前年
16 hours ago
變臉 (Biàn Liǎn)
literally: "Face-Changing"
Biàn Liǎn is cross between art, illusion and magic. The performers change masks and sometimes entire costumes in the blink of an eye. Face changing has been a part of Sichuan opera since the reign of the Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795)...
Face changing was first used in a story about a Robin-Hood styled hero who stole from the rich to help the poor. When feudal officials caught him, he changed his face to puzzle them and escaped as a result.
Performers wear brightly coloured costumes with vivid masks and move to quick, dramatic music. The more accomplished performers can change masks with their sleight of hand up to 60 times in a performance. By using methods of distraction, their glittery costumes and the dancing, they change their masks mysteriously and wow audiences. Biàn Liǎn is a secretive performing art and is only passed down from one generation to the next within families.
In fact, only males are permitted to learn Biàn Liǎn. The old way of thinking was that women do not stay within the family, and would marry out. As such, there was the risk the secret would be passed to another family. Therefore, the art is technically forbidden to women, although more recently a Malaysian Chinese girl named Candy Chong has recently become a popular performer after learning it from her father.
Biàn Liǎn is also not permitted to be learnt by foreigners, and is rarely seen outside of China. Modern times have seen Biàn Liǎn evolve. In the Qing Dynasty, they used to use red, black or gold powder to change the colour of their face by blowing into it.
Other methods included smearing coloured paste concealed in their hands over their faces. In the 1920s oiled paper or dried pig bladder were used to create masks. Skilled performers could peel off one mask after another in less than a second. Modern-day masters use full-face painted silk masks, which can be worn in layers of as many as twenty-four, and be pulled off one by one.
The performer pictured here is Wai Shui-kan (韋瑞群) and has perfected the art of Biàn Liǎn (face changing) over 20 years. Below is a video to show just how quick he can change.
here is another really quick clip of another performer;
Photo Source:
HKdigital
自相矛盾
Zì Xiāng Máo Dùn
Self-contradictory
There was once a peddler who sold weapons. (The ancient word for “weapons” was máo dùn 矛盾 – which now means “contradict”.) When he arrived in a new town, he would give a performance to attract a crowd, and then proceed to pitch his wares.Self-contradictory
“This spear is the best in the world,” he would say. “It can go through anything.”
Then he presented a shield and said, “This shield is made of the finest leather. Nothing can pierce it.”
Someone called out from the crowd, “If you take the spear and shoot it at the shield, what will happen?”
Since that time, a person who contradicts himself is described as 自相矛盾 zì xiāng máo dùn.
Tyhoon Morakot has landed in the coastal area of Beibei in Fujian with heavy rain and winds of 118.5 kmp/h. The typhoon has already dumped 100 inches of rain on Taiwan in just 24 hours this weekend. Dozens are lost, and it is reported several have died in this storm. Morakot, which claimed 21 lives when it hit the Philipines on Friday, is the first major storm to hit Taiwan during this year's typhoon season which runs from July to September.
In China weather stations issued a "red alert" - the highest possible - in anticipation of Morakot's arrival which is expected to bring winds in excess of 70mph.
Early reports said that parts of Fujian already had 12 inches of rain from early Saturday until Sunday morning, Xinhua added.
More than 490,000 residents of Zhejiang and 480,000 residents of Fujian have been relocated and some 35,440 ships called back from the sea. So far; 155 passenger ship sailings and 34 domestic flights have been cancelled. Most major highways have also been shut down as a preventitive measure.
Beijing Airport has confirmed that airlines have canceled their flights bound for Fujian and Zhejiang provinces in east China. Precaution measures were put in place, there were no major passenger delays.
Some villages in Fujian and Zhejiang were already becoming cut off by rising waters, with official riding bicycles to distribute drinking water and instant noodles to affected households, according to Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency. Many villagers from these regions have been on rescue missions to save the fish they have bred from the fish farms.
Photo Source
Huffington Post
Shanghai Daily
The World record for amount of people simultaneously performing Taichi was smashed last night, the anniversary of the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony. Almost 34 thousand people from all walks of life gathered at the bird's nest for a 6 minute taichi performance.
The 33 thousand, 9 hundred and 96 people performed taichi at the 'Bird's Nest' National Stadium. They successfully created a new Guinness World Record, breaking the record that was made by 30 thousand and 648 people in 2004 in Henan province.
This is a quote from - Dao De Jing (Lao Zi) previously known as Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu) in the Wade Giles Romanisation. But has been updated for the new pinyin format.
It is Chapter 11 of the second most sold book in the world. It is also one of my favourite Quotations of all time. Part of me really does want to be able to read this properly in its purest form, understanding the intricacies of such a profound book.
It describes the power vested in nothing, emptiness and how non-existance can be harnesed for purpose.
Chapter 11 : - Dao
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.
----------------------------------------
san1 shi2 fu2 gong4 yi1 gu3,
dang1 qi2 wu2, you3 che1 zhi1 yong4.
shan1 zhi2 yi3 wei2 qi4,
dang1 qi2 wu2, you3 qi4 zhi1 yong4.
zao2 hu4 you3 yi3 wei2 shi4,
dang1 qi2 wu2, you3 shi4 zhi1 yong4.
gu4 you3 zhi1 yi3 wei2 li4,
wu2 zhi1 yi3 wei2 yong4.
