Chinese Idiom "指鹿為馬" (Zhiluweima; Point to a Deer, Call It a Horse)

December 30, 2009

Since I posted a 成語 (成语, chéngyǔ, idiom) about 馬(马, mǎ, horse), I'm going to post more 成語 related to 馬.
I'm going to call them 馬系列成語 (马 系列 成语, Mǎ Xìliè Chéngyǔ, Horse Series Idioms). :D

CLICK HERE for 馬系列成語 1: 老馬識途 ( Lǎomǎshìtú, an old horse knows the way).

Here's 馬系列成語 2 for you: 指鹿為馬 (指鹿为马, Zhǐlùwéimǎ, point to a deer,call it a horse), means deliberately misrepresent, call a stag a horse, call white black, deliberate deception or distort facts. The script in the video is traditional Chinese.

Script in simplified characters, pinyin and translations, the translations are done by the Chinese characters order so the grammar may not be proper:

指鹿为马, Zhǐlùwéimǎ, Point to a Deer, Call It a Horse

秦 二 世 时, 丞相 赵高 独揽 大权,
Qín èr shì shí, chéngxiàng Zhào Gāo dúlǎn dàquán,
Qin second emperor period (210 BC - 207 BC), prime minister Zhao Gao monopolized power.

但 他的 野心 并 没有 满足, 一 心 想 登上 帝位。
Dàn tāde yěxīn bìng méiyǒu mǎnzú, yī xīn xiǎng dēngshàng dìwèi。
However his ambition at all not has satisfied, entire heart wanted ascend the throne.

"嗯! 我 想 当 皇帝, 有些 大臣 一定 会 反对 的。
"En! Wǒ xiǎng dāng huángdì, yǒuxiē dàchén yīdìng huì fǎnduì de。
Hum! I want to be the emperor, some ministers must will oppose.

嗯, 有 *了!
En ,yǒu le!
Ah, have! ( I have an idea!)
*了 le: completed action marker.

我 得 试试 他们, 然后 *把 他们 提前 铲除。"
Wǒ dě shìshì tāmen, ránhòu bǎ tāmen tíqián chǎnchú。"
I have to try them, then get them in advance eliminated (then get rid of them in advance).
*把 bǎ: particle marking the following noun as a direct object.

于是 赵高 牵 了 一 *头 鹿 来 上 早朝。
Yúshì Zhào Gāo qiān le yī tóu lù lái shàng zǎocháo。
Hence Zhao Gao pulled a dear came to the morning court.
*头 tóu: head or classifier for some animals.

大臣们 觉得 很 奇怪, 都 不 明白 赵高 想要 干 什么。
Dàchénmen juédé hěn qíguài, dōu bù míngbái Zhào Gāo xiǎngyào gàn shíme。
Ministers felt very strange, all not understood Zhao Gao wanted to do what.

"*臣 有 一 *匹 千里马, 特 敬献 给 皇帝 陛下。"
"Chén yǒu yī pī qiānlǐmǎ, tè jìngxiàn gěi huángdì bìxià。"
"I have a fine steed, special offer to emperor Your Majesty."
*臣 chén: when talking to the emperor, the ministers say 臣 instead of 我 (wǒ, I).
*匹 pī: classifier for horses.

"哈 哈 哈! 丞相 你 说 错 了,
Hā hā hā! Chéngxiàng nǐ shuō cuò le,
"Hahaha! Prime minister you spoke wrong,

这 明明 是 鹿, 怎么 会 是 马 *呢?"
Zhè míngmíng shì lù, zěnme huì shì mǎ ne?"
This obviously is deer, how will be horse?"
*呢 ne: question particle.

"哼!
"Hèng!
"Humph!

众 大臣 你们 说说, 这 究竟 是 马 还是 鹿 呢? 你们 说!"
Zhòng dàchén nǐmen shuōshuō, zhè jiūjìng shì mǎ háishì lù ne? Nǐmen shuō!"
All ministers you say, this actually is a horse or a deer? You say!"

"阿, 这 是 马!"
"ā, zhè shì mǎ!"
"Ah, this is horse!"

赵高的 亲信 为了 讨好 赵高, 睁著 眼睛 瞎说。
Zhào Gāode qīnxìn wèile tǎohǎo Zhào Gāo, zhēngzhe yǎnjīng xiāshuō。
Zhao Gao's trusted aides in order to fawn on Zhao Gao, opened eyes spoke nonsense.

"这 是 鹿, 这 不 是 马! 不 是 马!"
"Zhè shì lù, zhè bú shì mǎ ! Bú shì mǎ!"
"This is deer, this not is horse! Not is horse!"

