dimecres, 1 de gener del 2014

中国颜色


欢迎大家来到《爱我汉语》。今天的话题是:中国颜色



Today's blog is an extract from Aiwohanyu's facebook page written in English. However, I hope it is as well helpful to learn some new Chinese words!


颜色 [yánsè] means "color" in today's Chinese language. However, in ancient China, the word 颜色 actually meant "facial color" or "emotion" (often implying sexual desire). It was not until the Tang Dinasty (VII AD) that 颜色 started to refer to all colors.
If nowadays we want to express the color of sb's face/skin or facial expression, we must say: 脸色 [liǎnsè


In Chinese culture the standard colors are black, white, yellow, red and qing (blue/green), which correspond to the five elements of water, metal, earth, fire and wood.



If you keep reading you'll realize that we can learn not only some new words in Chinese language but also very interesting facts of Chinese culture:


黑 [hēi]
黑 meaning "black" in Chinese corresponds to water and is considered a neutral color.

The I Ching, or Book of Changes, regards black as Heaven’s color. The saying "heaven and earth of... mysterious black" was rooted in the observation that the northern sky showed a mysterious black color for a long time. Ancient people believed Tian Di, or Heavenly Emperor, resided in the North Star. Therefore, Chinese regarded black as the king of colors and honored black more consistently than any other color. That's why the roofs of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing are dark.

Lao Zi said that five colors make people blind, so the Dao School chose black as the color of the Dao.



Besides, before the Five Element's theory, according to Daoist's believe there were only two colors: opposing, yet complementary principles, black and white, Yin-Yang. 



Finally black can also be used to describe something as illegal or without justice.
 
Let's learn some Chinese words with this color:
 
黑色 [hēisè] "the color black"

黑夜 [hēiyè] "night"

黑板 [hēibǎn] "blackboard"

黑猩猩 [hēixīngxing] "chimpanzee"

黑白 [hēibái] "black-and-white" as in 黑白电影 [hēibái diànyǐng] "black-and-white movie"

黑人 [hēirén] "unregistered resident"

黑市 [hēishì] "black market"

黑暗镜儿 [hēi'ànjìngr] "sunglasses"

黑白分明 [hēibáifēnmíng] "in sharp contrast"; "no ambiguity at all", "right and wrong clearly distinguished"

黑暗时代 [hēi'àn shídài] "Dark Ages"

黑暗世界 [hēi'àn shìjiè] "world without justice"




白 [bái]
 

白 (a sun 日with a point ' at the top) means "white" in Chinese.

In traditional Chinese culture the white color is the color of mourning, as it also symbolizes brightness, purity, and fulfillment.



Ancient Chinese people wore white clothes and hats only when they mourned for the dead.
Although nowadays white is also used in Chinese weddings due to Western influence, the white color is still associated with death and is used predominantly in funerals in Chinese culture.


 
According to Chinese beauty standards, white is also the ideal skin color.


White can also help us learn some words. For example:

"White" means literally "white" as in the words ...


白色 [bái sè] "the color white"

白米 [bái mǐ] "white rice"

白发 [báifà] "white hair"

黑白 [hēibái] "black and white" (for movies, photos, etc.)

But we can also find words with an extended meaning such as ...


白天 [bái tiān] "daytime"

白日 [bái rì] "daytime"

白菜 [báicài] "Chinese cabbage"

白银 [báiyín] "silver" (literally "white metal")

蛋白质 [dànbáizhì] "protein"

白富美 [báifùměi] literally "white, rich, beautiful" is the word to describe the ideal woman in China nowadays.
And we can even find some abstract meanings too in words like...

明白 [míngbai] the combination of the characters 明 [míng] "bright" and 白 [bai]"white" form the verb "to understand"

坦白 [tǎnbái] "frank". Ex: 坦白说... "frankly speaking"


Finally 白 can also mean to do something "in vain" or "for nothing" if we use the structure 白 + Verb
For example:

白学 [báixué] "study in vain"

你白学了汉语吗?应该没有吧!


黄 [huáng]

黄 means "yellow" in Chinese.