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.
--------------------------------------
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 ClassicalChinese punctuation marks, seperations of commas and full stops can drastically alter the meanings of passages.
This verse also for me is a metaphor; that we make sound; but it is the silence, which makes sound useful.
Translation Source:
English
Chinese Characters
Pinyin (I did myself, so I hope it is ok.)
Picture Source:
Flickr
Beijing Olympics 2008. The 29th Olympiad
同一个世界 同一个梦想一年后
(One World, One Dream) One Year on.
同一个世界 同一个梦想一年后
(One World, One Dream) One Year on.
The Olympic Games in Beijing were an important step in bringing the World closer to China, at a crucial time when China is undergoing significant changes. They were the most successful ever Olympics for Chinese athletes. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 302 events in 28 sports. Chinese athletes won the most gold medals, with 51 golds, and 100 medals altogether. The United States won more total medals than any other country with 110, 36 of which were gold. Michael Phelps broke the records for most gold medals in one Olympics and for most career gold medals for an Olympian, and equaled the record for most individual golds at a single Games.
It has been reported that the Beijing Olympics was the world’s first genuine ‘1 Billion’ television audience. The opening ceremony was the world's "most watched live event" in human history, exceeding moon landings, Princess Diana’s funeral and Barack Obama's inauguration. The show "appealed to the huge domestic Chinese audience but resonated globally too”.
Benefits China have seen from the Olympics include raising the profile of sports and health within China, patriotism has been boosted especially internally as the torch relay and Games themselves helped unite disparate parts of China and especially the younger generation with a common knowledge, and pride in their country.
China have set Aug 6, 7 and 8 as National Fitness Days. “It is arousing people's sense of pride and makes us more patriotic.” Andre, a Chinese student told me “For the environment, Beijing’s sky is blue-r than ever. Transportation gets better too, though we still get traffic jams.” The Chinese have tried to keep pollution levels down in Beijing, with several policies, although some local authorities in the more rural and industrial areas are less favourable than that of Beijing. Beijing has seen the biggest amount of change, with old buildings being pulled down for the Olympic villages, Building new infrastructure adding to the metro system and giving newer lines much-needed air conditioning. Officials also added new rules to the highways to reduce traffic. Whilst losing some history, Beijing, and China are carving a new one; A brave new China.
The government issued a series of about 4,000 temporary measures and regulations on food safety, the environment, traffic management, public safety and health before the Games. Many of them have since been renewed or made permanent. These include ongoing efforts to reduce pollution in Beijing, Beijing is enjoying the best air quality this decade because of measures taken during last year's Olympic Games, officials have said. Officials are introducing new policies to help continue this. As of October 1st, vehicles will only be allowed to travel along or within Beijing's Sixth Ring Road, the city's outermost highway loop, if their exhaust emissions comply with National Emission Standard I. However, as of 2010 Beijing it will be following Standard IV across the city on all new cars.
Some Chinese still think the money could have been better spent though; Kristina explained to me “I would prefer the government to put more money on making the farmers and the poorer people’s life better.” Whilst others are disappointed, that so many traditional buildings were pulled down in the creation of the ‘Olympic City’. “Lots of new and modern buildings make Beijing really strange for me.” A Beijing resident of 32 years, Semmy told me; “There are always lots more tourists than before the games, now it is more crowded than ever.” Whilst there are disappointments, there are a plethora of benefits that can be seen day to day. The economy is growing, in a time of global economic doubt, and the newfound openness is bringing more and more interest in Westerners learning about Chinese culture and the Chinese Language.
Chaoyang Park stadium where the beach volleyball was played out is now The Sun Beach Theme Park where children can bury themselves in sand. Whilst Russian ballet dancers and synchronised swimmers have been wowing the crowds with a version of Swan Lake at the Water Cube. The Birds Nest tonight sees its first sports action as the Italian Cup Final is played between Lazio and Inter Milan, but only after a world record attempt has been attempted. 30,000 people are gathering for a mass display of the martial art tai chi, if successful, it will earn a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
The splendid stadium, with its ornate steel lattice exterior, has been little used since the closing ceremony a year ago; an opera, a couple of pop concerts, yet no sports until tonight. It seems that the tourism (4.5 million visitors who have visited the Bird's Nest since it opened to the public in September 2008. The nearby Water Cube, the National Aquatics Centre, has received 3.8 million people.)has been enough to cover maintenance costs though as thousands flock daily to see the double monument; The Birds Nest stadium and the Water Cube. Despite this lack of sport at the Birds Nest, the Olympics are thought to have made an estimated $174 million profit according to China's National Audit Office.
One sport that seems to have really taken off is Chinese Basketball. The popular sport has seen the NBA investing in Chinese Basketball building 12 new Arenas around the country. Many see Shanghai’s World EXPO next year as the economic Olympics. The Chinese will be looking forward to once again showing themselves off to the world, bringing us another step closer to fully understanding each other’s cultures. The Chinese are now much more confident on a global scale, and it is partially due to the fact that since the Olympic Games and especially the handling of foreign journalists in August last year.
