In this podcast we push the boundaries of social propriety with our first lesson all about sex. Broadcast from our street-smart and sexy hutong studio in downtown Beijing, this podcast goes where others fear to tread. Don't thank us, it's just another day in our mission to help you learn everything you always wanted to know about animal sexing, but were afraid to ask.
orbital
said on December 29, 2008
Only a matter of time before all propriety went out the window here....
I actually enjoy guessing the gender of pets as a conversation starter. If you're wrong it's just asking. But if I'm right they'll usually ask how on earth I can tell. I have successfully attributed this to a sixth sense most Westerners have: we are sympatico with the animal world.
It's usually safe to bet on the male side with cats at least. There seems to be a stigma against raising female cats, possibly because of neutering issues.
toneandcolor
said on December 29, 2008
公的母的？ 男的女的？ 真的假的？Any other common antonym pairs like this that are stuck together to form short yes-no questions?Also, small mistake in the lyrics tab of the mp3 file: First line of the dialogue reads "你女的够真可爱“
brett
said on December 29, 2008
Good lesson. Enjoyed it!
trevelyan
said on December 29, 2008
Glad you liked it brett. :) Will republish the lesson to fix that toneandcolor - thanks for the heads up.
Echo
said on December 30, 2008
@toneandcolor,
一般在存在两种对立的选择的情况下，都可以用。
比如：冰的常温的（啤酒），黑的白的，左边右边，明天后天...
注意：最后要用升调（就是问句的语调），这样才有效。
--Echo
echo@popupchinese.com
toneandcolor
said on December 30, 2008
@echo,谢谢你的解释！我还以为两个词都应该是单音节的。我要注意升调。;)
beaudarc
said on September 16, 2015
So when is 牝 or 牡 used? Especially considering 牡 and 母 sound the same and mean the opposite.
trevelyan
said on September 17, 2015
@beaudare -- only with certain animals, typically cows (牝牛, 牧牛). You never really hear the word in practice though, or I don't at least.... :(
