If you: – enjoy learning Chinese through movies and TV series,- – are curious about how Taiwanese people interleave Taiwanese Mandarin with Taiwanese Minnan when they speak, – are usually intrigued by thought-provoking plots, – constantly search for info about effects of trauma on the mind, – are willing to understand what a traumatized soul’s inner world is like, then today’s show is for you. The content roughly corresponds to HSK5-6.
3女字旁 = 部首是「女」。例如：她(女+也)、妈(女+马)。 4Netflix悬疑影集《她和她的她》主题曲：小宇(宋念宇)Xiao Yu《破碎的完整 Shattered Fullness》Official Lyric Video
– English –
The title of the Taiwanese TV series I am introducing today is “Shards of Her.” The series currently ranks in the top ten on Netflix Asia, starring Taiwanese actors Tiffany Hsu and Toby Lee. The story begins with murder investigations at a nursing home. Though remaining as breaking news on all forms of mass media, it seems that the case has nothing to do with our heroine Lin Chenxi. She goes on with her own life and excels as a headhunter. As the plot thickens, we gradually glimpse traces of gender inequality in the workplace. Chenxi’s reactions to these incidents have dropped hints that she has been going through hardship stemming from a traumatized past. Then there follows a drastic change after Chenxi has a car accident.
We wake up with Chenxi in the second episode to a different world. At this point, she has already returned to her hometown. But it turns out that in this reality, her father and her younger brother, both supposed to be dead, are still alive. Her boyfriend no longer exists, and the company she has been working for has vanished, too. Now that she has come to this parallel world, the viewers have no choice but to follow her step by step to look for the truth behind this complete mayhem.
The Chinese title of “Shards of Her” utilizes the Chinese character “Tā” three times with the radical that refers to women, so apparently, it is a female-oriented series. The drama spent nine episodes exploring issues such as gender discrimination against women in the workplace, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. It is also intended to represent the mental state of the victims after such incidents happen. It tackles intense issues at a slow pace. Some critics suggested achieving the same result with fewer episodes. But as far as I’m concerned, I agree that the deliberate use of slow pacing might be necessary. It is like we’re facing the painful memories that are too hard to look back at from the first-person point of view with the protagonist. We try to slowly mend the hole in our hearts by interacting and conversing with people to learn about ourselves. The series is more of a psychological drama than a suspense thriller as it is. As watching it, I kept thinking about what was happening, and I felt like I was investigating the case just like the cop in the series and couldn’t help clicking on one episode after another.
The series possibly went viral for two reasons. Apart from the outstanding performance of most actors in it, there have been relatively fewer Taiwanese dramas that explicitly go over sensitive topics through a suspense genre like this one. Both my friend and I couldn’t help crying as we watched the last episode. We empathized with Lin Chenxi and her excruciating pain and almost understood why she grew desperate. After watching this series, I can better identify with the victim’s feelings. It’s just like the lyrics from the theme song of this series:
In a wounded soul, there are always invisible scars
The lasting pain of a victim is difficult to heal.
If you are like me, you wish to learn more about people who have been hurt — whether they are a family member or a friend — you want to know how they view themselves and this world, or how they make sense of the people around them, this drama does provide an answer that is well-rounded and pretty close to the truth. So here I recommend this Netflix series to you all.
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虛擬實境/虚拟实境 xūnǐshíjìng virtual reality (VR; used in Taiwan)
商機/商机 shāngjī business opportunity; commercial opportunity [TBCL6]
失序 shīxù to get into disarray [TBCL7]
醜聞/丑闻 chǒuwén scandal [TBCL6]
大肆 dàsì without restraint; unbridled [HSK6][TBCL7]
附和 fùhè to agree; to echo (what sb says) [HSK6][TBCL6]
任意 rènyì any; arbitrary; at will; at random [HSK6][TBCL6]
詩意/诗意 shīyì poetic quality or flavor [TBCL6]
捲/卷 juǎn to roll (up) (one’s tongue, etc) [HSK6]
💠Transcript
Hello, I’m Lori, your host of the Trilingual Chatbox today. Let’s begin today’s episode by answering the two questions from Listening Practice episode number 24. Feel free to skip ahead if you’ve already checked your answers, or you haven’t even listened to the previous episode yet. [……] All right. Those are the answers.
The meaning of the word “Liú Xíng Yǔ” in Chinese actually encompasses both “slang” and “buzzword” in English. “Lǐ Yǔ” means “slang” in Chinese, referring to words or phrases that have been used in a specific area for a long time. They are common and understood by most people. However, languages are like living organisms. New vocabulary is generated over time due to social changes, cultural trends, and so on. If a slang term is outdated, fewer people are likely to use it. It becomes easy to tell a person’s age based on the slang words they use. You’ll find that most of the buzzwords in Taiwan actually refer to slang words if you try googling the keyword.
By definition, the word “buzzword” is closer to “jargon,” though not exactly the same. A buzzword is a professional term derived from jargon and has been extended beyond its original fields. We don’t have any specific organization in Taiwan that puts together the most symbolic buzzwords of the year. There is one institute in China, though, called the “National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center.” It releases the top ten new words and cyber slang phrases of the year in December annually. These terms are actually closer to the definition of buzzwords. So today, I will select and share with you guys some buzzwords or slang terms that are still commonly used in Taiwan as of the time I speak right now.
The first word is “Yuán Yǔ Zhòu,” which means “metaverse” in English. This concept comes from a novel titled “Snow Crash” published by an American science-fiction author, Neal Stephenson, in 1992. This term refers to the construction of a virtual reality world where it will be possible for people to engage in real-life activities, such as chatting and shopping. However, unlike a pure virtual world, the “metaverse” actually combines virtual and real worlds, allowing people to interact between the two worlds through internet access. Implementing this concept as well as utilizing technologies such as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality will help human beings use their imagination without limits and generate infinite business opportunities. So the term “metaverse” is now widely used by more and more people from all walks of life.
The second word is “Yán Shàng,” which means “flaming” or “flaring up.” This word comes from the Japanese word “えんじょう.” Chinese borrows its extended definition, referring to a state of being criticized on the internet for disorderly conduct such as gaffes or even scandals. So how do we use it in a sentence? For instance, you may see “So-and-so Yán Shàng” as a news headline. The title means someone continues to be flamed, or they have come under fire because of an incident, or they are being inundated with negative comments. This term can only be used in a negative sense.
