ninja edit, adding some lines about how helpful you and Imron were to me personally during the early days of my Chinese journey. I will be forever grateful for your inspiration and guidance. Look forward to getting the benefit of Mike's skills and knowledge in coming months.

SInce I heard all kinds of scary stories about this topic... 'You can't pay with cash anymore, only Alipay or Wechat!' 'Nobody takes cash!' 'When people from my company go to China for business, they have to have a Chinese person with them at all times to pay for things!' I'm in China at the moment and so far virtually everyone has accepted cash. I ask every time to make sure, and occasionally someone is relieved we have the exact amount, but still. Places that have accepted cash include: the sim card counter at the airport, metro service counter (Beijing and Shanghai), train ticket counter at the station, major tourist destinations (Yuyuan Garden, Forbidden City etc), restaurants (tiny, small and medium-sized; low-end and middle-end), coffee places, supermarket, fruit & vegetable shops, souvenir shops, a small shop selling shoes and suitcases, a book stall in Ditan Park, a regular book shop, shops at Liulichang, the kuaidi guy (not all kuaidi companies, I think, but this one did)... I'll edit this post if I think of more. We're paying hotels by credit card and we haven't taken a taxi, so I don't know how those would go. Based on my experience so far I think regular taxis would take cash, I'd just ask first. From the top of my head, there was one (1) restaurant that really needed everything by phone, but when I explained I couldn't, the waiter just ordered for me on his phone and I paid him the cash. The fact that everyone else pays with their phone does make it even more impossible to win the battle for the bill when eating with friends at a restaurant. The friends pay before the bill even gets near the table.

I’ve found that for the most part, people are as friendly, curious (or not) and awkward (or not) as they had been pre-COVID. However, there just seem to be a lot fewer foreigners coming through. I’ve had to wait quite a while at passport/border control when entering at Shenzhen and various airports. More scrutiny than before. I’ve noticed that passport inspectors always ask me where I’ve been in China before, and they are particular about getting accurate answers going back a few years. They are clearly looking at my entry records on the computer screen as they ask about this. But they are always friendly.

Hello everyone, Background: My native language is English, but I've studied Chinese for a while and even passed HSK6. Experienced learners know that there is actually a big gap between HSK6 and professional level fluency, so I want to say I've studied a lot even after passing HSK6. I've read a couple books, spent entire days speaking Chinese, and even sat through 新闻联播 with a tutor for listening practice. Question: I recently went to a play that was entirely in Chinese. I could understand about 80% of what was said, so my comprehension was pretty bad. This made me wonder if it is actually possible for a non-native speaker to reach the listening comprehension necessary to understand all of what is said in unsubtitled movies, comedy shows, plays, song lyrics etc. Does anyone have any stories about this. I have a feeling that part of the reason might actually be that they make a lot of references that I don't understand, which might not be a problem of language but a cultural difference.

I probably got to a decent conversational level almost twenty years ago (though my speaking is still fairly ropey considering) and have largely lived here ever since with a few gaps so really it would be embarrassing if I didn't! I think it's a sort of process of gradual accumulation with breakthroughs, plateau to plateau. I probably also had a few backward steps, for example when I stopped working in an office with Chinese colleagues to work mostly from home. I'm possibly a bit hampered by not having much time or inclination for Chinese audio visual media in any great quantities though I have subtitled films too, so I know I can usually follow things if I want or have to. I work far more often with texts, so I mix everyday chitchat of family and village life with some fairly abstruse topics from art, history and literature that I only read. I do stick the radio on while I work sometimes but tend to prefer quiet.

I will add a few more more thoughts, as I have recieved a couple of PMs. 1. There is no question some of the books vocabulary is outdated (processing and enlarging photos, antenna, cassette, stereos) 2. In book 5 there is much vocabulary one would probably never need if not living in China (bamboo dustpan) and a lot of uncommon vocabulary (Venetian blinds, rubber washer, fluorescent light bulb). 3. The audio is pretty decent, sometimes sounds a bit overly dramatic. Love that it alternates between male and female. 4. Book 5(my favorite) has no excersises of explanations, Just sketches that outline a story and then the text that goes with the sketches. The way I did it was to read the story before class, re-tell it in my own words to my teacher only by looking at the drawings, then she would ask me questions relating the story to my own life. This was may favorite book of the series. 5. Books 1 -4 have translation excersises that I likes. 6. I can't put my finger on it, but I felt like the grammar explanations and exercises in book 1-4 were not hat effective for me. 7. There are workbooks that accompany books 3 and 4 and they were very useful (again pdfs supplied by author). 8. The course has an excellent and comprehensive pronunciation book , not part of book one, but it's own book (maybe one of the best I've seen) 9. The author gives a lot of Language learning and motivational advice. 10. 4. Overall there is a very positive feel to the book, and you get the sense the authors put a lot of personal touch into it.

