Comments on: Beginner Lesson S2 #18 - The Cute Chinese Cat http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/ Learn Chinese with Free Podcasts Whether you are student or a seasoned speaker, our lessons offer something for everyone. We incorporate culture and current issues into each episode to give the most informative, both linguistically and culturally, podcasts possible. For those of you with just the plane ride to prepare, check our survival phrase series at ChineseClass101.com. One of these phrases just might turn your trip into the best one ever! Thu, 17 May 2012 21:00:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.11 by: Jane http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-11445 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 02:28:32 +0000 http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-11445 Hi phoenix_darshan, You are not being finnicky at all. Thanks for your feedback. Here are my answers to your question. First, the pinyin or tone for the character 汪汪 should indeed be first tone. So after I reply to your question, I will go ahead fix the mistake in the lesson note. Secondly, you are absolutely right about the rule of changing tone of 不 from 4th to 2nd if it followed by another 4th tone word. However, the pinyin you see on the lesson note were added from another separate software. It requires manual alteration from our staff. And unfortunately sometimes we overlook things like that and caused confusion to our learners. I apologize for that and I'll try to fix it where I can. Thanks again for helping us to improve our service. Enjoy your lesson. Best, Jane:smile: Hi phoenix_darshan,
You are not being finnicky at all. Thanks for your feedback. Here are my answers to your question.

First, the pinyin or tone for the character 汪汪 should indeed be first tone. So after I reply to your question, I will go ahead fix the mistake in the lesson note.

Secondly, you are absolutely right about the rule of changing tone of 不 from 4th to 2nd if it followed by another 4th tone word. However, the pinyin you see on the lesson note were added from another separate software. It requires manual alteration from our staff. And unfortunately sometimes we overlook things like that and caused confusion to our learners. I apologize for that and I’ll try to fix it where I can.

Thanks again for helping us to improve our service. Enjoy your lesson.

Best,
Jane :smile:

]]> by: phoenix_darshan http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-11444 Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:49:44 +0000 http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-11444 hi there. I noticed that the tone of wang wang is 4th tone in the pdf but i think it should be 1st tone (thats wht my dictionary says). I am sry about being very finnicky, but I am a beginner and so it requires me to study podcast along with pdfs. I also noticed that bu is always 4th tone on your pdfs even though its followed by another 4th tone. thanks hi there. I noticed that the tone of wang wang is 4th tone in the pdf but i think it should be 1st tone (thats wht my dictionary says). I am sry about being very finnicky, but I am a beginner and so it requires me to study podcast along with pdfs. I also noticed that bu is always 4th tone on your pdfs even though its followed by another 4th tone.

thanks

]]> by: Patrick http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-7628 Wed, 27 Oct 2010 06:14:24 +0000 http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-7628 Hello Jane, Thank you so much for your detailed response. I actually value your ''complicated' response, as you provide many models and sample sentences in which I can learn from. And thank you for correcting my first sentence. Hopefully I can periodically do some more postings in various lessons throughout this site, as I find attempting to use newly learned vocabulary in my own context can help me remember better. Hope to come across more of your responses and teaching in the future! Take care, Patrick Hello Jane,

Thank you so much for your detailed response. I actually value your ‘’complicated’ response, as you provide many models and sample sentences in which I can learn from. And thank you for correcting my first sentence.

Hopefully I can periodically do some more postings in various lessons throughout this site, as I find attempting to use newly learned vocabulary in my own context can help me remember better. Hope to come across more of your responses and teaching in the future!