It is worth noting; One of, if not the greatest lasting legacy of the Beijing Olympics has been allowing foreign journalists more access to events taking place in the country. The coverage of the July 5th riots, were much more transparent than that of the riots in Tibet last August, and this just goes to show that China’s confidence is growing with its openness to the West. Though it may have a long way to go, China has seen massive improvements in its Journalism, Pollution and Health reforms. The Chinese mystery is starting to unravel a little, and just enough for people to become more interested in learning Mandarin Chinese and travel to China. All of which have a lot to thank the Olympics for. For me personally, The Olympics were just the start of my adventure, discovering both Mandarin, and China.
Charlie Southwell
http://discoveringmandarin.blogspot.com
The Olympic flag has a white background, with five interlaced rings in the centre: blue, yellow, black, green and red. This design is symbolic; it represents the five continents of the world, united by Olympism, while the six colours are those that appear on all the national flags of the world at the present time.
"Dancing Beijing" is a milestone of the Olympics. It serves as a classic chapter of the Olympic epic inscribed by the spirit of the Chinese nation, calligraphed by the deeper import of the ancient civilization, and molded by the character of Cathay's descendents. It is concise yet deep inside, bringing forth the city's gradual changes and development. It appears dignified yet bears a tune of romance, reflecting the nation's thoughts and emotions.
"Dancing Beijing" the embelem for the 2008 Sumer olympics shows the eastern ways of thinking and the nation's lasting appeal embodied in the Chinese characters. It is an expression that conveys the unique cultural quality and elegance of Chinese civilization.
The color "red" is intensively used in the emblem, it carries Chinese people's longing for luck and happiness and their explanation of life. Red is the color of the Sun and the Holy Fire, representing life and a new beginning. Red is mind at ease, symbol of vitality, and China's blessing and invitation to the world.
The iconic olympic rings and Beijing's ident were complimented with these cute characters. Fuwa served as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship, peace and good wishes from China; to children all over the world.
Designed to express the playful qualities of five little children who form an intimate circle of friends, Fuwa also embody the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals and the olympic flame. Each of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name -- a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow.
When you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing," offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of Fuwa as young ambassadors of the Olympic Games.
Despite many of the troubles on the way, the torch relay was one of the most spectacular things that occur preceeding the games. The torch was carried by 21,880 torchbearers and travelled over 137,000km; making it to the summit of the highest mountain in the world, Olympia - Marathonas - Athens (Greece), Istanbul (Turkey), St. Petersburg (Russia), London (Great Britain) – Paris (France), San Francisco (USA), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Muscat (Oman), Islamabad (Pakistan), Mumbai (India), Bangkok (Thailand), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Jakarta (Indonesia), Canberra (Australia), Nagano (Japan), Seoul (South Korea) and Pyongyang (North Korea) amounst many other places.
Chinese climbers display flags at the top of the 8844.43-meter summit of Mt. Qomolangma (Everest) in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on May 8, 2008. Mt Everest in Chinese is called 珠穆朗玛峰 Zhūmùlǎngmǎ Fēng. (literally meaning bright pearl summit: though 圣母峰 Shèngmǔfēng refers to the sky goddess of the mountain).
The Olympic Flame was carried through London by 80 torchbearers including double Olympic gold medal winner Dame Kelly Holmes and England cricketer Kevin Pieterson. During which time there was an attack, as with other places in the relay, these troubles threatened to put a stop to the incredible tradition. But the epic journey itself is so incredible, hopefully they wont cancel future torch relays.
China invented fireworks, and put on one of the most amazing displays the world has ever seen in the Olympic opening ceremony. It featured a colorful display of nearly 30000 fireworks, and was absolutley spectacular coming from the new National 'Birds Nest' Stadium. Again not to go without controversy, it was revealed that some of the fireworks (about 55 seconds) had been digitally enhanced for the recorded viewing, however that shouldnt really detract from the spectacle, and what was done, was using new technology to create an even more incredible show.
The sparkling display that lit up the night sky included giant dragons, the five Olympic rings, footprints and even smiling faces. The show was divided into several parts and ran throughout the ceremony. The pyrotechnics were not just for the Bird's Nest, but all across Beijing. Fireworks were set off from 29 other locations, including Yongdingmen and Tian'anmen Square.
The very impressive 2008 people hitting drums counting down to the lighting of the torch was reported as “Drum Show” in much of the media. Actually, what they were hitting was not drums. It is called Fou (缶). It is the ancient Chinese container for wine.
In the Qin Dynasty (200 BC), people start to hit the Fou to express welcome to friends, especially for friends from far away. While they hit the Fou (drums), they are reciting the famous quote from Confucius: “有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？”, or using direct translation: “Friends coming from far away, isn’t it happy enough?”, or a better translation: “Welcome friends from the world”.
The countdown itself was in both English and Chinese numbers.
Above you can see the number 8, and the Chinese symbol for eight 八 (bā).
In the Olympics, it is an IOC rule for countries to enter the stadium in alphabetical order of the local language, so in this case, the Chinese language. Greece always leads the procession with the host country (China - above- for the 2008 Olympics) entering last.
The Chinese do not have an alphabet, so in this case they decided to enter the stadium based upon the number of strokes required to write the first sylable of each country competing. For example; Australia who usually enter third, at the Beijing Olympics entered 202ndrd. You can see the full list of countries in the Chinese 'Alphabetical' system here.
