你会说中文吗?

The language and ancient culture of China includes not just the world's most enormous country but spreads across various countries of Asia - and increasingly, well beyond. Here we explore all aspects of that culture.

Here, too, is your spot for asking questions, finding resources, and/or just hanging out & chatting in Chinese (mostly Mandarin, but Cantonese and others welcome, too!).

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Using Chinese astrology for travel guidance

  RootOfAllLight Lunar New Year 2024 has just ended, landing us in the year of the Dragon, and it got me to thinking: there´s quite a bit out there on where/how to travel according to Western star signs, aligning destinations with your astrological characteristics, but you don´t hear much of anything on the subject when it comes to Chinese astrology. As someone who´s studied Chinese and Sinic culture, I looked into it a bit, and here´s what I came up with, with a couple of destination…

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How they celebrate New Year's in China

  You might wonder why this is even a question. But in fact, the Chinese-speaking world has its own big Lunar New Year celebration (in 2021, it's 12 February), and so while much of the rest of the planet makes a big deal out of New Year's Eve tonight, for many of the nearly 1½ billion inhabitants of this vast country, it simply isn't all that much of a thing. There are of course exceptions, and that's what I'm here to talk about. read post

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  • Like a Zen riddle, perhaps...
  • I think it's very smart suggestion. The last question for 1 day will be a bit challenging.. but I think you guys will find a solution! :)
  • Would it work if, when the Buddha speaks, you translated 天 as "times," e.g., 三天 = "three times," etc.?
  • Michelle--Very difficult, if not impossible, to convey the subtlety of the message, because of the play on various usages of the word 天 in Chinese. But I admire the sentiment behind it!
  • Hi Michelle,
    Nice little gem! Translating and keeping subtlety and beauty alive is truly a conundrum, especially in this kind of context. The first problem with translating this particular piece, as I see it, is the fact that it involves a play on the different meanings of 天: as seasons, days, times of the day.... in Chinese, it works because it's always the same word; but in English, you'd have to say "seasons," "days," etc., and then it might not make sense.

    Am I making sense? Bernie? Am I totally off base?
  • Benard and Jose,
    Help with translation... It's truly lovely in Chinese, but I don't know how to work it into English without losing the subtlety..

    我對佛說...

    我對佛說:讓我所有朋友永遠健康快樂~!
    佛說:只能四天~!
    我說:好,春天、夏天、秋天、冬天。
    佛說:三天。
    我說:好,昨天、今天、明天。
    佛說:不行,兩天。!
    我說:好,白天、黑天。
    佛說:不行,就一天~!
    我說:好~!

    佛茫然問到:哪一天?
    我說:在我所有朋友活著的每一天 ~! ?

    佛....笑了.
  • We're seeing lots of people using parasols in Miami, too, even men. The sun here is a killer too!
  • Parasol is陽傘 (太陽的陽, 雨傘的傘). And you'll see lots of people carrying them if you go there. Smart, really: The tropical sun can wilt.
  • Strange minds think alike, Bernie! I too immediately thought of 余太太's "一双白皮鞋“ when I saw that video! The only thing missing was a frilly matching parasol. So um... what's the word for "parasol" in 中文?
  • Thanks, Michelle, those are very enlightening. I have not been to Taiwan (I was scheduled to go in 1993 as part of a cruise, but severe weather kept us from docking... and made me very seasick!). So I don't have Bernie's perspective to compare. But it's good to know that the old romantic ballads are still going strong!
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