Learn to read and write Chinese Archives - FocusPositives FocusPositives

Learning Chinese: There’s always more solutions compared to difficulties 办法总比困難多

January 31st, 2014 § 0 comments § permalink

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Guy: 好香 (Smells good)
Girl: 做人要自得其乐. 活在当下, 享受每一刻. 就最開心了 (Everyone should enjoy themselves. Living in the moment and enjoy every moment. Would be most happy.)
Guy: 你每一刻都这么開心亳无煩惱吗? (You are so happy every moment, you have retained no trouble?)
Girl: 怎么会沒有? 但解決了就不用不开心, 如果解決不了.就慢慢想办法, 办法总比困難多 (How could I not? But once trouble is resolved you need not be unhappy, if not resolved, slowly think of solutions. There’s always more solutions than problems.)

~Inspirations from
Title: The Hippocratic Crush II, oncall36小時II – Ep 12
Genre: Medical drama
Translations: Google & Focuspositives.com

Do you believe there are more solutions than problems? I often focus on the problem and the difficulties that I need to face. This makes everything worse then it really is. I fell in love with 車車’s character, played by  (岑麗香, Eliza Sam), and her perspective from the start. She reminded me to focus on the solutions and encouraged me with the idea, solutions outnumber problems. When I think of this idea I have new hope in solving difficult and unavoidable situations in life. She lives her life slowly and enjoys every moment. She cares and sacrifices for others. She takes time to resolve her problems one by one. When she can’t find a solution she tries again another day. At the end of the story, she dies within a week with incurable cancer. She knew her own lifespan since she was fifteen. I asked myself, does it really take an incurable disease to make us wake up and live like her? She wanted people to remember her smile and goodness when she was gone. Could we truly imitate her attitude towards life? I hope I can learn from this character and live life to the fullest without any of the misfortunes she had to go through and if I have to go through her misfortune, I would have her courage and attitude.

Vocabulary:

(Vocabularies below are written in the Traditional Chinese. The drama characters are written in Simplified Chinese)

辦法總比困難多 There’s always more solutions compared to difficulties

辦法 bànfǎ, means / method / way (of doing sth)
總 zǒng, always / to assemble / gather / total / overall / head / chief / general / in every case
比 bǐ, (particle used for comparison and “-er than”) / to compare / to contrast / to gesture (with hands) / ratio
困難 kùnnan, difficult / challenging / straitened circumstances / difficult situation
多 duō, many / much / often / a lot of / numerous / more / in excess / how (to what extent) / multi- / Taiwan pr. [duo2] when it means “how”

Learning Materials:

CLICK to study Chinese pinyin and character flashcards: Quotes & inspirations from January, 2014  Click here and rollover >> icon for strokes, audio, and more.

Learning Chinese: 8 words we can all apply when facing troubled times

November 30th, 2013 § 0 comments § permalink

When life hits you across the face. What do you do? Complain, cry, and ask God, “Why me?” as a victim? Do you escape or face the issue at hand? For me, I linger and ignore. I came across an interview, Telling Maria 2, and found the advice given to be very simple, direct and useful.

The story:
After, a famous Hong Kong actress, Carina Lau Kar-ling was kidnapped and forced to take nude pictures she was very depressed, distraught and hid from the public. She went through a long period of depression and possible suicide. A friend sent her a letter with 8 short words which helped her survive. She kept these words close and continues to use them in her life.

接受 jiē shòu, to accept/to receive
面對 miàn duì, confront/face
處理 chǔ lǐ, to handle / to treat / to deal with / to process
放下 fàng xia, lay down / put down / let go / release

“Accept it, Face it, Resolve it, Let it go”

It’s never easy or fun to accept unhappy things but very comforting to know that we have the ability to do so. I often repeat these 8 words to myself when I felt stuck and frustrated. That action, in itself, gave me peace and strength to put issues to rest. Learn these 8 words well with the study materials below and make use if it every day!!!
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Translation:
“A very important person to me, wrote me a letter. In her letter she told me to accept it, face it, resolve it, and let it go. I tell others the same 8 words when I know they need to hear it.”