There's Dong Chinese, MyLingua, and LanguageCrush (and ReadLang which I haven't used). Reddit posts like this and this make it a hard "pass" for me when it comes to LingQ. Edit: Oh yeah, Pleco also has a reader. I haven't tried it though.

Having done all the Hsk 4 and 4+ classes on LTL over the summer, I agree with most of what you say. For most of the summer, there was a great mix of teachers picking up classes, but then around the the end of summer vacation, only two teachers were regularly picking up Hsk 4 classes. Those two teachers happened to be my least favorite, so it became a chore. There were also relatively few students taking classes(maybe more at lower levels?). I don't know what the situation is now. I also second the comment that there are a lot of less frequent words. Their levels are skewed towards the high side as well, ie there was a lot of Hsk 5 type material throughout the Hsk 4 classes. Basically, I am always back and forth on my opinion of the Flexi-classes.

doesn't look like Chinese, the first one to me reads Joker, the second Gole-TKS. Probably tagging nicknames, TKS must be the name of the "crew".

I only met up with people I already knew, didn't try to make any new friends or go out and socialize to be honest. Yeah I've used ubikes before in Taipei and they are super convenient, however Tainan was still very hot so I didn't really feel like biking. Hard to say. My pronunciation including tones is pretty good, at least everyone always understands what I am saying (if all the words are correct). Reading level is also ok, don't have any issues with everyday tasks but still struggle with 金庸 for example. My biggest weaknesses are listening comprehension and speaking, so I focused on those this time. I did manage to do almost everything in Chinese from the very beginning, the biggest improvements were regarding fluency and listening comprehension. In Tainan I was living in a house owned by a friend of a friend who is currently staying in the US. In Taipei I paid 800€ for 15 nights, the location was pretty good though.

I also feel as if all the major and timeless topics have already been answered. When I have a question related to Chinese, I typically google "site:chinese-forums.com [keywords...]" and find lot of infos. Also, now most grammar questions are addressed on one of the million lean Chinese Youtube channels... Here is a short list of things that are most interesting to me currently on this forum: Study goals and plans of other users used as inspiration What are you reading/watching/listening to? Wisdom of the more experienced folks. The last bit is arguably the most valuable and I find it sad that the experienced folks will eventually "move on". What remains of them are some post in the hall of fame of "all time most upvoted posts". It is a bit as if that person died and lots of untapped wisdom died with him/her.

Glossika feels rather unstructured and too random. Theoretically you listen, shadow and absorb the sentence. For many learners, I think another small step is required such as making a smaller subset of sentence patterns that come up and the user having an idea of what sentence patterns they are going pretest. The algorithm will do that for you but quite a lot of people would like to have some idea of patterns that might be tested before they start. It’s divided up into A1 A2 levels etc. but it still feels quite random and wide ranging. As a result, you feel you might not have achieved anything.

Thanks, all. I was quietly confident the move would be welcomed and I'm glad to see I was right, and it's also great to see some old names still here. Can't fight the dictionary-industrial complex, Jim.

This is a good place for people who love different culture and get inspired. The user interface is great.

Your colleague will be taken on lunches and dinners, that's for sure. Chinese business people want to hang out with their business partners. It says so in all the how-to books and it's actually true. Some people like to 'test' foreign guests with weird food; some like to treat them to weird food (I was offered something with foie gras last time. Did not see that coming, in China), but generally, most food will be normal and also extremely tasty. If colleague has any allergies/things she does not eat, let her hosts know as early as seems reasonable. It's most convenient if colleague can eat with chopsticks. Her hosts can probably get her a knife & fork if she needs them, but it's easier if she can just use chopsticks. Colleague should get Wechat beforehand and get a little familiar with it, because everyone will want to add her. Used to be that people were advised to get business cards, because everyone in China was always exchanging business cards, but in my (limited) experience business cards have been completely replaced with Wechat. If your colleague happens to have cards, it won't hurt to bring them along though. Something unexpected will happen: she'll need to give a speech, or have some kind of commitment that suddenly pops up. Best if she can mentally prepare for something to happen and not make plans that can't be moved. Most people won't speak any English, or perhaps only Yes and No. Perhaps the people she is meeting with do speak English, but people outside on the street won't. That's all from me for now. Others will have more advice.