The third buzzword, or buzz phrase, in this case, is “Xiàng Jí Le Ài Qíng,” which literally means “It’s so much like love.” The term came from a netizen. There was this music video circulating on the Internet. The netizen left this statement in the comments below the video, which got echoed by many others. A game began to go viral on the Internet accordingly. It’s said that you can simply end some random sentences with the phrase “Xiàng Jí Le Ài Qíng” and it will become a decent free verse poem. For example, I can say,
As soon as I opened the window The bird by the window flew away It was so much like love
The first two sentences aren’t particularly poetic, but when they’re combined with the buzz phrase, the free verse poem makes people ponder, “isn’t love just like the bird in the poem, disappearing as soon as I come near it?” Fascinating, isn’t it?
The last one is the slang phrase “Bā Bī Q Le.” The phrase stems from English. Can you guess what word it actually is in English? Yes, it’s the word “Barbecue” pronounced the Mandarin way with the retroflex R omitted. As for the word “Le,” I believe as Chinese learners, you’re probably quite familiar with it. It implies the completion of an action. So “Bā Bī Q Le” means “being barbecued” or “being roasted over an open fire.” In fact, the phrase came from a Chinese netizen when he got defeated in an online game. He said this as a cry of despair over the lost game. Isn’t it funny?
Let’s try creating your own Chinese poem today and win a chance to get a surprising gift! The poem can be as long or as short as you would like it to be. Just remember to end your poem with the buzz phrase: “像極了愛情/像极了爱情” Submit yours, right now!
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Hi, welcome (back) to The Trilingual Chatbox Podcast! In this episode, Mai introduces some of the Buzzwords that are nominated this year. It is spoken in Japanese first then followed by English.
In Japan, the best buzzword of the year is awarded every December, and 30 nominated words were announced the other day. On the list, there were some words I know and some words I`d never heard of. Today, I will introduce some of them to you. If you want to know all 30 words, you can google “2022 buzzwords in Japan”.
The first one is “Spy x Family”. This is an animation, and it was very popular this year. There were people who wore the costume of Anya, one of the main characters of “Spy x Family”, on the day of Halloween. Though I haven`t seen the animation yet, it is much-discussed animation this year for sure.
The second one is “Yakult 1000”. You guys know Yakult, right? It is a healthy drink. I heard this Yakult 1000 was released in 2021 but people started saying “the quality of sleep improved after drinking this Yakult 1000” and it became difficult to obtain. After all, good sleep is what everyone wants, right?
The third one is “face pants”. Actually, I didn’t know this word until it is nominated for this award. Have you heard of it? Or, can you guess what it is? It means that people think a face mask is something like underwear now and feel embarrassed to be seen without it. In some overseas countries, I know many people are no longer wearing a face mask outdoors, but in Japan, not many people walk without a mask outside.
The fourth one is “Nunkatsu”. I don’t think you can guess the meaning of the word by just hearing it. To be honest, I didn’t know this word, either. The original word “Katu” came from “katsudou” and it means activity. Originally, it is used in the word “就活”. It is a shortened version of “就職活動 job-hunting in English”, then “katsu” started to be used in many different words such as “Konkatsu”, “Oshikatu” and “Asakastu”. “Konkatsu” means “activities to find a life partner”, “Oshikatu” means “activities to support your favorite singer, actor, anime character, and so on, and “Asakatu” means “activities you do in the early morning”. And this “Nunkatsu” means that people enjoy having afternoon tea at a hotel or a restaurant. Because of the pandemic, people refrained from going on a trip and they enjoyed things they can do nearby.
Also, I was surprised by the fact that there are 6 words related to baseball. It looks like baseball is still very popular in Japan.
In addition, there were words related to current news such as the New Japanese Invoice System, the Omicron Variant, and the depreciation of the yen. I wonder which one will be the best buzzword of this year. It will be announced on the 1st of December.
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What is it like to live in Taiwan? Today we have a conversation about the cost of living in Taiwan, benchmarked against US dollars. The content roughly corresponds to HSK3 to HSK4. See below for model answers to Lori’s questions.
A: Today let’s talk about the cost of living in Taiwan. Would you like to start by sharing how you feel about living in the biggest city in Taiwan?
L: Well, for starters, it is quite convenient to live in Taipei. You may have heard that there are a great number of convenience stores in Taiwan, especially in Taipei. You should probably be free from worrying about looking for food if you have one in the neighborhood. But convenient as it may be, generally speaking, the price of food there is usually a little bit higher than that of a supermarket. For example, it costs about NT$10 for an egg at the supermarket, which is around 30 cents in US dollars. But now buying a tea egg at convenience stores costs about NT$18, that is 50 cents. But still, many office workers will buy their breakfast or lunch there, which usually sets them back NT$80 on average for a boxed lunch, that’s 2 dollars 50 cents. I guess the price is rather cheap for a meal like this.
A: Yeah, I agree. It’s not too bad. What about the prices of multi-national chain stores?
L: In the last episode, Mai-san used Big Mac at McDonald’s as an example. A Big Mac Combo meal with fries here in Taipei costs NT$130. It’s almost the same price as in Japan. If you order a tall latte at Starbucks, you’ll pay NT$120. That’s US$4. So it seems like it costs a little more here in Taiwan than in Japan. But if you’re getting one at a convenience store, you only need to spend NT$50, that’s US$1.40. That’ll be much cheaper.
A: It seems that as long as you have a job, it is not too difficult to fix three meals a day in Taipei.
L: Right. But it’s not that cheap when it comes to housing. The price is really high whether you’re renting or buying a house in Taipei. According to the Property Prices Index ranking by country this year, Taiwan ranks 18th in the world. That is how hard for people here to afford a house, a difficulty ranking in the 18th place. If you want to buy a house in Taipei City, it will cost at least NT$11,250 to NT$14,000 per square foot. For example, if you buy a house of 1068 square feet in size, it may cost you at least US$400,000. Based on a middle-income office worker that earns NT$50,000 a month, even with no extra expenses on food, it would still take 20 years for anyone to be able to afford a house here. So many people are renting. The monthly rent for a suite ranges from NT$8,000 to NT$30,000 – that’s US$250 to US$940.
