Gaming crackdown, war in Ukraine, badminton, Xi dada, freelance life in China and more. The good news: spring has finally arrived!
What the Chinese Think of the Gaming Crackdown in China | Street Interview
When I went to school (back in say 2007) I had a few friends who were heavily addicted to online gaming. It was beyond doubt that their school results and social life suffered from it. How their parents dealt with this behavior or how effective their countermeasures were, I can’t remember, but the thought that the government would step in to limit gaming time or prohibit certain online games would not only have been inconceivable to us, but also outrageous.
This is exactly what the Chinese government did however, to combat online gaming addiction among minors. Asian Boss writes in its video introduction: “China is the largest video game market in the world and its ongoing freeze on video game licenses is said to have shut down over 14,000 gaming-related companies.” In other words, a surprising step for China to take against its own booming gaming industry. The video reveals what Chinese people in Shanghai think about this government policy.
| 玩游戏 / 打游戏 | Wán yóuxì / dǎ yóuxì | play games |
| 自控能力 | zìkòng nénglì | self-control ability |
| 培养下一代 | péiyǎng xià yīdài | raise the next generation |
| 上瘾 | shàngyǐn | addicted |
| 网瘾 | wǎngyǐn | internet addiction |
| 国家政策 | guójiā zhèngcè | national policy |
| 限制游戏时间 | xiànzhì yóuxì | limit game time |
| 刷抖音 | shuā dǒuyīn | to “swipe” Douyin |
| 负面的效果 | fùmiàn de xiàoguǒ | negative effect |
My thoughts: Especially the elder generation seems to approve government interference in this matter. The children’s parents might suffer from smartphone addiction themselves and might not be in the position to credibly correct their children’s behavior. They do perceive the problem though and might even welcome the support of the government, because they can’t do it themselves. China might be the first to drastically address this phenomenon, but they won’t be the last country to do so (if the measures prove effective).
What Do the Chinese Think of Russia? | Street Interview
Another great and important video about what Chinese people in Shanghai have to say about the war in Ukraine. Some commenters note a number of more serious translation issues that blur the meaning of the actual statements. Irony: The old man doesn’t like the USA and expresses sympathy for Putin, but wears an American cap. As to be expected lots of relevant political vocabulary here:
| 入侵 | rùqīn | Invasion |
| 主权国家 | zhǔquán guójiā | Sovereign state |
| 乌克兰 | wūkèlán | Ukraine |
| 官方媒体 | guānfāng méitǐ | official media |
| 干涉 | gānshè | to interfere |
| 没有权利干涉 | méiyǒu quánlì gānshè | no right to interfere |
| 表示痛心 | biǎoshì tòngxīn | express sadness |
| 加入北约 | jiārù běiyuē | join NATO |
| 盟友 | méngyǒu | ally |
| 谈判 | tánpàn | to negotiate |
| 中立的立场 | zhōnglì de lìchǎng | neutral position |
| 共同体 | gòngtóngtǐ | community |
| 国家的领导人 | Guójiā de lǐngdǎo rén | the leader(s) of a country |
| 保护领土安全 | bǎohù lǐngtǔ ānquán | protect territorial security |
| 捍卫国家和民族 | hànwèi guójiā hé mínzú | defend country and people |
| 独裁 | dúcái | autocratic |
| 世界大战 | shìjiè dàzhàn | world war |
| 核弹 | hédàn | nuclear weapons |
YoYo Chinese: 杨哥 The Badminton Master
This is a short clip from the YoYo Chinese YouTube channel about badminton, high quality content for Chinese learners as usual. The video contains authentic Beijing dialect from a amateur badminton player and includes explanations.
| 融洽 | róngqià | harmony, harmonious |
| 团体 | tuántǐ | group |
| 团体活动 | tuántǐ huódòng | group activity |
| 羽毛球 | yǔmáoqiú | badminton |
| 不分年龄的运动 | bù fēn niánlíng de yùndòng | a sport for all ages |
| 一个关系融洽的地方 | yīgè guānxì róngqià dì dìfāng | a place where relations are harmonious / on good terms |
【The New Taiwanese】Ep.3 Being Mixed Race and Dark Skinned in Taiwan 台灣混血兒皮膚黑的優缺點
In this episode of “The New Taiwanese”, Justin shares his experience as a person of mixed race in Taiwan. He has Philippine roots and speaks Mandarin fluently. The host asks about his experience of having a darker skin color in Taiwanese society. Highly interesting conversation and lots of new insights.
| 混血儿 | hùnxiě’er | “person of mixed race” |
| 搭讪 | dāshàn | strike up a conversation |
| 小鲜肉 | xiǎo xiān ròu | “young fresh meat” |
| 结结巴巴 | jié jiē bābā | to stutter |
| 困扰 | kùnrǎo | troubled |
| 代沟 | dàigōu | generation gap |
| 肤色 | fūsè | skin color |
| 面孔 | miànkǒng | face |
What do the Chinese Think of Xi Jinping?