耿直的 大臣 也 不 含糊。
Gěngzhíde dàchén yě bù hánhú。
Upright ministers also not vague.

"哼! 咱们 走著瞧!"
"Hèng! Zánmen zǒuzheqiáo!"
"Humph! Let's walk and see (Let's wait and see)!

赵高 暗暗 记下 了 这些 忠 臣 的 名字,
Zhào Gāo ànàn jìxià le zhèxiē zhōng chén de míngzì,
Zhao Gao inwardly recorded down these loyal ministers' names,

后来 藉 故 把 他们 都 杀 了。
Hòulái jiè gù bǎ tāmen dōu shā le。
Later found excuses them all killed (Later found some excuses and killed them all).

成语 指鹿为马 由此 而 来。
Chéngyǔ Zhǐlùwéimǎ yóucǐ ér lái。
Idiom Zhiluweima from this and come (The idiom Zhiluweima is from this story).


Example sentences:

1. 赵高 明明 是 指鹿为马，你们 为什麽 要 附和 他？
Zhào Gāo míngmíng shì zhǐlùwéimǎ ，nǐmen wèishíme yào fùhè tā？
Zhao Gao obviously is zhiluweima, you why must parrot him?

2. 你 指鹿为马, 休想 我 会 支持 你！
Nǐ zhǐlùwéimǎ , xiūxiǎng wǒ huì zhīchí nǐ！
You zhiluweima, don't think I will support you!


Practice writing: CLICK HERE and hit the brushes next to each character to see the stroke orders. Grab a piece of paper and write them down.



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冬至 (Dongzhi, The Winter Solstice) and Chinese Children Song "賣湯圓" ( Mai Tangyuan, Selling Rice Balls )

December 22, 2009

Today is 冬至 Dōngzhì (The Winter Solstice Festival), one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians, a time for the family to get together. Many families are making and eating 湯圓 (汤圆 tāngyuán rice balls) which symbolize reunion.

I didn't get a chance to eat 湯圓 today, I'll have to go to the Asian market to shop some.
Here are some 湯圓 photos which make me 流口水 ( liú kǒushuǐ drooling):
1. 汤圆
2. 茼蒿 豬肉 鹹 湯圓
(茼蒿 猪肉 咸 汤圆 Tónghāo Zhūròu Xián Tāngyuán Crowndaisy Pork Salty Rice Balls)

Here's a Children song "賣湯圓" ( 卖 汤圆 Mài Tāngyuán Selling Rice Balls ) I'd like to share with you. Thanks to Bananaz reminded me the song.

The 小二哥 ( xiǎoèr gē, long time ago in China, people called the server in restaurants 小二 or 小二哥. 小二哥 is more polite.) in the video is cute. The way he throws the rice balls in the pot is pretty cool though it's probably edited.
There's a white flag with "酒" ( jiǔ wine ) on it in the video. It means a place that serve food.
In the beginning of the video, it says 卖汤丸 Mài Tāngwán. 丸 wán is also balls or pills.
Click the 圖片 ( 图片 túpiàn image ) below to open the video page:

歌詞 簡體 中文, 拼音 和 英文 翻譯:
Gēcí jiǎntǐ zhōngwén, pīnyīn hé yīngwén fānyì:
Lyrics in simplified characters, pinyin and English translations:

1.卖 汤圆, 卖 汤圆
Mài tāngyuán, mài tāngyuán
Sell rice balls, sell rice balls. (Rice balls for sell, rice balls for sell.)

小二 哥 的 汤圆 是 圆 又 圆
Xiǎoèr gē de tāngyuán shì yuán yòu yuán
The server's rice balls are round and round.

一 碗 汤圆 满 又 满
Yī wǎn tāngyuán mǎn yòu mǎn
One bowl rice balls full and full. ( One bowl of rice balls are full and full.)

三 毛 钱 呀 买 一 碗
Sān máo qián ya mǎi yī wǎn
30 cents buy one bowl. ( 30 cents for a bowl.)

汤圆, 汤圆, 卖 汤圆
Tāngyuán, tāngyuán, mài tāngyuán
Rice balls, rice balls, sell rice balls. ( Rice balls, rice balls, rice balls for sell.)

汤圆 一样 可以 当 茶饭
Tāngyuán yīyàng kěyǐ dāng cháfàn
Rice balls same can be used as tea rice. ( Rice balls can be used as meal as well. )

嘿...哟Hēi...yō
Hey...yo ( Yo is used at the end of sentence as exclamation.)

汤圆, 汤圆, 卖 汤圆Tāngyuán, tāngyuán, mài tāngyuán
Rice balls, rice balls, sell rice balls. ( Rice balls, rice balls, rice balls for sell.)