A: That’s tough. Owning a house in Taipei is not easy. Do you have a car?
L: Oh, I don’t. Car parking is inconvenient in downtown Taipei, so I usually ride a motorcycle and occasionally I take the bus or the MRT. Another advantage of living in Taipei City is that there is public transportation everywhere, which is quite convenient. The regular bus fare for a one-segment ticket is only NT$15, 50 cents in US dollars, and you pay two-segment tickets at most for NT$30. Taking the MRT is even faster. The minimum is NT$20 per segment. Even the farthest distance only costs you NT$65 at most, which is just over US$2. So I am really satisfied with the traffic in Taipei.
A: The public transportation in Taipei is really convenient. In addition to that, I heard the healthcare system in Taiwan is quite an ideal one.
L: I also heard that many foreigners come to Taiwan to see a doctor because the medical care here is cheap and of good quality. Foreigners are qualified for National Health Insurance in Taiwan as long as they have an alien resident certificate. For example, if I go to a nearby clinic to treat my sore throat, the registration fee is about NT$200; that’s a little more than US$6. If I go to the hospital, it is about NT$500 each time, which is US$16. It is quite inexpensive, so Taiwanese people have become very used to seeing a doctor and getting prescriptions when feeling unwell, even the slightest. Well, every coin has two sides.
A: But I believe it’s a common wish in many other countries that seeing a doctor can no longer be a luxury!
L: Right, that is true.
Q1: Lori平常都使用什麼交通工具呢？
– Traditional Chinese –
Lori通常騎機車，偶而會搭公車和捷運。
– Simplified Chinese –
Lori通常骑机车，偶而会搭公车和捷运。
Q2: 今天Lori提到的台北物價當中，最貴的是哪一個部分呢？是飲食、居住、交通、還是看病？
– Traditional Chinese –
最貴的是居住(的部分)。
– Simplified Chinese –
最贵的是居住(的部分)。
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Hi, welcome (back) to The Trilingual Chatbox Podcast! In this episode, Mai introduces the current cost of living in Japan. It is spoken in Japanese first then followed by English.
You can find a full transcript at the bottom of this description area as well as on our WordPress website.
Japan is now having the lowest level of yen in twenty-four years. The Japanese yen has been weakening and making us worried. At the time of recording this episode, it is around 147 yen against the US dollar. It is unbelievable. The exchange rate between Euro and US dollar reaches parity. For those who are visiting Japan, the depreciation of the yen is a good thing, right? The other day, I saw foreign visitors enjoying massive buying in Japan on TV.
When I was overseas, people often told me that the cost of living in Tokyo was really expensive, but it is not as expensive as it used to be for people overseas, I guess. I am sure the cost of living in Tokyo is still more expensive than the cost of living in the small city I live, but it seems that the image of Tokyo has been changing.
It is said that we can tell the country`s cost of living by comparing the price of menus at fast-food restaurants. Chain store pricing is the same in both Tokyo and the suburbs. For example, a Big Mc meal at McDonald`s is 600 yen (US$4) and a cup of coffee at Starbucks is 390 yen (US$2.60), and a cup of latte is 455 yen (US$3). Are they reasonable or expensive compared to your country? Coffee at a convenience store is a bit more reasonable. It is easy to get and the best company for a drive. A cup of regular coffee is 100 yen （US￠70）, and large coffee is 150 yen （US$1）.
Besides food, a train ticket is about 1850 yen（US$13）for 100 km outside of big cities. It is not clear, isn’t it? The monthly rent of a one-room apartment is 60,000 or 70,000 yen ($US 400, 500) in a big city and 30,000 or 40,000 yen ($US 200, 300) in a small city. It looks very cheap if you convert it into US dollars.
It is not like I`ve been to all the countries in the world, but I noticed that there are quite many countries that do not have many one-room apartments. In Japan, there are a great number of one-room apartments in cities like Tokyo. In recent years, stylish share houses are getting popular, but I think most students and people who live alone still live in one-room apartments.
Then, a regular movie ticket costs 1800 yen (US$12) and 1200 yen (US$8) if you use a discount. The regular price is a bit expensive but if you become a member of the movie theater or go to the movies in the morning on weekdays, you can see a movie at a discount price though it depends on the movie theater.
I picked out some items and introduced their prices today for your reference. What do you think of the cost of living in Japan compared with your country?
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Have you thought about choosing a Chinese name for yourself? When I was learning English at a language institute as a kid, my teacher at the time gave me my first English name, Celia. I was eight, and I thought it was kind of cool to have an English name, but somehow I just felt a little off with that name. A little after that I learned the word “Silly,” and felt like if my name was mispronounced it sounded just like that. So I grew to feel a little uncomfortable telling that name to people. It wasn’t until high school that I started thinking seriously about changing my English name. I’ve always liked Chinese names with only two characters in them. They sound concise and straightforward, and I didn’t have to spend much time on the name when I took a test. So when it came to choosing an English name, I just applied the same standard, hoping for one that was sweet and short, and easy to pronounce. That’s why I chose my current name, Lori. I’ve been using it for years and I’m still loving it a lot. I like the sound of it and I also resonate with it.
But later, a foreign friend of mine asked me why I called myself Lori. He was curious why Taiwanese people all seem to have English names. At that time he also didn’t think that Lori sounded like a young girl’s name. Indeed, I don’t really have a sense of language since I’m not a native speaker of English, so there’s no way I could figure out how native speakers of English make sense of the word ‘Lori’ as a name. I explained to my friend that a group of Taiwanese were in favor of owning an English name because it would be more efficient at work with little obstacles to overcome when employees address each other or communicate with foreign customers. Therefore, many employees in Taiwanese companies use English names at the office. Another group though supported the use of our original names in Chinese. They believed that if a foreigner really thought of you as a friend, most of them would be more than willing to learn to pronounce your name correctly. Well, in my case, I devoted myself to learning English because I love the language itself. I truly love the sound of it. So rather than burdening my friends, we’d probably be both better off using a name we both feel comfortable with. I mean, I am who I am, and it really doesn’t make me less of me when I call myself ‘Lori’ right?
