We are Lori from Taiwan and Mai from Japan. In our podcast, we share our Japanese and Mandarin language learning experience with our audience in English. If you're interested or you have similar language learning background, welcome to join us.
In this episode, we delve into the distinctions between 舉行/举行 (jǔxíng) and 舉辦/举办 (jǔbàn) in Mandarin Chinese. We explore their usage in sentences, highlighting subtle nuances and shedding light on the primary differences. Tune in to understand when these terms can or cannot be interchangeable, today!
① 學(学)校每年都會(会)舉行/舉辦畢業典禮(毕业典礼)。 The school holds a graduation ceremony every year.
② 婚禮(礼)五月會在教堂舉行。 The wedding will be held in the church in May.
③ 我們(们)五月會在教堂舉辦婚禮。 We’re going to have the wedding in the church in May.
💠 Challenge 小測驗
👉 Choose between (A) 舉行 and (B) 舉辦.
The government plans to organize an environmental conservation activity. 政府計畫(计画) _____________ 一個(个)環保活動(环保活动)。
An international music festival will be held in the city next month. 一場(场)國際音樂節(国际音乐节)下個月將(将)在這個(这个)城市 _____________。
The company has decided to hold the annual meeting, and it is scheduled to be held on Saturday. 公司決(决)定 _____________ 年度大會，預(预)計會在周六 _____________。
💠 Answers 解答
The answers below are provided based on the definitions of the two words that we mentioned in today’s episode. However, it’s worth noting that nowadays people often use them interchangeably, relying on a more loosely defined understanding of the two terms, as seen in all three examples.
(B)
(A)
(B); (A)
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Surprisingly, many Taiwanese viewers have developed a fascination for Japanese TV programs featuring eating competitions, such as “元祖！大食い王決定戦“, “ブラマリのいただきっ (腹ペコ!なでしこグルメ旅)”, and “デカ盛りハンター“. These shows (reruns) continue to claim prime-time slots on TV, captivating audiences several times a week. Have you ever wondered how to express the idea that no matter how much these competitive eaters indulge, they never seem to gain weight in Japanese and Chinese? Let’s delve beyond the buffet in today’s episode and find out!
⬇️ Here’s a recommended episode to listen to if you haven’t:
① No matter how much you eat, you won’t gain weight. 🎌：いくら食べても太らない／どんなに食べてもふとらない。 🀄：(不管)怎麼(么)吃都吃不胖。
② No matter how much I run, I can’t lose weight. 🎌：いくら走っても痩せない／どんなに走ってもやせない。 🀄：(不管)怎麼跑步都瘦不下來(来)。
③ No matter how hard I look, I can’t find it. 🎌：いくら探してもみつからない／どんなに探してもみつからない。 🀄：(不管)怎麼找都找不到。
④ No matter how much I sleep, I can’t get enough sleep./it’s not enough. 🎌：いくら寝ても寝足りない／どんなに寝ても寝足りない。 🀄：(不管)怎麼睡都睡不飽(饱) / (不管)怎麼睡都睡不夠(够)。
⑤ No matter how hard I try to squeeze, I can’t squeeze/shed a single tear. 🎌：いくら泣こうとしても涙が一滴もでてこない／どんなに泣こうとしても涙が一滴も出てこない。 🀄：(不管)怎麼擠(挤)都擠不出一滴眼淚(泪) / 眼淚怎麼擠都擠不出(一滴)來。
⑥ No matter how much I work, I can’t save enough money. 🎌：いくら働いてもお金がたまらない／どんなに働いてもお金がたまらない。 🀄1：(不管)怎麼工作，我都賺(赚)不到足夠的錢(钱)/我都賺不夠錢。 🀄2：(不管)怎麼賺都賺不到錢。
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Have you seen a Japanese sentence pattern “～てごらん(try to do)” in your textbook and wondered when and to whom you can use this sentence pattern? In this episode, Lori and Mai discuss when and to whom Japanese people usually use this sentence pattern.
