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[Coversation with my Chinese teacher rewritten in English]
Teacher: You’re not the only student that adds a mark to the top of 很. Why do so many students do this?
Me: So many characters have a mark, so it feels natural. It’s like they’re wearing hats and a e just want to give them a hat.
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Every wanted to tell someone to step on a lego in Mandarin? Here's how:
我希望你踩在乐高上。「我希望你踩在樂高上。」
(I've also seen 踩到樂高)
A favorite variation is 我希望你在漆黑的夜里一脚踩上乐高，光脚！「我希望你在漆黑的夜裡一腳踩上樂高，光腳！」
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老师让我手写汉字
我叫我的汉字“难看”，他叫它们“可爱”。
但是，我想要我的汉字成为“文雅” 😭
woc已经比较晚了。可能明天我会有点多写～
么么哒～
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Going grave sweeping for Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping Day) in Guangxi. Qingming Festival occurs on the first day of the fifth solar term, or 15 days after the Spring Equinox (April 4th, 5th, or 6th). Families visit their ancestors' graves to clean up, pay their respects, and offer sacrifices.
(More comments under the cut!)
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Also this is in progress
Get ready to be SICK of me
Finally decided to take the HSK this year (and probably TOPIK next year).
So the era of laisse faire studying is out, and rigorous studying is back in...
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Get ready to be SICK of me
Finally decided to take the HSK this year (and probably TOPIK next year).
So the era of laisse faire studying is out, and rigorous studying is back in...
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Hi, you seem to have a decent grasp on Language Learning Resources™, so maybe you could help me.
I currently have a 2600+ day streak for Duolingo Spanish, which I initially picked up because I took classes in school and wanted to see if I remembered any. I'm well aware of the limitations on the app, and at this point it's just because I like to see the number go up. I've only ever been a casual student but I would like to progress eventually. The problem is I have trouble finding a method between gamified app, and full-blown, academic, novel -and- textbook self study. Do you know of good ways to move past Duolingo lessons without biting off more than you can chew?
Thanks for any input you have
Hi!
I feel like that "number goes up" connection is the main reason a lot of people don't want to move on from Duo and similar apps! I hope to do a post that goes into all of this more in depth, so consider this a shortened version~
My personal philosophy is that you shouldn't have to chose between just gamified apps and academic study—ideally you need it to be engaging enough to keep up for when you have less motivation, but with an academic rigor! I'm gonna drop some general resources/resource types and try to give them all a shot! Don't think of replacing Duo with a singular app or activity, but a collection of resources that you can switch between.
Anki: SSR vocab learning. Lots of customization and habit tracking features available so consider this a good "number goes up" replacement (and if you really love looking at data it's much more thorough!). With Spanish as your TL (target language), you'll have plenty of pre-made decks available. You can have specific decks, sentence mine, or have a huge 5,000 most frequent words deck. Anki isn't my favorite method personally, but people get SUPER into it and it works for them—also you'll hear this everywhere anyway.
Language Transfer: I wish my TL was one of the ones they have! If you're coming from Duo then you've probably been lacking a good method to really train your listening skills. 100% free, and I've heard great things about their Spanish course as well. All the files are available to be downloaded to listen to offline. Great to put on when you're getting ready in the morning, for bed, or during a commute.
LingQ/Youtube/Podcast Comprehensible Input: "[TL] Comprehensible Input" in the Youtube search will get you pretty far. There are podcasts like this as well, but it's nice to have a visual stimuli as well! This is pretty much the epitome of a ~natural language acquisition~ style. Immersion and immersion at an appropriate level is what works best. If you've even dipped your toes into the language acquisition sphere, you'll know Steve Kaufmann. LingQ is his app that's based on these principles.
Textbooks: Duo assumes that you can just pick up grammar from pattern recognition and that can work, but upper-level nuanced grammar or grammar patterns that are vastly different from your native language are hard to intuit. Find a good, dedicated grammar textbook and use that as what you will learn the details of grammar from. All that audio stuff will teach you what sounds right, this will teach you why/how it's right. (Buy a used textbook, visit your library, or check out my pinned post...)
