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22 hours ago
This proverb talks about the habits and peoples perception and influence.
我行我素
wǒ xíng wǒ sù
To persist in one's old ways no matter what others say
wǒ xíng wǒ sù
To persist in one's old ways no matter what others say
Photo Source:
Flickr
This past week has been a tough week for me personally, I have had arguements and spent more time than anticipated doing everything other than learning Mandarin. I didn't even participate in #MandarinMonday on twitter, half as much as I had intended.
I am hoping that tomorrow I will write some more content after having spent more time getting back into the learning process. The time is an issue, because I live in a shared house, and when learning have to concentrate and lock myself away for an hour at a time.
Finding time for Mandarin is something that is becoming an issue with the amount of projects and other things that I am commited to. The arguements have stemmed from this point usually with me spending time craving Mandarin fixes, or actually writing a post for the blog or researching a recipe, when I should actually be doing work. The time that goes into this blog, news research and writing is growing as the topics I learn about and want to write about grow. And time so it seems is an ever decreasing commodity.
Anyone got any tips how to squeeze an extra half hour out of every day?
Tomorrow then, I will try and write some more posts and learn something new to share.
Charlie
Discovering Mandarin
Perhaps Confucius' most famous teaching was the Golden Rule stated in the negative form, often called the silver rule:
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.
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?"
I found a great collection of World religions that share this belief.
Firecracker Beef w/Rice Noodle Salad
Serves 4
This recipe includes double cooking Beef skirt steak. It is to be served on a tangy cold noodle salad. A great mix of flavours ranging between the cold and the hot, and the sweet and the sour, and the spicy and the salty. The cut of Beef is vital in keeping the Beef juicy and succulent when cooking twice.
Prep time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
You Will Need:
600g Beef Skirt
For Marinade:
1 tsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of rice vinegar
2 tbsp of chilli garlic sauce (you'll find that in an Asian Store)
1/2 tsp of 5-spice
1/2 tsp of ginger puree or grated ginger
4 cloves of roughly chopped garlic
some black pepper to taste
1 tbsp of sesame oil
For Cold Noodle Salad:
400g Rice noodles
2 Carrots shredded
4tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
2tbsp Fish Sauce
1tbsp Vegetable Oil
Chopped Cashew Nuts
Chopped Coriander Leaves
2 Spring Onions
1. Cut Beef skirt into four pieces. Marinade Beef adding all ingredients and mix well. Place marinade and Beef in a bag in fridge for 1 hour.
2. Cook rice noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes, rinse with cold water. Drain well to prevent a wet salad.
3. Add 2 tsp of fish sauce, which is a fermented condiment, kind of like soy sauce. We're going to add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil, we're going to add 2 tbsp of rice vinegar, shredded carrot. Mix it up and refrigerate until needed.
4. Take the Beef, and save the marinade. Sear Beef in a flat dry pan for 2-3 minutes on each side until caramelised. Save beef drippings with marinade for later.
5. Leave Beef to cool to room temperature. Now slice the Beef against the grain, the center will still be pink and juicy.
6. We're going to add 2 more tbsp of rice vinegar, chopped cashews, chopped coriander leaves, chopped spring onions and toss together. The salad is ready as a base for this delicious firecracker beef.
7. Preheat the pan well, sear the beef slices for just a minute or two. Caramelize the outside of the beef and the inside is still going to be really juicy and delicious.
8. Add the hot slices back to the drippings and marinade briefly.
9. Serve and top the cold tangy noodle salad with the hot, spicy firecracker beef, maybe a little sprinkle of chopped cashews
As I Serve it:
Enjoy your Firecracker Beef and Cold Rice-Noodle Salad
Often used as a metaphor for coping with death, this proverb also can be used to reassure in many instances. Nothing Lasts forever, good, bad or ugly.
天下無不散之筵席
tiānxià wú bù sǎn zhī yán xí
No feast could last (Under the sun) forever
tiānxià wú bù sǎn zhī yán xí
No feast could last (Under the sun) forever
More commonly in English: All good things must come to an end.
Chinese style Hoi Sin Pork
Serves 4
Serves 4
This meal is pretty similiar to the Hoisin Chicken I cooked a couple of weeks ago, But I made too much sauce. I wanted to use it up, so here is the very tasty Hoisin Pork recipe.