But guys, have you ever thought about getting a Chinese name? If you have, have you wondered how it works? Most names in Taiwan use three characters, and fewer cases are with two characters or four characters. The first character will be the surname, followed by the given name. There are about 1,500 family names in Taiwan, and the top ten surnames account for 50% of them. In other words, you’ll see more varieties in the first names. According to the National Health Insurance Administration of Taiwan, here are some examples of the most common names for boys under the age of 20 this year, such as “Yàntíng”, “Chénghàn”, “Guànyǔ” and so on. The most common Chinese characters used are “Tíng”, “Chéng”, “Guàn” and “Yǔ”. These four characters are mostly related to boys’ names. So when any of them is used for girls’ names, it’s not uncommon to mistakenly classify one as the “wrong” sex. The most common names for girls are “Yítíng”, “Yǔtóng”, “Yǒngqíng” and so on. What we see repeated here are “Tíng”, “Tóng” and “Qíng”. Likewise, these words do give a relatively more feminine vibe.
How then did most Taiwanese get their names? Some people will inherit designated Chinese characters from the family, which means, as long as they are descendants of this family, they must use these characters in their names. In some other cases, parents will find a fortune teller to help them choose their child’s name based on name numerology. On the one hand, they can avoid certain taboos this way, and on the other hand, parents all hope that the names they give to their children will bring good luck as well. So in my case, my Chinese name was on a list given to my parents by a fortune teller. They chose one out of the lucky name list. Then some foreigners may be curious. Like there are more than 80,000 Chinese characters in total and why were the ones that I just mentioned more popular than so many others? In fact, there is the possibility that these characters are particularly auspicious because some fortune tellers have picked them according to name numerology. Another way to give names like one of my best friends did, is you go through the dictionary with your partner to look for characters you like and find meaningful to both of you.
So when exactly does a foreigner need to get a Chinese name? According to the law of Taiwan, there are actually three situations where it is a must to have a Chinese name. First, if you are married to a Taiwanese, you must have a Chinese name when registering your marriage. Second, if you plan to live in Taiwan, you will also need it when you apply for an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) here. Third, if you decide to naturalize as a Taiwanese citizen or you’re applying for a Taiwan passport, you must also have a Chinese name. However, most of my foreign friends did not choose Chinese names for these reasons. Most of them simply like Chinese characters, and they feel that since they have learned Chinese, they also hope that with Chinese names they get to integrate into Taiwanese society. So to get one or not to get one, I guess it really depends on your preferences.
But how exactly does one choose a Chinese name? We have very complex characters, a lot of them with so many strokes in total, so I suppose some people tend to pick the ones with fewer strokes. Well, I totally agree. In addition to that, I strongly suggest that you get one that resonates with you. If it does, it’s a good name. But with so many Chinese characters, which one should you choose? Consider these two options. The first option is transliteration; pick Chinese characters that are pronounced similarly to your name. There was one famous Italian missionary that was known to all Taiwanese students. We all learned about this man from the history textbook, whose name was Matteo Ricci. He was among the first to translate some of the Confucian classics and introduced them to the West. The combination of the three characters in his Chinese name “Lì Mǎdòu” does not make it sound Chinese to native Chinese speakers. “Lì” comes from his surname “Ricci”, which covers a similar pronunciation. “Mǎdòu” slightly sounds like his first name, “Matteo.” That’s how he got his Chinese name.
The second option covers semantic meanings. Here I’ll give two examples. John King Fairbank was a well-known sinologist and American historian. The Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University in the United States is named after him. His surname Fairbank has been translated into “Fèi” because of the pronunciation of “Fair.” And his given name, John King, not only transliterates “Zhèng” and “Qīng”, but also corresponds to the meaning of being “upright and honest” in Chinese. And the combination of these three characters for his name has made many Chinese native speakers mistake him for a native Chinese. His friend really gifted him with a great name. Let’s give another example. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has a daughter with his Chinese wife. Her name is Maxima Chan Zuckerberg, but her Chinese name is “Chén Míngyǔ.” She takes her mother’s surname in Chinese. The word “Míngyǔ” actually has nothing to do with “Maxima” at all. The “Míng” stands for “tomorrow”, and the “Yǔ” means “the universe”. It is Zuckerberg’s hope that Max will be like the hope of the future. But just as I mentioned previously about the word “Yǔ”, it is usually used in boys’ names, so the name “Chén Míngyǔ” sounds more gender-neutral to Chinese native speakers, but still leans slightly toward a boy’s name.
On a final note: make sure you find a Chinese native speaker to help you check the name you choose to see if it’s suitable. Maybe you’ve picked some characters you really like, but semantically speaking they might not be as appropriate, or maybe the characters combined might not sound Chinese as you assume. Also, if you are into divination and concerned about how your name represents in terms of name numerology, it might not be such a bad idea to have a fortune teller give it a look.
Right, there is quite a lot to consider when it comes to adopting a Chinese name. Do you have one already? If not, would you like to have one? I hope you like today’s episode, and I would really love to hear from you guys on our website. Your comments will help us grow. Alright, that’s all for today. Thank you again, and I’ll see you next week!
In this episode, Lori talks about contact logs used in elementary and middle schools in Taiwan. The content roughly corresponds to HSK3 to HSK4. Feel free to answer the pre-questions after listening to the talk in the comments below so that Lori can help with corrections.
Hi guys! I’m Lori, the host of the Trilingual Chatbox. Today I want to share a simple news story that will lighten up your day. The language proficiency level is at around HSK3 to 4. Now let’s get started.
Elementary and middle schools in Taiwan have long used contact logs to help connect teachers and parents. If the teachers at school have assigned homework, or if there will be some pop quizzes in class the following day, the students will also write these down as a list in the contact log and take it home for their parents to have a look and sign. This way, parents can know if there’s homework they need to check, and students are less likely to slack off at home. Another thing about a contact log is that it allows teachers to learn more about their students. Generally speaking, teachers of elementary and middle schools in Taiwan would require students to keep a journal in their contact books. Some teachers will assign a theme for the day, and some will set a minimum word count, such as at least 50 words per day. Of course, some teachers encourage students to be spontaneous, so students can not only write a short composition but also draw pictures in their logs.