Gymnast Li Ning (China's most decorated athlete at its first Olympics, 1984) lit the torch, appearing to run up the walls of the stadium lighting the Olympic cauldron with the well travelled torch.
News & Photo Sources:
http://en.beijing2008.cn/
This proverb Literally means "One cannot get fish and bear's paw at the same time."
鱼与熊掌不可兼得
鱼与熊掌不可兼得
yú yǔ xióng zhǎng bù kě jiān dé
yu2 yu3 xiong2 zhang3 bu4 ke3 jian1 de2
yu2 yu3 xiong2 zhang3 bu4 ke3 jian1 de2
Figuratively speaking, this can mean you must choose one or the other or you can't always get everything you want. However most commonly it is said as this common English idiom:
"You can't have your cake and eat it too."
This proverb is from Mencius (men-ci-us) (c380–289 b.c) A Chinese Confucian philosopher who taught that people are innately good and that one's nature can be enhanced or perverted by one's environment.
This table shows all of the countries that participated in the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Each country is listed in the order that they came out during the opening ceremony. This is also the order that is 'Alphabetical' in the Chinese Mandarin dialect. The order is established by taking the amount of strokes it requires to write the first syllable in Simplified Chinese characters. When two or more are equal, it goes to the next syllable. These are not all the countries in the World, just the 204 that competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
| Order | Nation | Chinese name | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greece (GRE) | 希腊 | Xīlà |
| 2 | Guinea (GUI) | 几内亚 | Jīnèiyà |
| 3 | Guinea-Bissau(GBS) | 几内亚比绍 | Jīnèiyà Bǐshào |
| 4 | Turkey (TUR) | 土耳其 | Tǔěrqí |
| 5 | Turkmenistan (TKM) | 土库曼斯坦 | Tǔkùmànsītǎn |
| 6 | Yemen (YEM) | 也门 | Yěmén |
| 7 | Maldives(MDV) | 马尔代夫 | Mǎěrdàifū |
| 8 | Malta (MLT) | 马耳他 | Mǎěrtā |
| 9 | Madagascar (MAD) | 马达加斯加 | Mǎdájiāsījiā |
| 10 | Malaysia (MAS) | 马来西亚 | Mǎláixīyà |
| 11 | Mali (MLI) | 马里 | Mǎlǐ |
| 12 | Malawi (MAW) | 马拉维 | Mǎlāwéi |
| 13 | Macedonia (MKD) | 前南斯拉夫马其顿共和国 | Qián Nánsīlāfū Mǎqídùn Gònghéguó |
| 14 | Marshall Islands (MHL) | 马绍尔群岛 | Mǎshàoěr Qúndǎo |
| 15 | Cayman Islands (CAY) | 开曼群岛 | Kāimàn Qúndǎo |
| 16 | Bhutan (BHU) | 不丹 | Bùdān |
| 17 | Ecuador (ECU) | 厄瓜多尔 | Èguāduōěr |
| 18 | Eritrea (ERI) | 厄立特里亚 | Èlìtélǐyà |
| 19 | Jamaica (JAM) | 牙买加 | Yámǎijiā |
| 20 | Belgium (BEL) | 比利时 | Bǐlìshí |
| 21 | Vanuatu (VAN) | 瓦努阿图 | Wǎnǔātú |
| 22 | Israel (ISR) | 以色列 | Yǐsèliè |
| 23 | Japan (JPN) | 日本 | Rìběn |
| 24 | Chinese Taipei (TPE) | 中华台北 | Zhōnghuá Táiběi |
| 25 | Central African Republic (CAF) | 中非 | Zhōngfēi |
| 26 | Hong Kong, China (HKG) | 中国香港 | Zhōngguó Xiānggǎng |
| 27 | Gambia (GAM) | 冈比亚 | Gāngbǐyà |
| 28 | Benin (BEN) | 贝宁 | Bèiníng |
| 29 | Mauritius (MRI) | 毛里求斯 | Máolǐqiúsī |
| 30 | Mauritania (MTN) | 毛里塔尼亚 | Máolǐtǎníyà |
| 31 | Denmark (DEN) | 丹麦 | Dānmài |
| 32 | Uganda (UGA) | 乌干达 | Wūgāndá |
| 33 | Ukraine (UKR) | 乌克兰 | Wūkèlán |
| 34 | Uruguay (URU) | 乌拉圭 | Wūlāguī |
| 35 | Uzbekistan (UZB) | 乌兹别克斯坦 | Wūzībiékèsītǎn |
| 36 | Barbados (BAR) | 巴巴多斯 | Bābāduōsī |
| 37 | Papua New Guinea (PNG) | 巴布亚新几内亚 | Bābùyà Xīn Jǐnèiyà |
| 38 | Brazil (BRA) | 巴西 | Bāxī |
| 39 | Paraguay (PAR) | 巴拉圭 | Bālāguī |