汤圆 一样 可以 当 茶饭Tāngyuán yīyàng kěyǐ dāng cháfàn
Rice balls same can be used as tea rice. ( Rice balls can be used as meal as well. )

2.
卖 汤圆, 卖 汤圆
Mài tāngyuán, mài tāngyuán
Sell rice balls, sell rice balls. (Rice balls for sell, rice balls for sell.)

小二 哥 的 汤圆 是 圆 又 圆
Xiǎoèr gē de tāngyuán shì yuán yòu yuán
The server's rice balls are round and round.

一 碗 汤圆 满 又 满
Yī wǎn tāngyuán mǎn yòu mǎn
One bowl rice balls full and full. ( One bowl of rice balls are full and full.)

三 毛 钱 呀 买 一 碗
Sān máo qián ya mǎi yī wǎn
30 cents buy one bowl. ( 30 cents for a bowl.)

汤圆, 汤圆, 卖 汤圆
Tāngyuán, tāngyuán, mài tāngyuán
Rice balls, rice balls, sell rice balls. ( Rice balls, rice balls, rice balls for sell.)

公平 交易 可以 包 退还Gōngpíng jiāoyì kěyǐ bāo tuìhuán
Fair trade can guarantee return. ( Fair deal with money back guarantee.)

嘿...哟Hēi...yō
Hey...yo ( Yo is used at the end of sentence as exclamation.)

汤圆, 汤圆, 卖 汤圆Tāngyuán, tāngyuán, mài tāngyuán
Rice balls, rice balls, sell rice balls. ( Rice balls, rice balls, rice balls for sell.)

公平 交易 可以 包 退还Gōngpíng jiāoyì kěyǐ bāo tuìhuán
Fair trade can guarantee return. ( Fair deal with money back guarantee.)

3.
卖 汤圆, 卖 汤圆Mài tāngyuán, mài tāngyuán
Sell rice balls, sell rice balls. (Rice balls for sell, rice balls for sell.)

小二 哥 的 汤圆 是 圆 又 圆Xiǎoèr gē de tāngyuán shì yuán yòu yuánThe server's rice balls are round and round.

要 吃 汤圆 快 来 买Yào chī tāngyuán kuài lái mǎi
Want eat rice balls fast come buy. ( If you want to eat rice balls, hurry come to buy.)

吃 了 汤圆 好 团圆Chī le tāngyuán hǎo tuányuán
Eat rice balls so reunion. ( Eat the rice balls so you can have a reunion.)

汤圆, 汤圆, 卖 汤圆Tāngyuán, tāngyuán, mài tāngyuán
Rice balls, rice balls, sell rice balls. ( Rice balls, rice balls, rice balls for sell.)

慢 了 一 步 只怕 要 卖完Màn le yī bù zhǐpà yào màiwán
Slow a step only afraid will sold out. ( I'm only afraid that they will be sold out even if you are only one step behind.)

嘿...哟Hēi...yō
Hey...yo ( Yo is used at the end of sentence as exclamation.)

汤圆, 汤圆, 卖汤圆Tāngyuán, tāngyuán, mài tāngyuán
Rice balls, rice balls, sell rice balls. ( Rice balls, rice balls, rice balls for sell.)

慢 了 一 步 只怕 要 卖完Màn le yī bù zhǐpà yào màiwán
Slow a step only afraid will sold out. ( I'm only afraid that they will be sold out even if you are only one step behind.)

Practice writing: CLICK HERE and hit the brushes next to each character to see the stroke orders. Grab a piece of paper and write them down.


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Fun with Chinese Characters

December 15, 2009

I've been thinking about sharing these interesting books with you:
Fun with Chinese Characters Vol. 1, 2 and 3.
These are the most interesting books for Chinese characters I have ever seen.
Click on the book covers below for detail:



Here are sample pages of each book, click on them for larger images:

There are 10 pages in-depth introduction on the genesis of the characters in Vol 1:



Vol 2 page 65, 馬:


CLICK HERE for Chinese idiom: 老馬識途 Lǎomǎshìtú

Vol 3 page 139, 回:



Vol 1 page 7, 家:


CLICK HERE for Chinese love song, 回家 Huí Jiā

At the end of vol 3, there's index of all 480 characters in the 3 books and their location:



Here's an awesome video about 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals. You will find out why

* the rat is the first place in the 12, 

* the rat is afraid of the cat,

* 豕 is pig.



The character for the sheep 羊 is messed up with the pig 豕 @ 04:36, thanks to Cyrano for pointing that out. CLICK HERE to see etymology of 羊 (remember to scroll down to see all the different forms).

