While everyone starts with the what-a-lovely-uniform-you-have-officer, we find that cheerful nodding gets harder to stomach once you've been fined once too often for miscellaneous visa paperwork, or after friends or family have been dragged to local precincts to answer for their non-existing connections with international Zionist conspiracies that may or may not threaten the Chinese salt supply. Which is not to say that we're bitter. But there's a point where the entire security theater starts feeling old.

So while we can't honestly recommend this way of dealing with the cops, if they happen to drop by on an early Saturday morning when you're still in bed nursing a hangover, there's absolutely nothing wrong with putting that pillow over your head and going back to sleep. If they think it's important they'll come back, and probably in about 24 hours with someone louder.
 said on
March 19, 2011
Was there erhua on that 开门, or just a funky vowel?

Also, what's to stop us from interpreting 出国了 as "leaving the country (now)"? (i.e. hearing 了 as change-of-state?)
 said on
March 19, 2011
@palafx,

Yes, he said 开门儿 there.

Change of state and past tense is more or less the same in that sentence (or even phrase), because it is actually really short.

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
 said on
November 2, 2012
Can I ask exactly what 登记 is? Is it some sort of police procedure? or the equivalent of asking the occupant for a response? (i.e Answer me!/Anyone there?)

Many thanks,
 said on
November 2, 2012
@pcyzna,

登记 means "to register". If you stay at a hotel, the hotel will usually take care of the registration procedure for you when you check-in. If you are living on your own, registration usually involves going to the local police precinct (派出所) within a short period after arrival and showing them your passport and your rental contract telling them where you live. They give you a "temporary residence certificate" in return, a postcard-sized piece of white paper that is technically the legal document that allows you to reside in China.

If the police find someone living in China who has not registered, it is not uncommon for them to send someone round.