Corresponding with earth, yellow is considered the most beautiful and prestigious color. The Chinese saying, Yellow generates Yin and Yang, implies that yellow is the center of everything, meaning neutrality and good luck. 
Yellow was also the color of Imperial China and often decorates royal palaces, altars and temples, that's why the roofs of the Forbidden City in Beijing are yellow. As yellow represents earth elements and a central position, the emperor believed that the imperial palace was in the world's center and then his reign could radiate in all directions. Hence, yellow was an emblem of imperial dignity and for the exclusive use of the emperors. 

Only the roofs of the library at the Pavilion of Literary Profundity had black tiles. As the library was meant to contain books, the Chinese emperor chose black (water) to protect the important books and texts contained in the hall from fire.


Yellow was only used in the robes and attire of the emperors, and those who dare to dress with yellow in ancient China would be strongly punished.
黄帝 [Huángdì] or the Yellow Emperor is one of the legendary Chinese sovereigns and culture heroes, credited with numerous inventions and innovations and regarded as the initiator of Chinese civilization.


Yellow also represents freedom and is thus esteemed in Buddhism. Monks’ garments are yellow, as are elements of Buddhist temples. Yellow is also used as a mourning color for Chinese Buddhists.


Yellow is also the color that gives name to the river that saw the birth of the Chinese culture, the Yellow River or 黄河[Huáng Hé]in Chinese.



Let's learn some words with this color.


黄色 [huángsè] "yellow color"

黄昏 [huánghūn] "dusk"

黄土 [huángtǔ] literally "yellow earth" refers to "loess"



黄豆 [huángdòu] "soybean"
 

黄瓜 [huánggua] "cucumber"
 

黄酒 [huángjiǔ] "rice wine"
 

黄牛 [huángniú] "ox"
 

黄油 [huángyóu] "butter"

However, nowadays yellow color is also used to mean that something is "decadent" or "pornographic". For instance:
 

黄色新闻 [huángsè xīnwén] "sex news"
 

黄色音乐 [huángsè yīnyuè] "decadent music"
 




红 [hóng]

From 纟(糸)[sī] “silk”and 工 [gōng] phonetic,红 [hóng] is the red color in Chinese language.

Red corresponds to fire in the five element's theory, and at the same time "fire" represents "life
" and "hope" so red is a lucky color, representing prosperity, goodness, and happiness. That's why red is the color that decorates Chinese houses and streets during holidays, specially during the Spring Festival or the Chinese New Year.
If cash is given as a present, it is placed in a red envelope 红包 [hóngbāo].



We can also find red as one of the most representative colors in the Forbidden City in Beijing. While yellow color decorates the roofs of the Forbidden City, red was chosen for the pillars, windows, doors and walls to symbolize auspicious events, happiness and celebrations. 


  
Red is also the color of wedding parties in traditional Chinese culture. Nowadays, however, because of Western culture's influence, most people get married in white, which is traditionally the mourning color, as we explained before.




Widely known red is also the color of Communism and therefore of the Chinese Communist Party.



Finally, red is also the color that describes angryness.

Therefore, there are maaaany many words we can learn with this color. Let's check some of them:



红色 [hóngsè] "the color red"

红茶 [hóngchá] black tea. Attention, black tea is not 黑茶, but 红茶.

红叶 [hóngyè] red autumnal leaves

红豆 [hóngdòu] red bean

红薯 [hóngshǔ] sweet potato

西红柿 [xīhóngshì] tomato

红烧 [hóngshāo] braise in soy sauce. For instance: 红烧鱼
[hóngshāoyú ] red-cooked fish (simmered in soy sauce).

红灯笼 [hóng dēnglong] red lantern

红绿灯 [hóng-lǜdēng] literally "red, green light" refers to "traffic light"

红了 [hóngle] became popular

红人 [hóngrén] celebrity. We can also say “他很红” and it means "he is famous/popular".

红歌星 [hónggēxīng] star singer at night clubs

红火 [hónghuo] flourishing,prosperous,lively. 红红火火

发红 [fāhóng] become red, blush

红脸 [hóngliǎn] blush, get angry

面红耳赤 [miànhóng'ěrchì] be flushed with anger

分红 [fēnhóng] share a bonus, share benefits

红旗 [hóngqí] red flag

红票 [hóngpiào] discount ticket/coupon during Communist times.