Practice the 12 animals:
CLICK HERE and hit the brushes next to each character to see the stroke orders. Grab a piece of paper and write them down.

I hope you find them fun and help you understand more characters.
Please post comment below to let me know. ^_^

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哇... 我得奖了!! WOW...I Got an Award!!

December 08, 2009

哇... 我得奖了!!
WA ... wǒ dé jiǎng le!!
WOW...I Got an Award!!

What a surprise to me that the #1 Canadian Blog has given me the Inukshuk Blog Award for Edutainment 2009! Please click the image or the link above to check what the award is about. Thanks to all of you who are supporting me and encouraging me. I will keep doing my best to make this blog better and better!

Here's the video about what an Inukshuk is:

Practice the words I shout out in this post: CLICK HERE and hit the brushes next to each character to see the stroke orders. Grab a piece of paper and write them down.

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Chinese Love Song "回家" ( Hui Jia, Return Home) by Shunza

November 26, 2009

Song title: 回家 ( Huí Jiā, Return Home)

To me, it's a sad song about a lady's love left her without saying any reason and how she misses him, loves him, wants to let go but also wants him to come home.
I'm glad that my personality won't get me in this kind of situation...lol.
Just love the singer's voice and how she sings the song.

Singer: 順子 ( Shùn zi, Shunza ) was born in 1973 in Beijing, China.
A famous singer and songwriter. Her concerts are more intimate and cocktail-style which I like.
She released her first album in 1997 in Taiwan.
This song is the first song in her first album. The Chinese lyrics in the video is traditional .




From Foongpc's request, I try to translate the Chinese words into English following the order of the Chinese words. So some will be strange, follow by the sentences which I think are proper. There may be mistakes. Please feel free to correct me, I'll be appreciated!


歌詞 簡體 中文, 拼音 和 英文 翻譯:
Gēcí jiǎntǐ zhōngwén, pīnyīn hé yīngwén fānyì:
Lyrics in simplified characters, pinyin and English translations:
我 还 不 明白
Wǒ hái bù míngbáiI still don't understand
为什么 你 离开 了 我
Wèishíme nǐ líkāi le wǒWhy you left me
没有 你的 电话
Méiyǒu nǐde diànhuà
Without your phone calls
没有 一 封 信
Méiyǒu yī fēng xìnWithout a single letter

我 每天 晚上 在 这里
Wǒ měitiān wǎnshàng zài zhèlǐI every night at right here ( I'm right here every night)

哪里 也 不想 去
Nǎlǐ yě bùxiǎng qùAnywhere even don't want to go ( Even don't want to go anywhere )

可是 我 好 爱 你
Kěshì wǒ hǎo ài nǐBut I very love you ( But I love you so much )

我 觉得 我 会 离不开 你
Wǒ juéde wǒ huì líbùkāi nǐI feel I will be inseparable you ( I feel I will not be able to leave you )

可惜 我 丢 了 你
Kěxī wǒ diū le nǐToo bad I lost you

慢慢, 我的 眼泪 流 下来
Mànmàn, wǒde yǎnlèi liú xiàláiSlowly, my tears flow down

回家, 回家, 我 需要 你
Huíjiā, huíjiā, wǒ xūyào nǐReturn home, return home, I need you
回家, 回家, 马上来我的身边
Huíjiā, huíjiā, mǎshàng lái wǒde shēnbiān
Return home, return home, right away come to my side


别 再 哭
Bié zài kūDon't again cry ( Don't cry again )

就 让 他 走
Jiù ràng tā zǒuJust let him go

再 多 痛苦的 等候
Zài duō tòngkǔde děnghòuAnother more painful waiting

相信 我 也 能 承受
Xiàngxìn wǒ yě néng chéngshòuBelieve I also can bear ( I believe I can also bear )

闭上 眼, 不再 留恋
Bìshàng yǎn, búzài liúliànClose eyes, no more nostalgia

你 却 一遍又一遍
Nǐ què yībiànyòuyībiànYou but over and over ( But you over and over )
出现 在 想 你 的 夜
Chūxiàn zài xiǎng nǐ de yèAppear at miss you of nights ( Appear at the nights that I think about you )

别 说, 不会 有 结果
Bié shuō, búhuì yǒu jiéguǒDon't say, won't have result ( Don't say, there will be no result )

永远 永远 别 说 分手
Yǒngyuǎn yǒngyuǎn bié shuō fènshǒuForever forever don't say to break up ( Never never say to break up )

而 你 又 怎么 能够
Ér nǐ yòu zěnme nénggòuBut you even how could ( But how could you )