+More: There's so MANY ways to learn a language. I'm focusing on specific methods that would fit in naturally with your existing habits (solo, digital, habit-forming), but there's tons more out there that you can do: journaling, discord servers, italki, chatting apps, graded readers, etc.
To start pick one that you feel the most drawn to and then a second that compliments where it might be lacking. Make a goal that you feel is reachable, and build from there.
Best of luck!
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Chinese Ethnic Minority Literature
I just finished taking an incredibly eye-opening class about Chinese ethnic minority literature. China has a thriving minority literature scene, and it's absolutely fascinating and full of interesting works, so I wanted to share some of the authors that I learned about this semester! This is, obviously, an incomplete list-- it's pretty heavily biased towards what we read about in class, and there's probably a lot I've missed!
For any authors with full works that have been translated into English, I've listed it under their names. Some other authors may also have poems or short stories published in translation online or in anthologies.
Hani 哈尼
Mo Du 莫獨 (b. 1963) - poems
Hui 回族
Huo Da 霍達 (b. 1945) - novels
The Jade King: History of a Chinese Muslim Family (1992)
Zhang Chengzhi 張承志 (b. 1948) -novels, short stories
The Black Steed (1990)
Korean 朝鮮族
Jin Renshun 金仁順 (b. 1970) - novels, short stories
Jin Wenxue 金文學 (b. 1962) - novels
Manchu 滿族
Duanmu Hongliang 端木蕻良 (1912-1996)
Lao She 老舍 (1899-1966) - novels, short stories, plays
Rickshaw Boy (1945, 2010)
Miao (Hmong) 苗族
He Xiaozhu 何小竹 (b. 1963) - poems, novels
Shen Congwen* 沈從文 (1902-1988) - novels, short stories
Imperfect Paradise (1995)
Border Town (2009)
Mongolian 蒙古族
Altai 阿爾泰 (b. 1949) - poems
Bao Liying 包麗英 (b. 1968) - novels
Baoyinhexige 寶音賀希格 - poems
Chen Ganglong 陳崗龍 (b. 1970) - poems
Guo Xuebo 郭雪波 (b. 1948) - novels, short stories
The Desert Wolf (1996)
Malaqinfu 瑪拉沁夫 (b. 1930)- novels
Naxi 納西族
Sha Li 沙蠡 (1953-2008) - novels
Yang Zhengwen 楊正文 (b. 1943) - novels
Qiang 羌族
Qiang Renliu 羌人六 (b. 1987) - poems
Yangzi/Yang Guoqing 羊子/楊國慶 - poems
Tibetan 藏族
Alai 阿來 (b. 1959) - novels, short stories
Red Poppies (2003)
The Song of King Gesar (2013)
Tashi Dawa 扎西達娃 (b. 1959) - novels, short stories
A Soul in Bondage: Stories from Tibet (1992)
Yangdron 央珍 (b. 1963) - novels
Uyghur 維吾爾族
Alat Asem 阿拉提·阿斯木 (b. 1958) - novels, short stories
Confessions of a Jade Lord (2019)
Wa/Va 佤族
Burao Yilu 布饒依露 - poems
Yi 彝族
Aku Wuwu 阿庫烏霧 (b. 1964) - poems, essays
Tiger Traces: Selected Nuosu and Chinese Poetry of Aku Wuwu (2006)
Coyote Traces: Aku Wuwu's Poetic Sojourn in America (2015)
Bamo Qubumo 巴莫曲佈嫫 (b. 1964) - poems, academic articles
Eni Mushasijia 俄尼·牧莎斯加 (b. 1970) - poems
Jidi Majia 吉狄馬加 (b. 1961) - poems
I, Snow Leopard (2016)
Words from the Fire: Poems by Jidi Majia (2018)
Jimu Langge 吉木狼格 (b. 1963) - poems
Lu Juan 魯娟 (b. 1982) - poems
Ma Deqing 馬德清 (1952-2013) - poems, novels
*Shen has both Miao and Tujia ancestry, as well as Han. However, I see him listed most frequently as Miao.
