ni hao = hello

Chinese Inventions Part 2

2009-11-15T04:45:00.000-08:00

Chinese inventions

2009-11-14T04:34:00.000-08:00

四大发明是关于中国科学技术史的一种论说，是指古代中国的四种发明，一般是指造纸术、指南针、火药、活字印刷术。

The Four Great Inventions of ancient China
四大发明; pinyin: sì dà fā míng, meaning "four great inventions" are four inventions that are celebrated in Chinese culture for their historical significance and as signs of ancient China's advanced science and technology.

The Four Great Inventions are:
The Compass
Gunpowder
Papermaking
Printing

歌剧魅影

2009-11-13T04:28:00.000-08:00

歌剧魅影 The phantom of the opera

歌词--

朱桦：
似睡还似乎醒似梦似真
这迷离呼唤声颤动我心
是幽灵还是谁在我身畔
这夜半魅影歌声不停地向我呼唤

费翔：
只有在梦魇中妳我共鸣
这离魂夜未央妳不苏醒
留妳脆弱心灵在我身畔
这夜半魅影歌声不停地向妳呼唤

朱桦：
你是禁锢幽灵为夜而生
我为你活白昼

费翔：
诉我心声

合唱：
我的灵魂和你歌声相连
这夜半魅影歌声不停地向妳（我）呼唤

朱桦：
你听这夜半魅影歌声
这迷离夜半魅影歌声

费翔：
在梦魇中的妳可曾疑问
似魂似人魅影

朱桦：
也假也真

合唱：
眩惑在迷宫里魂魄相缠
这夜半魅影歌声不停地向妳（我）呼唤

费翔：
（口白）唱！天使的歌声

朱桦：
这迷离夜半魅影歌声啊～

费翔：
（口白）唱！为我唱！　唱！妳为我而生！为我唱！
Phantom:费翔Kris Philips
Christine:朱桦Zhu Hua

王昭君

2009-11-12T04:12:00.000-08:00

王昭君, pinyin: Wáng Zhāojūn, was the consort of the Xiongnu shanyu Huhanye (呼韓邪). She is famed as one of the Four Beauties of ancient China.

王昭君
闷坐雕鞍思忆汉皇

朝朝暮暮暮暮朝朝黯然神伤
前途茫茫极目空翘望

见平沙雁落
声断衡阳月昏黄
返照雁门关上
塞外风霜悠悠马蹄忙
整日思想长夜思量
魂梦忆君王

阳关初唱往事难忘
琵琶一叠回首望故国
河山总断肠忆家庭景况
桩萱恩重隶萼情长远别家乡
旧梦前尘前尘旧梦空惆怅

阳关再唱触景神伤
琵琶二叠凝眸望野草
闲花驿路长问天涯茫茫
平沙雁落大道霜寒胡地风光
剩水残山残山剩水无心赏

阳关终唱后事凄凉
琵琶三叠前途望身世
飘零付杳茫嘱君望古阳
魂归汉地目睹朝阳久后思量
地老天长天长地老长怀想

四大美人：西施

2009-11-11T04:04:00.000-08:00

A tongue twister

XiShi:

西施死時四十四，
四十四時西施死。
XīShī sǐ shí sì shí sì, sì shí sì shí XīShī sǐ.

It means Xishi died at (the age of) forty-four, at (age) forty-four Xishi died.

Xi Shi (西施, Pinyin: Xī Shī, c. 506 BC ) was one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have lived during the end of Spring and Autumn Period in Zhuji, the capital of the ancient State of Yue.

Xi Shi's beauty was said to be so extreme that while leaning over a balcony to look at the fish in the pond, the fish would be so dazzled that they forgot to swim and gradually sunk away from the surface, birds would forget to fly and fall from the sky, the moon would fade, and flowers would close their petals in shame in comparison to her. This description serves as an idiom

沉魚落雁, 閉月羞花

(pinyin; chényú luòyàn, bìyuè xiūhuā)

which is used to compliment someone's beauty.

