lundi 31 mars 2014

34 - 何必怒火中烧 - hébì nù huǒ zhōng shāo - Is anger necessary ?

This is a beautiful card I saw today online.
More info on their website : http://www.meditation.hk/en/


何必怒火中烧
 hébì nù huǒ zhōng shāo
Is anger necessary ?




Components:

何必
hébì  
there is no need; why


怒火中烧 
nùhuǒzhōngshāo
Very angry; indignant.; seethe

dimanche 30 mars 2014

33 - 眼镜 - yǎn jìng - glasses

眼镜 
yǎn jìng
· spectacles
· eyeglasses

Components :



yǎn
· eye

镜 
jìng
· mirror

samedi 29 mars 2014

32 - 孙悟空 - Sūn Wù kōng - Monkey King

孙悟空 
Sūn Wù kōng
· Monkey King
· Sun Wukong (name of a monkey with supernatural powers in the novel Journey to the West  西遊記 | 西游记)


Components:



Sūn
· grandson
· descendant
· surname Sun
==> Family name of Sun because in the past people called monkeys as Sun.




· comprehend
==> Here it means he knows emptiness.


 kōng
· air
· sky
· empty
· free time
· in vain
==> Studying the Buddhist teachings, he has reached some understanding of 'Emptiness'.

vendredi 28 mars 2014

31 - 祝福 - zhù fú - wish well

A good friend left the office today. So I thought it would be nice to study this song today !

祝福
zhù fú

· blessings
· wish well

朋友 我永远祝福你
péng yǒu wǒ yǒng yuǎn zhù fú nǐ
My friend I will always remember you.




Now check the video below and practice :-D

 



祝福
zhù fú

朋友 我永远祝福你
朋友 我永远祝福你
啊..
朋友 我永远祝福你
不要问 不要说
一切尽在不言中
这一刻 偎著烛光
让我们静静的渡过
莫挥手 莫回头
当我唱起这首歌
怕只怕 泪水轻轻的滑落
愿心中 永远留著我的笑容
伴你走过每一个春夏秋冬
几许愁 几许忧
人生难免苦与痛
失去过
才能真正懂得去珍惜和拥有
情难舍 人难留
今朝一别各西东
冷和热 点点滴滴在心头
愿心中 永远留著我的笑容
伴你走过每一个春夏秋冬
伤离别 离别虽然在眼前
说再见 再见不会太遥远
若有缘 有缘就能期待明天
你和我 重逢在灿烂的季节
伤离别 离别虽然在眼前
说再见 再见不会太遥远
若有缘 有缘就能期待明天
你和我 重逢在灿烂的季节
伤离别 离别虽然在眼前
说再见 再见不会太遥远
伤离别 离别虽然在眼前
说再见 再见不会太遥远
若有缘 有缘就能期待明天
你和我 重逢在灿烂的季节
不要问 不要说
一切尽在不言中
这一刻 偎著烛光
让我们静静的渡过
莫挥手 莫回头
当我唱起这首歌
愿心中 留著笑容
伴你渡过每个春夏秋冬
péng yǒu wǒ yǒng yuǎn zhù fú nǐ
péng yǒu wǒ yǒng yuǎn zhù fú nǐ
ā ..
péng yǒu wǒ yǒng yuǎn zhù fú nǐ
bù yào wèn bù yào shuō
yī qiē jìn zài bù yán zhōng
zhè yī kè wēi zhù zhú guāng
ràng wǒ mén jìng jìng de dù guò
mò huī shǒu mò huí tóu
dāng wǒ chàng qǐ zhè shǒu gē
pà zhī pà lèi shuǐ qīng qīng de huá luò
yuàn xīn zhōng yǒng yuǎn liú zhù wǒ de xiào róng
bàn nǐ zǒu guò měi yī gè chūn xià qiū dōng
jǐ xǔ chóu jǐ xǔ yōu
rén shēng nán miǎn kǔ yǔ tòng
shī qù guò
cái néng zhēn zhèng dǒng dé qù zhēn xī hé yōng yǒu
qíng nán shě rén nán liú
jīn cháo yī bié gè xī dōng
lěng hé rè diǎn diǎn dī dī zài xīn tóu
yuàn xīn zhōng yǒng yuǎn liú zhù wǒ de xiào róng
bàn nǐ zǒu guò měi yī gè chūn xià qiū dōng
shāng lí bié lí bié suī rán zài yǎn qián
shuō zài jiàn zài jiàn bù huì tai yáo yuǎn
ruò yǒu yuán yǒu yuán jiù néng qī dài míng tiān
nǐ hé wǒ zhòng féng zài càn làn de jì jié
shāng lí bié lí bié suī rán zài yǎn qián
shuō zài jiàn zài jiàn bù huì tai yáo yuǎn
ruò yǒu yuán yǒu yuán jiù néng qī dài míng tiān
nǐ hé wǒ zhòng féng zài càn làn de jì jié
shāng lí bié lí bié suī rán zài yǎn qián
shuō zài jiàn zài jiàn bù huì tai yáo yuǎn
shāng lí bié lí bié suī rán zài yǎn qián
shuō zài jiàn zài jiàn bù huì tai yáo yuǎn
ruò yǒu yuán yǒu yuán jiù néng qī dài míng tiān
nǐ hé wǒ zhòng féng zài càn làn de jì jié
bù yào wèn bù yào shuō
yī qiē jìn zài bù yán zhōng
zhè yī kè wēi zhù zhú guāng
ràng wǒ mén jìng jìng de dù guò
mò huī shǒu mò huí tóu
dāng wǒ chàng qǐ zhè shǒu gē
yuàn xīn zhōng liú zhù xiào róng
bàn nǐ dù guò měi gè chūn xià qiū dōng