However, not every student is a good writer. So to homeroom teachers, marking these contact log journals becomes both an amusing job and sometimes a nuisance, especially when these short compositions are often simple and funny. And the news story I’m sharing today is such a piece distributed online by a parent. He took a shot of his son’s work and put it up on the internet. I’ll include a link in the descriptions for you guys to check out the photo. Because the text was written by an elementary school student, it was not smooth enough. Yet I think anyone who learns Chinese may produce similar sentences when they first start, right? Looking at the picture, you’ll find that the kid is still learning to write Chinese characters.
Okay, now I will read from this student’s journal. He wrote,
I would use ‘fat’ to describe my father because my father is more than 70 kilograms. I have to remind my father to lose weight, or otherwise, he will turn 80, 90, or 100 kilograms. And if my mother decides to divorce my father because he’s too fat, I will become an orphan. It’s terrifying.
I don’t know how old this student is, but personally, I think he has a good sense of humor. It’s funny because he actually believes that his mother will decide to get a divorce if his father gets overweight. Plus, he also feels that if his parents get divorced, he will become an orphan. This kid doesn’t realize that when parents are only separated but still alive, their child does not become an orphan. After reading this journal, his father said he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. And I’m sure the teacher must be laughing hysterically while marking it too.
Hi, welcome (back) to The Trilingual Chatbox Podcast! Are you are a fan of Studio Ghibli? In this episode, Mai shares some information about soon-to-open Ghibli Park. It is spoken in Japanese first then followed by English.
You can find a full transcript at the bottom of this description area as well as on our WordPress website.
Hi, Japanese learners, I`m Mai from The Trilingual Chatbox. In this episode, I`m going to talk about “Recent news in Japan”. Ok, let`s get started.
At the beginning of next month, November 1st, 2022, Ghibli Park will open in Aichi Prefecture. I guess you all know Studio Ghibli, which is a Japanese Animation Studio. This studio has been creating countless famous works such as “My neighbor, Totoro” “Kiki`s delivery” and “Spirited Away”.
Also, in this podcast, when I introduced three Japanese movies on episode 12, one of them was Studio Ghibli`s work in 1991 called “Only Yesterday”. Check out the episode if you are interested.
Let`s get back to today`s story. This park has settings and surroundings from Ghibli movies. There will be five areas, but only three areas “Seishun Hill” “Ghibli`s Warehouse” and “Dondoko Forest” will open in November, and the other two areas “Mononoke Village” and “Witches Valley” will open in 2023. Yet, there will be no attractions or crazy rides, we can walk around and feel the Ghibli world in nature.
It is exciting to think that we are like going into the actual settings of Ghibli movies. My favorite movies are “my neighbor Totoro” and “Kiki`s delivery”, I would love to experience the settings of these two movies. It would be great if we could meet Cat bus, dust bunnies, and Totoro there. In fact, Ghibli movies are all amazing, so I`m so looking forward to seeing the completed park in near future.
It takes one and a half hours from Tokyo to Aichi by bullet train. If you take a regular train, it takes about 7 hours. I live farther from Aichi so I don`t think I will visit the park until all five areas are open in 2023.
The admission fee depends on the area, and you have to buy a ticket to enter each area. “Ghibli`s Warehouse”, where you can look at the displays is 2000 yen per adult on weekdays and 2500 yen on weekends. The other two areas that open in November will be 1000 yen each. If you are a fan of Studio Ghibli, you can consider visiting this park for your next trip to Japan.
We would like to HEAR from you! With consent, your message could be on a future episode!