More Resources on Ethnic Minority Literature:
Altaic Storytelling: The blog of translator Bruce Humes (translator of Confessions of a Jade Lord, among other works). Has a fairly broad focus, but he's written a lot about ethnic minorities.
Chinese Women Writers on the Environment: An anthology of eco-fiction by female ethnic minority writers.
Golden Horse Award 駿馬獎: This is an annual award for ethnic minority literature. The wikipedia link lists all the previous winners.
Paper Republic: This organization is devoted to translated Chinese writing and isn't specific to ethnic minority literature but has information about and translations of some of the writers on this list.
Poetry International: This website isn't specific to ethnic minorities or even to China, but many of the poets on this list have pages there with a few poems translated into English.
The Leeds Center for New Chinese Writing: Again not specific to ethnic minorities, but features several ethnic minority authors.
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Webnovels and segmenting words
My friend was shocked when I told him that Chinese is (typically) written without spaces. It's not hard to tell where one word ends and the next begins, I said. But last year I started reading Chinese webnovels, and it turns out I make more word segmentation errors than I thought.
I'm currently reading 《开端》, which was adapted into the cdrama of the same name (English name: Reset). Here are 3 + 1 examples of my word segmentation errors, taken straight from the webnovel. #1-3 are not spoilery, but the bonus could be, so I put it under the cut.
(1) 她说，“我觉得，时间的长度也许不够了，但只要宽度够了，应该也不算太差的人生。
Incorrect: 时间的 长度 也 许不够了
Correct: 时间的 长度 也许 不够了
Meaning: the length of time perhaps is not enough
I think my brain was thinking about 许 like in 许个愿 (make a wish) or 许下诺言 (make a promise), so I somehow overlooked the very obvious, common word 也许 (perhaps).
(2) 李诗情那时候光顾着记车牌号，满脑子担心动作慢了车跑了，谁会回头看一眼前面有没有人上车？
Incorrect: 光顾着 记 车牌号
Correct: 光 顾着 记 车牌号
Meaning: only attending to remembering the license plate
I mistakenly interpreted 光顾 as a verb followed by 着. Well, apparently 光顾 is a word, but I didn't actually know that. Actually, here 光 is like 只 (it means only).
(3) 小哥领会了李诗情的意思，手下意识地一松…
Incorrect: 手下 意识地 一松
Correct: 手 下意识地 一松
Meaning: hand(s) subconsciously relaxed/loosened
手下 is a real word that I've seen, and noun + 下 is of course very common, so it makes sense that I had this interpretation. This is also not the first time I've forgotten 下意识 is a word.
(Bonus) 万一有人对动物毛发过敏怎么办？
Incorrect: 对 动物 毛发 过敏
Correct: 对 动物毛 发过敏
Meaning: has an allergic reaction to animal fur
My initial interpretation was 发过敏, which I figured meant "to have an allergic reaction" (according to Google, 发过敏 is a real phrase.) Then I realized it could be 动物毛发 instead. Luckily, these are written differently in traditional characters (發 vs. 髮). I toggled JJWXC to traditional, and it used 發, which supports 发过敏.
Sticking to simplified characters, this is a fascinating instance of ambiguity. There are two potential interpretations that both seem to work in context. The meanings are slightly different but close enough that it doesn't impact your understanding or reading experience.
PS: So far I'm really liking the webnovel! I've seen the cdrama twice, so I enjoy seeing what was changed and what wasn't. I definitely recommend the webnovel for other webnovel newbies. You don't have to worry about historical, fantasy, or sci-fi vocab.
