Double Ten Day, a day for Taiwanese the world over.

Today we are going to have a look at Double Ten Day, a day that is celebrated by Taiwanese people the world over. Basically speaking, it is Taiwan's birthday. Just so that you all know this day is on the 10th of October hence the name "Double ten Day"


Just a side note that Taiwan turned 100 officially yesterday, making it a centennial celebration event. Many overseas Chinese flew back to Taiwan to celebrate this very special event.


I am not going to dive too much into the historical aspect of this day as it is going to involve too much detail, what I am going to do is mention some vocabulary and explain the meaning of it thereof and then maybe an example sentence or two.


The day is coined by the Taiwanese government as Traditional Chinese 國慶日(guó qìng rì) and Simplified Chinese 国庆日(guó qìng rì).


At an event like this, there's normally a HUGE parade with army men and military displays that you don't usually see on any other day in this country.

遊行(yóu xíng)

Parade

The word parade is in Traditional Chinese 遊行(yóu xíng) and Simplified Chinese 遊行(yóu xíng).


If you break the two characters up, 遊(yóu) literally means to travel and 行(xíng) literally means to walk or travel as well which is quite descriptive in this context.

軍隊(jūn duì)

Army

A very important element of a parade of this magnitude is the army, an army is in Traditional Chinese 軍隊(jūn duì) and in Simplified Chinese 军队(jūn duì).


Now most of those infantry men who form the greater part of the parade are known as Traditional Chinese 步兵(bù bīn) and in Simplified Chinese 步兵(bù bīn)

總統府(zǒng tǒng fǔ)

Presidential building

Now the most important aspect of the event is that, the entire ceremony is conducted right in from of the Presidential Building, the presidential building is in Traditional Chinese 總統府(zǒng tǒng fǔ) and in Simplified Chinese 总统府(zǒng tǒng fǔ)

Bargaining in Taiwan and China, what to say

I believe that getting ripped off is a pretty common situation that people face on a daily basis in the east, so knowing a few bargaining phrases would definitely help in the long run.


A rather interesting location to begin your bargaining would be at the night market, night markets in Taiwan would be a place to find the cheapest of all commodities and they're often open until pretty late.


The two characters that represent the act of bargaining is called Traditional Chinese 殺價, Simplified Chinese 杀价 In pinyin (shā jià)


In Chinese the characters literally mean the following: 殺(shā) means to kill and 價(jià) means price.


In reality the characters for "price" is 價錢(jià qián) where "價(jià)" literally broken up means price and "錢(qián)" meaning money.


Some nouns related or synonymous to "price" are:


Traditional 價格(jià gé) / Simplifed 价格(jià gé) = Price
Traditional 價位(jià wèi) / Simplified 价位(jià wèi) = Price
Traditional 價差(jià chā) / Simplified 价差(jià chā) = Price difference


So if you ever go to a night market, you can always try to 殺價(shā jià), since most of the time as foreigners(westerners), Taiwanese or Mainland Chinese merchants will try to raise the price of merchandise at first. It will be a rather interesting feat to cut the price down.


Some more vocabulary that can be applied or used in the price field of things, the phrase to describe something that's too expensive is Traditional Chinese "太貴了"(tài guì le) / Simplified Chinese "太贵了"(tài guì le).


So an example passage would be:


Traditional Chinese:
客戶(kè hù): 請問這個包包多少錢(qǐng wèn zhè ge bāo bāo duō shǎo qián)?
商人(shāng rén): 這個包包500元(zhè ge bāo bāo wǔ bǎi yuán).
客戶(kè hù): 500元太貴了, 可不可以便宜一點? 250 元差不多吧(wǔ bǎi yuán tài guì le, kě bù kě yǐ pián yí yì diǎn, liǎng bǎi wǔ shí yuán chā bù duō ba)?
商人(shāng rén): 250 元太便宜了, 這樣子我們賺不到幾塊錢, 要不然300元吧!(liáng bǎi wǔ shí yuán tài pián yí le, zhè yàng zi wǒ mén zhuàn bú dào jǐ kuài qián, yào bù rán sān bǎi yuán ba!)
客戶(kè hù): 嗯, 300元差不多(en, sān bǎi yuán chā bù duō).
商人(shāng rén): 嗯, 好, 那就 300元(en, nà jìu sān bǎi yuán).
客戶(kè hù): 謝謝!(xiè xie)
商人(shāng rén): 謝謝!(xiè xie)