Prep time: 25mins
Cooking Time: 15mins
You Will Need:
750g pork (preferably boneless cut)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
6 tbsp hoi sin sauce
Salt and pepper
4 medium garlic cloves, smashed
12 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 Bell Pepper
Thinly sliced spring onions
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish, optional
Medium Egg Noodles
To Cook:
1. Cut up pork into bite-sized chunks. Marinade the Pork in ½ tbsp Hoisin sauce, 1tbsp soy sauce with salt and pepper. Leave in fridge for 20mins.
2. Prepare garlic, green beans, pepper and spring onions, cutting them however you like them. Boil the kettle ready for the noodles to cook in.
3. Heat the oil in the pan, until oil is hot. Fry Pork for about 5mins, then leave to the side, and leave the wok on the heat. Now quickly drop noodles into boiling water.
4. Add garlic, beans and pepper now until the garlic turns brown.
5. Add back the pork, rest of the hoi sin sauce and the spring onions. Stir fry for a minute and take out the noodles. Add soy sauce to the noodles before serving immediately.
As I Served Hoisin Pork w/Noodles
This is another chapter of Lao Zi's Dao De Jing (Formerly Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching). This is chapter 9, and talks about how overdoing things causes the reverse action of what was initally intended. Lao Zi talks about how it is better to withdraw or retire when satisfied with the results. Carrying on, or pushing for more than what was originally desired; that is both arrogant and will cause your cup to spill.
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.
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.
This is just one translation, and there are many. Dao De Jing has been translated into many languages, and even Chinese scholars still argue over the true translations due to the lack of Classical Chinese punctuation marks, seperations of commas and full stops can drastically alter the meanings of passages.
Text Source:
Chinese Characters
Wang Bianlian (Xu Zhu) is an aging street performer known as the King of Masks for his mastery of Sichuan Mask Changing Art. His wife left him with and infant son over 30 years ago. The son died from illness at age 10. This left Wang a melancholy loner desperate for a male heir so he could pass on his rare and dying art.
A famous master performer of the Sichuan Opera, Master Liang offers to bring Wang into his act, thus giving him fame and possible fortune, but Wang opts for staying the simple street performer. Then, one night after a performance he is sold a young boy by a slave trader posing as the boy's parent. "Grandpa" finds new joy in life as he plans to teach "Doggie"(Zhou Renying) (an affectionate term often used for young children in China) his art. All is well until Doggie is found out to really be a girl.
Set in 1930s China, this 1996 film ranges through the heart-breaking and joyful. Showing how hard life was for the characters you truly see the depths and heights of human existence in this film. The actors are all perfect, such that you feel like you have really entered a different world.
Bian Lian: King of Masks is very predictable and has great mirroring of pivotal moments within the film. I reccomend this heart warming tale for all. I watched it for the first time on Youtube. I enjoyed it so much, that I will be buying it.
Video Trailer: IMDB
This is a proverb that Daoists take seriously and the French call Laissez-faire, which in English literally means "Let it be". Leave things to their own devices, get on with life and let everything be as it will be, without stressing.
顺其自然
shùnqízìrán
Let things take their own course
(Without external influence)
无为 (wúwéi) means very similiar and literally 'Inaction' and is used most often within Daoism.
Photo Source:
Flickr
A 41 year old Chinese man says he likes to relax by eating live snakes and washing them down with beer. Wen Xide of Wangzhuang village, Zhumadian, says he has been eating live snakes for 10 years.
He started by eating one to win a bet with friends for a packet of cigarettes.
"From then on I became addicted to eating live snakes," he said.
Wen demonstrats his habit in the street, chewing down two live snakes bit by bit over a bottle of beer.
"It's a bit smelly, but they're very delicious," Wen said.
Wen says his son is now following his lead and has eaten eight live snakes this year.
But Wang Tianming, a doctor specialising in digestion at a local hospital, said Wen could suffer nerve problems and risked infection from parasites.
This proverb talks of how one can be modest and create low expectations whilst delivering highly on promises. Yet again Confucius (孔夫子) is very wise, and says things that are picked up time and time again. As a marketer myself, the idea that you can overdeliver on promises and expectations is a powerful notion.
君子欲訥於言而敏於行
jūnzi yù nè wū yán ér mǐn wū xìng
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.
jūnzi yù nè wū yán ér mǐn wū xìng
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.
- Confucius
Fried Wontons
Makes 50 Wontons
In Mandarin, Wontons are called; 馄饨 húntún "irregularly shaped dumpling" and also popularly called 云吞 yúntūn "swallowing clouds" in both Mandarin and Cantonese. However the English word actually derives from the Cantonese word 雲吞 wàntān.
Wontons are wonderfully wrapped in a silky wheat based sheet. When fried they make tasty snacks, they can be used as an appetiser, part of a meal, or as a tasty snack.