就 这样 的 放手, 一 去 不再 回头
Jiù zhèyàng de fàngshǒu, yī qù búzài huítóuJust like this let go ( Just let go like this ) once leave and no longer turn around


BE HERE, JUST BE THERE, MY LOVE AND ONLY LOVE

回家, 回家, 我需要你, 哦~
Huíjiā, huíjiā, wǒ xūyào nǐ, ó ~Return home, return home, I need you, oh~

回家, 马上回家, 我需要你
Huíjiā, mǎshàng huíjiā, wǒ xūyào nǐ
Return home, right away return home, I need you

回家, 回家, 马上来我的身边
Huíjiā, huíjiā, mǎshàng lái wǒde shēnbiānReturn home, return home, right away come to my side
BE HERE, JUST BE THERE, MY LOVE AND ONLY LOVE

回家, 回家, 马上来我的身边
Huíjiā, huíjiā, mǎshàng lái wǒde shēnbiān
Return home, return home, right away come to my side



Fun thing to do:
1. Learn the song, film yourself, upload to YouTube. I'll add your video here.
2. Practice writing. CLICK HERE and hit the brushes next to each character to see the stroke orders. Grab a piece of paper and write them down.


Any questions and comments? => CLICK HERE.

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Chinese Idiom "老馬識途" (Laomashitu, An Old Horse Knows the Way)

November 23, 2009

This Chinese idiom is requested by Bananaz.



Traditional Chinese: 老馬識途, Lǎomǎshìtú or 識途老馬 Shìtúlǎomǎ.
Simplified Chinese: 老马识途, Lǎomǎshítú or 识途老马, Shítúlǎomǎ.

Translation: An old horse knows the way. Today, a person who is very experienced at any given thing may be referred as "the old horse who knows the way".

I've found some videos about the idiom story. I'm using this one from YouTube as it has Chinese subtitle and for practicing purpose. You may find the story is a bit different from what you may already knew. Both versions are used today.







Script in pinyin, simplified characters and translations:

Lǎomǎshítú
老马识途 ( An Old Horse Knows the Way )

Chūnqiū shí, Qí Huán Gōng hé xiàngguó Guǎn Zhòng fá Shānróng guó,
春秋 时, 齐 桓公 和 相国 管仲 伐 山戎 国,
In the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), Duke Huan and the minister Guan Zhong of the state of Qi attacked the state of Shanrong.

Shānróng guówáng dài zhe jiājuàn cáiwù táowáng dào Gūzhú guó qù.山戎 国王 带 著 家眷 财物 逃亡 到 孤竹 国 去。
The king of Shanrong took his family and belongings to flee to the state of Guzhu.

Qí jūn yīlù zhuīshā ér lái,齐 军 一路 追杀 而来,
The Qi army chased and killed all the way and arrived,

Gūzhú guówáng shèjì jiào Huáng Huā yuánshuài xiàng Qí Huán Gōng tóuxiáng:孤竹 国王 设计 叫 黄花 元帅 向 齐 桓公 投降:
The king of Guzhu set a plan up and ordered his marshal Huang Hua to surrender to Duke Huan of Qi:

"Qí jūn yǐjīng zhuī guòlái le, nǐmen jiǎzhuāng tóuxiáng, ránhòu..."
"齐 军 已经 追 过来 了, 你们 假装 投降, 然后..."
"The Qi army has arrived, you pretend to surrender and then..."

"Dàwáng gāojiàn!""大王 高见!"
"Your majesty brilliant idea!"

Huáng Huā yuánshuài zài shān kǒu jié zhù le Qí Huán Gōng:黄花 元帅 在 山 口 截 住 了 齐桓公:
Marshal Huang Hua stopped Duke Huan of Qi at the mountain:

"Jiǔyǎng Qí wáng dàmíng! Wǒ Huáng Huā yuàn wèi Qí wáng xiàoláo, wèi dàjūn dài lù."
"久仰 齐王 大名! 我 黄花 愿 为 齐王 效劳, 为 大军 带路。"
"I've been looking forward to meeting you, your majesty of Qi! I, Huang Hua, am willing to serve Your majesty of Qi and lead the way for the army."

"ā... tài hǎo le! Hā...
"啊...太 好 了! 哈...
"Ah...Very good! Ha...

Huáng Huā yuánshuài, nǐ zài qiánmiàn lǐnglù dào Gūzhú guó shǒudōu qù."黄花 元帅, 你 在 前面 领路 到 孤竹 国 首都 去。
Marshal Huang Hua, go ahead and lead the way to the capital of the state of Guzhu."

"Hǎo ba! Nà wǒmen jiù gǎnkuài shànglù ba!""好吧! 那 我们 就 赶快 上路 吧!"
"All right! Let's hit the road!"