红小兵 [Hóngxiǎobīng] Little Red Guard(s) (1966-1976)

红心 [hóngxīn] heart loyal to the cause of the proletarian revolution

红场 [Hóngchǎng] Red Square (in Moscow)

红白事 [hóngbáishì] weddings and funerals

红十字 [Hóngshízì] Red Cross

红楼梦 [Hónglóu Mèng]《Dream of the Red Chamber》it's one of the four classics in Chinese literature.

 



青 [qīng]

青 is a special color, I think. It is the "color of nature" and it can represent whether "dark green" or "light blue". Although Chinese has nowadays a separate word for both "green" 绿...[lǜ] and "blue" 蓝 [lán], it traditionally grouped most shades of blue and green under the name 青.



According to the theory of the five elements (fire, water, wood, metal and earth) 青 is the one corresponding to the Chinese element of wood, representing nature, renewal, spring and youth.





Finally 青 is also associated with health, prosperity and harmony. 

 

Taking this in mind, we can easily remember words that contain this character such as:


青色 [qīngsè] "blue/green color"

青天 [qīngtiān] "blue sky"

青草 [qīngcǎo] "green grass"

青菜 [qīngcài] "green vegetables", "Chinese cabbage"

青田 [qīngtián] "green rice field"

青铜 [qīngtóng] "bronze"

青蛙 [qīngwā] "frog"



青春 [qīngchūn] "one's youth"


青年 [qīngnián] "youth", "young people"

半青半黄 [bànqīngbànhuáng] literally "half green, half yellow" actually means "not quite mature"

青天白日 [qīngtiānbáirì] litreally "blue sky, white sun" means "broad daylight"

By the way! don't get confused with the characters 情 [qíng] or 清 [qīng], where the right side, or 青, only tells us the phonetic! These two different characters actually get their meanings from the radical:

In 情 [qíng] we have the radical 忄(心) [xīn] "heart" on the left, so this character means "feeling", "emotion".

In 清 [qīng] we can distinguish the three drops of water on the left 氵(水) [shuǐ], so this character means "clear", "pure", "clean"

Hope it was 清楚!


dijous, 12 de desembre del 2013

品茶



欢迎大家来到《爱我汉语》!

今天的话题是:品茶


对中国人来说品茶是一种中国式慢生活,也就是说是一种享受生活方式。

品茶的时候我们应该注意两个方面。
第一,不要着急,一定要慢慢地喝。
第二,心里边没有事情,很安静的。




在很多茶馆我们经常会看到有挂着“茶禅一味”四个大字:



按照一般的解释来说它的意思就是品茶象参禅一样。也可以简单地说:喝茶的时候会让我们从心里边感觉到东西。

还有“茶中带禅、茶禅一味”之说,因为喝茶的时候我们能清心寡欲、养气颐神。也就是说心里边没有事情,很安静的。

从中国古代到现在品茶属于“三香”的一种。中国古代的“三香”包括书香(文学)、墨香(书法)和茶香(品茶)。它们三个是高雅、安祥、和谐之社会精神的体现。

“茶禅一味”还是一种乐观。人到世间不是为了整天都很难过、苦恼、悲伤等等,而是为了感到幸福。那么品茶的时候尽管是和朋友一起品茶还是单独饮茶都能在心里边寻得快乐。


有时候我们也会看到“品茶悟道”这四个字。它的意思和上面的介绍也很象。简单地说是用心去感受生活。


最后,我们想讲一个茶故事:

《痛了自然就放下》

很久很久以前,一个很有苦恼的人对老和尚说:“我放不下一些事,放不下一些人。”和尚说:“没有什么东西是放不下的。”苦者继续说:“这些事和人我就偏偏放不下。” 和尚让他拿着一个茶杯,然后就往里面倒热水,一直倒到水溢出来。苦者被烫到,马上松开了手。和尚说:“这个世界上没有什么事是放不下的,痛了,你自然就会放下。”