~ Inpirartion from
Title: 最佳女主角 2013, Telling Maria 2 – Ep 34
Host: Maria Lai (黎芷珊)
Genre: Interviews
Guest: Carina Lau Kar-ling (劉嘉玲)

Study Materials

CLICK to study Chinese pinyin and character flashcards: Quotes & inspirations from December, 2013

Learning to Read and Write Chinese: 想得到先要付出

April 16th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink

想 xiǎng, to think / to believe / to suppose / to wish / to want / to miss
得到 dé dào, to get / to obtain / to receive
先 xiān, early / prior / former / in advance / first
要 yāo, demand / ask / request / coerce / must
付出 fù chū, pay / pay out

想得到,先要付出 if you want to receive, you must give first (pay in advance)

stroke, audio, and more @ MDBG

Learn Chinese Character Singing KTV: 荃加福祿壽探案- 無聊合唱團 Lyrics

October 11th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

This is a short funny Cantonese song from a TVB Drama, 荃加福祿壽探案 quán jiā fú lù shòu tàn àn (Super Snoops). Their singing and dancing makes me laugh out loud.

Study Materials

The song is sung in Cantonese. Many words are very hard to translate due to the nonsense nature of the song. Even my Cantonese friends says that it can’t be directly translated. I tried to translated it the best I can at the bottom, don’t take it as being 100% correct. This is a nonsense song for fun only. Learn the words for what it is with the Vocabulary list 荃加福祿壽探案 無聊合唱團. The definition and Mandarin pingying are in Traditional Chinese (I don’t know of a Cantonese translator). Download, enjoy and learn.

Test Yourself and Sing Along 🙂

Song #2: 荃加福祿壽探案-無聊合唱團

懸懸居居去買麵
(懸懸居居, not 100% what this means, I think it means dumb) dumbly I go to buy noodles
買着個蝦子麵
bought a shrimp noodle
媽媽沖谅, 爸爸耕田
mama’s takes a (æ²–è°…) bath/shower,  Papa tills the fields
由我去買麵
so it’s up to me to go buy the noodles
爺爺失眠就開風扇
grandpa has insomnia and goes to turn on the fan
但係冇晒電
but there’s no electricity left
我最節儉用芭蕉扇來撥面
I am the most frugal I use a palm-leaf fan to fan my face
三叔公佢回頭鬧我
3rd great uncle turns back to scold me
乜你咁曵未去買麵
why you naughty and not gone to buy the noodles

Learn Chinese Character Singing KTV: 步步惊心 三寸天堂 Lyrics

October 10th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

I used to sing Kereoke with a friend whispering Chinese lyrics in my ear as I somehow manage to sing. It was painfully fun and I learned a few characters. I’ve always loved to sing (not that I am good) and  I’ve always wanted to learn to read Chinese. Kill two birds with one stone, learn to sing in Chinese with KTV.

My first Chinese KTV lesson is a theme song from a Chinese Drama, 步步惊心 Bù Bù Jīng Xīn (Startling by Each Step). I love the melody of the Song. After I translated and understood the lyrics, I found the song sad but beautiful.

Study Materials

You can download, enjoy and learn with this pdf  vocabulary list of 步步驚心 – 三寸天堂 or study right here with the set of Flashcards I made. Choose a study mode with audio on/off.



Test Yourself and Sing Along 🙂

Song#1: 步步惊心 – 三寸天堂 Three Inches of Heaven
Singer, Lyricist, Composer: 严艺丹  Yan Yi Dan

*停 在 這裏 不 敢 走 下去
讓 悲傷 無法 上演
下一頁 你 亲 手寫 上 的 離別
由不得 我 拒絕
這 條 路 我們 走 得 太 匆忙
擁抱 着 並不 真實 的 慾望
來不及 等不及 回頭 欣賞
木蘭 香 遮 不住 傷

不再 看 天上 太陽 透過 雲彩 的 光
不再 找 約定 了 的 天堂
不再 嘆 你 说 過 的 人間 世事 無常
借 不到 的 三 寸 日光 *

不再 看 天上 太陽 透過 雲彩 的 光
不再 找 約定 了 的 天堂
不再 嘆 你 说 過 的 人間 世事 無常
借 不到 的 三 寸 日光
那 天堂 是 我 愛 過 你 的 地方

Inspired by KTV小姐

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