Chinese Blog

Fundraising

Andrew — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:24:20 +0000

If your company needs seed funding to make it to the next step, you need to understand the process of 筹款 (fundraising). Investors are going to be vigilant in their questioning of your 市场定位 (market position), your 目标客户群 (targeted customer group), and their 回报 (return on investment) quantified by 利息 (interest). Your best bet is to 较低 (lay the cards out on the table) and prepare to let a lot of 期权 (stock options) go.

筹款 chou2kuan3 - fundraising
市场 shi4chang3 - market
定位 ding4wei4 - position
目标 mu4biao1 - goal/target
客户 ke4hu4 - client/customer
群 qun2- group
回报 hui2bao4 - return (on investment)
利息 li4xi1 - interest
较低 jiao1di3 - lay the cards out on the table
期权 qi1quan2 - options (like stock options)

Post from: Chinese Blog

Korea Part 1

Andrew — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:56:48 +0000

I wrote this post while on the 高速铁路 (high speed rail) to 釜山(Pusan). I departed from 首尔(Seoul), formerly known as 汉城 (old name for Seoul) with a friend. We have enjoyed some great 拌饭 (bibimbap) so far here. What surprises me the most in Korea is the clearly high 效率 (efficiency）of most systems, not least of which is the rail system. Things leave and arrive on time. In addition to that, Korea has a fascination with 名牌 (name brand) products. Back in college, I studied Korean for 3 years. Actually, you get a substantial boost with vocabulary in studying Korean as many words (up to 60%) come from 古代 (ancient) Chinese. However, there is still the 40% remaining words which are 本土 (native) terms. Most remarkable here in Korea has been the 生活水平 (standard of living) of its population. More on that in posts to come.

高速铁路 gao1su4tie3lu4 - high-speed rail
釜山 fu3shan1 - Pusan
首尔 shou2(3)er3 - Seoul
汉城 han4cheng2 - Seoul (old name)
拌饭 ban4fan4 - bibimbap
效率 xiao4lv4 - efficiency
名牌 ming2pai2 - famous brands
古代 fu3dai4 - ancient times
本土 ben2(3)tu3 - local, native
生活水平 sheng1huo3(2)shui4ping2 - standard of living

Post from: Chinese Blog

Michael Jackson

Andrew — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:32:29 +0000

As nearly everybody in the world knows, the other day a famous 歌星 (music star) 逝世 (passed away). Yes, it was 迈克尔杰克逊 (Michael Jackson), the creator of the record-holding best-selling 唱片 (album) in history. Nobody expected for him to 去世 (pass on) at such an early age. Thousands of 歌迷 (fans) lined up all around the world to mourn him. News from 伊朗 (Iran) was moved to the side on all major media portals. There will never be another person who could make the 灵异 (supernatural) as mainstream as he did, nor will there ever be a dance quite like the 太空舞步 (moonwalk) again.
歌星 ge1xing1 - music star
逝世 shi4shi4 - pass away
迈克尔 mai4ke4er3 - Michael
杰克逊 jie2ke4xun4 - Jackson
唱片 chang4pian1 - album (of music)
去世 qu4shi4 - pass on (more colloquial than shi4shi4)
歌迷 ge1mi2 - music fans
伊朗 yi1lang2 - Iran
灵异 ling3yi4 - supernatural
太空舞步 tai4kong1wu3bu4 - translated, it’s something like “space dancestep”

Post from: Chinese Blog

Summer in Beijing

Andrew — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:55:49 +0000

Hello readers!

So these days it’s pretty hot in Beijing, reaching 40 摄氏度 (degrees Celsius), that’s 104F for people who use 华氏度 (degrees Fahrenheit). I have tried to use my 空调 (air conditioner) but to no avail, leaving me somewhat 郁闷 (melancholy). Also, in Beijing, the 空气 (air) owing in part to 污染 (pollution), can be a little bit 浓 (thick). Concerned urban residents have little choice but to 出汗 (sweat) and pity those who 怕热 (are afraid of heat).