接下来我非常推荐大家看一看下面这个片子。我觉得里面这个女生很有意思!
http://lookingforstories.com/china/ada-tea-is-my-religion/



欢迎大家留下评论!周末快乐!:)



 

divendres, 29 de novembre del 2013

中国音乐

大家好! 欢迎来到 《爱我汉语》!这次博客的话题是:中国音乐。


中华民族在几千年的历史中创造了丰富的音乐文化。最早的乐器就是骨笛,是笛子的一种,也是世界上最早的乐器。
在中国古代文学和音乐是紧密相关的,因此“诗歌”是不分的,这样人民大众会口头传唱的。不过,中国古代对音乐家比较轻视。虽然音乐是古代知识分子阶层的必修课,即“琴棋书画”以男为主,可是如果一个人靠琴(音乐)生活那么他的地位就较低。由于音乐家被视为是为了让其他人开心而已,而且谁听他们的音乐也不一定懂这个音乐。懂也好,不懂也好,只要老百姓喜欢这个音乐才能生活。无论如何,这个现象到元代的时候发生了变化,而目前音乐家的地位高了。


根据资料来说,中华民族早发现过能发出七声音阶,可是中国古代基本上只使用五声音阶(pentatonic scale)体系,“五声”,即宫(do)、商(re)、角(mi)、徵(sol)、羽(la)。
最早的乐器分类法之一,也是传统的乐器分类法,把乐器分为“八音”:金、石、土、革、丝、木、匏、竹。
金音 (Metal) 包括编钟[biānzhōng]、特钟 [tèzhōng]和铙 [náo]
石音 (Stone) 包括编磬[biānqìng]、特磬[tèqìng]
土音 (Clay) 包括埙[xūn]
革音 (Hide) 包括鼓[gǔ]
丝音 (Silk) 包括古琴[gǔqín]、瑟 [sè]、牙箏 [yázhēng]、筑 [zhú]
木音 (Wood) 包括柷[zhù]、敔[yǔ]
匏音 (Gourd) 包括笙[shēng]、竽[yú]
竹音 (Bamboo) 包括箫[xiāo]、笛[dí]、管[guǎn] 、篪[chí]

金音 (Metal):

  
编钟[biānzhōng]



 
特钟 [tèzhōng]





 
铙 [náo]

石音 (Stone):

 
                        编磬[biānqìng]                 特磬[tèqìng]

土音 (Clay) :
 
埙[xūn]

革音 (Hide):

 

鼓[gǔ]
 
 
丝音 (Silk) :
  
古琴[gǔqín]


   
瑟 [sè]

   
牙箏 [yázhēng]

 
筑 [zhú]

木音 (Wood) :


  
柷[zhù]


   
敔[yǔ]
 
 
匏音 (Gourd) :
 
  
笙[shēng]



   
竽[yú]

竹音 (Bamboo):


    
箫[xiāo]



笛[dí]




 
篪[chí]



中国音乐曾经对中国周边地区的音乐产生了深远的影响。同时从唐代以后中国音乐也在吸收外来音乐要素的过程过不断充实发展,成为对音乐艺术的全面发展的高峰。从汉朝和唐朝以来,开放政策勇于吸收外地文化,因此源于外国的乐器如笛子、筚篥、琵琶、胡琴等大量为中国音乐采纳。
到现在中国所记载的就有一千多种,而按演奏方法可分为四类:打击乐器、吹管乐器、弹拨乐器、拉弦乐器。

目前比较有代表性的中国乐器有下述之类:


二胡:
二胡是中国古典乐器。早在唐代创造的,已经有一千多年的历史。它是最早发源于中国古代北部地区的一个少数民族,那时叫“奚琴”。
二胡会很好地表达人的一种感情,可以表达一个人很难过,或者很凄婉,也会给你一个很震撼的感觉。