Carp and the Chinese Beauty by the Pond Animation

2009-11-10T03:56:00.000-08:00

The carp is a large group of fish originally found in Central Europe and Asia. Various carp species were originally domesticated in East Asia, where they were used as food fish. The ability of carp to survive and adapt to many climates and water conditions allowed the domesticated species to be propagated to many new locations including Japan. Natural color mutations of these carp would have occurred across all populations. Carp were first bred for color mutations in China more than a thousand years ago, where selective breeding of the Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio) led to the development of the goldfish. - wikipedia

鲤鱼是一种软鳍淡水鱼，生活在池塘或缓流中，植食性，可长得相当大，寿命很长，原产地亚洲。

静夜思 - 李白(701—762年)

2009-11-10T03:50:00.000-08:00

万圣夜=Halloween

2009-10-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

在每年的10月31日，是西方世界的传统节日，主要流行于北美、不列颠群岛、澳大利亚和新西兰。当晚小孩会穿上化妆服，戴上面具，挨家挨户收集榶果。

榶果＝ candy

tángguǒ

面具 = mask

miàn jù

化妆服 = costumes

huà zhuāng fú

万圣夜 = halloween

wàn shèng yè

Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. The day is often associated with the colors black and orange, and is strongly associated with symbols like the jack-o'-lantern. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, ghost tours, bonfires, visiting haunted attractions, pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films.

大话李白

2009-10-30T03:21:00.001-07:00

Pronunciation

2009-10-29T14:53:00.001-07:00

Fireworks at Chinese National Day celebrations 放烟火

2009-10-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

放烟火
fàng yān huǒ

The second part of the fireworks of Chinese October 1st celebrations.
Facing south. Beijing, TianAnMen.

Zither

2009-10-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

Zither is a musical instrument, consisting of a flat sounding box with numerous strings stretched over it, that is placed on a horizontal surface and played with a plectrum and the fingertips. When played it produces a classical tune like the one shown in this video :) enjoy!

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2009-10-19T04:43:00.000-07:00

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Under the Sea 海洋之心

2009-10-13T00:38:00.000-07:00

Pinyin Lyrics:

Xiang bai mu da pu shuo mi li
Xiang ai qing hai lang mang duo qing
Xiang jia lei bi hai de re li
Mei zuo hai dou xiang yi ge ni

Yan zhe hai an xian qu lv xing
Wo yao huan you mei ge ni
Cong chi dao yi zhi dao bei ji
Ai shang ni mei zhong feng qing

Under the sea
Under the sea
Ni de liao kuo li
Ni de wei lan li chong man shen mi
Mei yi ge xing fu de hai yu
Dou you yi ke hai yang zhi xin
Wo men yao yi qi
Zhao ai de mi di
Under the sea

Ni ai wo de xin jiu xiang cao xi
You shi peng pai you shi leng jing
Wen rou you ren xing de pi qi
Ni he hai yang xiang de ke yi
Ai zhi chuan qu lv xing
Wo yao liao jie mei ge ni
Jiu suan chen mei zai ni huai li

Under the sea
Under the sea
Yang liu xiang wei feng
Lang hua xiang bai yun
Ai shi yong qi

Ba ta hai tang tian kong fei xing
Fei xiang zui shen chu de hai di
Zui mei de xing fu ye xu zai na li
Under the sea

Under the sea
Wei lan hai shui li
Xuan zai ai qing de
Ying xu zhi di

Zui zhen gui de hai yang zhi xin
Yuan lai jiu zai wo men shou li
Wo men yao yi qi xiang xing fu qian jin
Under the sea

Under the sea
Under the sea
Under the sea
Ai shi yong qi
Ba ta hai tang tian kong fei xing
Fei xiang zui shen chu de hai di
Zui mei de xing fu ye xu zai na li
Under the sea

