Let no-one to the marriage of true minds admit impediments, the saying went. And to this the conventional wisdom of her class added Steven Glass, serial paramour and destroyer of every relationship he had ever touched. Ten years later, touring campus with her new husband, Maria shuddered to think she was the only one of his former flames to actually move on and marry someone else!New to Popup Chinese? This podcast is designed for total beginners to the Chinese language. Even if you don't know any mandarin, by the end of this Chinese lesson you'll be comfortable asking strangers who they are, chit-chatting about your monolingual friends, and maybe even sharing a few intimate moments. Enjoy!
Absolute Beginners
said on August 12, 2010
Thanks to everyone who wrote us - the audio for the podcast was cutting off at about the two minute mark. Not sure how that got by us, but we've reuploaded everything. Sorry for the inconvenience, etc.
walid.shaari
said on August 14, 2010
hi,
can i say wo bu ren shi ta. 我不认识他 ？ xiao wang was translated to Miss, is that short of wang xiao jie? or is that like calling someone little wang as a romantic gesture?
Brendan
said on August 14, 2010
@walid.shaari - You can absolutely say 我不认识他. Nicely done! I often say that Chinese works like Lego -- you can snap pieces in as you see fit.
As for "Xiao Wang" -- that's a good guess, but actually it isn't as complicated as that. "Xiao Wang" really does mean "Little Wang." It's very common to refer to people as "Lao X" or "Xiao X" depending on their age. In this context, it just means that "Wang," whoever she is, is younger than the person speaking.