#i feel like one of the first segmentation problems people encounter is names#if it doesn't make sense 9/10 its a proper noun#also so many of my translation difficulties are about segmentation
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*Global Examination has the characters 高考 (gaokao) in the title, the same name as China's national university entrance exam
**All of these are Chinese BL
[eng by me]
#omg the 全球高考 stories…#my dad actually really enjoyed word of honor and my mom enjoyed couple of mirrors
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Sometimes (by which I mean “most of the time”), I’ll look at Weibo and not have a clue what anyone is talking about. Not because I don’t have a solid grasp on the Chinese language, but because I both don’t have a solid grasp on the Chinese language and everyone is spewing slang for certain words and slang for other slang. It’s rather vertigo-inducing. In my journey to further understand the realm of Chinese internet culture, I thought it would be an interesting endeavor to make a post (maybe multiple) about it so anyone who’s intrigued can join the ride!
This post will be centered on fandom-centric jargon; in particular, terms that are utilized to describe people and actions in fandom contexts.
There are way, way more words out there than what I have listed. I just chose whichever ones I thought of as the most pertinent. Enjoy!
– Nouns
粉丝 [fěn sī] – transliteration of the English word, “fans.” The first character, 粉 [fěn], is then isolated and attached to other terms to signify a [____type of] fan (as will be seen in the next couple of words). Not entirely relevant, but this is also the word for glass/cellophane noodles.
男友粉 [nán yǒu fěn] | 女友粉 [nǚ yǒu fěn] – “boyfriend fan” and “girlfriend fan” respectively. They treat a celebrity as if they’re a boyfriend or girlfriend.
亲妈粉 [qīn mā fěn] – “biological mom fan.” Refers to someone who treats a celebrity as if they’re her own child. She’s very caring, dotes a lot, and likes to show off the celebrity’s accomplishments.
后妈粉 [hòu mā fěn] – “stepmom fan.” She will not hesitate to drag or criticize whichever celebrity she likes. But, should someone else attempt to do the same, she won’t take it well.
事业粉 [shì yè fěn] – “career fan.” A fan whose primary interest lies in the professional work of their celebrity.
颜粉 [yán fěn] – “face fan.” This fan likes a celebrity for their looks.
路人粉 [lù rén fěn] – “passerby fan.” They like a celebrity, but haven’t fallen far enough down the fandom pit to actively follow them.
白嫖粉 [bái piáo fěn] – a fan who likes a celebrity but doesn’t support them financially. For example, they will stream an artist’s music for free, but are ultimately unwilling to spend any money to buy albums or similar merchandise. The term 白嫖 [bái piáo] apparently originated in the prostitution industry to refer to a client who would take services without paying: here, 白 [bái] means “without compensation,” and 嫖 [piáo] refers to the client.
脑残粉 [nǎo cán fěn] – “idiot fan.” This is someone whose love for a celebrity leads them to become irrational and more than a little crazy. (I feel slightly offended right now.)
死忠粉 [sǐ zhōng fěn] – “diehard fan.” This is close to a word-for-word translation – literally, the Chinese characters indicate someone who’s loyal until death.
墙头粉 [qiáng tóu fěn] – “top-of-the-wall fan.” This compares a fan to 墙头草 [qiáng tóu cǎo] (the grass that grows atop of stone walls), which itself is used to refer to someone who is easily swayed by any wind or force that might come swirling by. This fan hops between celebrities with little loyalty, easily changing preference and priority between numerous people.
黑粉 [hēi fěn] – “dark fan.” An anti-fan.
爱豆 [ài dòu] – transliteration of the English word, “idol.” If you’re into literal but pointless translations, this word means “love bean.” …That’s actually pretty cute…
本命 [běn mìng] – “my life.” You would use this to refer to whoever is your top favorite celebrity; your ultimate bias.
