Daily Chinese Proverb: Forgotten

Posted by Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin Wednesday 26 August 2009 0 comments

This proverb relaes to the idea that something is easily forgotten or dismissed as unimportant if it is not in our direct view. I have started to write down my goals more often so that I can regualrly remember what my goals are, and achieve them. I don't like letting myself down.


不看不觉得
bù kàn, bù juédé
Out of sight, out of mind


Photo Source
Flickr

Chinese Valentines Day

Posted by Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin 2 comments

Qixi Festival (七夕節 qī xī jié) literally "The Night of Sevens" is also known as Magpie Festival or in more modern times Chinese Valentine's Day. It falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar, which this year happens to fall today.

On the Chinese Valentine's Day, people in love like to go to the temple of Matchmaker and pray for their love and the possible marriage in China. People still single will do the same thing to ask their luck of love in the Matchmaker temple.

The Chinese Valentine's Day is also called The Daughter's Festival. Long ago, Chinese girls always wanted to train themselves having a good handcrafting skill like the Weaving Maid. The skill is essential for their future family. Young girls traditionally demonstrate their domestic arts, especially melon carving, on this day and make wishes for a good husband.

According to Chinese legend the love story is about the 7th daughter of Emperor of Heaven (织女 zhī nǚ) and an orphaned cowherd (牛郎 niú láng). They were separated by the Emperor. The 7th daughter was forced to move to the star Vega and the cowherd moved to the star Altair. The beloved couple, a cowherder and a weaver, are allowed to meet only once a year in heaven on this day.

In true Chinese style where superstition of numbers is incredibly strong; In Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, a large-scale festival will be held at the Huaqing Pool. Residents have been invited to contribute love stories, with 77 pieces, representing the seventh day of the seventh month, being read aloud. 77 couples will participate in a collective wedding ceremony, Tang Dynasty style.

Cowherd & Weaver Myth

Posted by Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin 0 comments

Qixi Fesitval (七夕 qī xī "The Night of Sevens") sometimes called Chinese Valentine's Day, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the Chinese calendar
and thus its name. The traditions of the Qixi Festival day follow this legend:

On the night sky of the late summer days the stars Altair and Vega are high in the night sky and the Chinese tell the following love story, of which there are many variations:

A young cowherd named Niu Lang (牛郎, "the cowherd", the star Altair) happens across seven fairy sisters bathing in a lake. Encouraged by his mischievous companion the ox, he steals their clothes and waits to see what will happen next. The fairy sisters elect the youngest and most beautiful sister Zhi Nü (織女, "the weaver girl", the star Vega) to retrieve their clothing. She does so, but since Niu Lang sees her naked she must agree to his request for marriage. She proves to be a wonderful wife, and Niu Lang a good husband, and they are very happy together. But the Goddess of Heaven (in some versions Zhi Nü's mother) finds out that a mere mortal has married one of the fairy girls and is furious. (In another version, the Goddess forced the weaver fairy back to her former duty of weaving colorful clouds in the sky because she could not do her job while married to the mortal.) Taking out her hairpin, the Goddess scratches a wide river in the sky to separate the two lovers forever (thus forming the Milky Way separating Altair and Vega).

Zhi Nü must sit forever on one side of the river, sadly weaving on her loom, while Niu Lang watches her from afar and takes care of the two kids (his flanking stars β and γ Aquilae).

But once a year all the magpies in the world take pity on them and fly up into heaven to form a bridge (鵲橋, "the bridge of magpies", Que Qiao) over the star Deneb in the Cygnus constellation so the lovers may be together for a single night, the seventh night of the seventh moon.

Picture Source: AsiaThings

Chinese Band: 831 (八三夭)

Posted by Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin 0 comments

乐队(band): 八三夭 831
专辑(album): 拯救世界 Save the World
国家(country): Taiwan
发行时间(release date): March 2009




I just came across this striking band, not usually the music I would listen to, but caught my attention with a cool video and a catchy hook. Taiwanese emo-punk band 831 generated a lot of local buzz after producing the opening theme for the third season of popular Channel V program Circus Action. 831 sing mainly in Madarin, with odd parts of the chorus in English. Signed to Universal in Taiwan, they released their debut in March this year.





(Video Above) Translated Lyrics: 831 - Save the World

是誰 你的主題曲我的夏天
shì shéi nǐ de zhǔ tí qū wǒ de xiàtiān
Who is it? Your theme song. My summer

你的臉 你的眼 讓我融化毀滅
nǐ de liǎn nǐ de yǎn ràng wǒ rónghuà huǐmiè
Your face, your eyes, they make me melt and dissolve.

She says Will you be my boyfriend?