These were the wontons I had left over from the wonton soup I made last week.
Prep time: ½ hour (first time preparing wontons took longer than expected)
Cooking Time: 5 mins
You Will Need:
1 Pack of 50 Wonton Wrappers
Wonton Filling:
600g Minced Pork
2 Spring Onions
3 cloves Garlic
8g Ginger
¾ Cup of water
Seasonings for filling
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp sesame seed oil
How To Cook:
1. Whilst the soup is simmering away chop spring onions into sections, cut up garlic and ginger small. Add the minced pork, and all the seasoning and fillings into a food processor, blend until really well mixed.
2. Now wrap the wontons:• Place a wonton wrapper on a dry clean cutting board
• Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of the wrapper
• Take another piece of wonton wrapper and lay it over the filling
• Press the top wrapper gently but firmly over the filling, working out any air between filling and wonton wrapper
• Use a little water to seal the edges
3. Leave wontons aside under a damp towel, and leave in the fridge to prevent the wonton wrappers drying out.
4. Once all the wrappers are filled and completed. Warm up a wok or pan with oil until hot. Add wontons a couple at a time until golden brown.
This proverb comes directly from Mark's China Blog in yesterday's post. It is about uphill struggles and challenges in one's life. Everyday I find new things which re-affirm in my mind that learning Mandarin is truly one of these struggles. But worth every second of it.
逆流而上
nìliú ér shàng
Swimming Upstream
nìliú ér shàng
Swimming Upstream
Ultimatley this picture has absolutley nothing to do with the quote, although I did feel that Pandas themselves have an 逆流而上 of their own.
Photo Source:
Flickr
Xi’an in Shaanxi
(西安; Xī'ān) (陕西; Shǎnxī)
Xi’an is now the capital of the Shaanxi province, located in the southern part of the Guanzhong Plain. With the Qinling Mountains to the south and the Weihe River to the north, it is in a favourable geographical location surrounded by water and hills. Its monsoon climate is semi-moist and there is clear distinction between the four seasons.
Xi’an was historically known as Cháng'ān (长安). Though the name of the city itself has changed many times during the dynasties. Xi'an is the eastern terminus of the Silk Road which connected Europe, Africa and Arabia to China and Asia throughout history. It is historically one of the oldest Chinese cities and boasts one of only two intact city fortifications in the country.
Xi’an has many attractions for tourists such as the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and his Terracotta Army, several burial mounds and numerous Tang Dynasty pagodas including the Giant Wild Goose and Small Wild Goose Pagodas. It also has religious buildings of importance such as the Famen Temple, Great Mosque and nearby Louguantai the birthplace of Daoism, where according to legend Lao Zi (Lao Tzu) wrote the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) and preached sermon.
However the most famous of the attractions is nearby Xi’an. Qin Shi Huang’s Terracotta Army (兵马俑; bīngmǎ yǒng) is one of the most famous Chinese exports and has had huge success as a travelling exhibition. The 8000 or so figures found in 1974 near the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, date back to around 210BCE.
Both the Giant Wild Goose and Small Wild Goose Pagodas survived numerous earthquakes, and although both have sustained damage, they remain standing to this day.
The Bell Tower (钟楼; Zhōnglóu) and the Drum Tower (鼓楼; Gǔlóu), are in the exact city centre, and is the most convenient starting point to go anywhere in the city. From this point the streets split up into the four points of the compass. North-Street (北大街 Běidàjiē), East-Street (东大街 Dōngdàjiē), South-Street (南大街 Nándàjiē) and West-Street (西大街 Xīdàjiē).
Xi'an is a city where the old meets the new, and not in the best sense...
Xi'an does have quite a funky Starbucks design though...
Xi’an is twinned with Birmingham, UK. (amongst many other cities)Xian
simplified Mandarin character; 西安;
pinyin: Xī'ān
Photo Sources: (In order of appearance)
FlickrFlickrFlickrFlickrFlickrFlickrFlickrFlickr
Todays proverb means to solve two problems through one action. This promotes effiency and the saying relates to adding value to certain decisions when it has extra or hidden benefits.
一箭雙雕
yī jiàn shuāng diāo
Kill two birds with one Arrow
yī jiàn shuāng diāo
Kill two birds with one Arrow
This saying is more commonly known in English as: Killing two birds with one stone.It can also be expressed as:
一石二烏
yī shí èr wū
yī shí èr wū
photo source:
Flickr
Daily Chinese Proverb: Commitment? - 'When The Tree Falls, The Monkeys Scatter'
Saturday, 15 August 2009
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When a leader loses power, their followers become disorganised and often lose faith in the cause. The following phrase is now used to refer to people who ditch a lost cause because they weren't committed to it. The creators of a cause would however try and keep the cause afloat whereas the followers just there for the ride would just ditch it.
