The Chinese language is derived from the language spoken by the Han Chinese. the Chinese language is considered the most difficult to learn language in the world, and is divided into between 7 and 13 regional groups, the most common of which is Mandarin.
Standard Chinese is based on the beijing dialect of Mandarin, referred to as Guan1Hua4 and is the official language of the peoples republic of china. and the republic of china, as well as one of the official languages in singapore and the united nations.
most linguists believe that there was an origonal language, termed proto-sino-tibetan, from which all Chinese originated.
old chinese was common during the zhou dynasty(1122-256 BCE)
both Korean and Japanese have writing systems using chinese characters
fifty percent or Korean vocabulary and a similar percentage of japanese and vietnamese vocabulary is based on words from Chinese.
language - Wen2
official chinese - guan1hua4
characters - Shu1qi4
word - ci2
Friday, December 2, 2011
Chinese naming practices
Chinese names are generally made up of 2 to 3 characters, with the first one being the family name, and all after being the given name. Chinese names are reversed from english names, in that the family name comes before the given name.
The western practice of naming children after parents ancestors, or historical figures is very uncommon in china, almost to the point of taboo. In some chinese families the first of the two characters in the given name is shared by all members in the same generation, and sometimes the generational names, when put together, will form a poem. female names are often reflective of feminine characteristics, such as being named for flowers.
chinese female names, and to a lesser extent male names, sometimes are doubles ( Xiu-xiu, etc. Yoyo Ma), and siblings names are frequently related(eg. "sun", and "moon".)
given names are not usually used within families. usually they will call one another by their relation (big brother, little sister etc.)
due to cultural and dialectical differences, some names will sound silly or ridiculous between different regions of china, although it is considered rude to tease someone about it.
some common names include:
nickname - chuo4hao4
family name - gui4xing4
Generation(time) - bei4
Generation(people) - chou2bei4
The western practice of naming children after parents ancestors, or historical figures is very uncommon in china, almost to the point of taboo. In some chinese families the first of the two characters in the given name is shared by all members in the same generation, and sometimes the generational names, when put together, will form a poem. female names are often reflective of feminine characteristics, such as being named for flowers.
chinese female names, and to a lesser extent male names, sometimes are doubles ( Xiu-xiu, etc. Yoyo Ma), and siblings names are frequently related(eg. "sun", and "moon".)
given names are not usually used within families. usually they will call one another by their relation (big brother, little sister etc.)
due to cultural and dialectical differences, some names will sound silly or ridiculous between different regions of china, although it is considered rude to tease someone about it.
some common names include:
| Romanization | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Wĕi | Great | |
| Hào | Gallant | |
| Dōng | East | |
| Míng | Light | |
| Tāo | Great Wave | |
| Péng | Giant mythological bird | |
| Zhuàng | Robust |
| Romanization | English | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yīng | Beauty, handsome, brave | |||||||||
| Píng | Duckweed, water plants | |||||||||
| Xuĕ | Snow, symbolizing purity |
nickname - chuo4hao4
family name - gui4xing4
Generation(time) - bei4
Generation(people) - chou2bei4
Chinese Jokes
Many chinese jokes are based on charcters or word play, and so do no translate very well. Some however, do.
the following one has no translational issues:
one joke that I told in class one time, did however.
this joke seems nonsensical without the explanation, but even with it, it loses it's humor value, due to having to be explained.
other jokes are based on the pattern of reading characters in china, such as the following:
Joke - xue2 tou2
dirty jokes - hun1 xiao4 hua4
to tell a joke - shuo1 xiao4
to laugh - fa1 xiao4
funny - gen2
play on words - shuang1 guang1 yu3
the following one has no translational issues:
Pinyin Romanization
Lǎoshī wèn: Rúguǒ nǐ zhǐdé yī rì de shòumìng, nǐ zuì xiǎngdào nàli qù?
Xuésheng dá: Wǒ huì jiāng zuìhòu de yītiān liú zài zhè jiān xuéxiào, zhègè kè shì.
Lǎoshī: Hǎogǎn dòng a? Xiànzài jìngrán yǒu xuésheng zhè bān hǎo xué.
Xuésheng: Yīnwei wǒ zài kè shì lǐ yǒu "dù rì rú nián" de gǎnjué a!