Qí jūn zǒurù le mí gǔ Hànhǎi,齐 军 走入 了 迷谷 瀚海,
The Qi army went into a valley Hanhai,

Nàlǐ shì yīpiàn shāmò, huāngwú rényān, fēng dà tiān lěng.那里 是 一片 沙漠, 荒芜 人烟, 风 大 天 冷。
It was a desert, deserted, windy and cold.

Tiān hēi le, tāmen mí le lù.天 黑 了, 他们 迷 了 路。
The sky went dark, they lost their way.

"Huáng Huā nǎlǐ qù le?""黄花 哪里 去了?"
"Where's Huang Hua?"

"Bú zhīdào wa!""不 知道 哇!"
"Don't know!"

"Nà wǒmen shàngdàng le! Tā yīdìng shì jiānxì!""那 我们 上当 了! 他 一定 是 奸细!"
"Then we are fooled! He must be a spy!"

"Dàjiā bié huāng! Bùfáng ràng jǐ pǐ lǎo mǎ shìzhe dàilù!""大家 别 慌! 不妨 让 几 匹 老 马 试著 带路!"
"Everyone do not panic! Might as well let some old horses to try to lead the way!"

Guǒrán lǎomǎshítú,果然 老马识途,
Sure enough, the old horses knew the way,

Tāmen bǎ qí jūn dài chū le mí gǔ.他们 把 齐 军 带出了迷谷。
They led the Qi army out of the valley.

Chéngyǔ Lǎomǎshítú,成语 老马识途,
The idiom Laomashitu,

Shì yònglái chēngzàn jīngyàn fēngfù, qíngkuàng shúxī, néng qǐ yǐndǎo zuòyòng de rén.
是 用来 称赞 经验 丰富, 情况 熟悉, 能 起 引导 作用 的 人。
Is used to praise a person who is very experienced and can play a guiding role.


Fun thing to do:
1. Gather family or friends and play the roles.
2. Practice writing. CLICK HERE and hit the brushes next to each character to see the stroke orders. Grab a piece of paper and write them down.



I hope you enjoy my first idiom post. Please comment => CLICK HERE.

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Chinese Children Song "娃娃國" (Wawa Guo, Dolldom)

November 14, 2009

Here's another kid's song related to doll again:
Wáwa Guó (Dolldom)
娃娃國 - traditional Chinese
娃娃国 - simplified Chinese
Enjoy the video:






If you can't see the video, click the link below:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTE4NDA1NzI=.html

Lyrics in pinyin, simplified characters and translations:

"Wáwa Guó" (Dolldom)

Wáwa guó, wáwabīng
娃娃国, 娃娃兵 (Dolldom, doll Soldiers)

Jīnfà, lán yǎnjīng
金发, 蓝眼睛 (Blond hair, blue eyes)

Wáwa guówáng, húxū cháng
娃娃国王, 胡须长 (Doll king, long beard)

Qímǎ chū wánggōng
骑马出王宫 (Riding a horse out of the palace)

Wáwabīng zài yǎnxí
娃娃兵在演习 (Doll soldiers are in practice)

Tífáng dírén gōng
提防敌人攻 (To guard against the enemy attack)

Jīguānqiāng dā dā dā
机关枪哒哒哒 (Machine guns da da da)

Yuánzǐ pào hōng hōng hōng
原子炮轰轰轰 (Atomic cannon boom boom boom)

Repeat 2 times.

Related post: Click HERE.

Please comment, I'd love to hear from you. Click HERE.

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Chinese Pop Song "聽媽媽的話" (Ting Mama De Hua, Listen To Mom's Words) by Jay Chou

November 06, 2009

** Tips: The reds are linked to related pages. Click on them to visit. They should open in new windows. The greens are pinyin. **

Song title: Tīng Māma De Huà (Listen To Mom's Words) (聽媽媽的話, 听妈妈的话)

Singer: Zhōu Jiélún (Jay Chou) (周杰倫, 周杰伦) who is one of the most popular hot Taiwanese musicians, singers, producers and actors right now, very talented and has won the World Music Award four times.
To be honest, I didn't like his style until Aries requested this song. Please tell me why you like Jay?
There are slow parts in the song which is perfect for beginners, the melody is good as well. But the fast parts in the song are way too fast and I could hardly catch up. It's very challenging and fun.
The lyrics touch moms' hearts. I can see a lot of moms are telling their kids: "See even Jay Chou is saying listen to mom..."
CLICK HERE for more information about the Jay Chou.
The subtitle in the video is in traditional Chinese.