学习拉二胡的人应该知道这些歌曲:《二泉映月》、《三门峡畅想曲》、《江河水》、《豫北叙事曲》、《汉宫秋月》,等歌曲。


琵琶:
最早被称为“琵琶”的乐器大约在中国秦朝出现。已经有二千多年的历史。中国琵琶更传到东亚其他地区,发展成现时的日本琵琶、朝鲜琵琶和越南琵琶。


琵琶已拥有一批以《十面埋伏》和《霸王卸甲》为代表的武曲以及以《月儿高》、《思春》和《昭君怨》等为代表的文曲。



古筝:
古筝也是中国古代的乐器之一。古筝始于战国时代,就在当时的秦国(现今的陕西),它已经有2500年以上的历史了。在汉族传统乐器中,古筝音色优美,音域宽广、演奏技巧丰富,具有相当的表现力,因此它深受广大人民群众的喜爱。古筝的曲风一般比较抒情,比较柔情似水,能很好地表达一个人的感情。古筝一般是女孩子演奏的比较多。目前最常用的古筝为二十一根弦。


学习弹古筝的人应该知道这些歌曲:《渔舟唱晚》、《出水莲》、《林冲夜奔》、《汉宫秋月》、《侗族舞曲》 ,等古筝曲。

古琴:
古琴也为中国最古老的弹拨乐器之一。据《史记》载,琴有四千年的历史,而是在孔子时期已经盛行的乐器。20世纪初,为区别西方乐器才在“琴”的前面加了个“古”字,被称作"古琴"。
古琴初为5根弦,可从汉朝起定制为7根弦。
古琴常常被视为当你没有“知音”(没有能理解你的人)的时候就用古琴来表达出来你的感觉。古琴一般是男生弹的比较多。
 

最有名的古琴曲可能是:《高山流水》、《广陵散》、《凤求凰》、《平沙落雁》、《梅花三弄》,等歌曲。

 


希望大家对中国音乐感兴趣。欢迎大家留下评论!


周末快乐!



diumenge, 3 de novembre del 2013

中国电影

大家好!欢迎你们来到 《爱我汉语》!

十一月到了,天气变冷了……晚上你有什么计划?如果你想看一部中国电影但是不知道应该看什么……那么今天的话题可能会带来一些帮助,因为今天的话题就是《中国电影》。


我本人很喜欢看中国电影。一边看一边学汉语!:) 我喜欢的中国导演有很多!因此我来选择大陆的张扬、香港的王家卫(Wong Kar Wai)和台湾的李安(Ang Lee)!我认为他们的电影都很特别。


张扬拍了我最喜欢的中国电影之一《洗澡》Shower。《洗澡》描述北京人平凡的生活,父子之间的真情和那个时代的变迁。《洗澡》也是在观看过程中笑着哭着的电影,幽默和悲戚都有。我非常推荐给大家看!



另外,我也非常喜欢 Wong Kar-Wai 拍摄的影片,特别喜欢他拍的颜色。还有,他的电影都有很好听的歌曲,听了这些歌曲就让我心驰神往。我认为 Wong Kar-Wai 最好看的电影就是《花样年华》In the Mood for Love。而且演员张曼玉(Maggie Cheung)在这部电影太优秀了!





最后,我也非常羡慕台湾导演李安(Ang Lee)。他拍摄的影片五花八门。中国的、国际的都有。比如,你知道Sense and Sensibility, Brokeback Mountain, Life of Pi, 等影片都是他拍摄的吗?另外,很有中国特色的还有《饮食男女》 Eat, Drink, Man, Woman; 《卧虎藏龙》 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; 《色、戒》 Lust, Caution;等等。
对我来说他的风格最丰富,所以选一部电影很难。难怪目前他是一位享誉世界影坛的著名导演。






最后,我本人最喜欢的中国演员就是巩俐,特别是在她早起演出的电影《红高梁》Red Sorghum、《菊豆》Ju Dou、《大红灯笼高高挂》Raise the Red Lantern、《秋桔打官司》The Story of QiuJiu,等电影。我认为她又朴实又文雅。






无论如何,由于每个人的口味都不一样,所以我又进行了调查。本地人(中国人)和外地人(外国人)我都问了!问题如此:



你喜欢看中国电影吗?
你最喜欢的中国电影是哪一部? 为什么?
你最喜欢的中国演员是谁?
你最喜欢的中国导演是谁?