This proverb is likely to be used to describe fair weather friends, although in both cases is applicable.
树倒猢狲散
shù dǎo hú sūn sàn
When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter
More often in English, this proverbs meaning would be conveyed in the following proverb:shù dǎo hú sūn sàn
When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter
This is a quick post to help with your vocabulary when talking about things in time. This post relates to weeks, months and years. If you are wanting to talk about things in terms of Days please check my previous post.
Months of the Year
一月
yī yuè
January
二月
èr yuè
February
三月
sān yuè
March
四月
sì yuè
April
五月
wǔ yuè
May
六月
liù yuè
June
七月
qī yuè
July
八月
bā yuè
August
九月
jiǔ yuè
September
十月
shí yuè
October
十一月
shí yī yuè
November
十二月
shí èr yuè
December
Common Phrases: Weeks
禮拜 / 星期
lǐ bài / xīng qī
week
這個星期
zhèi gè xīng qī
this week
上個星期
shàng gè xīng qī
last week
下個星期
xià gè xīng qī
next week
Months
月
yuè
month
這個月
zhèi gè yuè
this month
上個月
shàng gè yuè
last month
下個月
xià gè yuè
next month
Years
年
nián
year
今年
jīn nián
this year
去年
qù nián
last year
明年
míng nián
next year
This is a quote that summarises, the importance of snap decisions. People with good judgement and experience usually have an edge over others as they know the right time to start and finish, to buy or sell, to plant or harvest. People that make these decisions see the opportunities in front of them and seize them.
趁热 打铁
chèn rè dǎ tiě
Strike Whilst The Iron is Hot
chèn rè dǎ tiě
Strike Whilst The Iron is Hot
Photo Source:Flickr
Pork Wonton Noodle Soup
Serves 6
In Mandarin, Wontons are called; 馄饨 húntún "irregularly shaped dumpling" and also popularly called 云吞 yúntūn "swallowing clouds" in both Mandarin and Cantonese. However the English word actually derives from the Cantonese word 雲吞 wàntān.
Wontons are wonderfully wrapped in a silky wheat based sheet. This is a recipe I have heavily borrowed aspects from Phoebe over at Homemade Chinese Soups. I thank her for all the great tips for a beginner like me and the Pork wonton noodle soup tasted delicious. I ended up having plenty of Wontons to freeze for the next time.
Prep time: 1 ½ hours (first time preparing wontons took longer than expected)
Cooking Time: 2 hours (soup) 5 mins (Wontons & Noodles )
You Will Need:
1 Pack of 50 or (2 Packs) 100 Wonton Wrappers (depending on wrapping style)
4 Medium Egg Noodle Nests
Wonton Filling:
600g Minced Pork
2 Spring Onions
3 cloves Garlic
8g Ginger
¾ Cup of water
Seasonings for filling
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp sesame seed oil
Soup:
Bunch of Spring Onions
3 Carrots
2 Onions
2 Sticks of Celery
1 litre Pork Stock
1 litre Water
½ Cup of Soy Sauce
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
To Cook:
1. Put the pork stock in the saucepan with the water and bring to the boil. Add soy sauce and the cut-up vegetables to the soup. Leave to simmer for 2 hours.
2. Whilst the soup is simmering away chop spring onions into sections, cut up garlic and ginger small. Add the minced pork, and all the seasoning and fillings into a food processor, blend until really well mixed.
3. Now wrap the wontons:• Place a wonton wrapper on a dry clean cutting board
• Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of the wrapper
• Take another piece of wonton wrapper and lay it over the filling
• Press the top wrapper gently but firmly over the filling, working out any air between filling and wonton wrapper
• Use a little water to seal the edges
4. Leave wontons aside under a damp towel, and leave in the fridge to prevent the wonton wrappers drying out.
5. Once all the wrappers are filled and completed. You are ready to cook the noodles and wontons.
6. Bring soup to the boil for the last 5 minutes. Add noodles in a colander to the soup.
7. Add wontons to a separate saucepan with boiling water; initially the wontons sink to the bottom until they cooked, when they will float. It takes about 5 mins.
8. Add the noodles to a bowl, Pour the soup ontop and add the wontons.
Recipe Sourced from:
http://www.homemade-chinese-soups.com/wonton-soup-recipe.html