Take care,
Patrick

]]> by: Jane http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-7530 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 03:15:22 +0000 http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-7530 Hi Patrick, Can I suggest first that in your Chinese article the first sentence should be "我也有可爱的猫". "都" means all such as "我们都有猫". Now back to your question. If you want to ask whether someone behaves more like a cat or a dog, you could say "他的性格是更像猫还是更像狗". It is a bit complicated cos the sentence also involved using the making preference pattern "是...还是..." . some other sample sentences are 他长得像他妈妈(一样)。He looks like his mom. 天上的白云像一朵朵的棉花。The cloud in the sky look like (clusters of) cotton. 他画的马像真的一样。The horse he painted is so real. So the pattern "像...一样" is used when you describe "一样" cam be omited without changing the meaning of the sentence. Hope that's not a too complicated answer for your rather simple question. Enjoy your Chinese study. Jane Hi Patrick,
Can I suggest first that in your Chinese article the first sentence should be “我也有可爱的猫”. “都” means all such as “我们都有猫”.
Now back to your question. If you want to ask whether someone behaves more like a cat or a dog, you could say “他的性格是更像猫还是更像狗”. It is a bit complicated cos the sentence also involved using the making preference pattern “是…还是…” . some other sample sentences are
他长得像他妈妈(一样)。He looks like his mom.
天上的白云像一朵朵的棉花。The cloud in the sky look like (clusters of) cotton.
他画的马像真的一样。The horse he painted is so real.
So the pattern “像…一样” is used when you describe
“一样” cam be omited without changing the meaning of the sentence.
Hope that’s not a too complicated answer for your rather simple question. Enjoy your Chinese study.

Jane

]]> by: Patrick http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-7480 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 01:21:55 +0000 http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-7480 我都有可愛的貓。 她的名字叫Speckles. 但是我叫Speckles 的時候，她不會過來。 我覺得因為貓比狗有更多自己的想法， 所以想過來就過來， 想不過來就不過來。 ChineseClass101 的朋友。 你像貓多或者像狗多？ Can I ask a question about how I use 像 in the above sentence? Am I using it correctly in the vocabulary and grammatical sense? I want to use it to mean ''similar to'. Can you give me some models of correct sentences, or maybe point me to a lesson number/dialogue that uses this construction? Thank you very much. -Patrick 我都有可愛的貓。 她的名字叫Speckles.
但是我叫Speckles 的時候，她不會過來。
我覺得因為貓比狗有更多自己的想法，
所以想過來就過來， 想不過來就不過來。

ChineseClass101 的朋友。 你像貓多或者像狗多？

Can I ask a question about how I use 像 in the above sentence? Am I using it correctly in the vocabulary and grammatical sense? I want to use it to mean ‘’similar to’. Can you give me some models of correct sentences, or maybe point me to a lesson number/dialogue that uses this construction? Thank you very much.

-Patrick

]]> by: Dusty http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-6980 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:15:48 +0000 http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-6980 Thanks. That's intriguing. Similar to the fairly recent English rebranding of "man" to just mean males rather than person, I suppose. Thanks. That’s intriguing. Similar to the fairly recent English rebranding of “man” to just mean males rather than person, I suppose.

]]> by: david http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-6973 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:15:53 +0000 http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-6973 As Jan said, 他 is the character for he, 她 is the character for she, and 它 is the character for it. 她 is a relatively modern invention I think -- they used to use 他 for both genders up into the early 20th century. So you'll still run into it used for women on occasion. As Jan said, 他 is the character for he, 她 is the character for she, and 它 is the character for it. 她 is a relatively modern invention I think — they used to use 他 for both genders up into the early 20th century. So you’ll still run into it used for women on occasion.

]]> by: Jan http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-6970 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:36:38 +0000 http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-6970 @Dusty， We always use "它" to refer to an animal. But sometimes we use he or she when we want to emphasis the gender of animals. @Dusty，

We always use “它” to refer to an animal. But sometimes we use he or she when we want to emphasis the gender of animals.

]]> by: Dusty http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-6969 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:30:42 +0000 http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-6969 I was watching the Chinese tv series, Moment in Peking. They had a dog, and whenever anyone referred to it, they said "it" rather than he or she (in the English subtitles). Does Chinese typically distinguish the gender of animals? I realize this would only be applicable in writing since "ta" sounds the same. Thanks! I was watching the Chinese tv series, Moment in Peking. They had a dog, and whenever anyone referred to it, they said “it” rather than he or she (in the English subtitles). Does Chinese typically distinguish the gender of animals? I realize this would only be applicable in writing since “ta” sounds the same.
Thanks!

]]> by: ChineseClass101.com http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-4911 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:30:00 +0000 http://www.chineseclass101.com/2010/08/31/beginner-lesson-s2-18-the-cute-chinese-cat/#comment-4911 <p>Hi ChineseClass101.com Listeners! Have you ever known a cat to come when called?</p> Hi ChineseClass101.com Listeners! Have you ever known a cat to come when called?

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