1)《一个人》(俄罗斯人)(他不是随便一个人,他的名字真是“一个人”^^)
我很喜欢看中国电影。
我最喜欢的电影叫《大红灯笼高高挂》Raise the Red Lantern,因为这部电影又漂亮又有意思。我认为这部电影体现中国文化。
关于演员我很喜欢梁朝伟(Tony Leung Chiu Wai)。我觉得他很帅,他的样子很文雅,而且他的声音很漂亮。

他主演的电影也不少,比如《悲情城市》City of Sadness、《重慶森林》 Chunking Express、《春光乍洩》 Happy Together、《花样年华》 In the Mood for Love、《2046》,等影片。
我最喜欢的导演是张艺谋。他拍了我最喜欢的电影《大红灯笼高高挂》。






2)《Isa》 (西班牙人)
我喜欢看中国电影。也不是所有的类型,不过有一些很不错的,比如悲剧。
我喜欢的中国电影有一些:《霸王别姬》Farewell to My Concubine、《大红灯笼高高挂》Raise the Red Lantern、《花样年华》In the Mood for Love 和 《金陵十三钗》The Flowers of War。这些电影又好看,又感动,又有文化的说明。
我最喜欢的演员是张国荣。关于导演张艺谋和王家卫我都喜欢。


 
3) 《徐叶》(中国人)
我认为中国电影还行。
我最喜欢的电影就是《大闹天宫》The Monkey King,因为太牛逼了。
关于演员我最喜欢葛优和我最喜欢的导演是宁浩。




4)《虹余》(中国人)
我不喜欢中国电影。不过,我最喜欢的中国电影是《霸王别姬》Farewell to My Concubine,因为很真实,很深刻。
我最喜欢的演员是徐帆。她出演的电影也不少,比如《天下无贼》A World Without Thieves,《不见不散》Be There or Be Square 等等。
关于导演我喜欢陈凯歌早起拍的电影,比如1993年的《霸王别姬》,可是现在的内容不深刻。



5)《蒋捷》(中国人)
我觉得中国电影还可以。我最喜欢的电影有《霸王别姬》Farewell to My Concubine、《没完没了》Sorry Baby、《甲方乙方》The Dream Factory、《活着》To Live 还有《金陵十三钗》The Flowers of War
我最喜欢的演员就是这些电影的主角葛优。不过,我没有特别喜欢的导演。




6)  《Crystal》(中国人)
我觉得中国电影还可以。我喜欢的中国电影还是少的。
我很喜欢看喜剧 (comedy), 所以我最喜欢的电影就是《人再囧途之泰囧Lost in Thailand。它的内容很有创意,跟其他中国的喜剧是不一样的,它每三分钟有一个笑点。
关于演员……我喜欢的人很多,没有最喜欢的。
最后,目前比较喜欢的导演是冯小刚。他执导的电影也不少,比如《甲方乙方》The Dream Factory、《一声叹息》Sigh、《天下无贼》A World Without Thieves、《非诚勿扰》If You Are the One, 等等。


7)《Amy》 (中国人)
我觉得中国电影还行。我更喜欢一些美国好栗坞(Hollywood)大片和宫崎骏(Hayao Miyazaki) 的动画电影。
关于最喜欢的电影……我看的不多。暂时也没有最喜欢的。但是,我能推荐两部:第一部是张艺谋拍的《我的父亲母亲》The Road Home, 因为主人公表现的那种感情很质朴和纯洁。
第二部是2013 年的《小时代》Tiny Times,因为里面四个女孩子的友谊让我很感动。






今天的话题就到这儿了。希望大家对这次博客的内容很感兴趣。
如果你们想免费在线看这些中国电影就可以上下面这些网站:

www.baidu.com (视频)
www.youku.com
www.tudou.com
www.pplive.com

 

最后,我还想问大家:

你喜欢看中国电影吗?
你最喜欢的中国电影是哪一部? 为什么?
你最喜欢的中国演员是谁?
你最喜欢的中国导演是谁?




欢迎大家留下评论:)