September is gone. In this month’s edition: Chinese public opinion on Mao Zedong & Kim Jong-Un, successful Chinese immersion in Britain, sex education in China, parenting – yes or no, Chinese phonetics master class, lockdown in Chengdu and cycling in Changsha.
What do the Chinese think of Mao Zedong?
A bit of modern Chinese history here: Mao Zedong. What do Chinese people think about the great chairman that founded the PRC? Li Can offers his perspective on the question. I disagree on several points, especially his positive remarks about the “great leap forward” during which millions of people starved to death and which still isn’t discussed openly. His conclusion that Mao laid the foundations for future prosperity suggests that all the pain and suffering somehow weren’t in vain, but eventually led to a brighter future. I guess it’s uncomfortable to admit the opposite, namely that under Mao much of China’s prosperity was destroyed and its economical rise was delayed. Anyway, this is HSK 5 / 6 stuff.
毛泽东
Máo Zédōng
Mao Zedong
文革
wéngé
cultural revolution
遭到了迫害
zāo dàole pòhài
(citizens) were persecuted
社会停滞不前
shèhuì tíngzhì bù qián
society was stagnating
七分功三分过
qī fēn gōng sān fēnguò
the statement by Deng Xiaoping about Mao that his legacy was 70 percent good (七分功), 30 percent bad (三分过)
独裁者
dúcái zhě
dictator
腊肉
làròu
bacon
平息
píngxí
to calm things down
掩盖
yǎngài
to cover (something up)
残酷
cánkù
cruel
搞工业化
gǎo gōngyèhuà
engage in industrialization
农业国
nóngyè guó
agricultural country
工业国
gōngyè guó
industrial country
造原子弹
zào yuánzǐdàn
build the atomic bomb
What The Chinese Think Of Kim Jong Un | ASIAN BOSS
A pre-covid street interview in Shanghai from Asian Boss. The question: what do Chinese people think about Kim Jong-Un? North Korea is an outcast in the international community. If I were to make a list of the worst autocratic governments on this planet, North Korea would probably be number one. As far as I’m concerned it’s hell on earth. But what do Chinese people think about the current leader, what do they know about him? After all, Kim is their neighbor and he’s depending heavily on their help. The interview takes place after Kim’s first official visit to China in 2018.
金正恩
Jīnzhèng’ēn
Kim Jong Un
朝鲜
Cháoxiǎn
North Korea
他想得到我们的帮助
tā xiǎngdédào wǒmen de bāngzhù
He wants our help
领导人
lǐngdǎo rén
leader
有能力的人
yǒu nénglì de rén
capable man
负面印象
fùmiàn yìnxiàng
negative impression
援助朝鲜
yuánzhù cháoxiǎn
aid North Korea
叛逃者
pàntáo zhě
defector
我们不缺少一个这样的朋友
wǒmen bù quēshǎo yīgè zhèyàng de péngyǒu
we don’t lack a friend like that
Chinese Podcast #10: British Guy Wins a Chinese Girl’s Heart with Perfect Chinese
The first time I listen to the “Dashu” (the Chinese word for uncle) podcast. In this episode, they interview the British medical student Will who learned Chinese during lockdown and has reached a near-native level like we saw before (Chinese vocabulary notes # 10). He tells us more about his Chinese language journey and why he decided to study medicine. 55 Minutes of relaxed conversation, with Chinese subtitles.
母语者
Mǔyǔ zhě
native speaker
口音
kǒuyīn
accent
脏话
zānghuà
bad language
学医
xué yī
study medicine
医学
yīxué
medicine
Does China have sex education?
Eileen, Kirk and Da Er, discuss Chinese thinking about sex and sex education. Are sex and sexual development a taboo in Chinese society? And what about all these sex shops in Chinese cities that sell their goods quite openly. Great topic and discussion by Mandarin Corner.
性教育
xìng jiàoyù
sex education
生物课
shēngwù kè
biology class
性关系
xìng guānxì
sexual relationship(s)
月经
yuèjīng
menstruation / period
生理期
shēnglǐ qī
menstruation / period
我有一个很深刻的印象
wǒ yǒu yīgè hěn shēnkè de yìnxiàng
I have a very deep impression
性器官
xìngqìguān
sexual organ
耻辱
chǐrǔ
shame / to feel ashamed
羞辱
xiūrù
humiliation / to feel humiliated
对女生有好感
duì nǚshēng yǒu hǎogǎn
to be fond of girls
暗恋男生
ànliàn nánshēng
to have a crush on a boy
讲黄段子
jiǎng huáng duànzi
to tell dirty jokes
Why a month of parenting has taught me I don’t want kids (at the moment)!