我看不見 卻能感覺 這血流不止的危險
wǒ kànbùjiàn què néng gǎnjué zhè xiě liú bùzhǐ de wēixiǎn
I can't see, but I can feel my blood bleeding nonstop- its dangerous

My god!

如何才能夠分辨 不停墜落的世界
rúhé cáinéng gòu fēnbiàn bùtíng zhuìluò de shìjiè
My god how can I differentiate in this never ending world

懦弱的臉 卻想改變 無法去承認的一切
nuòruò de liǎn què xiǎng gǎibiàn wúfǎ qù chéngrèn de yīqiè
(this) expressionless face actually wants to change, but can't admit to it all

My god!

註定失敗的諾言 我們卻不停的給
nuòruò de liǎn què xiǎng gǎibiàn wúfǎ qù chéngrèn de yīqiè
My god! A promise that's doomed to fail. But we can't stop giving it.

你是我是誰?我頭暈目眩!
nǐ shì wǒ shì shéi ?wǒ tóuyūn mù xuàn !
You are, I am who? My head's dizzy from it all.


是誰 你的主題曲我的夏天
shì shéi nǐ de zhǔ tí qū wǒ de xiàtiān
Who is it? Your theme song. My summer.

你的臉 你的眼 讓我溶化毀滅
nǐ de liǎn nǐ de yǎn ràng wǒ rónghuà huǐmiè
Your face, your eyes, they make me melt and dissolve.

She says Will you be my boyfriend?

你拯救了世界
nǐ zhěngjiù le shìjiè
You've saved the world

我看不見 卻能感覺 這血流不止的危險
wǒ kànbùjiàn què néng gǎnjué zhè xiě liú bùzhǐ de wēixiǎn
I can't see, but I can feel my blood flowing nonstop- its dangerous

My god!

如何才能夠分辨 不停墜落的世界
rúhé cáinéng gòu fēnbiàn bùtíng zhuìluò de shìjiè
My god! How can I differentiate in this never ending world/

懦弱的臉 卻想改變 無法去承認的一切
nuòruò de liǎn què xiǎng gǎibiàn wúfǎ qù chéngrèn de yīqiè
(this) expressionless face actually wants to change, but can't admit to it all.

My god!

註定失敗的諾言 我們卻不停的給
nuòruò de liǎn què xiǎng gǎibiàn wúfǎ qù chéngrèn de yīqiè
My god! A promise that's doomed to fail. But we can't stop giving it.

你是我是誰?我頭暈目眩!
nǐ shì wǒ shì shéi ?wǒ tóuyūn mù xuàn !
You are, I am who? My head's dizzy from it all.

是誰 你的主題曲我的夏天
shì shéi nǐ de zhǔ tí qū wǒ de xiàtiān
Who is it? Your theme song. My summer.

你的臉 你的眼 讓我溶化毀滅
nǐ de liǎn nǐ de yǎn ràng wǒ rónghuà huǐmiè
Your face, your eyes, they make me melt and dissolve.

She says Will you be my boyfriend?

不要再後退
bùyào zài hòutuì
Please don't back away anymore.

是誰 我失去了自己的直接
shì shéi wǒ shīqù le zìjǐ de zhíjiē
Who is it? I've lost my straightforwardness

你的臉 我閉上了眼卻看得見
nǐ de liǎn wǒ bì shàng le yǎn què kàndéjiàn
Your face- I blink my eyes but I can still see it.

I say will you be my girlfriend?

你拯救了世界
nǐ zhěngjiù le shìjiè
You've saved the world

是誰 你的主題曲我的夏天
shì shéi nǐ de zhǔ tí qū wǒ de xiàtiān
Who is it? Your theme song. My summer

你的臉 你的眼 讓我溶化毀滅
nǐ de liǎn nǐ de yǎn ràng wǒ rónghuà huǐmiè
Your face. Your eyes. They make me melt and dissolve.

She says Will you be my boyfriend?

不要再後退
bùyào zài hòutuì
Please don't back away anymore.

是誰 我失去了自己的直接
shì shéi wǒ shīqù le zìjǐ de zhíjiē
Who is it? I've lost my straightforwardness.

你的臉 我閉上了眼卻看得見
nǐ de liǎn wǒ bì shàng le yǎn què kàndéjiàn
Your face- I blink but I can still see it.

I say will you be my girlfriend?

你拯救了世界
nǐ zhěngjiù le shìjiè
You've saved the world.

我看不見 卻能感覺 這血流不止的危險
wǒ kànbùjiàn què néng gǎnjué zhè xiě liú bùzhǐ de wēixiǎn
I cant see, but I can still feel my blood flowing nonstop- its dangerous.

My god!

註定失敗的諾言 我們卻不停的給
zhùdìng shībài de nuòyán wǒmen quèbù tíng de gěi
My god! A promise that's doomed to fail. But we can't stop giving it.


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