English Translation
Teacher: If you had just one day to live, where would you go?
Student: I would spend my last day in school, in this classroom.
Teacher: Oh! How touching! Such an eager student!
Student: Because time in this class goes so slowly, one day feels like a year!
one joke that I told in class one time, did however.
Pinyin
Mǒu gāozhōng xuéxiào xuésheng míngjiào Dài Suí Tóng.
Mǒu rì, xùn dǎo chù mǒu wèi lǎoshī xiàng quán xiào guǎngbō:
“Gāo èr tóngxué, Dài Suí Tóng dào xùn dǎo chù lái.”
Jiéguǒ shífēn zhōng hòu, xùn dǎo chù qián jǐ mǎn le dài zháo dàxiǎo shuǐtǒng de tóngxué, háiyǒu rén zài wèn, “Yàobu yào zhuāng shuǐ a?”
Literal Translation
There was once a high school student named Dài Suí Tóng.
One day, a teacher in charge of discipline used the intercom to broadcast this message:
"Secondary High students, Dài Suí Tóng to the office of discipline."
Ten minutes later, many students appeared outside the office of discipline with water buckets. One of them asked, “Do we have to put water in the buckets?
this joke seems nonsensical without the explanation, but even with it, it loses it's humor value, due to having to be explained.
Explanation
The name of the student 戴隋同 (Dài Suí Tóng) sounds like 帶水桶 (dài shuǐtǒng), which means “bring a water bucket”.other jokes are based on the pattern of reading characters in china, such as the following:
Pinyin
Yǒu yī wèi xiǎojie qù dā gōng chē, tā bùguǎn dàole nǎ yī zhàn tā dōu zhàn qǐlai yīxià, wèi shénme ne?
Yīnwei tā bǎ “Xià yī zhàn tíngchē” kàn chéng “Chē tíng zhàn yīxià” la ！
English Translation
There is a young woman riding on a bus, and everytime the bus comes to a stop, she stands up. Why?
Because instead of reading the sign as “Stopping at the next bus stop”, she reads “When the bus stops, stand up”!
Explanation
When riding a bus in Taipei (and perhaps also in Chinese cities), you push a button to let the driver know you want off at the next stop. The button causes a sign to light up, which reads “下一站停車”. If these characters are read right to left, they mean “When the bus stops, stand up”.Joke - xue2 tou2
dirty jokes - hun1 xiao4 hua4
to tell a joke - shuo1 xiao4
to laugh - fa1 xiao4
funny - gen2
play on words - shuang1 guang1 yu3
Traditional Chinese Music "Ambush"
I listened to the traditional chinese song "ambush from all sides" (found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtrthXXmKgA&feature=related ) and decided to compare it to western music.
It is played on a traditional instrument called a pipa with strings and frets similar to a guitar, though tuned quite differently.
The song is, obviously, not bsed on any western scale. It also appears to have no meter, which sets it clearly apart from western music. Virstually no western music after the medieval period (ended in 1450 AD) does not have a meter.
The song also had no steady tempo, which brings to mind the nocturnes of the romantic period, though I would venture to guess that in "ambush" the tempo change is set, rather than being improvised as in an character piece like a nocturne.
The music is also used to tell a story, which is another element similar to romantic western music.
The dynamic varied widely, between piano and forte, most likely for dramatic reasons.
The melodic contour was oscillating. there was no particular tendency to move in a given direction, an the melodic lines were long and varied.
the melodic range was relatively narrow. perhaps an octave and a half, an obvious consequence of using a single instrument.
the instrument was played as melody, though some chords were used. frequently these chords were issonant for dramatic reasons.
The texture was, of course, monophonic.
the music did not seem to have any kind of structured, repeating form, though it did have a tendency to cycle regularly between calm melodic sections and dissonant, aggressive, fast paced sections.
Music - Yin1yue4
instrument - yue4qi4
melody - diao4
concert - yin1yue4hui4
It is played on a traditional instrument called a pipa with strings and frets similar to a guitar, though tuned quite differently.
The song is, obviously, not bsed on any western scale. It also appears to have no meter, which sets it clearly apart from western music. Virstually no western music after the medieval period (ended in 1450 AD) does not have a meter.