Lyrics in pinyin, simplified characters and translations:

"Tīng Māma De Huà " (Listen to Mom's Words)

Xiǎopéngyǒu, nǐ shìfǒu yǒu hěn duō wènhào?
小朋友, 你是否有很多问号?
Little friend, do you have a lot of questions?

Wèishíme biérén zài nà kàn mànhuà,
为什么别人在那看漫画,
Why others are reading comic books,

Wǒ què zài xué huà huà, duì zhe gāngqín shuōhuà.

我却在学画画, 对著钢琴说话.

But I am learning painting and talking to the piano.

Biérén zài wán yóuxì, wǒ què kào zài qiángbì bèi wǒde ABC.

别人在玩游戏, 我却靠在墙壁背我的ABC.

Others are playing games, but I am leaning on the wall memorizing my ABCs.

Wǒ shuō wǒ yào yī tái dàdà de fēijī, dàn què dédào yī tái jiù jiù lùyīnjī.
我说我要一台大大的飞机, 但却得到一台旧旧录音机.
I said I wanted a large airplane, but I got an old recorder.

Wèishíme yào tīng māmā de huà, zhǎngdà hòu nǐ jiù huì kāishǐ dǒng le zhè duàn huà.

为什么要听妈妈的话, 长大后你就会开始懂了这段话.

Why listen to mom's words, after you grow up you will start to understand this section of words.

[ Zhǎngdà hòu wǒ kāishǐ míngbái,
长大后我开始明白,　
After I got older I started to realize,

Wèishíme wǒ pǎo dé bǐ biérén kuài, fēi dé bǐ biérén gāo.
为什么我跑得比别人快, 飞得比别人高.
Why I run faster than others, fly higher than others.

Jiānglái dàjiā kàn de dōushì wǒ huà de mànhuà,

将来大家看的都是我画的漫画,　

In the future, people will be reading the comic books I draw,

Dàjiā chàng de dōushì wǒ xiě de gē.

大家唱的都是我写的歌.

All the songs they sing will be written by me.

Māma de xīnkǔ bú ràng nǐ kànjiàn, wēnnuǎn de shípǔ zài tā xīn lǐmiàn.
妈妈的辛苦不让你看见, 温暖的食谱在她心里面.

Mom's hard work won't let you see. warm recipes are in her heart.

Yǒukōng jiù duōduō wò wò tā de shǒu , bǎ shǒu qiān zhe yīqǐ mèngyóu.
有空就多多握握她的手, 把手牵著一起梦游.

When you have time, hold her hand and dream together. ]

{ ( Tīng māma de huà, bié ràng tā shòushāng.
听妈妈的话, 别让她受伤.
Listen to mom's words, don't let her get hurt.

Xiǎng kuàikuài zhǎngdà, cáinéng bǎohù tā.
想快快长大, 才能保护她.
Want to grow up quickly, be able to protect her. )

Měilì de báifà, xìngfú zhōng fāyá,
美丽的白发, 幸福中发芽.
Beautiful white hair, sprouting in happiness.

Tiānshǐ de mófǎ, wēnnuǎn zhōng cíxiáng.
天使的魔法, 温暖中慈祥.
Angel's magic, benevolent in kindness. }


Zài nǐde wèilái, yīnyuè shì nǐde wángpái,
在你的未来, 音乐是你的王牌,
In your future, music is your key trump card,

Ná wángpái tán ge liànài, ai, wǒ bú xiǎng bǎ nǐ jiāo huài.
拿王牌谈个恋爱, 唉, 我不想把你教坏.
Use the trump card to be in love, sigh, I don't want to teach you the bad.

Háishì tīng māma de huà ba, wǎndiǎn zài liànài ba.
还是听妈妈的话吧, 晚点再恋爱吧.
Better listen to mom, be in love later.

Wǒ zhīdào nǐ wèilái de lù, dàn mā bǐ wǒ gèng qīngchǔ.
我知道你未来的路, 但妈比我更清楚.
I know your future path, but mom knows better than me.

Nǐ huì kāishǐ xué qítā tóngxué, zài shūbāo xiě dōng xiě xī.
你会开始学其他同学,在书包写东写西.
You will start imitating other classmates, writing things on your backpack.

Dàn wǒ jiànyì zuìhǎo xiě: māma wǒ huì yònggōng dúshū.
但我建议最好写: 妈妈我会用功读书.
But I suggest you better write: Mom I will study hard.

Yònggōng dúshū, zěnme huì cóng wǒ zuǐbā shuō chū?
用功读书, 怎么会从我嘴巴说出?
Study hard, how does that come from my mouth?

Bù xiǎng nǐ shū, suǒyǐ yào jiào nǐ yònggōng dúshū.
不想你输, 所以要叫你用功读书.
Don't want you to lose so must tell you to study hard.