It is the Chinese culture to respect teachers and education. Your students would want to send you gifts if they know how to do. Although I was not one of your students, I would like to buy you a sundae for your contribution to China. You can send me your address privately.

Yeah, it can be a bit of a pain. It's sometimes impossible or a lot of hassle to get things done in an app; even if everything goes well at a museum or so, you still need to first go to some other counter to get your ticket, instead of just swiping in like the Chinese. What bothers me far more than the hassle is that I need to show my passport everywhere in the first place. What earthly business is it of the Summer Palace/Forbidden City/whatever museum who I am, when I was born and where I came from? Can't I just be a tourist, one of many, anonymous? Same for train tickets, actually. I know the Dutch public transport system also makes it unattractive and/or a hassle to travel anonymously, and that bothers me too. But well. I'm touristing moral-less these few weeks. If I let things get to me I won't have a good time.

This isn't my experience so far. I ask if I can pay in cash, I usually get an immediate 'sure', occasionally a short shuffling to find the change, and very rarely (twice so far in three weeks, I think) a pained look and a 'only if you have the exact amount...' Haven't received change in Wechat so far, nor requests to get it that way. (I don't think I could receive it either.) Booking museums is a mixed bag. Didn't manage to book tickets for the Summer Palace, the app didn't accept our names as real names. Fortunately, we could just buy a ticket at the gate and in we went. For the Forbidden City, the official website instructs foreign visitors to send their info to an email address, [email protected]. This actually works and we got in no problem. For the Nanjing Museum, we just turned up, turns out we had to make a reservation, which we could fortunately make on the spot, the app worked with our passport numbers. I asked in which order I should input the names: 姓 first, then 名 or the other way around? Doesn't matter, said the lady at the service counter. Turns out it did matter that I wrote the letters for our passport number in lower case instead of upper case, but she sighed and gave us a ticket anyway after I promised to be more careful next time.

Nice how this thread has picked up. I started up on italki again and picked a community teacher with experience in Cantonese figuring perhaps they could work on my grammar output better. I feel I get things wrong with mandarin output but don’t really know why. I don’t know much about the teachers background except she’s from south east China , has a couple of other dialects including Cantonese and in Australia as a student. Her method is to give me the English sentence and then I have to translate. She has a slide that she displays for the student but I have hardly looked at it preferring my own spontaneous output. I do this deliberately to try and compare my ‘error’ output to the native version. In a subsequent lesson, she asks me the same sentence SRS style and I have to get the output right, or better than before. After a number of lessons, I have started to get the output out of my mouth pretty smoothly. I noticed today for the first time, she pointed out where in a sentence I need to stress certain words better to make the whole sentence sound better. I have a tendency to misuse 的 saying 了 after a verb and have trouble thinking of using 不得不 structure. For self study, I have put the sentences into anki with the voice and set the front card to show English and the back card shows the chinese with voice. The voice repeats about five times and I try to repeat and shadow. In fact, it just occurred to me whether the back card really needs the written chinese. Would having just the voice suffice or be even better? So far, I do feel these lessons have been more enjoyable because I am asked a question and asked to give an answer (and I don’t use prompts). I think other teachers (with books) try to teach a grammar point then get you to do the exercises. If you understand the grammar point, then objective has been achieved without testing if you can use it in real life. I definitely agree with the point that a proper grammar sentence may not be used in real life speech. However, this can be easily worked upon once you know the what and why of the proper grammar almost instantaneously and then work out where 地道中文 expresses it differently.

Had a relevant example this morning. Dropped daughter off at school and popped into the breakfast place in the village on the way home to buy myself some baozi. There was only one other customer as this was already getting past breakfast time, and by way of conversation he asked out of the blue, "天天接送？" which caught me a bit off guard and took a second to process, but then you get it given the situation and I was able to reply, saying it was often her mum does the early school run while I mostly fetch them in the afternoon.