Today’s episode includes an unscripted talk about Lori’s go-to podcasts when she has free time. We’ve also released a video version of the same talk our YouTube channel. Check it out below or watch it on YouTube!
4️⃣所以呢．這就跟我選擇的標準是有點關係的，就是我選擇今天要介紹的節目呢，第一個就是我希望它跟心理層面能夠有點相關，就是它能夠、主持人可以提供他的人生經驗啦，然後又可以在節目當中給一些社會觀察的部分。但是，當然看新聞也可以，不過我希望可以用更輕鬆的方式學習到這些新知。也就是，我希望這個節目要有我能夠學習的觀點。然後第二個是，主持人的年齡層對我來說很重要。中文有一種說法叫「代溝」，其實就是「Generation Gap」。那年紀跟我相近的人，我通常跟他們聊天的時候比較聊得上，然後也比較聽得懂他們的用語。因為每個世代7的語言不太一樣，笑點不太一樣，然後用字也不太一樣，所以，我覺得能夠聽得懂這個節目對我來說還蠻重要的。那我其實有看了一下，我的Spotify上面的、我按了Follow的節目，其實遠超過50個。我也不知道我怎麼訂閱了這麼多個節目。最後我決定要介紹兩個。第一個是我相信應該大部份會說英文的人可能都有聽過，就是美國的一個節目叫做「Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend」，我們翻成「康納歐布萊恩」，但如果翻「康納歐布萊恩需要一個朋友」聽起來有點拗口，所以我等一下還是用英文來稱呼這個節目。那另外一個是中文的節目，叫做「那些電影教我的事」。那他們有翻一個英文的title叫「Lessons from Movies」。那這個我們等一下也一併說。🔴En
5️⃣那我首先就先介紹「Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend」這個節目。那Conan這個人呢，他其實是具有多重身份8的。他在真正開始主持Podcast之前，他其實是電視的主持人、脫口秀主持人。那在更早之前呢，他還是編劇，所以他多重身份包含了編劇、主持人、他本身也是喜劇演員、還有他也是製作人。那之前他在NBC，就是美國有線電視台，先主持了「深夜秀」(Late Night with Conan O’Brien)，然後後來會變成「今夜秀」(The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien)，接下來又跟著一些呃原因啦，這邊就不說了，他到了TBS，這是另外一家電視公司；他主持了由他自己為名的「Conan」，也就是「康納秀」。那這個「康納秀」在去年2021年正式結束了，不過Podcast在這個之前就開始了；開始的時間是2018年，我也是從2018年開始非常關注這一個節目。那這個節目呢，它是由三個主持人所主持的，除了Conan本人之外，還有一個是Podcast的製作人叫Matt Gourley，這個Matt本身也是喜劇演員。另外還有一個很特別的角色，她是，這個搭檔叫Sona Movsesian，她是Conan自己的個人助理。這個女生她在2019年加入這個節目，她因為多年以來都跟Conan密切的合作，然後兩個人關係很好，她這個人也很具有幽默感，所以呢，她就漸漸地加入了這個節目。那在今年她其實有出了一本跟Conan還蠻有關係的一本著作，她寫了一本書叫「The World’s Worst Assistant」，當然這個是一個玩笑話啦，那她就成為作家了。這本書目前還沒有中文翻譯，不過她有線上的有聲書，是由Sona自己本人朗讀的。它現在已經是紐約時報暢銷書排行榜的一本書了。🔴En
6️⃣這個節目主要當然是要訪問Conan的朋友嘛，那這些朋友呢，他們一進節目就要先說「I feel … about being Conan O’Brien’s friend」(當Conan O’Brien的朋友我覺得很…怎麼樣怎麼樣)。那當然這些朋友呢，大部分都是Conan認識多年的朋友，例如六人行(Friends)的Phoebe，就是Conan的很好很好的朋友。那除了演藝圈之外的朋友之外呢，Conan也會邀請政治圈的人，比如說Barack Obama也是他邀請的來賓之一。那麼這部節目它的有趣在於它有時候很搞笑9、有時候很正經，在YouTube上面已經有真正可以看得到他們錄影節目情形的視頻。好那他們跟搭檔的互動，就因為Sona跟Matt是O’Brien的好朋友嘛，所以他們會彼此開玩笑。然後O’Brien又很喜歡自嘲，就是嘲笑自己，笑自己的外型啦，或者是拿他的家人對他很不尊敬這件事情拿來開玩笑。然後Conan自己，自己這個人又反應很快，他很機智10，他能夠諷刺時事11，然後，但是卻又能看場合、看對象，所以這幾點都是我喜歡這個節目的原因。🔴En
4️⃣所以呢．这就跟我选择的标准是有点关係的，就是我选择今天要介绍的节目呢，第一个就是我希望它跟心理层面能够有点相关，就是它能够、主持人可以提供他的人生经验啦，然后又可以在节目当中给一些社会观察的部分。但是，当然看新闻也可以，不过我希望可以用更轻松的方式学习到这些新知。也就是，我希望这个节目要有我能够学习的观点。然后第二个是，主持人的年龄层对我来说很重要。中文有一种说法叫「代沟」，其实就是「Generation Gap」。那年纪跟我相近的人，我通常跟他们聊天的时候比较聊得上，然后也比较听得懂他们的用语。因为每个世代₇的语言不太一样，笑点不太一样，然后用字也不太一样，所以，我觉得能够听得懂这个节目对我来说还蛮重要的。那我其实有看了一下，我的Spotify上面的、我按了Follow的节目，其实远超过50个。我也不知道我怎麽订阅了这麽多个节目。最后我决定要介绍两个。第一个是我相信应该大部份会说英文的人可能都有听过，就是美国的一个节目叫做「Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend」，我们翻成「康纳欧布莱恩」，但如果翻「康纳欧布莱恩需要一个朋友」听起来有点拗口，所以我等一下还是用英文来称呼这个节目。那另外一个是中文的节目，叫做「那些电影教我的事」。那他们有翻一个英文的title叫「Lessons from Movies」。那这个我们等一下也一併说。🔴En
5️⃣那我首先就先介绍「Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend」这个节目。那Conan这个人呢，他其实是具有多重身份₈的。他在真正开始主持Podcast之前，他其实是电视的主持人、脱口秀主持人。那在更早之前呢，他还是编剧，所以他多重身份包含了编剧、主持人、他本身也是喜剧演员、还有他也是製作人。那之前他在NBC，就是美国有线电视台，先主持了「深夜秀」(Late Night with Conan O’Brien)，然后后来会变成「今夜秀」(The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien)，接下来又跟着一些呃原因啦，这边就不说了，他到了TBS，这是另外一家电视公司；他主持了由他自己为名的「Conan」，也就是「康纳秀」。那这个「康纳秀」在去年2021年正式结束了，不过Podcast在这个之前就开始了；开始的时间是2018年，我也是从2018年开始非常关注这一个节目。那这个节目呢，它是由三个主持人所主持的，除了Conan本人之外，还有一个是Podcast的製作人叫Matt Gourley，这个Matt本身也是喜剧演员。另外还有一个很特别的角色，她是，这个搭档叫Sona Movsesian，她是Conan自己的个人助理。这个女生她在2019年加入这个节目，她因为多年以来都跟Conan密切的合作，然后两个人关係很好，她这个人也很具有幽默感，所以呢，她就渐渐地加入了这个节目。那在今年她其实有出了一本跟Conan还蛮有关係的一本着作，她写了一本书叫「The World’s Worst Assistant」，当然这个是一个玩笑话啦，那她就成为作家了。这本书目前还没有中文翻译，不过她有线上的有声书，是由Sona自己本人朗读的。它现在已经是纽约时报畅销书排行榜的一本书了。🔴En
6️⃣这个节目主要当然是要访问Conan的朋友嘛，那这些朋友呢，他们一进节目就要先说「I feel … about being Conan O’Brien’s friend」(当Conan O’Brien的朋友我觉得很…怎麽样怎麽样)。那当然这些朋友呢，大部分都是Conan认识多年的朋友，例如六人行(Friends)的Phoebe，就是Conan的很好很好的朋友。那除了演艺圈之外的朋友之外呢，Conan也会邀请政治圈的人，比如说Barack Obama也是他邀请的来宾之一。那麽这部节目它的有趣在于它有时候很搞笑₉、有时候很正经，在YouTube上面已经有真正可以看得到他们录影节目情形的视频。好那他们跟搭档的互动，就因为Sona跟Matt是O’Brien的好朋友嘛，所以他们会彼此开玩笑。然后O’Brien又很喜欢自嘲，就是嘲笑自己，笑自己的外型啦，或者是拿他的家人对他很不尊敬这件事情拿来开玩笑。然后Conan自己，自己这个人又反应很快，他很机智₁₀，他能够讽刺时事₁₁，然后，但是却又能看场合、看对象，所以这几点都是我喜欢这个节目的原因。🔴En
1️⃣Hi guys! I’m Lori, your host today from the Trilingual Chatbox. We’re doing today’s episode a little differently. I don’t actually have a script in my hand, so this episode is going to be in the form of an unscripted talk. And therefore the materials won’t be graded. All right, then let’s get started!
