Chinese vocabulary notes (June 2024)

In this edition: understanding parasocial interaction with Laolei and Afu, exclusive interview with famous Buddhist teacher Agya Hotogtu, discovering China’s most populous city Chongqing and insider tips on how to survive Chinese summer.

阿福离婚了?(拟社会人际互动有点可怕)

German YouTuber Lao Lei comments on recent rumors about fellow-German vlogger Afu’s personal life and explains a thing or two about 拟社会人际互动 or parasocial interaction. This is the term for the kind of virtual interaction we have with 网络红人 (internet celebrities) we follow on social media but typically don’t know in real life. Although we feel we know them, we don’t, let alone that they know us, even if we we couldn’t be more familiar with someone. I think Lao Lei makes this point very well, also calling into question the misplaced entitlement people sometimes feel when commenting (八卦) popular creators’ private affairs.

Difficulty level: HSK 5

在我看来整个这件事情其实挺简单的Zài wǒ kàn lái zhěnggè zhè jiàn shìqíng qíshí tǐng jiǎndān deIn my opinion, the whole thing is actually quite simple
应该只是网络红人在那儿刷流量Yīnggāi zhǐshì wǎngluò hóngrén zài nà’er shuā liúliàngIt is probably just internet celebrities boosting traffic there
我觉得目前为止没有什么好讲的Wǒ juéde mùqián wéizhǐ méiyǒu shénme hǎo jiǎng deI think there’s nothing worth talking about so far
可以借用这个机会去讲一个跟我们所有人有关的话题Kěyǐ jièyòng zhège jīhuì qù jiǎng yīgè gēn wǒmen suǒyǒu rén yǒuguān de huàtíWe can take this opportunity to discuss a topic that concerns all of us
拟社会人际互动Nǐ shèhuì rénjì hùdòngParasocial interactions (Parasocial interaction (PSI) refers to a kind of psychological relationship experienced by an audience in their mediated encounters with performers in the mass media, particularly on television and on online platforms. (Wikipedia))
我自己傻猜的Wǒ zìjǐ shǎ cāi deI guessed it myself
任何一个人都应该有隐私权Rènhé yīgè rén dōu yīnggāi yǒu yǐnsī quánEveryone should have the right to privacy
很多人觉得自己有管理去挖他们所谓的真相很多人觉得自己有管理去挖他们所谓的真相Many people think they have the authority to dig up what they call the truth
你应该有一种职业道德Nǐ yīnggāi yǒu yī zhǒng zhíyè dàodéYou should have a sense of professional ethics
你不要参与这种低级八卦Nǐ bùyào cānyù zhè zhǒng dījí bāguàYou shouldn’t participate in this kind of low-level gossip

消失了一个月,我去干嘛了

And speaking of German Chinese-speaking vlogger Afu Thomas, why not listen to what he has to say about the matter. In this video, Afu explains what he has been up to lately and in particular goes into why he has been so silent in the recent period. His quest for self-improvement never stops, as his recent ice bathing adventure serves to illustrate. His biggest achievement: he’s commenting on his personal life without becoming personal. I don’t think he’s obliged to comment, however, it’s obvious he also isn’t free NOT to comment, so I guess he has to share something which he did in this somewhat uncomfortable, pseudo-personal statement.