English translation coming directly from : http://jephtony.tripod.com/Class98/zhufutrans.html

     Zhu Fu
        Sung by Jackie Cheung

 My friends, I will always remember you
 My friends, I will always remember you  Please don`t ask
 Please don`t speak
 You can understand what I`m feeling in my heart even if I don`t say a word
 At this time, let us light this candle, and be silently and happily enjoy our last night together
 Don`t wave goodbye
 Don`t think about our past
 Just let me sing this song
 I`m afraid my tears will silently start to fall
 But in your heart
 I`ll forever leave my smile
And it will always be with you during Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
Even though I`m sad we are parting
Even though I will miss you
This pain and hurt is inevitable in life
After we part
Is when you will realize if took me for granted
It`s hard to control my feelings, but I can`t stop you from leaving
After we part today, we`ll be separated by different worlds
But even in sadness or happiness
It will always remind me of our memories, and we`ll remember them always
So in your heart you always have my smile with you during Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter.
Chorus:
It is sad, the time for parting is right before our eyes
It won`t be long until we have to say goodbye
But there is a chance that we will all be together again
If you and I meet again it will be the most wonderous thing
It is sad, the time for parting is right before our eyes
It won`t be long until we have to say goodbye
But there is a chance that we`ll all be together again
If you and I meet again it will be the most wonderous thing
It is sad, the time for parting is right before our eyes
It won`t be long until we have to say goodbye
It is sad, the time for parting is right before our eyes
It won`t be long until we have to say goodbye
But there is a chance that we`ll all be together again
If you and I meet again it will be the most wonderous thing
Please don`task
Please don`t speak
You can understand what I`m feeling in my heart even if I don`t say a word
At this time, let us light this candle, and be silently and happily enjoy our last night together
Don`t wave goodbye
Don`t think about our past
Just let me sing this song
I`m afraid my tears will silently start to fall
But in your heart
I`ll forever leave my smile
And it will always be with you during Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.



mercredi 26 mars 2014

30 - 达斯维达 - dásī Wéi dá - Darth Vader


达斯维达
dásī Wéi dá
Darth Vador

Components:




· attain
· pass through
· achieve
· reach
· realize
· clear
· inform
· notify
· dignity



· (phonetic)
· this

维达
Wéi dá

· Vidar (Norse deity)



Wéi
· to preserve
· to maintain
· to hold together
· dimension
· abbr. for Uighur  維吾爾 | 维吾尔

达 

· attain
· pass through
· achieve
· reach
· realize
· clear
· inform
· notify
· dignity

mardi 25 mars 2014

29 - 蝙蝠侠 - Biān fú xiá - Batman

蝙蝠侠
Biān fú xiá 
· Batman


Component:

蝙蝠
Biān fú
· bat


Biān
· bat



· bat

侠 
xiá
· knight-errant
· brave and chivalrous
· hero
· heroic

28 - 萝卜 - luó bo - turnip

 萝卜 
luó bo
· turnip

 萝
 luó 
 · radish


bo
· turnip

dimanche 23 mars 2014

27 - 罗宾汉 - Luó bīn hàn - Robin Hood

罗宾汉
Luó bīn hàn
· Robin Hood


Components:



Luó
· fussy
· talkative


 bīn
· visitor
· guest


hàn
· Chinese
· the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD)




26 - 水平线 - shuǐ píng xiàn - horizon

地平线
dì píng xiàn
· horizon

水平线
shuǐ píng xiàn
· horizon

Components:




píng
· flat
· level
· equal
· to tie (make the same score)
· to draw (score)
· calm
· peaceful

线
xiàn
· thread
· string
· wire
· line

samedi 22 mars 2014

25 - 愤怒 - Anger


愤怒会把平日魅力十足的人,变成丑陋, 满脸通红的恶魔。
Fènnù huì bǎ píngrì mèilì shízú de rén, biàn chéng chǒulòu, mǎn liǎn tōnghóng de èmó.

Anger transforms even a normally attractive person into an ugly red-faced demon.



Components:

愤怒
Fènnù· angry
· indignant


Fèn· indignant
· anger
· resentment



· indignant

平日
píngrì
· an ordinary day


píng
· flat

魅力
mèilì
· charm
· fascination
· glamor
· charisma 

十足的人
shízú de rén
· ample
· complete
· hundred percent
· a pure shade (of some color)


变成
biàn chéng 
· to change into
· to turn into

丑陋
chǒulòu
· ugly


mǎn 
· Manchurian
· to fill
· to fulfill
· filled
· packed


liǎn  
· face


tōng
· go through
· know well
· to connect
· to communicate
· open 


hóng
· bonus
· popular
· red
· revolutionary


恶魔
è mó
· demon
· fiend 



è 
· evil



· devil

From Taiwan Kadampa Meditation Centre:
Facebook page

vendredi 21 mars 2014

24 - 报纸 - bàozhǐ - newspaper; newsprint

报纸
bàozhǐ
newspaper; newsprint


Components:



bào
-to announce; 
-to inform; 
-report; newspaper; recompense; revenge


zhǐ
-paper;
-measure word for documents, letter etc

jeudi 20 mars 2014

23 - 超级市场 - chāojí shìchǎng - Supermarket

So yesterday we studied Superman, today let's study Supermarket !

超级市场
chāojí shìchǎng
Supermarket

超市
chāo shì
Supermarket


Let's have fun in the supermarket like Halcali !


 

超级
chāojí
 super-; ultra-; hyper-

市场 
shìchǎng
marketplace; market (also in abstract)




mercredi 19 mars 2014

22 - 超人 - chāo rén - Superman

超人
chāo rén
Superman



Components:



chāo
· to exceed
· overtake
· surpass
· transcend
· ultra-
· super-
· to pass
· to cross
·  [freq:0]



rén 
· man
· person
· people


mardi 18 mars 2014

21 - 加油添醋 Add oil, add vinegar

加油添醋
jiā yóu tiān cù
· to add interest (to a story)
· to sex up  

Example:

He always had a way of embroidering .
他总爱添油加醋

Components:



jiā
· to add
· plus
· abbr. for Canada  加拿大


yóu 
· oil


tiān
· to add
· to increase
· to replenish




· vinegar



lundi 17 mars 2014

20 - 画蛇添足 Draw a snake and add feet



画蛇添足
huà shé tiān zú
· lit. draw legs on a snake (idiom)
· fig. to ruin the effect by adding sth superfluous
· to overdo it


Components:


huà 
· to draw
· picture
· painting
· CL:幅[fu2], 張 | 张[zhang1]
· classifier for paintings etc
shé 
· snake
· serpent

tiān  
· to add
· to increase
· to replenish

· foot
· to be sufficient
· ample





While I was preparing this page I found a very good website which provides some more info on the story behind this chengyu :

 


Explanation
This idiom refers to ruining a venture by doing an unnecessary thing.