Simplified Chinese:

客户(kè hù): 请问这个包包多少钱(qǐng wèn zhè ge bāo bāo duō shǎo qián)?
商人(shāng rén): 这个包包500元(zhè ge bāo bāo wǔ bǎi yuán).
客户(kè hù): 500元太贵了, 可不可以便宜一点? 250 元差不多吧(wǔ bǎi yuán tài guì le, kě bù kě yǐ pián yí yì diǎn, liǎng bǎi wǔ shí yuán chā bù duō ba)?
商人(shāng rén): 250 元太便宜了, 这样子我们赚不到几块钱, 要不然300元吧!(liáng bǎi wǔ shí yuán tài pián yí le, zhè yàng zi wǒ mén zhuàn bú dào jǐ kuài qián, yào bù rán sān bǎi yuán ba!)
客户(kè hù): 嗯, 300元差不多(en, sān bǎi yuán chā bù duō).
商人(shāng rén): 嗯, 好, 那就 300元(en, nà jìu sān bǎi yuán).
客户(kè hù): 谢谢!(xiè xie)
商人(shāng rén): 谢谢!(xiè xie)



English:
Customer: Excuse me, how much is this bag?
Merchant: This bag costs NT$500
Customer: NT$500 is too expensive, can't it be cheaper? How about NT$250
Merchant: NT$250 is too cheap, I won't be making much out of it, how about NT$300?
Customer: OK, NT$300 sounds acceptable.
Merchant: OK, then let it be NT$300
Customer: Thank you!
Merchant: Thank you!

Free Mandarin classes online

We are now offering free mandarin classes online, all you have to do are the following, and the following information is important.

1. We are available Monday to Thursday, 15:00-17:00 GMT+8 (Taipei, Taiwan time)
2. Please contact us by E-mail if you're interested, either forward an E-mail to hans(underscore)lee@t-seed.com OR jovien@t-seed.com, after E-mailing we'll give you a username and password so you can start the free classes with our system.

Please provide us with the following information:

1. The first class will be a consultation class, tell us what you want and wish to learn.
2. How is your Chinese? Have you ever learned Chinese before? What would you like to learn?

Thank you.

Ways to apologize in Chinese

We all make mistakes, more often than not, we run into situations where we have to apologize to another person for our wrongdoing.


So, how do we apologize in Chinese?


The most straightforward version is Traditional 對不起, Simplified 对不起 which literally means "sorry"
In Pinyin(duì bù qǐ)


For example, Traditional:


 A: 你壓到我了, 好痛! (nǐ yā dào wǒ le, hǎo tòng!)
 B: 阿, 對不起, 有沒有怎麼樣? (a, duì bù qǐ, yǒu méi yǒu zěn me yàng?)
 A: 當然有! 流血了! (dāng rán yǒu, líu xiě le!)
 B: 趕快擦藥! (gǎn kuài cā yào!)


Simplified


A: 你压到我了, 好痛！(nǐ yā dào wǒ le, hǎo tòng!)
B: 阿, 对不起, 有没有怎么样? (a, duì bù qǐ, yǒu méi yǒu zěn me yàng?)
A: 当然有!流血了! (dāng rán yǒu, líu xiě le!)
B: 赶快擦药！(gǎn kuài cā yào!)


In English


A: You're crushing me, it hurts!
B: Oh I'm sorry, are you ok?
A: Of course I'm NOT ok!!! I'm bleeding!
B: Hurry, put on some ointment!


ALSO, more often than not, we'll come across the situation where you'll be asking someone to give you the way through or when someone is obstructing you to do something, then we use the expression 不好意思 (bù hǎo yì si)


It literally means "excuse me" in English.