彩虹屁 [cǎi hóng pì] – “rainbow fart.” Doesn’t this one provide mental images of utmost pleasantness? “Rainbow farts” are compliments, but are so over-the-top or full of praise that someone listening would think the subject is an angel who’s paying a visit from the highest level of heaven. The name comes from the idea that a celebrity could rip the smelliest and loudest of all farts, but their fans would still make it out to be as beautiful as a rainbow.
– Verbs
吃瓜 [chī guā] – “to eat melon.” When someone follows a topic online, e.g. a forum thread, but only observes from the sidelines and does not actively contribute to whatever is going on, then they’re “eating melon.” It’s the equivalent of lurking.
打call [dǎ call] – to support/encourage. This term comes from Japanese fan culture phenomenon コール [kōru], where fans would attend live performances and support those onstage via fanchants, lightsticks, etc.
爬墙 [pá qiáng] – “to climb a wall.” If you originally like one celebrity, start liking another one, and switch your fangirl/fanboy priorities over to this second celebrity, then you’ve “climbed a wall.” (Note: offline, this is also used as slang for when someone has an affair, lol.)
圈粉 [quān fěn] – “to round up fans.” If some form of media that you’ve stumbled across (whether it be a video, a GIF in the replies on Twitter, etc.) converted you into becoming a fan of someone, then congrats! You’ve been rounded up; herded into that celebrity’s fanbase like an unsuspecting sheep. This is a general term for anything of a celebrity’s that strongly appeals to both existing fans and potential ones, but applies especially to the latter.
溜粉 [liū fěn] – “to string fans along.” Like what it sounds, this describes people who spread false rumors to boost a celebrity’s popularity (it’s sometimes the celebrity themselves who does it). An example would be if you see one of your favorite actors is slated to be in an upcoming drama, and you get super hyped…only to find out later that they’re not on the official cast list. Or they’re just making a cameo appearance.
That’s all I got for now. If you have any interesting terms that I didn’t include, I’d love to learn about them! Hope you found this fun and/or helpful!
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A1-A2: man, there're so many words I need to know in order to say literally anything
B1-B2: wow, what I know is enough now
C1-C2: man, there're so many weirdly specific words I need to know in order to describe these weirdly specific things I've only seen once in my life. Also I forgot how to say ceiling.
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Get a random les to do your makeup by 贺呵呵
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why is memrise not a good language learning app? sorry if it sounds rude, only a genuine question. you said that you would explain in another post (talking abt the "duolingo sucks" post tags btw) and i didnt see anything abt it :(
Not rude at all! I addressed it a little bit in this ask, but I never did fully elaborate.
The short version is that the problems with Duolingo (cutting community features and shifting more on AI) are also happening with Memrise.
Longer version is that one of the best features of Memrise imho was the community courses. Especially since Quizlet has monetized many features, it seemed to fill that niche very well. The base courses used real audio and video, which is a big upgrade from DL. Along with the removal of community courses, the forums were also removed. This disconnects users from not just each other, but also from having a public method to address the company. I found the official Memrise explanations for these decisions to be unsatisfying. Fortunately for many users, someone in the Memrise community has been uploading community courses to a new site—mylittlewordland! No app atm, and very bare bones, but still functional! Definitely worth checking out.
I created that post as a way to give people easy alternatives to switch to, and while the main courses of Memrise are better than DL, I feel that it would become yet another dead end of corporate greed. I wouldn't be surprised if any of the apps I did recommend also eventually go down this path—some are in the early stages for sure. Ultimately, I decided to recommend what seemed like the easiest alternatives to switch to as people are hesitant to make changes to something that has become a part of their routine.
I want to make another post of what I think are the most helpful resources for language learning, but it will be not be a list of easy gamified 5-minute lessons. I don't fault anyone for wanting to learn that way—not everyone is serious about wanting to achieve fluency and that's fine. However, I think there should be a discussion about how limited and limiting the "app experience" is.
#langblr#language learning apps#Memrise#duolingo#i hope this is coherent as I’m running on little sleep and a headache
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