| 40 | Bahrain (BRN) | 巴林 | Bālín |
| 41 | Bahamas (BAH) | 巴哈马 | Bāhāmǎ |
| 42 | Panama (PAN) | 巴拿马 | Bānámǎ |
| 43 | Pakistan (PAK) | 巴基斯坦 | Bājīsītǎn |
| 44 | Palestine (PLE) | 巴勒斯坦 | Bālèsītǎn |
| 45 | Cuba (CUB) | 古巴 | Gǔbā |
| 46 | Burkina Faso (BUR) | 布基纳法索 | Bùjīnà Fǎsuǒ |
| 47 | Burundi (BDI) | 布隆迪 | Bùlóngdí |
| 48 | Timor-Leste (TLS) | 东帝汶 | Dōngdìwèn |
| 49 | Qatar (QAT) | 卡塔尔 | Kǎtǎěr |
| 50 | Rwanda (RWA) | 卢旺达 | Lúwàngdá |
| 51 | Luxembourg (LUX) | 卢森堡 | Lúsēnbǎo |
| 52 | Chad (CHA) | 乍得 | Zhàdé |
| 53 | Belarus (BLR) | 白俄罗斯 | Báiéluósī |
| 54 | India (IND) | 印度 | Yìndù |
| 55 | Indonesia (INA) | 印度尼西亚 | Yìndùníxīyà |
| 56 | Lithuania (LTU) | 立陶宛 | Lìtáowǎn |
| 57 | Niger (NIG) | 尼日尔 | Nírìěr |
| 58 | Nigeria (NGR) | 尼日利亚 | Nírìlìyà |
| 59 | Nicaragua (NCA) | 尼加拉瓜 | Níjiālāguā |
| 60 | Nepal (NEP) | 尼泊尔 | Níbóěr |
| 61 | Ghana (GHA) | 加纳 | Jiānà |
| 62 | Canada (CAN) | 加拿大 | Jiānádà |
| 63 | Gabon (GAB) | 加蓬 | Jiāpéng |
| 64 | San Marino (SMR) | 圣马力诺 | Shèng Mǎlìnuò |
| 65 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (VIN) | 圣文森特和格林纳丁斯 | Shèng Wénsēntè hé Gélínnàdīngsī |
| 66 | Saint Lucia (LCA) | 圣卢西亚 | Shèng Lúxīyà |
| 67 | São Tomé and Príncipe (STP) | 圣多美和普林西比 | Shèng Duōměi hé Pǔlínxībǐ |
| 68 | Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN) | 圣基茨和尼维斯 | Shèng Jīcí hé Níwéisī |
| 69 | Guyana (GUY) | 圭亚那 | Guīyànà |
| 70 | Djibouti (DJI) | 吉布提 | Jíbùtí |
| 71 | Kyrgyzstan (KGZ) | 吉尔吉斯斯坦 | Jíěrjísīsītǎn |
| 72 | Laos (LAO) | 老挝 | Lǎowō |
| 73 | Armenia (ARM) | 亚美尼亚 | Yàměiníyà |
| 74 | Spain (ESP) | 西班牙 | Xībānyá |
| 75 | Bermuda (BER) | 百慕大 | Bǎimùdà |
| 76 | Liechtenstein (LIE) | 列支敦士登 | Lièzhīdūnshìdēng |
| 77 | Congo (CGO) | 刚果（布） | Gāngguǒ (Bù) |
| 78 | DR Congo (COD) | 刚果（金） | Gāngguǒ (Jīn) |
| 79 | Iraq (IRQ) | 伊拉克 | Yīlākè |
| 80 | Iran (IRI) | 伊朗 | Yīlǎng |
| 81 | Guatemala (GUA) | 危地马拉 | Wēidìmǎlā |
| 82 | Hungary (HUN) | 匈牙利 | Xiōngyálì |
| 83 | Dominican Republic (DOM) | 多米尼加共和国 | Duōmǐníjiā Gònghéguó |
| 84 | Dominica (DMA) | 多米尼克 | Duōmǐníkè |
| 85 | Togo (TOG) | 多哥 | Duōgē |
| 86 | Iceland (ISL) | 冰岛 | Bīngdǎo |
| 87 | Guam (GUM) | 关岛 | Guāndǎo |
| 88 | Angola (ANG) | 安哥拉 | Āngēlā |
| 89 | Antigua and Barbuda (ANT) | 安提瓜和巴布达 | Āntíguā hé Bābùdá |
| 90 | Andorra (AND) | 安道尔 | Āndàoěr |
| 91 | Tonga (TGA) | 汤加 | Tāngjiā |
| 92 | Jordan (JOR) | 约旦 | Yuēdàn |
| 93 | Equatorial Guinea (GEQ) | 赤道几内亚 | Chìdào Jīnèiyà |
| 94 | Finland (FIN) | 芬兰 | Fēnlán |
| 95 | Croatia (CRO) | 克罗地亚 | Kèluódìyà |
| 96 | Sudan (SUD) | 苏丹 | Sūdān |
| 97 | Suriname(SUR) | 苏里南 | Sūlǐnán |
| 98 | Libya (LBA) | 利比亚 | Lìbǐyà |
| 99 | Liberia (LBR) | 利比里亚 | Lìbǐlǐyà |
| 100 | Belize (BIZ) | 伯利兹 | Bólìzī |
| 101 | Cape Verde(CPV) | 佛得角 | Fódéjiǎo |
| 102 | Cook Islands (COK) | 库克群岛 | Kùkè Qúndǎo |
| 103 | Saudi Arabia (KSA) | 沙特 | Shātè |
| 104 | Algeria(ALG) | 阿尔及利亚 | Āěrjílìyà |
| 105 | Albania (ALB) | 阿尔巴尼亚 | Āěrbāníyà |
| 106 | United Arab Emirates (UAE) | 阿联酋 | Āliánqiú |
| 107 | Argentina (ARG) | 阿根廷 | Āgēntíng |
| 108 | Oman (OMA) | 阿曼 | Āmàn |
| 109 | Aruba (ARU) | 阿鲁巴 | Ālǔbā |
| 110 | Afghanistan (AFG) | 阿富汗 | Āfùhàn |
| 111 | Azerbaijan (AZE) | 阿塞拜疆 | Āsāibàijiāng |
| 112 | Namibia (NAM) | 纳米比亚 | Nàmǐbǐyà |
| 113 | Tanzania (TAN) | 坦桑尼亚 | Tǎnsāngníyà |