摄氏度 she4shi4du4 - Celsius degrees
华氏度 hua2shi4du4 - Fahrenheit degrees
空调 kong1tiao2 - air conditioner
郁闷 yu4men4 - melancholy
空气 kong1qi4 - air
污染 wu1ran3 - pollution
浓 nong2 - thick
出汗 chu1han4 - sweat
怕热 pa4re4 - be afraid/averse of/to heat

Post from: Chinese Blog

On Usage of Terms of Annoyance

Andrew — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 03:57:10 +0000

Sometimes in 跨文化谈判 (cross-cultural negotiations) , some of the 幽默(humor) can be lost, and it can lead someone approaching the situation in a 认真 (serious/diligent) manner to be at a loss for words and unable to communicate further. Today, let’s take a look at some words that people use to express annoyance.

First, there’s 烦 (annoyed, fed up). It’s used in situations where in English, a person might say “ugh, I can’t BELIEVE this.”

甲: 排队这么长时间了, 真烦!

A: I’ve been waiting so long, this is so annoying!

讨厌 (”hate”) is a little bit different. It can be used in a playful sense. Look at the dialogue below to see how some of the usage works.

A: Wow, I just won another raffle prize!
B: Oh my god, I hate you!

甲: 哇塞, 我又抽奖了!
乙: 讨厌!

Vocab-

跨 kua4 - (prefix) cross-
文化 wen2hua4 - culture
幽默 you1mo4 - humor
认真 ren4zhen1 - serious, diligently
烦 fan2 fed up
讨厌 tao3yan4 - dislike, disgusting

Post from: Chinese Blog

Some of the BYKI Words

Andrew — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:17:38 +0000

Hi there readers!

Today, let’s take a closer look at some of the recent BYKI words featured on the Twitter feed.

自己 (zi4ji3) is defined as meaning “self,” but that’s not the only way it’s used. Take the example below.

这是你自己想要的 - This is what YOU wanted. Note that in the translation, there’s nothing like “you yourself.” It’s closer to “YOU’RE the one who wanted this.” Alternatively you could use 你才想要这个. (It was you who wanted this).
一会儿 (yi1hui4(2)er) Pronunciation note here-, it’s not like “hui-er ” in pronunciation. In practice, the combination of the two words sounds like the English word “were” with an “h” in front. Also, the tone can vary. Some will pronounce huier with a second tone, while others use the fourth tone.
马路(ma3lu4) is defined as meaning “street.” - although it can mean “street,” bear in mind that it can be like “road” as well. The word 街 (jie1) is also used to refer to streets. There is an idiom which means “in the streets and alleys” - 街头港尾 - jie1tou2gang2(3)wei3.
爱(ai4) is defined as meaning “to love”. It is important to note here that “love” is not used in exactly the same way in Mandarin as it is in English. If you see a piece of clothing you want to buy, you wouldn’t say “I love that!” Love is usually used between people and to describe someone’s fondness of doing something. For example:

我不爱吃汉堡. - I don’t love eating hamburgers. This can be taken as “I don’t like hamburgers” as interpreted by an English speaker.

Post from: Chinese Blog

Changing Jobs

Andrew — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:05:23 +0000

How do people talk about their careers in China? Many people here work very hard, to the point where they 做牛做马 (work as hard as oxen or horses). Even so, sometimes a horse has to 跳槽 (jump stables). It is important to be as 用功 (hardworking) as they come in this economic climate. For some people, salary isn’t as important as a 事业平台 (career) platform that’s oriented in the proper 方向 (direction). Following that, the most important step is to find a 伯乐(judge of talent) for you, the 千里马 (thousand-li horse- hard worker) to maximize your 进展 (progres and development). If not, you may soon find yourself in the army. Not the actual army, but the 失业大军 (army of the unemployed).
做牛做马 zuo4niu2zuo4ma3 - work as hard as an ox or horse
跳槽 tiao4cao2 - jump stables, change positions
用功 yong4gong1 - hardworking
事业 shi4ye - career
平台 ping2tai2 - platform
方向 fang1xiang4 - direction
伯乐 bo2le4 - a person able to see talent
千里马 qian1li2(3)ma3 - thousand-li horse, a hard worker
进展 jin4zhan3 - development/progress
失业大军 shi1ye4da4jun1 - army of the unemployed