An example could be as follows:


At a baseball match-->


A: (A man is standing in the walkway)
B: (A woman walks and is behind the man) 不好意思, 我要過去, 可不可以借過一下?
(bù hǎo yì si, wǒ yào guò qù, kě bù kě yǐ jiè guò yí xià?)
A: 不好意思, 我在這邊等人, 若我移開的話, 對方就看不到我了.
(bù hǎo yì si, wǒ zài zhè biān děng rén, ruò wǒ yí kāi de huà, duì fāng jìu kàn bú dào wǒ le)
B: 不好意思, 但是我真的需要過去, 我家人正在等著我.
(bù hǎo yì si, dàn shì wǒ zhēn de xū yào guò qù, wǒ jiā rén zhèng zài děng zhe wǒ)
A: 好吧, 那你請過.
(hǎo ba, nà nǐ qǐng guò)
B: 謝謝.
(xiè xie)
A: 不客氣
(bú kè qì)


In English:




A: (A man is standing in the walkway)
B: (A woman walks and is behind the man)Excuse me, I need to go through, can you please give me the way?
A: I'm sorry but, I'm waiting for someone, if I shift my position, they'll won't be able to see me.
B: I'm sorry but I really need to get through, my family is waiting for me.
A:OK well, go through then.
B: Thank you.
A: It's a pleasure.


So, 對不起 and 不好意思 are two primary methods of apologizing in Chinese, they are pretty much the equivalent of "sorry" and "excuse me" in English.

Free Mandarin classes online

We are now offering free mandarin classes online, all you have to do are the following, and the following information is important.

1. We are available Monday to Thursday, 15:00-17:00 GMT+8 (Taipei, Taiwan time)
2. Please contact us by E-mail if you're interested, either forward an E-mail to hans(underscore)lee@t-seed.com OR jovien@t-seed.com, after E-mailing we'll give you a username and password so you can start the free classes with our system.

Please provide us with the following information:

1. The first class will be a consultation class, tell us what you want and wish to learn.
2. How is your Chinese? Have you ever learned Chinese before? What would you like to learn?

Thank you.

For my future self, Part 2

星光(xīng guāng)

Starlight

Traditional 星光 / Simplified 星光 (xīng guāng) In English: Starlight


Example: Traditional: 我們在星光下看著夜景


              Simplified: 我们在星光下看着夜景 (wo3 men2 zai4 xing1 guang1 xia4 kan4 zhe5 ye4 jing3)


In English: We're gazing at the night time scenery under the starlight.


Traditional 遺忘 / Simplified 遗忘 (yí wàng) In English: To forget about something


Example: Traditional: 大衛已經漸漸的被我們給遺忘了.


               Simplified: 大伟已经渐渐的被我们给遗忘了.
               (dà wèi yǐ jīng jiàn jiàn de bèi wǒ men gěi yí wàng le)


In English: David is slowly being forgotten by us.

傷害 / 伤害 (shāng hài)

Hurt

Traditional 傷害 / Simplified 伤害 (shāng hài) In English: To hurt something or someone.


Example: Traditional: 請不要再傷害我了!


              Simplified: 请不要再伤害我了！ (qǐng bú yào zài shāng hài wǒ le)


In English: Please don't hurt me anymore!

醒來 / 醒来 (xǐng lái)

Wake up

Traditional 醒來 / Simplified 醒来 (xǐng lái) In English: To wake up


Example: Traditional: 你明天醒過來之後請寄的打電話給我!


              Simplified: 你明天醒过来之后请记得打电话给我！
              (nǐ míng tiān xǐng guò lái zhī hòu qǐng jì de dǎ diàn huà gěi wǒ)


In English: Remember to call me when you wake up tomorrow.

期待 / 期待(qí dài)

To have expectations

Traditional 期待 / Simplified 期待 (qí dài) In English: To have expectations towards


Example: Traditional: 我很期待下禮拜的聚會!


               Simplified: 我很期待下礼拜的聚会! (wǒ hěn qí dài xià lǐ bài de jù huì)


In English: I'm looking forward to the gathering next week!

放棄 / 放弃(fàng qì)

To give up

Traditional 放棄 / Simplified 放弃 (fàng qì) In English: To give up on something


Example: Traditional: 請你絕對不可以放棄這次的機會!


              Simplified: 请你绝对不可以放弃这次机会！ (qǐng nǐ jué duì bù kě yǐ fàng qì zhè cì jī huì)


In English: Please don't give up on this opportunity!