Difficulty level: HSK 4

今天我来回复一下大家的问题Jīntiān wǒ lái huífù yīxià dàjiā de wèntíToday I will answer everyone’s questions.
他们会传达给我社交媒体的评论Tāmen huì chuándá gěi wǒ shèjiāo méitǐ de pínglùnThey will convey to me the comments on social media.
而且我发现这些评论确实比较诚恳Érqiě wǒ fāxiàn zhèxiē pínglùn quèshí bǐjiào chéngkěnMoreover, I found that these comments are indeed quite sincere.
我最近个人生活发生的一些变化…Wǒ zuìjìn gèrén shēnghuó fāshēng de yīxiē biànhuàThe changes that have occurred in my personal life recently.
这些视频都是存货,之前拍的Zhèxiē shìpín dōu shì cúnhuò, zhīqián pāi deThese videos are all stock, taken earlier.
我这段时间当然很郁闷Wǒ zhè duàn shíjiān dāngrán hěn yùmènI have certainly been very depressed during this period.
继续创新,继续学习Jìxù chuàngxīn, jìxù xuéxíContinue to innovate, continue to learn.
无论我遇到多少困难或者难题,我还是坚持每天变成一个更好的人Wúlùn wǒ yùdào duōshǎo kùnnán huòzhě nántí, wǒ háishì jiānchí měitiān biàn chéng yī gè gèng hǎo de rénNo matter how many difficulties or problems I encounter, I still insist on becoming a better person every day.
再也不逃避Zài yě bù táobìNo more running away.
训练营XùnliànyíngTraining camp
挑战我身体和心理极限Tiǎozhàn wǒ shēntǐ hé xīnlǐ jíxiànChallenge my physical and mental limits

阿嘉活佛专访(上):我见证了班禅转世灵童抽签造假|局面20240518

Chinese journalist in exile 王志安 held a big interview with Agya Hotogtu, one of the most prominent Buddhist teachers and lamas outside of Tibet. In this first part of the interview, Agya Hotogtu, who resides in the United States, speaks about his youth and experiences in China.

What moved me the most was that the Master talked about very painful things, but he spoke calmly, without any grievances, let alone any hatred. He is really a great monk with high moral character, worthy of respect.

YouTube comment

Difficulty level: HSK 5

你要还俗啊Nǐ yào huánsú aYou have to return to secular life
还俗种地Huánsú zhòng dìReturn to secular life and farm
班禅大师Bānchán dàshīPanchen Lama
半天你可以到寺庙里去念经Bàn tiān nǐ kěyǐ dào sìmiào lǐ qù niànjīngFor half a day, you can go to the temple to chant sutras
老的僧人已经进了监狱了Lǎo de sēngrén yǐjīng jìnle jiānyù leThe old monks have already been sent to prison
后来就慢慢变成了合作社Hòulái jiù mànmàn biàn chéngle hézuòshèLater, it gradually turned into a cooperative
你不相信就要强行来取强行措施Nǐ bù xiāngxìn jiù yào qiángxíng lái qǔ qiángxíng cuòshīIf you don’t believe it, they will take forcible measures
人家拿起枪来抗议Rénjiā ná qǐ qiāng lái kàngyìPeople took up arms to protest
叛乱的开始Pànluàn de kāishǐ
The beginning of the rebellion
平叛Píng pànSuppress the rebellion
开始批判这个班禅大师了Kāishǐ pīpàn zhège Bānchán dàshī leThey started to criticize the Panchen Lama
按照藏传佛教的习俗Ànzhào Zàngchuán Fójiào de xísúAccording to the customs of Tibetan Buddhism

I visited the insane “8D” megacity! Chongqing, China’s most populous city

Did you ever visit China’s “8D magic city” Chongqing? I didn’t but after seeing this video I added it to my list. The city is built on multiple levels across a mountainous terrain, leading to a fascinating and sometimes confusing cityscape. In one of her final China adventures, Ella explores Chongqing and eats Chongqing hotpot (“真的是我最后一次吃重庆火锅”) which is known for its numbing and spicy flavors, achieved by using “generous amounts” of Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers.