Under the sea
Under the sea
Wei lan hai shui li
Xuan zai ai qing de
Ying xu zhi di
Zui zhen gui de hai yang zhi xin
Yuan lai jiu zai wo men shou li
Wo men yao yi qi xiang xing fu qian jin
Under the sea

Wo hui geng nu li ai shang mei ge ni
Under the sea
Zui mei de xing fu
Bu xu yao zhao xun
Zhi yao wo ai ni
Na hai yang zhi xin
Zai wo men xin li
Hui yong yuan mei li
Under the sea

像百慕达扑朔迷离
像爱琴海浪漫多情
像加勒比海的热力
每座海都像一个你
沿着海岸线去旅行
我要环游每个你
从赤道一直到北极
爱上你每种风情
under the sea
你的辽阔里你的蔚蓝里
充满神秘
每一个幸福的海域
都有一颗海洋之心
我们要一起找爱的谜底
你爱我的心像潮汐
有时澎湃有时冷静
温柔又任性的脾气
你和海像得可以
乘着爱之船去旅行
我要了解每个你
就算沉没在你怀里
洋流像微风浪花像白云
爱是氧气
把大海当天空飞行
飞向最深处的海底
最美的幸福也许在那里
蔚蓝海水里存在爱情的
应许之地
最珍贵的海洋之心
原来就在我们手里
我们要一起向幸福前进
（Rap）
原来在我的相信里
我会更努力爱上每个你
最美的幸福不需要找寻
只要我爱你那海洋之心
在我们心里会永远美丽

Table Tennis 乒乓球

2009-10-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

Table tennis is a game played with two or four players hitting a ball with rackets back and forth to each other on a table, in a manner similar to tennis. 乒乓球 table tennis ball is made of celluloid material; it is 1.6 in in circumference and weighs 0.09 oz.

Umbrella - sǎn

2009-10-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

To protect from rain and it is usually waterproof. Umbrellas are almost exclusively hand-held and portable; some people use it like fashion accessories.

汉字五千年

2009-09-27T02:04:00.000-07:00

汉字五千年

2009-09-26T02:01:00.000-07:00

汉字五千年

2009-09-25T02:00:00.000-07:00

Colour - Green

2009-09-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

Green symbolizes hope and growth.

汉字五千年

2009-09-24T01:57:00.000-07:00

汉字五千年: 5000 Years of Chinese

2009-09-23T01:55:00.000-07:00

Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节

2009-09-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

中秋节 falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar (usually around mid- or late-September in the Gregorian calendar). This year, it is celebrated on the 3rd October 2009. It is a date that parallels the Autumn and Spring Equinoxes of the solar calendar. The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake.

Farmers celebrate the end of the summer harvesting season on this date. Traditionally, on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes and pomeloes together. Accompanying the celebration, there are additional cultural or regional customs, such as: Eating moon cakes outside under the moon, carrying brightly lit lanterns, lighting lanterns on towers, floating sky lanterns. Other activities also include planting Mid-Autumn trees, collecting dandelion leaves and distributing them evenly among family members and watching fire Dragon Dances.

Mooncakes are chinese pastry traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Typical mooncakes are round or rectangular pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 4-5 cm thick. A thick filling usually made from lotus seed paste is surrounded by a relatively thin (2-3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are rich, heavy, and dense compared with most Western cakes and pastries. They are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea.

Here's a video to share with you of the process of how mooncakes are made, enjoy watching with a cup of Chinese tea :)

Eight 8 八

2009-09-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

八成

bāchéng

almost∶几乎;绝大部分

most probably∶大概;很可能

Example: 八成要下雨 (Most probably it is going to rain)

Chinese Idioms - 一日千里

2009-09-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

一日千里
yī rì qiān lǐ

means: at a tremendous pace

指马跑得很快，一天能跑一千里，现在形容人进步很快或事企发展极其迅速。