The song also had no steady tempo, which brings to mind the nocturnes of the romantic period, though I would venture to guess that in "ambush" the tempo change is set, rather than being improvised as in an character piece like a nocturne.
The music is also used to tell a story, which is another element similar to romantic western music.
The dynamic varied widely, between piano and forte, most likely for dramatic reasons.
The melodic contour was oscillating. there was no particular tendency to move in a given direction, an the melodic lines were long and varied.
the melodic range was relatively narrow. perhaps an octave and a half, an obvious consequence of using a single instrument.
the instrument was played as melody, though some chords were used. frequently these chords were issonant for dramatic reasons.
The texture was, of course, monophonic.
the music did not seem to have any kind of structured, repeating form, though it did have a tendency to cycle regularly between calm melodic sections and dissonant, aggressive, fast paced sections.
Music - Yin1yue4
instrument - yue4qi4
melody - diao4
concert - yin1yue4hui4
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Ni Wa Wa
"Ní Wá Wa" (Mud Doll)
Ní wáwa, (Mud doll,)
泥娃娃
Ní wáwa, (Mud doll,)
泥娃娃
Yīgè ní wáwa, (A mud doll,)
一个泥娃娃
Yě yǒu nà méimáo, (Has the eyebrows too,)
也有那眉毛
Yě yǒu nà yǎnjīng, (Has the eyes too,)
也有那眼睛
Yǎnjīng búhuì zhǎ. (Eyes will not blink.)
眼睛不会眨
Ní wáwa, (Mud doll,)
泥娃娃
Ní wáwa, (Mud doll,)
泥娃娃
Yīgè ní wáwa, (A mud doll,)
一个泥娃娃
Yě yǒu nà bízi, (Has the nose too,)
也有那鼻子
Yě yǒu nà zuǐbā, (Has the mouth too,)
也有那嘴巴
Zuǐbā bù shuōhuà. (Mouth does not speak.)
嘴巴不说话
Tā shì ge jiǎ wáwa, (She is a fake doll,)
她是个假娃娃
Bú shì ge zhēn wáwa, (Not a real baby,)
不是个真娃娃
Tā méiyǒu qīnàide māma, (She does not have dear mother,)
她没有亲爱的妈妈
Yě méiyǒu bàba. (Also has no father.)
也没有爸爸
Ní wáwa, (Mud doll,)
泥娃娃
Ní wáwa, (Mud doll,)
泥娃娃
Yīgè ní wáwa, (A mud doll,)
一个泥娃娃
Wǒ zuò tā māma, (I'll be her mother,)
我做她妈妈
Wǒ zuò tā bàba, (I'll be her father,)
也做她爸爸
Yǒngyuǎn ài zhe tā. (Always love her.)
永远爱着她
Ni wa wa is a chinese childrens song that, ironically, is taught to children in orphanages. At first glance it appears innocent enough, but if you take a moment and look at the lyrics, it would seem to be a rather inappropriatre song to be teahcing to orphans.
Mud Doll - Ni wa wa
eyebrows - meimao
eyes - yanjing
nose - bizi
mouth - zuiba
Ní wáwa, (Mud doll,)
泥娃娃
Ní wáwa, (Mud doll,)
泥娃娃
Yīgè ní wáwa, (A mud doll,)
一个泥娃娃
Yě yǒu nà méimáo, (Has the eyebrows too,)
也有那眉毛
Yě yǒu nà yǎnjīng, (Has the eyes too,)
也有那眼睛
Yǎnjīng búhuì zhǎ. (Eyes will not blink.)
眼睛不会眨
Ní wáwa, (Mud doll,)
泥娃娃
Ní wáwa, (Mud doll,)
泥娃娃
Yīgè ní wáwa, (A mud doll,)
一个泥娃娃
Yě yǒu nà bízi, (Has the nose too,)
也有那鼻子
Yě yǒu nà zuǐbā, (Has the mouth too,)
也有那嘴巴
Zuǐbā bù shuōhuà. (Mouth does not speak.)
嘴巴不说话
Tā shì ge jiǎ wáwa, (She is a fake doll,)
她是个假娃娃
Bú shì ge zhēn wáwa, (Not a real baby,)
不是个真娃娃
Tā méiyǒu qīnàide māma, (She does not have dear mother,)
她没有亲爱的妈妈
Yě méiyǒu bàba. (Also has no father.)