| 114 | Latvia (LAT) | 拉脱维亚 | Lātuōwéiyà |
| 115 | Great Britain (GBR) | 英国 | Yīngguó |
| 116 | British Virgin Islands (IVB) | 英属维尔京群岛 | Yīngshǔ Wéiěrjīng Qúndǎo |
| 117 | Kenya (KEN) | 肯尼亚 | Kěnníyà |
| 118 | Romania (ROU) | 罗马尼亚 | Luōmǎníyà |
| 119 | Palau (PLW) | 帕劳 | Pàláo |
| 120 | Tuvalu (TUV) | 图瓦卢 | Túwǎlú |
| 121 | Venezuela (VEN) | 委内瑞拉 | Wěinèiruìlā |
| 122 | Solomon Islands (SOL) | 所罗门群岛 | Suǒluōmén Qúndǎo |
| 123 | France (FRA) | 法国 | Fǎguó |
| 124 | Poland (POL) | 波兰 | Bōlán |
| 125 | Puerto Rico (PUR) | 波多黎各 | Bōduō Lígè |
| 126 | Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) | 波黑 | Bōhēi |
| 127 | Bangladesh (BAN) | 孟加拉国 | Mèngjiālāguó |
| 128 | Bolivia (BOL) | 玻利维亚 | Bōlìwéiyà |
| 129 | Norway (NOR) | 挪威 | Nuówēi |
| 130 | South Africa (RSA) | 南非共和国 | Nánfēi Gònghéguó |
| 131 | Cambodia (CAM) | 柬埔寨 | Jiǎnpǔzhài |
| 132 | Kazakhstan (KAZ) | 哈萨克斯坦 | Hāsàkèsītǎn |
| 133 | Kuwait (KUW) | 科威特 | Kēwēitè |
| 134 | Côte d'Ivoire (CIV) | 科特迪瓦 | Kētè Díwǎ |
| 135 | Comoros (COM) | 科摩罗 | Kēmóluó |
| 136 | Bulgaria (BUL) | 保加利亚 | Bǎojiālìyà |
| 137 | Russia (RUS) | 俄罗斯 | Éluōsī / Éluósī |
| 138 | Syria (SYR) | 叙利亚 | Xùlìyà |
| 139 | United States (USA) | 美国 | Měiguó |
| 140 | Virgin Islands (ISV) | 美属维尔京群岛 | Měishǔ Wéiěrjīng Qúndǎo |
| 141 | American Samoa (ASA) | 美属萨摩亚 | Měishǔ Sàmóyà |
| 142 | Honduras (HON) | 洪都拉斯 | Hóngdūlāsī |
| 143 | Zimbabwe (ZIM) | 津巴布韦 | Jīnbābùwéi |
| 144 | Tunisia (TUN) | 突尼斯 | Tūnísī |
| 145 | Thailand (THA) | 泰国 | Tàiguó |
| 146 | Egypt (EGY) | 埃及 | Aījí |
| 147 | Ethiopia (ETH) | 埃塞俄比亚 | Aīsāiébǐyà |
| 148 | Lesotho (LES) | 莱索托 | Láisuǒtuō |
| 149 | Mozambique (MOZ) | 莫桑比克 | Mòsāngbǐkè |
| 150 | Netherlands (NED) | 荷兰 | Hélán |
| 151 | Netherlands Antilles (AHO) | 荷属安的列斯 | Héshǔ Āndelièsī |
| 152 | Grenada (GRN) | 格林纳达 | Gélínnàdá |
| 153 | Georgia (GEO) | 格鲁吉亚 | Gélǔjíyà |
| 154 | Somalia (SOM) | 索马里 | Suǒmǎlǐ |
| 155 | Colombia (COL) | 哥伦比亚 | Gēlúnbǐyà |
| 156 | Costa Rica (CRC) | 哥斯达黎加 | Gēsīdá Líjiā |
| 157 | Trinidad and Tobago (TRI) | 特立尼达和多巴哥 | Tèlìnídá hé Duōbāgē |
| 158 | Peru (PER) | 秘鲁 | Bìlǔ |
| 159 | Ireland (IRL) | 爱尔兰 | Aìěrlán |
| 160 | Estonia (EST) | 爱沙尼亚 | Aìshāníyà |
| 161 | Haiti (HAI) | 海地 | Hǎidì |
| 162 | Czech Republic (CZE) | 捷克 | Jiékè |
| 163 | Kiribati (KIR) | 基里巴斯 | Jīlǐbāsī |
| 164 | Philippines (PHI) | 菲律宾 | Fēilǜbīn |
| 165 | El Salvador (ESA) | 萨尔瓦多 | Sàěrwǎduō |
| 166 | Samoa (SAM) | 萨摩亚 | Sàmóyà |
| 167 | Micronesia (FSM) | 密克罗尼西亚 | Mìkèluóníxīyà |
| 168 | Tajikistan (TJK) | 塔吉克斯坦 | Tǎjíkèsītǎn |
| 169 | Vietnam (VIE) | 越南 | Yuènán |
| 170 | Botswana (BOT) | 博茨瓦纳 | Bócíwǎnà |
| 171 | Sri Lanka (SRI) | 斯里兰卡 | Sīlǐ Lánkǎ |
| 172 | Swaziland (SWZ) | 斯威士兰 | Sīwēishìlán |
| 173 | Slovenia (SLO) | 斯洛文尼亚 | Sīluòwénníyà |
| 174 | Slovakia (SVK) | 斯洛伐克 | Sīluòfákè |
| 175 | Portugal (POR) | 葡萄牙 | Pútáoyá |
| 176 | South Korea (KOR) | 韩国 | Hánguó |
| 177 | Fiji (FIJ) | 斐济 | Fěijì |
| 178 | Cameroon (CMR) | 喀麦隆 | Kāmàilóng |
| 179 | Montenegro (MNE) | 黑山 | Hēishān |
| 180 | North Korea (PRK) | 朝鲜民主主义人民共和国 | Cháoxiǎn Mínzhŭ Zhŭyì Rénmín Gònghéguó |
| 181 | Chile (CHI) | 智利 | Zhìlì |
| 182 | Austria (AUT) | 奥地利 | Aòdìlì |
| 183 | Myanmar (MYA) | 缅甸 | Miǎndiàn |
| 184 | Switzerland (SUI) | 瑞士 | Ruìshì |
| 185 | Sweden (SWE) | 瑞典 | Ruìdiǎn |