Post from: Chinese Blog

Winning Prizes

Andrew — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:32:56 +0000

The other night I was at a conference which had organized a 抽奖 (prize drawing) activity. I bought 9 tickets at the time, trying to improve my chances of winning. Win I did. There were KTV (karaoke) passes and 餐卷 (food coupons), which could be used another night. Given that the tickets were 10USD or 100RMB, I went with the 10USD tickets, saving between 30-40RMB per ticket just by paying in US bills- very 划算 (good deal). The highlight of the night was when I won a 空气净化器 (air purifier) valued at over 1500USD! I ran up to the stage while 狂笑 (laughing crazily) and was very 得意洋洋 (smug) at a 夜总会 (nightclub) following the event. The only drawback is that my 嗓子 (throat) is still rather 哑 (scratchy) from all the yelling.

抽奖 chou4jiang3 - prize drawing
KTV pronunced like “kay-tay-way” by most - Karaoke
餐卷 can1juan3 - food coupon
划算 hua2(4)suan4 - economical, good deal
空气净化器 kong1qi4jing4hua4qi4 - air purifier
狂笑 kuang2xiao4 - laughing crazily
得意洋洋 de2yi4yang2yang2 - self-satisfied
夜总会 ye4zong3hui4 - nightclub
嗓子 sang3zi - throat
哑 ya3 - scratchy

Post from: Chinese Blog

Bargaining at the Market

Andrew — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:45:39 +0000

A great thing happened the other day at 秀水街 (the silk market), and even the day before at 中关村 (zhongguancun - see below). A friend of mine said that if I could get a deal lower than the one he got on a U-盘(thumb drive), then he would 请我吃饭(treat me to a meal). The first vendor I see 居然(unexpectedly) had a price that was 少于 (less than) 120 块(RMB), the price my friend paid. He certainly did 出丑(get embarrassed), and I didn’t blink at handing over the 本钱 (buying price - used for sellers) to seal the deal. He paid not only for his own thumb drive, but now he’ll have to pay for my meal too. 多亏! (what a loss!)

秀水街 xiu4shui3jie1 - Silk Street (AKA the Silk Market) in Beijing
中关村 zhong1guan1cun1 - part of Beijing with numerous tech companies and markets, a Chinese equivalent of silicon valley
U-盘 you1pan2 - thumb drive
请我吃饭 qing2(3)wo3chi1fan4 - treat me to a meal
居然 ju1ran2 - unexpectedly
少于 shao3yu2 - less than
块 kuai4 - in this case, it’s a measure word for RMB
出丑 chu1chou3 - be embarrassed
本钱 ben3qian2 - buying price/initial cost
多亏 duo1kui1 - what a loss!

Post from: Chinese Blog

Card Madness

Andrew — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:59:27 +0000

Hello Readers!

The other day I got into Beijing from Newark and was in for a bit of a surprise. You see, when I arrived at #2 航站楼 (terminal), I needed to withdraw some money from the 汇丰取款机 (HSBC ATM). I didn’t expect for my 卡 (card) to be 吞 (swallowed) by the machine. I had chosen the machine because it supported 银联 (UnionPay), since I am a Bank of China user. Immediately after inserting the card, the 屏幕 (screen) showed a message saying that the machine was out of order, but no 凭条 (slip) came out. On top of that, there was no 显示热线号码 (displayed hotline number) for me to call. I eventually reached the bank with the help of an airport employee. At any rate, today I am going to the bank to get that card back. Be careful with your cards in China!

航站楼 hang2zhan4lou2 - terminal
取款机 qu2(3)kuan3ji1 - ATM
卡 ka3 - card
吞 tun1 - swallow
银联 yin2lian2 - UnionPay, basically a nationwide debit network
屏幕 pin2mu4 - screen
凭条 ping2tiao2 - slip
显示 xian3shi4 - display
热线 re4xian4 - hotline
号码 hao4ma3 - number

Post from: Chinese Blog