Echo on January 15, 2011 | reply

Btw, who wants to see cute Chinese "神兽" -- llamas (they are famous for their Chinese name 草泥马 cao3ni2ma3) ? Please go to our Popup Chinese Group :)

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com

richard on January 16, 2011 | reply

@echo

facebook fotos

you and david make a nice couple

richard on January 16, 2011 | reply

@echo,

second foto, is that a canal in beijing can you bike along side?

we have a similar one that runs through my city for 10km

we have bike paths on both sides and in winter cold you can ice skate on it

Echo on January 16, 2011 | reply

@richard,

Sorry, which photo you mean?

Where is your city? It sounds really nice.

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com

richard on January 16, 2011 | reply

@Echo, popup chinese on facebook > second photo of you by a waterway.

my city is Ottawa, Canada perhaps David as skated the rideau canal in his youth? is 'yunhe' the colloquial word for a waterway?

trevelyan on January 16, 2011 | reply

@Echo -- Richard's in Ottawa -- you forgot the photos of the Chinese arch he sent?

@Richard -- our family has cousins in Ottawa and I used to skate on the Rideau canal as a kid whenever we'd visit in the winter. It's fantastic (and Ottawa is a great city)! But I can't say I really envy you for living there fulltime at this time of year. :)

richard on January 17, 2011 | reply

@trevelyan - for yrs i've been trying to get away for some winter months

how would you translate - 'but i could never afford to pay at two places for four months'

Echo on January 17, 2011 | reply

@trevelyan & richard,

Oh my God, what's wrong with my memory!

Yes, yun4he2 is the word!

Ha ha, you can say "Dan4shi4 wo3 fu4bu5qi3 liang3 ge5 di4fang5 si4 ge5 yue4 de5 fang2zu1"

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com

Xiao Hu on January 17, 2011 | reply

@Trevelyan, Echo,

For those of us in China who are unable to log into Facebook, do you have an alternate page on 人人网？

richard on January 18, 2011 | reply

Echo, studying the translation above.

i've looked up 'buqi' (unexpectedly) added to verbs i gather it changes meaning according to context? can you give me your grammar explanation of 'buqi' and possibly a few more examples

in context above does 'fubuqi' becomes cannot pay for / can't afford to

Echo on January 18, 2011 | reply

@richard,

Adding "bu4qi3" to a verb just means you can't do it. Like 付不起 means can't afford, 用不起 means can't use/can't afford to use.

@Xiao Hu,

Hmmm, the thing is not many foreigners use 人人网...

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com

Xiao Hu on January 18, 2011 | reply

@Echo,

I'm aware most foreigners use Facebook and not many use 人人网, I'm just saying that because FB is blocked here, maybe, if there's time, you can set up a page on a 社交网站 that isn't blocked.