勇氣 / 勇气(yǒng qì)

Courage

Traditional 勇氣 / Simplified 勇气 (yǒng qì) In English: Courage


Example: Traditional 上台演講需要很大的勇氣


              Simplified 上台演讲需要很大的勇气
              (shang4 tai2 yan3 jiang3 xu1 yao4 hen3 da4 de5 yong3 qi4)


In English: One needs a lot of courage to deliver a speech on stage.

懷疑 / 怀疑(huái yí)

to suspect

Traditional 懷疑 / Simplified 怀疑 (huái yí) In English: To suspect


Example: Traditional 我懷疑東西是他偷的.


               Simplified 我怀疑东西是他偷的. (wǒ huái yí dōng xī shì tā tōu de)


In English: I suspect that it is him who stole the goods.


Traditional 真心 / Simplified 真心 (zhēn xīn) In English: To be sincere


Example: Traditional 我對他是真心的


               Simplified 我对他是真心的 (wǒ duì tā shì zhēn xīn de)


In English: I am sincere towards him.


Traditional 握住 / Simplified 握住 (wò zhù) In English: To hold / to grip something


Example: Traditional 記得握住把手!


              Simplified 记得握住把手！(jì de wò zhù bǎ shǒu)


In English: Remember to hold onto the handle!


Traditional 未來 / Simplified 未来 (wèi lái) In English: The future


Example: Traditional 沒有人知道未來會如何


              Simplified 没有人知道未来会如何 (méi yǒu rén zhī dào wèi lái huì rú hé)


In English: No one knows what the future will look like.


Traditional 自己 / Simplified 自己 (zì jǐ) In English: Myself

跟自己過不去(gēn zi jǐ guò bú qù)

To be hard on oneself

Example: Traditional 不要跟自己過不去


               Simplified 不要跟自己過不去 (bú yào gēn zi jǐ guò bú qù)


In English: Do not be so hard on yourself

信仰(xìn yǎng)

Faith/Religion

Traditional 信仰 / Simplified 信仰 (xìn yǎng) In English: Faith/Religion


Example: Traditional 信仰是一種心靈上的寄託


              Simplified 信仰是一种心灵上的寄托 (xìn yǎng shì yì zhǒng xīn líng shàng de jì tuō)


In English: One can find sustenance in religion.


Traditional 模樣 / Simplified 模樣 (mó yàng) In English: Appearance


Example: Traditional 我一直很好奇他到底長得什麼模樣.


              Simplified 我一直很好其他到底长得什么模樣. 
              (wǒ yì zhí hěn hào qí tā dào dǐ zhǎng de shén me mó yàng)


In English: I'm always very curious on what he looks like.


Traditional 冷漠 / Simplified 冷漠 (lěng mò) In English: Cold, unconcerned(In behavior and attitude)


Example: Traditional 他對自己的家人好冷漠


               Simplified 他对自己的家人好冷漠 (tā duì zì jǐ de jiā rén hǎo lěng mò)


In English: He is very cold towards his family members.


Traditional 川流不息 / Simplified 川流不息 (chuān líu bù xí) In English: An endless stream


Example: Traditional 這條街的人跟車真是川流不息呀!


              Simplified 这条街的人跟车真是穿流不习呀!
              (zhè tiáo jiē de rén gēn chē zhēn shì chuān kiu2 bù xí ya)


In English: The crowd and traffic in this street seems endless!


Traditional 街頭 / Simplified 街头 (jié tóu) In English: At the beginning of a street


Example: Traditional 請你在街頭那一邊等我.


               Simplified 请你在街头那一边等我.
               (qǐng nǐ zài jiē tóu nà yì biān děng wǒ)


In English: Please wait for me at the end where the street begins.


Traditional 寂寞 / Simplified 寂寞 (jí mò) In English: Loneliness


Example: Traditional 人沒有朋友會很寂寞的.


               Simplified 人没有朋友会很寂寞的
               (rén méi yǒu péng yǒu huì hěn jí mò de)


In English: People become lonely without friends.


Traditional 惺惺相惜 / Simplified 惺惺相惜 (xīng xīng xiāng xí) In English: To be sympathetic


Example: Traditional 我對我弟弟惺惺相惜


               Simplified 我对我弟弟惺惺相惜.
               (wǒ duì wǒ dì di xīng xīng xiāng xí)


In English: I am sympathetic towards my brother.