也没有爸爸
Ní wáwa, (Mud doll,)
泥娃娃
Ní wáwa, (Mud doll,)
泥娃娃
Yīgè ní wáwa, (A mud doll,)
一个泥娃娃
Wǒ zuò tā māma, (I'll be her mother,)
我做她妈妈
Wǒ zuò tā bàba, (I'll be her father,)
也做她爸爸
Yǒngyuǎn ài zhe tā. (Always love her.)
永远爱着她
Ni wa wa is a chinese childrens song that, ironically, is taught to children in orphanages. At first glance it appears innocent enough, but if you take a moment and look at the lyrics, it would seem to be a rather inappropriatre song to be teahcing to orphans.
Mud Doll - Ni wa wa
eyebrows - meimao
eyes - yanjing
nose - bizi
mouth - zuiba
One Child Policy
The one child policy was introduced in 1978 to alleviate social issues due to overpopulation. The policy is claimed to have prevented 400,000,000 births since its implementation.
The policy is considered to be a factor in china's gender imbalances due to abortions, infanticide, and abamdonment. a survey reports that 76% of the population supports the policy.
The policy seems to have been enacted with good intentions, but the enforcement of the law is problematic, because ethical enforcement seems impossible. To enforce the policy one would have to either take second and subsequent children from families or prevent their birth, through means of forced abortion, sterilization, or some kind of widespread birth control.
Many people believe the policy to have lead to extremely unethical practices in attempted enforcement.
one child policy - jìhuà shēngyù zhèngcè (计划生育政策)
baby - wa2wa
abortion - duo4tai1
The policy is considered to be a factor in china's gender imbalances due to abortions, infanticide, and abamdonment. a survey reports that 76% of the population supports the policy.
The policy seems to have been enacted with good intentions, but the enforcement of the law is problematic, because ethical enforcement seems impossible. To enforce the policy one would have to either take second and subsequent children from families or prevent their birth, through means of forced abortion, sterilization, or some kind of widespread birth control.
Many people believe the policy to have lead to extremely unethical practices in attempted enforcement.
one child policy - jìhuà shēngyù zhèngcè (计划生育政策)
baby - wa2wa
abortion - duo4tai1
Chinese Adoption
To adopt from china you must meet many strict requirements,
1) the age of both parents must be between 30-50 for non-secial needs children and 30-55 for special needs, though sometimes waivers are possible for older parents.
2) Each parent must have at least a high school diploma
3) the family income must be at least 10,000 per person in the household, including the child to be adopted
4) neither parent can have relinquished parental rights of a child after the age of 18
5) Neither parent must have any of the following conditions:
Diagnosed with major depression or any other severe mental health concern
Current diagnosis of depression or anxiety or currently on medication for depression or anxiety; if you were previously diagnosed with depression or anxiety, you must be off medication and recovered for at least 2 years.
Diagnosed with alcoholism within the last 10 years
Any history of illegal drug/narcotic use or abuse
Major organ transplant/surgery within 10 years
One or both parents use a wheelchair or mobility aid
Diagnosis of cancer or lupus
Binocular blindness
Active Hepatitis A, B, or C
One or both parents with a seizure disorder
BMI over 40
1) the age of both parents must be between 30-50 for non-secial needs children and 30-55 for special needs, though sometimes waivers are possible for older parents.
2) Each parent must have at least a high school diploma
3) the family income must be at least 10,000 per person in the household, including the child to be adopted
4) neither parent can have relinquished parental rights of a child after the age of 18
5) Neither parent must have any of the following conditions:
6) if both parents are in their first marriage, they must have been married for at least 2 years. If in a subsequent marriage, they must have been married for at least five years. If they have had 3 or more divorces, they are ineligable.
7) the couple cannot have more than 4 chlidren under 18 in the home, unless adopting a special needs child, for which a waiver can be obtained.
8) you cannot have a child younger than one year
9)you cannot hold religious beliefs that prohibit appropriate medical attention
10) at least one parent must be a US citizen
The current waiting time for adoption is 5-6 years for non-special needs and 6 to 18 months for special needs.
once everything is aproved you have to spend up to 3 weeks in china to get your child
adoption - bao4yang3
orphan - yi2gu1
Special needs - can2jiren2
Birthmark - taiji
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