The Story
 
楚有祠者,赐其舍人卮酒,舍人相谓曰:数人饮之不足,一人饮之有余。请画地为蛇,先成者饮酒。一人蛇先成,引酒且饮之,乃左手持卮,右手画蛇,曰:吾能为之足。未成,一人之蛇成夺其卮,曰:蛇固无足,子安能为之足?遂饮其酒。为蛇足者终亡 其酒。(引自《战国策》)

In the country of Chu during the Warring States Period, a man gave his servants a jar of wine after the sacrifice ceremony for his ancestors. His servants thought that the wine was not enough for all of them and thought it would be much better if it was for just one person. So they decided to have a competition with the wine as the award for the winner.

Whoever drew a snake the fastest would win the whole jar of wine. One of the servants drew a snake really fast and finished first. Seeing that the others were still busy drawing their snakes, he wanted to show off his artistic skill, and so added some feet to the snake. At that moment, another servant finished drawing his snake and snatched the jar. He began drinking and said, “How can a snake have feet? I win and you lose.”

Usage Sample
 
这个菜本来很好吃,但是他加了点儿酱油,有些画蛇添足,不好吃了。

zhège cài běnlái hěn hào chī
dànshì tā jiā le diǎnr jiàngyóu, yǒuxiē huàshétiānzú, bùhào chī le.

This dish used to taste so good, but after adding some soy sauce “Hua she tian zu” - it is not so delicious.


dimanche 16 mars 2014

19 - 钢铁侠 - Iron Man

钢铁侠 
gāng tiě xiá
· Iron Man


Components:


钢铁
gāng tiě
· steel


xiá
· knight-errant
· brave and chivalrous
· hero
· heroic



gāng 
· steel


tiě
· iron



samedi 15 mars 2014

18 - 改变之门 - The gate of change

This is a quote from the 7 Habits of highly effective people :

"No one can persuade another to change. Each of us guards a gate of change that can only be opened from the inside. We cannot open the gate of another, either by argument or by emotional appeal."
Marilyn Ferguson

没有人会说服别人。
Méiyǒu rén huì shuōfú biérén

我们每个人都守着一扇只能从里边打开的改变之门。
Wǒmen měi gèrén dōu shǒuzhe yī shàn (zhǐ néng cóng lǐbian dǎkāi de) (gǎibiàn zhī) mén.

我们不能打开别人的门 ,争吵 和 动之以情都没有用。
Wǒmen bùnéng dǎkāi biérén de mén, zhēngchǎo hé dòng zhī yǐ qíng dōu méiyǒu yòng.


Chengyu :

This one is based on ancient chinese, so you just have to learn by heart :

动之以情,晓之以理。
Dòng zhī yǐ qíng, xiǎo zhī yǐ lǐ
Emotionally moving, enlighten with reason

动 = to move
之 = here means a person
以 = using
情 = emotion


Components :


说服
shuō fú
· to persuade
· to convince


shǒu
· to guard


zhe
· particle attached after verb to indicate action in progress, like -ing ending


shàn
· (classifier for doors, windows etc)

扇子   shān zi
frequency of use: 80%, HSK: 6
· fan

改变
gǎi biàn
· to change
· to alter

争吵
zhēng chǎo
· dispute
· strife

vendredi 14 mars 2014

17 - 乐观 - optimistic

乐观
lè guān
· optimistic
· hopeful


开心是一种心态

Components: 


乐观
lè guān
· happy
· laugh
· cheerful


guān
· to look at
· to watch
· to observe
· to behold
· concept

jeudi 13 mars 2014

16 - 千里之行... - A journey of a thousand miles...

This is the first time I publish a proverb !

In Chinese, proverbs are really important to know as they can transmit a very specific feeling in just a few characters.  

千里之行﹐始于足下
Qiānlǐ zhī xíng, shǐ yú zú xià

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.


Components:


千里
Qiānlǐ 
· a thousand miles
· a thousand li (i.e. 500 kilometers)
· a long distance



zhī
· (possessive particle, literary equivalent of  的[de5])
· him
· her
· it


行﹐
xíng,
· to walk
· to go
· to travel
· a visit
· current
· in circulation
· capable
· OK!