Disclaimer: Teacher Li Can doesn’t answer the question, instead he shares his personal views about the Chairman. I might be wrong, but it seems to me that his opinions do reflect what “the majority” or a large portion of Chinese citizens think about their current leader – except for the historical comparisons he draws. On the other hand, we simply don’t know “what the Chinese think”. To me that is a reassuring thought.
| 政治体制 | zhèngzhì tǐzhì | political system |
| 个人魅力 | gèrén mèilì | personal charisma |
| 口才 | kǒucái | eloquence |
| 内敛含蓄 | nèiliǎn hánxù | introverted and reserved |
| 主席 | zhǔxí | chairman |
| 指手画脚 | zhǐshǒuhuàjiǎo | finger pointing |
| 敢说敢为的人 | gǎn shuō gǎn wéi de rén | somebody who dares to speak |
| 隐没 | yǐnmò | disappear |
Teacher Li uses plenty of difficult words, but I managed to filter out most of the key vocabulary. The occasional chengyu he throws in don’t make for easy listening.
| 执政能力 | zhízhèng nénglì | governing ability |
| 仁者见仁智者见智 | rénzhějiànrén zhìzhě jiàn zhì | the benevolent see benevolence, the wise see wisdom |
| 修养生息 | xiūyǎng shēngxī | recuperate |
| 恢复元气 | huīfù yuánqì | rejuvenate |
| 尖锐 | jiānruì | sharp |
| 反腐堕落 | fǎnfǔ duòluò | anti-corruption |
| 官员的力量 | guānyuán de lìliàng | power of officials |
| 繁荣兴盛 | fánróng xīngshèng | prosperous |
| 脱贫 | tuōpín | get rid of poverty |
Daily Chinese Expression #168「摆设 | 摆设很好看，但却没什么用。」 Speak Chinese with Da Peng 大鹏说中文
A short podcast by Da Peng, one of the most productive and original content creators for Chinese learners. I don’t know much about him, but I reckon he’s a good teacher, judging from how smoothly he introduces vocabulary in his videos. The element of repetition also is useful. And I learned a new word to call people who aren’t of much value in a team situation.
| 摆设 | bǎishè | decorations |
| 装饰品 | zhuāngshì pǐn | decoration |
| 雕塑 | diāosù | sculpture |
| 存在感 | cúnzài gǎn | presence |
| 贡献 | gòngxiàn | contribute, contribution |
| 比喻意义 | bǐyù yìyì | figurative meaning |
| 用来比喻人 | yòng lái bǐyù rén | use a metaphor to describe a person |
| 轻视 | qīngshì | to contempt |
| 真正的实力 | zhēnzhèng de shílì | true strength |
| 点缀的作用 | diǎnzhuì de zuòyòng | decorative function |
Intermediate Chinese Listening Practice｜freelance, work in café, Chinese vlog
I only recently discovered Shenglan’s YouTube channel. She is – among other things – a freelance Chinese teacher with her own podcast and video content for Chinese learners. In this vlog, she gives an impression of a normal working day, blogging at the local Starbucks. Big plus: she speaks slowly and clearly and highlights key vocabulary in her video.
| 充电线 | Chōngdiàn xiàn | charging cable |
| 充电头 | chōngdiàn tóu | charger |
| 自由职业者 | zìyóu zhíyè zhě | freelancer |
| 博客 | bókè | blog |
| 干扰 | gānrǎo | interference |
| 传到YouTube上 | chuán dào YouTube shàng | upload to youtube |
| 一份工作 | yī fèn gōngzuò | a job |
| 维持开支 | wéichí kāizhī | to make ends meet |
| 星巴克 | xīngbākè | Starbucks |
| 自律 | zìlǜ | self-discipline |
| 排斥 | páichì | to reject (here: not wanting to do sth.) |
| 有意义的事 | yǒu yìyì de shì | a thing that means something |
| 克服自己的懒惰 | kèfú zìjǐ de lǎnduò | overcome your laziness |
That’s it for this month, folks. See you in the next!