Today’s show will be divided into two parts. In the first part, just like the title, I’ll talk about podcasts I listen to all the time. From Listening Practice Episode 16 I posed three questions. In the second part of today’s show, I’ll answer those for you. The answers are also already available on our WordPress website. So let’s go straight to our topic today. I’ve used the word “Bò Kè” before on some episodes of our shows, but actually, we don’t hear people use the term very often in Taiwan. Most people here just say “podcast,” and the standard pronunciation is even actually replaced by “Bō Kè.” So, in today’s episode, I’ll use the English word instead, since I don’t say “Bò Kè” much myself. And I’m also more accustomed to it being referred to this way. 🔴Tc 🔴Sc
2️⃣So the first thing we’re going to talk about today is the reason why I chose what I chose to introduce today. I made these choices based on my own interest. My growing interest in psychology probably began when I was in college, but my major in college was English, not psychology. I only minored in related programs. I’m interested in human behaviors, interpersonal relationships, and the mindset of individuals, so I’ve always paid attention to these aspects. Other than that, I’m also drawn to cultures. So here are two areas that cover cultural elements. The first one is pretty important to me: comedy, and specifically, I’m talking about “stand-up comedy” derived in the US. In Chinese, it’s translated as “Dān Kǒu Xiàng Shēng” or “Dān Kǒu Xǐ Jù.” Comedy is an easy way to introduce one to a culture. Plus, it’s entertaining, so it’s quite important and enjoyable to me. The other one is, of course, the movie. Movies are the best way to represent a culture or a nation, to embody a culture of a country. For me, this is the aspect that I will want to pay special attention to. Another thing I’d like to talk about is anime. l like anime not only because it’s interesting, but also because I admire the voice talents behind these animes. Outstanding voice actors and actresses can not only perform with their voices but also impress people with them. They simply sound amazing. All of these are my interests. This brings us to the podcast choices I made. 🔴Tc 🔴Sc
3️⃣Why do I want to listen to Podcasts? The first reason is that I need some recreational activities. Listening to Podcasts brings me joy and helps me relax. I usually listen to Podcasts before and after I shower, when I exercise, or like, when I commute, or when I’m riding my motorcycle. These are the moments when I’m possibly listening to a podcast. And besides reading, I would also like my brain to absorb some other forms of nutrients. It’s nice to be able to learn new knowledge; even better when you get to laugh at the same time. So the first is about how I stay entertained. The other reason why I listen to Podcasts is that I want to listen for people’s chats. I want to be able to, first, learn people’s verbal communication skills, and second, observe how they interact with each other. These would remind me of the areas where I’m deficient and that I need to stay humble. 🔴Tc 🔴Sc
4️⃣And this all relates to the choice criteria. So I chose the shows that I’m going to introduce in a bit because first, they had to cover some psychological aspects. I mean, I would love the hosts to share their life experiences. And also the show might reflect social phenomena to some extent. But of course, I could get all that from the news. Yet I do hope to learn new things more casually. That is, I would like the shows to offer some perspectives that I could learn from. And second, the age group of the hosts is essential to me. There is a phrase in Chinese and we say “Dài Gōu,” generation gap. I usually communicate better with people around my age when chatting, and I understand the choice of words better, too. Language use differs from generation to generation. We laugh at different things, and we use certain words differently. So it’s quite important that I feel a certain show speaks to me or for me. I actually checked the list of subscriptions on Spotify. There were actually way more than 50 of them. I have no idea how I ended up subscribing to so many shows, but I decided to introduce just 2 out of them. I believe most people who speak English might have heard of the first show. It’s produced in the United States, called “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.” The name is translated into Chinese as “Kāng Nà Ōu Bù Lái Ēn.” But if we make direct translations from there, it might sound a little awkward for a show. I think I’ll just stay with the original title when I refer to it later in this talk. The other podcast I’m introducing to you is a Taiwanese Mandarin show called “Nà Xiē Diàn Yǐng Jiāo Wǒ De Shì.” They have an English title too: “Lessons from Movies.” We’ll get back to it later. 🔴Tc 🔴Sc
5️⃣Now let’s introduce the show “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.” So Conan. He balances several roles in his life. Before starting to host his podcast, he was actually a TV show host, a talk show host. Before that, he was still a screenwriter; his titles include screenwriter, host, comedian, and even producer. He was on NBC, an American broadcasting TV network. There he hosted “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and later “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.” For some reasons that I won’t be discussing here, he left for TBS, another TV network. That was when he hosted “Conan,” a show under his own name. This show officially ended last year in 2021, but the Podcast started before that in 2018. I’ve also been paying close attention to this show ever since then. As for the show itself, it was hosted by three people. In addition to Conan himself, there’s also the producer of this podcast, Matt Gourley, who is also a comedian himself. The other very special sidekick is Sona Movsesian. She’s Conan O’Brien’s own personal assistant. This lady joined the show in 2019. Because Sona has worked closely with Conan for many years, the two have a very good relationship with each other. Sona also has a great sense of humor and so gradually she became a regular on the show. Just this year, she actually published a book based on this relationship with Conan. It’s titled “The World’s Worst Assistant,” which is obviously said jokingly. So she officially became an author. There is currently no Chinese translation of the book, but she does have an audiobook online, narrated by Sona herself. The book is now a New York Times bestseller. 🔴Tc 🔴Sc
6️⃣The main purpose of this show is of course to interview Conan’s friends. As soon as they come on the show, they have to first say “I feel … about being Conan O’Brien’s friend.” Most of them were of course Conan’s personal friends who he has known for many, many years, such as Lisa Kudrow, who plays Phoebe on the sitcom “Friends.” She has been one of Conan’s closest friends. Besides those in show business, Conan also invites politicians, such as Barack Obama, the former president of the United States, as one of his guests on his podcast. So what’s interesting about this show is that it could be hilarious, and sometimes it could turn very serious as well. There are already video clips on YouTube where you can actually see the podcast live while they do the recordings. As for the interactions between the three hosts, since Sona and Matt are Conan’s best friends, they really joke around a lot. And Conan’s been famous for his self-deprecating kind of humor. He laughs at himself for his own appearances, and some fun facts like his own wife and kids actually show no respect to him. He’s quick to respond, an incredibly witty guy, and has a satirical sense of humor about current events, but at the same time never fails to read the room and is sophisticated enough to say the right thing to his guests. These are all the reasons why I enjoy this show. 🔴Tc 🔴Sc