始 
shǐ 
· to begin
· to start
· then
· only then


于 
yú  
· in
· at
· to
· from
· by
· than
· out of


足下
zú xià
· below the foot






成语
chéng yǔ
· Chinese set expression, often made up of 4 characters or two couplets of 4 characters each, often alluding to a story or historical quotation
· idiom
· proverb
· saying
· adage
· set expression
· CL:條 | 条[tiao2], 本[ben3], 句[ju4]

mercredi 12 mars 2014

15 - 世界杯 - Shì jiè bēi - World Cup

世界杯
Shì jiè bēi 
World Cup


世界 - Shì jiè- World

世界
Shì jiè
World 

国界
guó jiè
· national boundary
· border between countries


A world without borders
无国界的世界

界面
jiè miàn
· interface


Components:  


Shì
· surname Shi
· life
· age
· generation
· era
· world
· lifetime



jiè
· boundary
· scope
· extent
· circles
· group
· kingdom (taxonomy)



bēi
· trophy cup
· cup
· classifier for certain containers of liquids: glass, cup

mardi 11 mars 2014

14 - 纯素食 - chún sù shí - Vegan / vegetarian

It is pretty hard to find a clear way to express whether you are vegan or vegetarian. Chinese doesn't really have a word to specifically explain vegan or veggie. You will have to use one of the words below, then explain exactly what you do eat or do not eat.

They may ask you whether you eat specific veggies like garlic, onions, and also alcohol...
This is due to local Buddhist traditions which sometimes exclude these foods and drinks. 
For them, the chinese words below may encompass these foods and drinks "vegetarian".

Vocab:

纯素食
chún sù shí
· vegan / vegetarian food


zhāi
·Buddhist food (in general vegan, could contain eggs or milk, no alcohol)
· to fast or abstain from meat, wine etc
· vegetarian diet
· study room
· building
· to give alms (to a monk)



Etymology of the Word 斋 - zhāi




素食者
sù shí zhě
Vegan and Vegetarian (need to clarify if eat eggs, milk, etc) (Formal)









 
It says : gǎi chi su, duo huo 30 nian
"改吃素, 多活30年"
"Change to veggie, you will live 30 years more."

Example:


我是素食者 


I am vegan / vegetarian.


我吃素的
wo chi sù de
I am vegetarian / vegan (Oral way)

我吃
wo chi zhāi
I eat on a Buddhist diet





李连杰吃斋。
Lǐ Liánjié (Jet Lee) is vegetarian.
  


More info on vegetarianism in China : http://vegetarian-china.info/

Components:


chún
· pure
· simple
· unmixed
· genuine



shí
· to eat
· food
· animal feed
· eclipse




· raw silk
· white
· plain, unadorned
· vegetarian (food)
· essence
· nature
· element
· constituent
· usually
· always
· ever



lundi 10 mars 2014

13 - 香港 - Hong Kong / 另外 - lìng wài - another / 之前 - zhī qián - before / 组织 - zǔ zhī - to organize


香港
Xiāng gǎng
· Hong Kong

另外
lìng wài

· additional
· in addition
· besides
· separate
· other
· moreover
· furthermore


之前
zhī qián
· before
· prior to
· ago


计划
jì huà
· plan
· project
· program
· to plan
· to map out 


组织
zǔ zhī
· to organize
· organization 


容易
róng yì
· easy
· likely
· liable (to)
 


天坛大佛 Big Buddha, Hong Kong
tiān tán dà fó


Examples :


要不要老妈来香港?
Do you want Lao Ma to come to Hong Kong ?

他走之前做好饭了。
ta zou zhi qian zuo hao fan le.
He prepared the food before leaving.

我们还有另外一个计划。
women hai you lingwai yi ge jihua.
We have another plan.



不是这一个,是另外一个。
It's not this one, it's another one.


如果组织得好,所有事情都容易很多。
With organization, everything is easy.






Components:


Xiāng
· fragrant
· incense



gǎng
· harbor


lìng
· other
· another
· separate
· separately



wài
· outside
· in addition
· foreign



róng 
· to hold
· to contain
· to allow
· appearance
· look




· change
· easy
· simple
 



dimanche 9 mars 2014

12 - 星球大战 - xīngqiúdàzhàn - Star Wars

星球大战 

xīngqiúdàzhàn
Star Wars

卢克 我是你的父亲。
Luke, I am your father.






星球
xīngqiú
· celestial body (e.g. planet, satellite etc)
· heavenly body


大战
dà zhàn
· great war

xīng
· star
· satellite
· small amount


qiú
· ball
· sphere
· globe
· CL:個 | 个[ge4]
· ball game
· match

zhàn
· to fight
· fight
· war
· battle