In this episode, Lori and Mai talk about the sounds that Japanese people make to respond to certain situations. We were inspired by Nakagawa Haruno-san’s very interesting short videos on this topic and decided to record this episode.
Today, we shed light on the crucial differences between 然後/然后’ (ránhòu) and ‘後來/后来’ (hòulái) in just about 10 minutes. One of them is your chronological storyteller, while the other is your plot twist master! We’ll explore examples to help you wield them like a pro. Listen now!
Today we explore the nuances of using 又 and 再 in Chinese. We’ll discuss the key differences between these two commonly used words and answer the question: Are they interchangeable? Tune in to gain a better understanding of when and how to use 又 and 再 effectively in your Chinese language conversations.
Curious about using 被(bèi) in Chinese for the passive voice? We’ve got your back! No more confusion, just straightforward explanations and practical examples. In this episode, Lori helps you crack the code on “被” with 3 basic forms, so you can level up your Chinese skills. Let’s dive in!
As you might know, the Japanese language has honorific and casual languages. You have to use matching contradictory conjunctions depending on the language type. Another thing we have to keep in mind is that written and spoken languages are also different, sometimes. Have a listen to find out some examples!
〇でも（demo) : used at the beginning of a sentence 〇けど (kedo) : used at the end of a clause
② Polite & Spoken △でも（demo) : used at the beginning of a sentence △しかし（shikashi) : used at the beginning of a sentence △けど（kedo）、〇けれど（keredo)、〇けれども(Keredomo) : used at the end of a clause 〇ですが（desuga): used at the end of a clause
③ Casual & Written 〇でも（demo) : used at the beginning of a sentence 〇けど（kedo）、△けれど（keredo)、△けれども(Keredomo) : used at the end of a clause
④ Polite & Written 〇しかし（shikashi) : used at the beginning of a sentence 〇ですが（desuga): used at the end of a clause 〇けれど（keredo)、〇けれども(Keredomo) : used at the end of a clause
♦ There is no difference in intensity among them.
💠 Example Sentences:
e.g. 雨が降っていたけれど、私はジョギングに出かけた。 （Though it was raining, I went jogging.) e.g. 雨がふっていたけど、私はジョギングに出かけた。 （Though it was raining, I went jogging.) e.g. お店に行ったけど、買えなかった。 (Though I went to the shop, I couldn`t buy it.) e.g.今日は月曜日ですが、（私は）お休みです。（formal) (Today is Monday, but I am having a day off. ) e.g. 中国語はとても難しい。けれども、上手に話せる学習 者もいます。 (Mandarin is very difficult. However, there are some learners who can speak it well.
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Which is most commonly used? Are they interchangeable? Which one is more formal than the others? Will I offend anyone if I choose the wrong one to use? Today we give some answers to these questions, if you’ve ever wondered.
② Focus: 👉 “但是 & 可是 clauses” emphasize the contrast, which are usually the focus. 👉 “不過 clause” gives additional info, helping to further elaborate on the main clause.
③ Frequency of use in colloquial situations:但是 > 可是 > 不過 e.g. 我很想去旅行，但是我時間(时间)不夠(不够)。 (wǒ hěnxiǎng qù lǔxíng, dànshì wǒ shíjiān búgòu.) = I really want to go travelling but I don’t have enough time. e.g. 我很喜歡(喜欢)這個(这个)工作，可是薪水太低了。 (wǒ hěn xǐhuān zhège gōngzuò, dànshì xīnshuǐ tàidī le. = I really like this job, but the salary is too low.
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In the previous Japanese Grammar episode, we talked about how to express reported speech and hearsay using ～そうだ, ～らしい, and ～んだって. This time, we discuss another meaning of ～そうだ and compare it with ～ようだ, which has a similar meaning to ～ようだ.