| 186 | Nauru (NRU) | 瑙鲁 | Nǎolǔ |
| 187 | Mongolia (MGL) | 蒙古 | Mēnggǔ |
| 188 | Singapore (SIN) | 新加坡 | Xīnjiāpō |
| 189 | New Zealand (NZL) | 新西兰 | Xīn Xīlán |
| 190 | Italy (ITA) | 意大利 | Yìdàlì |
| 191 | Senegal (SEN) | 塞内加尔 | Sāinèijiāěr |
| 192 | Serbia (SRB) | 塞尔维亚 | Sāiěrwéiyà |
| 193 | Seychelles (SEY) | 塞舌尔 | Sàishéěr |
| 194 | Sierra Leone (SLE) | 塞拉利昂 | Sàilā Lìáng |
| 195 | Cyprus (CYP) | 塞浦路斯 | Sāipǔlùsī |
| 196 | Mexico (MEX) | 墨西哥 | Mòxīgē |
| 197 | Lebanon (LIB) | 黎巴嫩 | Líbānèn |
| 198 | Germany (GER) | 德国 | Déguó |
| 199 | Moldova (MDA) | 摩尔多瓦 | Móěrduōwǎ |
| 200 | Monaco (MON) | 摩纳哥 | Mónàgē |
| 201 | Morocco (MAR) | 摩洛哥 | Móluògē |
| 202 | Australia (AUS) | 澳大利亚 | Aòdàlìyà |
| 203 | Zambia (ZAM) | 赞比亚 | Zànbǐyà |
| 204 | China (CHN) | 中国 | Zhōngguó |
Today marks the Beginning of Autumn 秋天 (qiūtiān), the 13th seasonal division on the traditional Chinese calendar. From a meteorological point of view, it symbolizes that the hot summer is about to end and cool autumn breezes will soon be blowing.
There are 24 seasonal division points by which the solar year is divided under the traditional Chinese astrological calendar. The Beginning of Autumn has been treated as a very important point since as early as 3,000 years ago. The royal family and officials usually gathered at the outskirts of the capital city to perform a ritual to usher in autumn. It not only marks the intersection between summer and autumn, but also the time to prepare for the year's harvest.
The Beginning of Autumn was also a festival in ancient times. People ate porridge made from red beans and dates which symbolize harvest for the year ahead.
Due to different geographical locations and altitudes, the exact date that each area of China enters the season of autumn varies. In most areas, summer heat will stay around for another month or so until temperatures eventually drop day-by-day to about 22 degrees Celsius in early September - the real beginning of fall.
Autumn is often seen as the most beautiful season of the year with comfortable weather and fine scenery. Farmers across the country are preparing for a big harvest that will bring hope and luck for the year ahead.
News and Picture Source:
CCTV
Photo Source:
Flickr
"Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up."
失败不是倒下，但拒绝起床。
shībài bùshì dǎoxià dàn jùjué qǐchuáng
shi1 bai4 bu4 shi4 da3 xia4 dan4 ju4 jue2 qi3 chaung2
失败不是倒下，但拒绝起床。
shībài bùshì dǎoxià dàn jùjué qǐchuáng
shi1 bai4 bu4 shi4 da3 xia4 dan4 ju4 jue2 qi3 chaung2
Photo Source: Flickr
Chinese style Hoi Sin Chicken
Serves 2
Serves 2
Prep time: 15mins
Cooking Time: 15mins
You Will Need:
300g chicken
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
6 tbsp hoi sin sauce
Salt and pepper
4 medium garlic cloves, smashed
150g green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 Bell Pepper
Thinly sliced spring onions
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish, optional
2 Nests Medium Egg Noodles
To Cook:
1. Cut up chicken into bite-sized chunks. Marinade the chicken 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 chicken 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 chicken, 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 Serve it...
