Chinese Band: Hopscotch (跳房子)

Posted by Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin Tuesday 1 September 2009 2 comments

乐队(band): 跳房子 Hopscotch
专辑(album): A Wishful Way
国家(country): China
发行时间(release date): 2002


Hopscotch are now seemingly defunct, however they were quite popular a few years ago. Hopscotch, were a 4 piece Wuhan band, based in Beijing. Their most popular song 'Wishful Way' is influenced by trip hop and indie music. It was the 15th most played song on Chinese radio when it was released and whilst her English isn't quite so smooth, the song is so haunting and I really am drawn to it.



Wishful Way & She are the lead singles off of Hopscotch's 2002 album 'Wishful way'
Singer and lyricist Tian Yuan, appeared in the 2004 Hong Kong film Butterfly, winning an award for best performance.

Daily Chinese Proverb: Knowledge

Posted by Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin 0 comments

This is a saying from Lao Zi's (老子), Dao De Jing (道德经). It follows on from my thoughts about silence yesterday.


知者不言,言者不知
zhì zhě bù yán, yán zhě bù zhī
He who knows doesnt speak, he who speaks doesnt know.
-Lao Zi

31 Chinese Proverbs Hath August

Posted by Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin 0 comments

Here are the 31 Daily Chinese Proverbs I published and translated into English, Hanyu Pinyin and Mandarin during August. I have compiled the here for your ease.


August 1st

从容不迫
cóng róng bù pò
To be calm and unhurried
August 2nd
大公无私
dà gōng wú sī
To be fair and unselfish
August 3rd
相见恨晚
xiāng jiàn hèn wǎn
Regret not knowing somebody before
August 4th
实话实说
shí huà shí shuō / shi2 hua4 shi2 sho1
Tell the truth
August 5th
其乐无穷
qí lè wú qióng
An endless enjoyment

August 6th
尽善尽美
jìnshàn jìnměi
Perfect
August 7th
失败不是倒下,但拒绝起床。
shībài bùshì dǎoxià dàn jùjué qǐchuáng
Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up
August 8th
鱼与熊掌不可兼得
yú yǔ xióng zhǎng bù kě jiān dé
One cannot get fish and bear's paw at the same time
August 9th
三十輻共一轂,
當其無,有車之用。
埏埴以為器,
當其無,有器之用。
鑿戶牖以為室,
當其無有室之用。
故有之以為利,
無之以為用。

sānshí fú gòng yī gǔ,
dāng qí wú, yǒu chē zhī yòng.
shān zhí yǐwéi qì,
dāng qí wú, yǒu qì zhī yòng.
záo hùyǒu yǐwéi shì,
dāng qí wú yǒu shì zhī yòng.
gù yǒu zhī yǐwéi lì,
wú zhī yǐwéi yòng.

Thirty spokes join together in a wheel's hub, It is the center hole that makes the wheel useful. We shape clay to fashion jugs; It is the hollowness within that makes a jug useful. We cut doors and windows in a house wall; It is these empty spaces that make the house useful. Thus things are valuable because of what they have And they are useful because of what they lack.
August 10th
自相矛盾
Zì Xiāng Máo Dùn
Self-contradictory
August 11th
养活你人鱼饲料他一天。教人捕鱼,你养活他一辈子。
yǎnghuo nǐ rén yú sìliào tā yītiān。 jiāo rén bǔyú nǐ yǎnghuo tā yībèizi.
Feed a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
August 12th
安贫乐道
ān pín lè dào
Better to be Happy than Rich
August 13th
欲速則不達
yù sù zé bù dá
If you are in a hurry you will never get there
August 14th
打铁趁热
dǎ tiě chèn rè
Strike Whilst The Iron is Hot
August 15th
树倒猢狲散
shù dǎo hú sūn sàn
When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter
August 16th
一箭雙雕
yī jiàn shuāng diāo
Kill two birds with one Arrow

August 17th
逆流而上
nì​liú​ ér​ shàng​
Swimming Upstream
August 18th
君子欲訥於言而敏於行
jūn​zi​ yù​ nè​ wū​ yán​ ér​ mǐn​ wū​ xìng​
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions
August 19th
顺其自然
shùn​qí​zì​rán​ Let things take their own course
August 20th
持而盈之,不如其已。
揣而梲之,不可長保。
金玉滿堂,莫之能守。
富貴而驕,自遺其咎。
功成、名遂、身退,天之道。

chí ér yíng zhī, bùrú qí yǐ.
chuāi ér zhuó​ zhī, bùkě cháng bǎo.
jīnyù mǎntáng, mò zhī néng shǒu.
fùguì ér jiāo, zì yí qí jiù.
gōng chéng, míng suì, shēn tuì, tiān zhī dào.

Fill a cup to overflowing, And it will spill. Hone a sword to the very sharpest, And it won't stay sharp for long. Fill your halls with gemstones, And you won't be able to guard them. Be proud with wealth and status, And you will cause your own fall. Withdraw when your work is done. This is the way of heaven.
August 21st
天下無不散之筵席
tiānxià wú bù sǎn zhī yán xí
No feast could last (Under the sun) forever
August 22nd
子貢問曰、有一言、而可以終身行之者乎。子曰、其恕乎、己所 不欲、勿施於人。
zǐ gòng wèn yuē, yǒu yī yán, ér kěyǐ zhōngshēn xíng zhī zhě hū.
zǐyuē, qí shù hū, jǐ suǒ bù yù, wù shī wū​ rén.
Adept Kung asked: "Is there any one word that could guide a person throughout life?"
The Master replied: "How about 'shu' [reciprocity]: never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself?"
August 23rd
我行我素
wǒ ​xíng ​wǒ ​sù​
To persist in one's old ways no matter what others say
August 24th
有志竟成
yǒu zhì jìng chéng
Where there's a will, there's a way
August 25th
一言既出驷马难追
yī yán jì chū sì mǎ nán zhuī
A word once spoken cannot be taken back even by a team of four horses
August 26th
不看不觉得
bù kàn, bù juédé
Out of sight, out of mind
August 27th
岁月不饶人
suìyuè bù ráorén
Time and tide wait for no man
August 28th
一毛不拔
yī máo bù bá
Stingy
August 29th
你可以牵着马去找水,但你不能强迫它去喝
nǐ kě yǐ qiān zhe mǎ qù zhǎo shuǐ, dàn nǐ bù néng qiǎng pò tā qù hē
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink
August 30th
人要脸, 树要皮
rén yào liǎn ,shù yào pí.
A Person needs a face, a tree needs bark
August 31st
沉默是金
chénmò shì jīn
Silence is Golden

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