Cold Ears-Come Inside Mix by J. Lang (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/djlang59/59577 Ft: Stefan Kartenberg & Nickolas Nikolic, Mindmapthat
Think whether the following sentences are correct in the given situations.
🙆♂️-> Grammatically correct, and you can use the sentence in the given situation. 🙅♂️-> Grammatically correct, but you cannot use the sentence in the given situation. X-> Grammatically incorrect
●You can find the English Translation after the quiz.
1.おいしそう！
【Situation】 You are looking at pasta in front of you.
↓
↓
🙆♂️
2. おいしいようです。
【Situation】You are looking at pasta in front of you.
↓
↓
🙅♂️
3. このレストランの料理はおいしそうです。
【Situation】There is a long queue in front of the restaurant.
↓
↓
🙆♂️
4. このレストランの料理はおいしいようです。
【Situation】There is a long queue in front of the restaurant.
↓
↓
🙆♂️
5. おねえさんは優しそうですね。
【Situation】You are looking at a family picture of your friend.
↓
↓
🙆♂️
6. おねえさんは優しいようですね。
【Situation】You are looking at a family picture of your friend.
↓
↓
🙅♂️
7. 会議が始まりそうです。
【Situation】You saw your colleagues going into a meeting room.
↓
↓
🙆♂️
8. 会議が始まるようです。
【Situation】Your colleagues are going into a meeting room.
↓
↓
🙆♂️
9. 雨がふりそうです。
【Situation】You are looking at the sky.
↓
↓
🙆♂️
10. 雨がふるようです。
【Situation】You are looking at the sky.
↓
↓
🙆♂️
11. あの子は泣きそうです。
【Situation】You are looking at a kid.
↓
↓
🙆♂️
12. あの子は泣くようです。
【Situation】You are looking at a kid.
↓
↓
🙆♂️
13. あの子は泣きたそうです。
【Situation】You are looking at a kid.
↓
↓
🙆♂️
14. あの子は泣きたいようです。
【Situation】You are looking at a kid.
↓
↓
🙆♂️
15. 彼女は忙しそうです。
【Situation】You are looking at your colleague.
↓
↓
🙆♂️
16. 彼女は忙しいようです。
【Situation】You are looking at your colleague.
↓
↓
🙆♂️
17. そのリンゴは甘そうです。
【Situation】You are eating an apple.
↓
↓
🙅♂️
18. そのリンゴは甘いようです。
【Situation】You are eating an apple.
↓
↓
🙅♂️
19. 彼は先生そうです。 X This sentence is grammatically incorrect.
20. 彼は先生のようです。
【Situation】You gathered information about him.
↓
↓
🙆♂️
English Translation:
1. It looks delicious. / It seems delicious. 2. It seems delicious. 3. The food at this restaurant seems delicious. 4. The food at this restaurant seems delicious. 5. Your sister looks nice. / Your sister seems nice. 6. Your sister seems nice. 7. 8, It looks like the meeting is about to start. 7. 8. It looks like the meeting is about to start. 9.10. It looks like it’s going to rain. 11.12. It looks like the kid is going to cry. 11.12. That kid is about to cry. 13. 14. The kid looks like she wants to cry. 15. 16. She seems busy. / She looks busy. 17. The apple looks sweet. 18. The apple seems sweet. 19. X 20. He seems to be a teacher. / He looks like a teacher.
Note: ■～そうだ（souda）can be used in a variety of situations. You can guess by looking at appearances as well as facts and situations, whereas ～ようだcannot be used when you are just looking at the appearance. After considering one or some facts, you can make a guess using ～ようだ.
■ Verbs + ～そうだ、～ようだ ・彼は泣きそうだ： He is about to cry. / It seems that he will cry. (He is not crying now)
・彼は泣くようだ：He is about to cry. / It seems that he will cry. (He is not crying now)
・彼は泣いているそうだ（X）⇒Someone says he is crying. (hearsay)
・彼は泣いているようだ：He seems crying. (He is crying now)
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