Kung Po Chicken
Serves 4 hungry men
Kung Po Chicken is a favourite of mine at local Chinese Restaurants, So I thought I would give cooking it a go.This recipe tastes fantastic, and depending on your prefereneces you could make more sauce to make it more like the restaurant version than it's Chinese counterpart.
Prep time: 30mins
Cooking Time: 15mins
You Will Need:
4 Chicken Breasts (500g)
4 Tbsp Cornflour
2 spring onions
1 red pepper
1 Tomato
2 red chillies
4 garlic cloves
3 slices of ginger
Handful of Cashew nuts
For Marinade:
2 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
½ Tbsp Sesame oil
Pinch of black pepper
For Kung Po Sauce:
4 Tbsp Soy Sauce
4 Tbsp Rice vinegar
2 Tbsp Brown sugar
1 Tbsp Plum Sauce
1 tbsp Hoisin sauce
1. Prepare the marinade for the Chicken; Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil with a pinch of black pepper. It does not look like much but will cover the chicken. Cut the chicken into large bite-sized pieces and place in the marinade.
2. Leave the chicken in the fridge to marinate for 25 minutes whilst preparing vegetables, garlic, ginger and chillies.
3. Now is a good time to wash off the excess starch from the rice. This will prevent it from making a sticky mess. Put the rice in a deep bowl, and in your sink, run cold tap water over it. Once the bowl is full of water, use your fingers to swish the rice around. The water will start getting murky. Now gently pour this water out. Repeat this process till the water is mostly clear. This will take at least 4-5 washes. Now fill it up one last time. Don't wash the rice again. Just leave it in there, covered with water, for about 20 minutes or so, so you can put the rice in to start cooking as you start to fry the chicken.
4. Combine chicken and cornstarch in the marinade bowl and toss to coat. Heat sesame oil in wok over medium heat.
5. Add the rice now to a pan (for steamed rice, make sure it is a flat based pan and you have a tight lid) of boiling water, one and a half times the quantity of the dry rice. (1 cup rice, 1 and a half water.) Resist the urge to lift the lid and peek at the rice. Let it cook for 15 minutes on a low setting, and when ready leave to stand for 5 minutes with the lid on before serving. This should be enough time to complete the rest of the meal.
6. Add chicken to the wok and stir-fry 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Remove chicken from wok and leave in a bowl ready for later.
7. Add green onions, garlic, tomato, red pepper, garlic and sliced ginger to the wok and stir fry for 45 seconds.
8. Combine vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, plum sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl. Mix well and add your Kung Po sauce to the wok.
9. Return chicken to the wok and coat with sauce. Stir in roasted peanuts. Heat thoroughly. Serve.
Serving suggestion:
Serve with Steamed Rice in a bowl, or let everyone share from the middle of the table.
Serve with additional spring onions on top.
As I Serve it:
Enjoy your Kung Po Chicken and Rice.Recipe Adapted from: BlogChef
This idiom “jinshan jinmei” means that something is perfect and immaculate
尽善尽美
jìnshàn jìnměi / jin4 shan4 jin4 mei3
尽善尽美
jìnshàn jìnměi / jin4 shan4 jin4 mei3
Photo Source:
Flickr
Colours in Mandarin
Having had to experiment and explore Chinese grammar today, with the help of a couple of my friends on twitter, I learnt the way to incorperate colours into sentences. First of all though lets go through a couple of the basic colours. Each colour ends with 色 sè
白色 (báisè) White
黑色 (hēisè) Black
红色 (hóngsè) Red
黄色 (huángsè) Yellow
蓝色 (lánsè) Blue
绿色 (lǜsè) Green
紫色 (zǐsè) Purple
橙色 (chéngsè) Orange
Colours are descriptive of an object and when used as a description you put the suffix 的 de following the colour. This makes it clear that you are talking about the preceeding object being that colour. If you are just saying that something generic is a colour you need not place 的 (de) at the end of the colour. But if it is in reference to something specific then 的 de is required.
这些花是紫色的
zhèxiē huā shì zǐsè de
These flowers are purple.
zhèxiē huā shì zǐsè de
These flowers are purple.
这只熊猫是黑色和白色的
zhè zhī xióngmāo shì hēisè hé báisè de
This panda is black and white.
zhè zhī xióngmāo shì hēisè hé báisè de
This panda is black and white.
中华人民共和国国旗是红色和黄色的
Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó guóqí shì hóngsè hé huángsè de.
The Chinese* Flag is red and yellow.
Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó guóqí shì hóngsè hé huángsè de.
The Chinese* Flag is red and yellow.
Hopefully this gives you a starting grasp of colours and how they are used within Mandarin sentences. I have only just learnt this today, and am glad to share it with you.
Charlie
* 中华人民共和国 (Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó) actually means The People's Republic of China.
Photo Source
Flickr
Flickr
Flickr
Flickr
