DJH Chinese Course Kyoto

DJH Chinese Courses is glad to announce that it has started a brunch at Kyoto from September 2009. Similar to our operation in Singapore, DJH Kyoto will be providing Chinese courses to expatriates living and working in Kyoto, as well as to the local Japanese who are interested in learning another major language in Asia.

Lessons will be conducted in English as usual, however it will also be conducted in Japanese for the locals or people who are more comfortable with Japanese. After all, there are some similarities between Chinese and Japanese such as the Kanjis and some expressions.
DJH Kyoto hopes to bring the Chinese language and culture to Kyoto and its people. With a rich history and well preserved Japanese culture in Kyoto, we wish to have an international, inter-cultural exchange with people in Japan, as well as the rest of the world.
Hopefully, with our first oversea branch in Kyoto, DJH is able to help people to learn and enjoy the Chinese language better even in a non-Chinese speaking environment.

Lesson fee: 18000yen per course of 10 lessons

Timing: Monday to Friday 8pm to 10pm

Saturday and Sunday 10am to 12 am, 1pm to 3pm, 4pm to 6pm

Location: Kyoto-fu, Kyoto-shi, Mukaijima, Nakajima-cho 85-15 (10 min walk from Mukaijia Station or Kangetsukyo Station)

Telephone: 080-3825-1950

Email: enquiries@djhchinese.com

Contact person: Tong

Website: www.djhchinese.com

Blog: www.djhchinese.blogspot.com

Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117779193140&ref=tshttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117779193140&ref=ts

Number and Chinese

Numbers are frequently used to replace certain words/phrases in everyday Chinese language, e.g. when instant messaging friends or sending text messages. A few of them, like 4, 6, and 8 are pretty well integrated to everyday life and you’ll encounter their universal meanings wherever you go. All of them are based on homophones, where the sound for the number(s) sounds like something else. Here are some examples:

6: 六 (liù) – Luck. Apparently, this comes from Hong Kong. The pronunciation of the number 6 sounds like the word 祿 (lù). When in Taiwan or China, you’ll notice that any phone numbers or license plates with the numbers 6 and 8 are extremely popular.
8: 八 (bā) – Good luck. This sounds like 發 (fā), the word for luck.
38: 三八 (sānbā) – Silly woman (because March 8 (3/8) is International Women’s Day. Where the negative connotation came from is unclear.)
88: 八八 (bābā) – Bye bye.
520: 我愛你 (wǒàinǐ) – I love you.
530: 我想你 (wǒxiǎngnǐ) – I miss you. / I’m thinking of you.

Advanced：周杰伦 - 彩虹

周杰伦 - 彩虹
作曲:周杰伦 作词:周杰伦

哪里有彩虹告诉我
Tell me where is the rainbow
能不能把我的愿望还给我
Can you return me my wishes
为什么天这么安静
Why is the sky to quiet
所有的云都跑到我这里
All the clouds have came to my side
有没有口罩一个给我
Do you have a mask for me
释怀说了太多就成真不了
When wishes is said too much, they won't become true
也许时间是一种解药
Maybe time is an anti-dose
也是我现在正服下的毒药
It is also the poison I am now consuming
看不见你的笑 我怎么睡得着
How do I get to sleep if I do not see you smile
你的声音这么近我却抱不到
Your voice is so near but I couldn't hug
没有地球太阳还是会绕
If the Earth is not there, the sun will continue to orbit
没有理由我也能自己走
If there is no reason, I can still walk on my own
你要离开 我知道很简单
You are leaving, I know that is simple
你说依赖 是我们的阻碍
You said dependence is our obstacle
就算放开 但能不能别没收我的爱
If you let go, please don't confiscate away my love
当作我最后才明白
Take it that I am the last one to understand

How to make a hotel reservation in Chinese Part 2

How to make a hotel reservation in chinese part

汉字五千年 Five Thousand Years of Chinese Characters

This is a series of documentary on one of the most ancient written language in human civilization: the Chinese character, han zi. Personally, I fell in love with it from the first episode. It contained lots of information on history of China, its culture, the transformation of the society, its future as well as comparison to other civilizations and cultures in other part of the Earth. Unfortunately it is totally in Mandarin with Chinese subtitles. It would be more suitable for people with better command of Mandarin. Nonetheless, it is a must see for all Chinese learners. I give my both thumbs up.

第一集：人类奇葩

本集是全片的开篇，通过汉字与世界上其它文字的命运对比，凸现出汉字在人类文明史中独 树一帜的地位。

作为世界上生命力最长的文字，汉字保存了人类历史上最为丰富的文明纪录。这些纪录中不 仅包括了汉语民族的，同时也包括周边民族的。匈奴、突厥、蒙古、党项等民族，朝鲜、日 本、印度等国家的许多文明成果都是因为汉字才得以留存。

汉字不仅为世界上超过三分之一的人提供了交流的工具，而且汉字作为中华文明的主要载体 ，为基督教文明、伊斯兰文明，提供了对比、认知、借鉴、甚至是自我修正的对象。汉字所 承载的一些基本理念，例如民胞物与、仁、理等等，为人类文明的未来发展提供了一种选择 的可能。

"It's a Small World" Advise from Amit Gilboa

After the interview with Xiao An An from "it's a Small World", we have Amit here to give us some in-sight of how he had learned Mandarin. Here is a mail from him.

Hi Cheuk,

Sorry it took me a while to respond.

Here are a couple of tips from my experience:

1) Immersion is truly the best way. If I had a choice between learning 1 hour a week for a year or learning for 50 hours in one week - definitely I would choose the latter. I think that when you focus on the language instead of constantly switching gears from one language to another, that's when you really improve.

2) As much as possible, practice. Don't wait for opportunities to talk with native speakers. Talk to yourself in Chinese. When sitting on the bus, try to translate advertisements from English into Chinese. When counting things to yourself, try in Chinese instead of English. The more you use it, the more fluently it will flow.

3) For more advanced students, try watching Chinese shows. Even if using subtitles, try to catch words in Chinese. Best to use shows where people speak slowly (the news is not a good option as they usually speak very fast) and clearly (generally women speak more clearly) and also avoid historical dramas because they use the equivalent of shakesperean language.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Amit