Difficulty level: HSK 5

重庆是一个8D魔幻山城Chóngqìng shì yī gè bā D móhuàn shānchéngChongqing is an 8D magical mountain city
我本人是有点难以想象的到底什么是8DWǒ běnrén shì yǒudiǎn nányǐ xiǎngxiàng de dàodǐ shénme shì bā DI personally find it a bit hard to imagine what exactly 8D is
不仅魔幻它还很便利Bùjǐn móhuàn tā hái hěn biànlìNot only magical, but it’s also very convenient
重庆火锅刷新了我对火锅的认识Chóngqìng huǒguō shuāxīnle wǒ duì huǒguō de rènshíChongqing hotpot has changed my perception of hotpot
真的是我最后一次吃重庆火锅Zhēn de shì wǒ zuìhòu yī cì chī Chóngqìng huǒguōThis is truly the last time I eat Chongqing hotpot
各种各样的混合的群体Gè zhǒng gè yàng de hùnhé de qúntǐVarious mixed groups
就是一个让你很有新鲜感的地方Jiùshì yī gè ràng nǐ hěn yǒu xīnxiāngǎn de dìfāngIt’s a place that makes you feel very fresh
去认识一个城市跟认识一个人一样Qù rènshí yī gè chéngshì gēn rènshí yī gè rén yīyàngGetting to know a city is like getting to know a person
你见它之前只是别人怎么描述它的Nǐ jiàn tā zhīqián zhǐ shì biérén zěnme miáoshù tā deBefore you see it, it’s just how others describe it to you

How to survive summer in China?|Intermediate Chinese Listening Practice

Shenglan explains how she endures (熬过) Chinese summer temperatures in her 10 m2 apartment in Changsha, using both airco and fan. Lots of useful vocabulary to gain from this ten minutes video that goes beyond just talking about the weather and dives into the energy consumption of cheap air-conditioners (空调).

Difficulty level: HSK 4

在中国怎么样熬过夏天Zài zhōngguó zěnme yàng áo guò xiàtiānHow to endure summer in China
我住在一个非常小的公寓里面Wǒ zhù zài yī gè fēicháng xiǎo de gōngyù lǐmiànI live in a very small apartment
这个公寓应该只有十多平米Zhège gōngyù yīnggāi zhǐ yǒu shí duō píngmǐThis apartment is probably only a little over ten square meter
它面积非常小Tā miànjī fēicháng xiǎoIts area is very small
在中国空调的普及率是挺高的Zài zhōngguó kōngtiáo de pǔjí lǜ shì tǐng gāo deThe popularity rate of air conditioners in China is quite high
一般人的家里都会安装一个空调Yībān rén de jiālǐ dūhuì ānzhuāng yī gè kōngtiáoMost people have an air conditioner installed in their homes
经常用空调费电Jīngcháng yòng kōngtiáo fèi diànUsing the air conditioner often consumes a lot of electricity
房东为了省钱通常会买特别便宜的空调Fángdōng wèile shěng qián tōngcháng huì mǎi tèbié piányí de kōngtiáoLandlords often buy very cheap air conditioners to save money
我们常见的是那种单独的壁挂式空调Wǒmen chángjiàn de shì nà zhǒng dāndú de bìguà shì kōngtiáoWhat we often see is that type of individual wall-mounted air conditioner
被房东准备的空调能耗等级特别高Bèi fángdōng zhǔnbèi de kōngtiáo nénghào děngjí tèbié gāoThe air conditioners provided by the landlord have particularly high energy consumption ratings
一开始我租房的时候,我完全不会考虑到电器是几级能耗Yī kāishǐ wǒ zūfáng de shíhòu, wǒ wánquán bù huì kǎolǜ dào diànqì shì jǐ jí nénghàoWhen I first rented the apartment, I never considered the energy efficiency rating of the appliances

That’s it for this edition. Hope you enjoyed it. I’ll be back with more content soon!

Graded Chinese readers

Graded Chinese Reader 500 Words: Selected Abridged Chinese Contemporary Mini-stories
Graded Chinese Reader 1000 Words: Selected Abridged Chinese Contemporary Short Stories
The Rise of the Monkey King: A Story in Simplified Chinese and Pinyin 600 Word Vocabulary Level
The Sixty Year Dream: Mandarin Companion Graded Readers Level 1 (Chinese Edition)
The Dwarfs 小矮人 Xiǎo ǎi rén (HSK3+Reading): Chinese HSK Graded Reader
The Prince and the Pauper: Mandarin Companion Graded Readers Level 1,
Chinese Breeze Graded Reader Series Level 1(300-Word Level): Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!
Graded Chinese Reader 3000 Words: Selected Abridged Chinese Contemporary Short Stories

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