Posted on 01/18/2006 12:22:09 PM PST by Dr. Marten
All Things Considered, January 11, 2006 · Robert Siegel talks with Tian Tang, author of a Web site dedicated to the misuse of Chinese characters in Western culture. Tang posts photos of Chinese character tattoos that either contain errors or carry no meaning.
Tang says as a Chinese American, he felt it was his "duty and honor to educate the public about the misusage of Chinese characters."
A reader e-mailed Tang this photo of a friend's tattoo. It's supposed to read "bad boy" in Chinese, except the order of last two characters has been reversed. Courtesy Tian Tang
This refers to you only because you are a dimwit, got it?
Ok, now to your only statement of any actual substance (kind of):
I am not the one trying to tell a Chinese person what it is like to be Chinese
Whom are you referring to on this thread and how would anyone be doing such a thing? How would such a thing even ever be done?
This will be funny, I'm sure.
>>Methinks the dimwit doth protesteth too much.
No, I Doth Protest too much (Get your Shakespeare right or don’t quote)
>>>>I am not the one trying to tell a Chinese person what
>>>>it is like to be Chinese.
>>Whom are you referring to on this thread and how would
>>anyone be doing such a thing? How would such a thing
>>even ever be done?
Here are some entries from this very thread to illustrate:
# 82 cmdjin to tallhappy:
You know what I find really ironic? People that don't speak a lick of Chinese instructing native Chinese speakers on (in)proper usage. I know its hard, but stop embarrassing yourself moron. ? is the character used in Germany ? is to get Phonetically, the words are homonyms, but different. Also your complete and utter misunderstanding of the purpose of Romanization is ludicrous. Te Kuo LOL. The word is pronounced and written the same either on the mainland or Taiwan, the difference is a matter of Romanization systems, Wade-Giles (not really a standard) for the RoC vs Pinyin for the PRC. You are an example of the subject matter in the original article, idiots with a cursory knowledge/ignorance of Chinese feigning some degree of depth. As for being PRC shills, I'd work as one, but unfortunately they don't pay me enough :*(
# 89 tallhappy to cmdjin:
My you are an idiot, aren't you?
My point was that either de could be used -- as you state and I stated earlier, they are pronounced exactly the same -- the question is why did they use the character meaning virtue?
# 79 tallhappy to pgnini:
de-guo (tekuo for people really from Taiwan) could be obtain country as in bude.
They chose the de they chose because it was nice.
It's phonetic, of course, but other considerations were involved.
It's OK. I know you are psychotic.
Just a little history:
You really are a wonder, the ability to diagnose mental illness online, instruct two native Chinese speakers in the history, and methodology of naming foreign countries, in their own language, and culture (I believe both cmdjin and pgnini have professed to be native speakers of Chinese on this thread), and to top it off everyone is your mental inferior.
WOW -- must be cool to be you.
Are you hiding out over here from a beating over at DU? When in jeopardy of losing an argument you name call with the best!
“Violence, the last resource of the incompetent; online it’s name calling”
"Ohhh...You MUCH humah Misah Mahtin !!!!"
That's funny, but it's a little hard to believe. Stranger things have happened though.
You are very incoherent simply meaning to attack in a typical liberal manner. Your comments are irrational and distortive. They make no sense in terms of how discussing Romanization or choice of characters used in translating a foreign proper name, such as a name of a country, "tells someone how to be Chinese".
Your attack is typical -- it is nasty, vile, tries to sow dissenion based on emotional and visceral issues when none is merited and the topic touched on nothing of the sort that would engender such hostility.
>>How are any of the quotes you cite "telling someone what it is like to be Chinese?"
Chinese language, and Chinese philosophy are integrally linked. The philosophy of how names are translated (yes there is philosophy) is part of “Being Chinese”. If you don’t get it, I’ll understand, you have to have live in the culture to really get it.
>>You are very incoherent simply meaning to attack in a typical liberal manner.
>>Your comments are irrational and distortive. They make no sense in terms of how
>>discussing Romanization or choice of characters used in translating a foreign proper
>>name, such as a name of a country, "tells someone how to be Chinese".
If I am incoherent, I apologize; I am participating in discussions on several threads at once. As for attacks show where I have called you names, or questioned your intelligence, or mental status. You vent all over people, then complain to the mods whenever anyone points out your inconsistencies.
>>Your attack is typical -- it is nasty, vile, tries to sow dissenion based on emotional
>> and visceral issues when none is merited and the topic touched on nothing of the
>> sort that would engender such hostility.
You have pinged a Moderator to this conversation; I hope it works out for you. I have nothing to fear from the mods because I am keeping to the rules as I understand them. I have not attacked, rather been attacked by you. I will respond to you no further.
Admin Moderator Please see post #122 where tallhappy’s quotes from calling names to questioning sanity are chronicled. If I have erred in my conduct in this forum please instruct me that I may adhere to the rules of Jim Robinson’s forum for it is his.
Playbook stuff.
Interesting.
Hey Doc, this is text book stuff here.
The propaganda of the ChiCom apologist and propagandist is as follows:
1) -- make argument "you don't understand Chinese culture, you don't even speak it"
2) -- if Chinese is spoken then move the line to "you may have learned some Chinese but (and this guy's quote is perfect) you have to 'have lived in the culture to really get it'"
3) -- if you have lived there, as you have, they go for the nasty vicious stuff like they did about you and you're wife
These guys should be have banned a long time ago.
curious, was learning to read chinese char. work related (USAR) or something you picked up earlier in life? Where all have you been discussably stationed? (I grew up as a dependent myself, even dodds 'school' graduated)...
You compare your living experience in China vs. Japan, hence, i need to remind you that Japan is NOT a third world country, it isn't poor, and your experience will vary a lot between the two. Comparing living in China versus US or Europe doesn't make sense, and yet that's your attitude on your blog.
Right, i am an idiot tourist, eh? That's the best you can come up with? I have lived in the culture since I was born, you're there for 1-2 years and think you know it all. Whatever, myopia is quite common on FR, and you're one of them.
"The propaganda of the ChiCom apologist and propagandist is as follows:
1) -- make argument "you don't understand Chinese culture, you don't even speak it"
2) -- if Chinese is spoken then move the line to "you may have learned some Chinese but (and this guy's quote is perfect) you have to 'have lived in the culture to really get it'"
3) -- if you have lived there, as you have, they go for the nasty vicious stuff like they did about you and you're wife "
Tallhappy,
That's the best you can come up with?
I see the exact same thing with Dr. Marten's argument:
"1. If you don't live in China as long as I have, then you don't know squat".
"2. Ok, you're a native speaker, but if you don't live in China then you don't know squat."
"3. Right, you live in the culture but if you never lived in China, then you don't know squat."
Meanwhile, he lived there for 2 years and thinks he's an expert in figuring out why countries are named in Chinese in HIS way of thought, rather than the original intention of the phonetic translation.
Besides, #2 in your argument applies for Gordon as well, does that mean he's a Chicom?
You compare your living experience in China vs. Japan, hence, i need to remind you that Japan is NOT a third world country, it isn't poor, and your experience will vary a lot between the two. Comparing living in China versus US or Europe doesn't make sense, and yet that's your attitude on your blog.
"Right, i am an idiot tourist, eh? That's the best you can come up with? I have lived in the culture since I was born, you're there for 1-2 years and think you know it all. Whatever, myopia is quite common on FR, and you're one of them"
well, anyway only 7 countries had ever been used with the charactor “guo”.... us, uk,france,germany. russia,thailand,south korea (has an alternative name without “guo”)
other prominent countries such as italy japan, spain australia,india, brazil etc were unluckily...neglected
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.