7️⃣Next up is “Lessons from Movies.” This is a program hosted by a couple. The husband calls himself “Suī Āng,” which means “the handsome husband” in Taiwanese Hokkien. And the wife calls herself “Suī Bòu,” “the pretty wife.” They have actually engaged in diversifying their businesses since as early as 2012. They have already done a lot of work. The two have always had a passion for watching movies. If you have watched episode 12 on this podcast where Mai and I talked about movies, we mentioned the different genres of movies in that episode. The husband here is a fan of science fiction and action movies, and the wife loves suspense movies and dramas. So they both have a love for movies, but just in different genres. They had jobs respectively at a gaming company and a global company, but later on, I guess they kind of started working full-time or almost full-time in the “Lessons from Movies” business. Currently, they also have a Facebook page, their official website, which seems to have stopped renewing in 2020. Their Instagram account and YouTube channel combined have gained more than 2.5 million followers already. Though I’m not sure about the number of followers on their podcast, there are also quite a lot I believe. Because of their success, the husband has already given more than 50 rounds of speeches nationwide. The two of them have also published at least three books, including e-books in Chinese. 🔴Tc 🔴Sc
8️⃣Now let’s talk about why this podcast is so special. I’ll mainly talk about just the podcast itself, not including their other digital content. The podcast has been in operation since 2020, about two years now. And of course, it covers movies. There is no limit to the types of movies they talk about in their podcast, as we just mentioned due to their interests in a variety of genres. They introduce to their audience some famous quotes from the movies, or sometimes just quotes that they’ve written down themselves as a conclusion of their feelings for or perspectives about a particular movie. They could be original quotes from a movie or some adapted versions. They also introduce the plot summary of these movies. So this might give away an important plot development of the movie. The so-called “Jù Tòu” or “Pò Gěng” actually refers to “Spoilers.” It spoils the movie ending early on. So sometimes I don’t listen to every episode, because I might not have watched a particular movie yet. I want to watch it first before listening to an episode about it. Another focus of the show is “the lessons” from the movies. They collect information about the movies, deconstruct them, and analyze the background based on when and where a story takes place. And the theories and lessons learned are eventually applied to real-life situations. So what I like about them is, first, the tones and voices of the two hosts are enjoyable. And also, because they are couples, I find the interaction during their recordings quite interesting as well. They present their materials in a well-organized fashion, and their word choices are precise and spot-on. They give practical examples that are true to life and down-to-earth, which makes the podcast all the more fun for the audience. These are the main reasons why I love this show. 🔴Tc 🔴Sc
So this is my introduction to two podcasts that I listen to all the time. I’m not sure if I’ve spoken too fast for you. Did you enjoy it? If you do, don’t forget to leave a comment and let me know!
9️⃣In the last part of today’s episode, let’s talk about the answers to the questions from Listening Practice Episode 18. […]
Well, these are the modal answers to the three questions. That’s it for today’s show, and I’ll see you next time! 🔴Tc 🔴Sc
We would like to HEAR from you! With consent, your message could be on a future episode!
In this episode, Lori talks about things that have surprised her during her time abroad. The content roughly corresponds to HSK4. Feel free to answer the pre-questions after listening to the talk in the comments below so that Lori can help with corrections.
Hi guys! Welcome back to the Trilingual Chatbox podcast. This is your host, Lori. Today let’s try using more colloquial language to chat. It won’t be too difficult, and I’ll try to slow down a little as well. The language proficiency level is again at around HSK 4. Have a look at the vocabulary before you start. All right, let’s get started!
The anecdotes that I’m telling today are based on some common ideas that my Taiwanese friends and I had after our discussion. So I want to share with you these cultural differences I experienced when I was abroad.
Culture shock 1: Wearing shoes indoors
I used to live in the UK for a while and noticed two cultural differences. The first one is that I found that most buildings in the UK have carpet floors, like classrooms and ordinary homes. That didn’t surprise me, but the fact that people usually wore their shoes indoors after returning home did. Taiwanese people would take off their shoes and leave them at the door before entering the houses. It’s no wonder there are many carpet-cleaning businesses in the West.
Culture Shock 2: No one on the street after 6PM
This also happened when I lived in the UK. I realized that after 6 o’clock in the evening, there were 90% fewer people on the streets. It seems that British people tend not to stay outside after 6PM. A friend told me not to go out after six for safety concerns. The situation is rather different in Taiwan because no matter how late it is, even if it’s twelve midnight, you can still see plenty of people on the streets.
Culture shock 3: Never leave an umbrella open indoors
I once had a roommate from Spain. One day, it was raining, and I came back from outside. I brought my wet umbrella into the house, opened it, and left it on the ground to dry. But my roommate got upset and told me to put it away, saying it would bring bad luck. I was so embarrassed, and of course, I put it away immediately. I certainly did not expect my behavior to be considered taboo because it is quite common in Taiwan to dry umbrellas indoors.
Culture Shock 4: Lots of tents on the streets in downtown areas
When I was in the United States, several times after I exited a ramp into a downtown city, I saw lines of tents with homeless people residing in them on both sides of the road. Of course, there is a large number of homeless people in metropolitan areas around the world, but the homeless population in the United States really did surprise me. It seems that the US government has still been facing serious homelessness issues as of now.
Culture Shock 5: Dark Hair Roots
Most Asians have dark hair, so we often dye our hair into lighter colors like the western styles for variety, such as brown or blond hair colors. But eventually the natural hair grows back, leaving the roots dark, and the transition phase makes one’s hair look like a Taiwanese jelly snack with two layers of colors. It’s called “egg pudding” in Chinese and looks like the French dessert “crème caramel.” We don’t like this crème caramel-like hairstyle very much and usually get embarrassed by having it, so we need to do constant root touchups. But just this year in 2022, it’s become a trend in the West to intentionally have dark roots, which means, “crème caramel hairstyle” has now become a fashion. I guess Asians who enjoy dyeing their hair light should be pretty thrilled about this!
The Trilingual Chatbox 