Māma zhī gěi nǐ de máoyī, nǐ yào hǎohǎo de shōu zhe.
妈妈织给你的毛衣, 你要好好的收著.
The sweater mom knitted for you, you have to keep it safe.

Yīnwèi Mǔqīnjié dào shí, wǒ yào gàosù tā wǒ hái liú zhe.
因为母亲节到时, 我要告诉她我还留著.
Because on Mother's Day, I want to tell her, I still have it.

Duìle, wǒ huì yùdào Zhōu Rùnfā,
对了, 我会遇到周润发,
Oh yea, I will meet Chow Yun Fat,

Suǒyǐ nǐ kěyǐ gēn tóngxué xuànyào, Dǔshén wèilái shì nǐ bàba.
所以你可以跟同学炫耀, 赌神未来是你爸爸.
So you can show off to your friends, "The God of Gambling" will be your father.


Wǒ zhǎo bú dào tóngnián xiě de qíngshū, nǐ xiě wán búyào sòng rén.
我找不到童年写的情书, 你写完不要送人.
I can't find the love letter which is written in the childhood. Don't give it away after you finish it.

Yīnwèi guò liǎng tiān nǐ huì zài cāochǎng shàng jiǎndào.
因为过两天你会在操场上捡到.
Because you will find it on the playground two days later

Nǐ huì kāishǐ xǐhuān shàng liúxínggē, yīnwèi Zhāng Xuéyǒu kāishǐ zhǔnbèi chàng Wěnbié.
你会开始喜欢上流行歌, 因为张学友开始准备唱吻别.
You will start to like pop music because Jacky Cheung is about to sing Kiss Goodbye.

REPEAT {  }, (  ), [  ], {  }

Whew! What a song! Is your tongue twisted?

* Word by word audio, explanation and traditional characters:
Copy any sentence in Chinese above and paste in the dictionary in my side bar then hit "Search". The traditional characters are at the right side of the new opened page where it says "Traditional variant". If you see a blank that means the character's traditional version is the same as simplified version.


Jay Chou acted as a son in the movie "Curse of the Golden Flower". I have to share this since it's an awesome one with the super stars Chow Yun-Fat (Zhōu Rùnfā), Gong Li and the song happened to mentioned Zhōu Rùnfā as well. It was at the time of its release the most expensive Chinese film to date. Here's the trailer:





Like it?

PS. This song is requested by my member Aries.
If you are not my member yet, click on the yellow button near the top of my side bar to register as my free member. You can request songs or stuff I listed in some of my posts as well.


Please comment, I'd love to hear from you. Click HERE.

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Kiss 100 Men In Paris

October 31, 2009

** Tips: The reds are linked to related pages. Click on them to visit. They should open in new windows. The greens are pinyin. **

I found a very interesting Chinese blog

豆楊, 在巴黎吻百個男人 (豆杨，在巴黎吻百个男人)
"Dòuyáng ，Zài Bālí Wěn Bǎi Gè Nánrén" (Douyoung, Kiss 100 Men In Paris)

Douyoung, I think it's her pen name, a young pretty lady from Taiwan who's studying music in Paris.
I consider her a great pianist and admire her. Her YouTube Video is amazing:



She wanted to know how it would feel about kissing 100 men in Paris so she came up with this "crazy" idea. She teamed up with a photographer and started to look for men to kiss on the streets and have the photos taken. I think she has kissed over 50 men so far. She's going to publish a book about this story so not every kiss will be posted. I think those photos she has posted are beautiful.

第一个吻 dì yī gè wěn ( The 1st kiss)
第五个吻 dì wǔ gè wěn ( The 5th kiss)
第七个吻 dì qī gè wěn ( The 7th kiss)
第八个吻 dì bā gè wěn ( The 8th kiss)
第九个吻 dì jiǔ gè wěn ( The 9th kiss)
第十三个吻 dì shí sān gè wěn ( The 13th kiss)
第十五个吻 dì shí wǔ gè wěn ( The 15th kiss)
第十六个吻 dì shí liù gè wěn ( The 16th kiss)
第三十七个吻 dì sān shí qī gè wěn ( The 37th kiss)
第四十六个吻 dì sì shí liù gè wěn ( The 46th kiss) *This is my favorite.
This one she didn't say the number of the kiss.

What do you think? I'd love to hear from you. Click HERE.

第 dì : prefix indicating ordinal number.
在 zài : in, at.
巴黎 Bālí : Paris.
吻 wěn : kiss.
百bǎi : hundred.
个 gè : classifier for people or objects in general.
男人 nán rén : man or men.

Related blog.

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