心心相印(xīn xīn xiāng yìn)

Soulmates

Traditional 心心相印 / Simplified 心心相印 (xīn xīn xiāng yìn) In English: The mentality of being soulmates


Example: Traditional 我跟我女朋友心心相印


              Simplified 我跟我女朋友心心相印
              (wǒ gēn wǒ nǚ péng yǒu xīn xīn xiāng yìn)


In English: I and my girlfriend are soulmates.

宇宙(yǔ zhòu)

The universe

Traditional 宇宙 / Simplified 宇宙 (yǔ zhòu) In English: The universe


Example: Traditional 宇宙中有數不清的星星.


              Simplified 宇宙中有数不清的星星
              (yǔ zhòu zhōng yǒu shǔ bù qīng de xīng xīng)


In English: There are an uncountable number of stars in the universe.


Traditional 獨一無二 / Simplified 独一无二 (dú yī wú èr) In English: Unique, unmatched


Example: Traditional 在這世界上每一個人都是獨一無二的.


              Simplified 在这世界上每一个人都是独一无二的.
              (zài zhè shì jiè shàng měi yí ge rén dōu shì dú yī wú èr de)


In English: Every person is unique in this world.


Traditional 取代 / Simplified 取代 (qu3 dai4) In English: To replace


Example: Traditional 沒有人能夠取代你.


              Simplified 没有人能够取代你.
              (méi yǒu rén néng gòu qǔ dài nǐ)


In English: Nobody can replace you.


Traditional 受傷 / Simplified 受伤 (shòu shāng) In English: To be hurt


Example: Traditional 一塊非常大的石頭掉在我的身上害我受傷了.


              Simplified 一塊非常大的石头掉在我的身上伤害我受伤了.
              (yí kuài fēi cháng dà de shí tóu diào zài wǒ shēn shàng hài wǒ shòu shāng le)


In English: A large rock fell on me and that's how I got hurt.


Traditional 堅強 / Simplified 坚强 (jian1 qiang2) In English: To be strong(in the mind)


Example: Traditional 一個人在外, 要堅強一點.


               Simplified 一个人在外,要坚强一点
               (yí ge rén zài wài, yào jiān qiáng yì diǎn)


In English: One must learn to be strong if you live alone.


Traditional 坦蕩 / Simplified 坦荡 (tan3 dang4) In English: Magnanimous


Example: Traditional 那個人的個性很坦蕩


              Simplified 那个人的个性很坦荡
              (nà ge rén de gè xìng hěn tǎn dàng)


In English: That person has a magnanimous personality.

A music video I've always liked, 給未來的自己(gěi wèi lái de zì jǐ)(For my future self) by Fish Leung

I've always found this song beautiful, here's an explanation of pieces of the lyrics I've extracted from the music video itself.

一望無際的海洋(yí wàng wú jì de hǎi yáng)

An ocean that knows no bounds.

Traditional 一望無際 / Simplified 一望无际 (yí wàng wú jì) In English: a view that's endless.


Example: Traditional 我看著一望無際的海洋


               Simplified 我看着一望无际的海洋 (wǒ kàn zhe yí wàng wú jì de hǎi yáng)


In English: I'm busy looking at an ocean that knows no bounds.


Traditional 孤獨 / Simplified 孤独 (gū dú) In English: loneliness


Example: Traditional 我不喜歡孤獨, 我喜歡熱鬧


               Simplified 我不喜欢孤独, 我喜欢热闹 (wǒ bù xǐ huān gū dú, wǒ xǐ huān rè nào)


In English: I do not being lonely, I prefer a crowd.

城市(chéng shì)

A city

Traditional 城市 / Simplified 城市 (chéng shì) In English: a city


Example: Traditional 很多人會往大城市發展, 小城市就業機會不多


               Simplified 很多人会往大城市发展, 小城市就业机会不多
               (hěn duō rén huì wǎng dà chéng shì fā zhǎn, xiǎo chéng shì jìu yè jī huì bù duō)


In English: Many people prefer to seek for a job in the big cities, there aren't many job opportunities in small cities.

天空(tiān kōng)

Sky

Traditional 天空 / Simplified 天空 (tiān kōng) In English: the sky


Example: Traditional 天空是藍色的.