Do you want children? It seems Ella found the answer by taking care of a little boy for one month. I think it’s a good thing to reflect this kind of fundamental questions early on. You can’t plan everything, but at least you can try to make conscious decisions in favor or against something. And it’s even better when you’ve experienced what it’s like to take care of little children firsthand.
要不要做父母
yào bùyào zuò fùmǔ
to be parents
感悟的变化
gǎnwù de biànhuà
change in perception
片面
piànmiàn
one-sided
极端
jíduān
extreme
不吵不闹
bù chǎo bù nào
meaning a baby or toddler that doesn’t make noise or annoy you from time to time
又苦又累
yòu kǔ yòu lèi
bitter and tired
让人恐育
ràng rén kǒng yù
make people afraid of raising children
自由时间缩小了
zìyóu shíjiān suōxiǎole
Free time shrinks
我们的生活方式会发生很大的变化
wǒmen de shēnghuó fāngshì huì fāshēng hěn dà de biànhuà
Our way of life will change a lot
经济能力
jīngjì nénglì
Financial ability
Laoma Chris’s PERFECT Chinese Learning Secrets | How to Pass HSK 5 in 1 Year
Chris Ma reached a state of fluency in merely one year’s time, taking Chinese classes during his gap year in Beijing, but – according to his Chinese teachers – he kept messing up the tones, intonation and pronunciation in general. In this interview, he shares his Chinese learning experience, which methods and strategies allowed him to truly progress and how he elevated his pronunciation to his current level. Highly interesting and completely subtitled.
偶然的机会
Ǒurán de jīhuì
accidental opportunity
按理说
ànlǐ shuō
in theory, theoretically
突飞猛进
tūfēiměngjìn
to advance by leaps and bounds
其他的外语突飞猛进
qítā de wàiyǔ tūfēiměngjìn
other foreign languages advance by leaps and bounds
俚语
lǐyǔ
slang
沉浸式
chénjìn shì
immersive
班课
bān kè
group class
日常的交流
rìcháng de jiāoliú
daily communication
北京的口音
běijīng de kǒuyīn
Beijing accent
示范
shìfàn
to demonstrate
收了打击
shōule dǎjí
to receive a blow (to be shocked by something)
不知道问题存在
bù zhīdào wèntí cúnzài
didn’t know the problem existed
没有意识到
méiyǒu yìshí dào
didn’t realize something
纠正发音
jiūzhèng fāyīn
to correct his pronunciation
绕口令
ràokǒulìng
tongue twisters
掩盖掉我说不准
yǎngài diào wǒ shuō bu zhǔn
to cover up (his) non-standard pronunciation
退步了
tuìbùle
to regress (instead of making progress)
综合的学习
zònghé de xuéxí
integrated (comprehensive, all-round) learning
语音学
yǔyīn xué
phonetics
口腔肌肉
kǒuqiāng jīròu
oral muscles
18 days – lockdown in Chengdu
Peng shares his experience on the 18th day of self-isolating in his apartment in Chengdu. Hope he’s doing better now and this madness soon be over for good.
隔离在家
gélí zàijiā
quarantine at home
各种消息满天飞
gè zhǒng xiāoxī mǎntiānfēi
All kinds of news “are flying around”
采取措施
cǎiqǔ cuòshī
to take measures
严格控制
yángé kòngzhì
strict control
缺货
quē huò
out of stock
志愿者
zhìyuànzhě
volunteers
谣言
yáoyán
rumor (that there will be a lockdown)
辟谣
pìyáo
refute the rumor
Daily Chinese Expression 179「 骨子里 」
Da Peng explains the meaning and use of 骨子里. Really great listening material.
骨子里是中国人
Gǔzilǐ shì zhōngguó rén
Chinese at heart
用来比喻
yòng lái bǐyù
used as a metaphor
在一个人的内心里
zài yīgè rén de nèixīn lǐ
in one’s heart
无法改变的东西
wúfǎ gǎibiàn de dōngxī
something that cannot be changed
意思就是说
yìsi jiùshì shuō
means to say, in other words
Cycling in Changsha
Last but not least, a little cycling tour with Shenglan in Changsha. I used to love biking in Chinese cities, always an adventure and lots of scenery to take in.
骑行的路线
Qí xíng de lùxiàn
cycling route
重复的画面
chóngfù de huàmiàn
repetitive scenery
我惟一的运动
wǒ wéiyī de yùndòng
my only sport
懒得出门
lǎndé chūmén
too lazy to go out
宅男
zháinán
couch potato (male)
宅女
zháinǚ
couch potato (female)
夜宵摊
yèxiāo tān
night snack market stall
吃夜宵
chī yèxiāo
to eat snacks from a night market
That’s it for September. Thanks for dropping by and hope to see you back next month with more Chinese content!