              Simplified 天空是蓝色的 (tiān kōng shì lán sè de)


In English: The sky is blue

高樓大廈(gāo lóu dà xià)

Tall buildings

Traditional 高樓 / Simplified 高楼 (gāo lóu) In English: a tall building / tower


Example: Traditional 台北市有許多高樓大廈


              Simplified 台北市有许多高楼大厦 (tái běi shì yǒu xǔ duō gāo lóu dà xià)


In English: There are many tall buildings in Taipei.

盡頭(jìn tóu)

Dead end

Traditional 盡頭 / Simplified 尽头 (jìn tóu) In English: The end of something


Example: Traditional 我們在這條路上面已經走到了盡頭


              Simplified 我们在这条路上面已经走到了尽头 
               (wǒ mén zài zhè tiáo lù shàng mina4 yǐ jīn zǒu dào le jìn tóu)


In English: We have reached the end of this road.


Traditional 空曠 / Simplified 空旷 (kōng kuàng) In English: In the open


Example: Traditional 學校後面的這塊地還真空曠


              Simplified 学校后面的这块地还真空旷 (xué xiào hòu miàn de zhè kuài dì hái zhēn kōng kuàng)


In English: The piece of land behind this school is really quite sparse.


Traditional 自由 / Simplified 自由 (zì yóu) In English: Freedom


Example: Traditional 很多人喜歡自由自在的生活


              Simplified 很多人喜欢自由自在的生活 (hěn duō rén xǐ huān zì yóu zì zài de shēng huó)


In English: Many people prefer a free lifestyle

陽光(yáng guāng)

Sunshine

Traditional 陽光 / Simplified 阳光 (yáng guāng) In English: Sunlight


Example: Traditional 陽光照在我們的大地上


              Simplified 阳光照在我们的大地上 (yáng guāng zhào zài wǒ mén de dà dì shàng)


In English: Sunlight shines on our land.


Traditional 一刻 / Simplified 一刻 (yí kè) In English: An instance in time


Example: Traditional 我今天在公司的時候一刻都沒有休息過


              Simplified 我今天在公司的时候一刻都没有休息过
              (wǒ jīn tiān zài gōng sī de shí hòu yí kè dōu méi yǒu xīu xí guò)


In English: I didn't take any breaks when I was working at the office today.

寧靜(níng jìng)

Serene night

Traditional 寧靜 / Simplified 宁静 (níng jìng) In English: Serenity


Example: Traditional 這寧靜的夜晚很舒服


               Simplified 这宁静的夜晚很舒服 (zhè nín jìn de yè wǎn hěn shū fú)


In English: This serene night is very comfortable

與世隔絕(yǔ shì gé jué)

Isolation

Traditional 隔絕 / Simplified 隔绝 (gé jué) In English: Isolation


Example: Traditional 你再不出門的話你就要與世隔絕了!


               Simplified 你再不出门的话你就要与世隔绝了!
               (nǐ zài bù chū mén de huà nǐ jìu yào yǔ shì gé jué le)


In English: If you don't get out of the house now you'll be isolated from society for the rest of your life!!

燈海(dēng hǎi)

City lights

Traditional 燈海 / Simplified 灯海 (dēng hǎi) In English: An ocean of light


Example: Traditional 看著窗外的一片燈海, 我的心情漸漸好了起來


              Simplified 看着窗外的一片灯海, 我的心情渐渐好了起来.
              (kàn zhe chuāng wài de yí piàn dēng hǎi, wǒ de xīn qíng jiàn jiàn hǎo le qǐ lái)


In English: Looking at the ocean of light outside, my mood gradually changes from sorrow to happiness.

無奈(wú nài)

Helpless

Traditional 無奈 / Simplified 无奈 (wú nài) In English: Helplessness


Example: Traditional: 她明明就不理會他, 我看了也覺得很無奈.


               Simplified: 她明明就不理会他，我看了也觉得很无奈.
               (ta1 ming2 ming2 jiu4 bu4 li3 hui4 ta1, wo3 kan4 le5 ye3 jue2 de5 hen3 wu2 nai4)


In English: She doesn't pay attention to him at all, I feel rather helpless looking at it.