A year after the devastating May 12, 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, people across China and around the world are still deeply concerned about the fate of the quake-affected people. Memories from the disaster and the government's effective response are still fresh. The following are excerpts from Premier Wen Jiabao's speech regarding the Sichuan earthquake.

"The earthquake has destroyed our home and devoured our great people. But the best way to honor the deceased is for the living to live a happy life. We will hold together and conquer the great disaster."

Chinese version:
活着的人努力幸福地生活就是对死者的最好安慰。
huó zhe de rén nŭ lì xìng fú dì shēng huó jiù shì duì sĭ zhě de zuì hăo ān wèi.
Translation: The best way to honor the deceased is for the living to live a happy life.

On the afternoon of May 12, 2008, just after the earthquake, about 100,000 people in a county were trapped in a mountain due to the collapse of a bridge. The Premier Wen Jiabao ordered the relief troops on phone:"No matter what, I want you to ensure these 100, 000 people are out of danger."

Here is the Chinese version:
不管怎么样，我都要这十万人脱险！
bù guăn zěn me yàng, wŏ dōu yào zhè shí wàn rén tuō xiăn!
Translation: No matter what, I want you to ensure these 100,000 people are out of danger.

努力 nŭ lì：adj/adv struggling
幸福 xìng fú： adj/n happy / happiness
安慰 ān wèi： v/n console / comfort
脱险 tuō xiăn： v get out of danger

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During the financial crisis (金融危机 jīn róng wēi jī), millions of people are suffering from the psychological problems caused by losing jobs (失业shī yè), and bankrupcy (破产pò chăn) .

Ever since the financial crisis, we have seen an increasing amount of unemployment (失业人员shī yè rén yuán). These people suddenly suffered the fear of job loss (失业恐慌shī yè kŏng huāng) and they couldn't find a solution to the problem in a short period of time. Besides individuals, more and more enterprises also unavoidably suffered in this crisis.

金融危机 jīn róng wēi jī： n financial crisis
失业 shī yè： n/v losing jobs/ lost job
破产 pò chăn： n/v bankrupt
失业人员 shī yè rén yuán： n jobless
失业恐慌 shī yè kŏng huāng： n fear of the job loss

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It is one of the hottest TV series so far in 2009. In this series, you will see a lot of issues facing young people in China today. How does a 17-year-old girl struggle to assume her responsibility and finally successfully escape from her mother's strict protection? How does a 20-years-old girl develop her relationship with her boyfriend under her parents' great pressures? How does a young business man bravely face the mistakes he made before? No matter how many stories have happened to these vigorous young people, 我的青春谁做主(wŏ de qīng chūn shuí zuò zhŭ) has brought a great topic to us: 我的青春谁做主(wŏ de qīng chūn shuí zuò zhŭ), that is, who is the Master of my own youth?

This TV series also has some very thoughtful and humorous lines. Understanding of these lines is helpful for your Chinese study. Below is a conversation between Qian Xiaoyang (21-year-old) and her boyfriend Fang Yu when they met for the first time.

小样：我叫钱小样，大小的小，样子的样。虽然不大气，但是很可爱。
            wŏ jiào qián xiăo yàng, dà xiăo de xiăo, yàng zi de yàng. suī rán bú dà qì, dàn shì hěn kě ài .
Xiaoyang : My name is Qian Xiaoyang. "xiao" refers to the meaning of small size and "yang" means look. The name may not show a big-heart, but it is very lovely.

小样：你猜我爸叫什么？
            nĭ cāi wŏ bà jiào shén me?
Xiaoyang : Can you guess my dad's name?

方宇：钱串子。
            qián chuàn zĭ.
Fang Yu : Coin strings. ("qián" has the same pronunciation as "money" in Chinese, "chuàn" means "string". In ancient times, people used strings to string money "coins" together.)

小样：少来！你爸才叫钱串子呢！
            shăo lái! nĭ bà cái jiào qián chuàn zĭ ne!
Xiaoyang : Come on! Your dad is coin strings.

方宇：那你爸叫什么？
            nà nĭ bà jiào shén me?
Fang Yu : So what is his name?

小样：钱进来。
            qián jìn lái.
Xiaoyang : The money is coming.

青春 qīng chūn： n youth
钱 qián： n money
进来 jìn lái：V come
串 chuàn： n string

Usage of "小样儿(xiăo yàng ér)"

"小样儿(xiăo yàng ér)" comes from northeast dialect" 看你那小样(kàn nĭ nà xiăo yàng)" and it becomes "小样儿 (xiăo yàng ér)" as a widely used slang. There are several uses of "小样儿(xiăo yàng ér): "

a. People use the phrase to describe those whom they look down.
e.g. 看你那小样儿，就知道你搞不定！
        kàn nĭ nà xiăo yàng ér, jiù zhī dào nĭ găo bú dìng!
        Look at you; I know you can't handle it.

b. It is used to call the other party in a relationship.
e.g. 男：宝贝，想你了，你想我吗？
        nán: băo bèi, xiăng nĭ le, nĭ xiăng wŏ ma?
        Men: Baby, I miss you. What about you?

       女：小样儿。
       nŭ: xiăo yàng ér.  
       Women: You little guy.

c. It is used to express happiness in some situations.
e.g. 你瞧你美得那小样儿。
       nĭ qiáo nĭ měi dé nà xiăo yàng ér.
       See how happy you are.

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You may never doubt the excellence of Yao Ming on the basketball court. In fact, his wisdom and humor off the court are also quite impressing.

His Wisdom
When he was asked by a Chinese reporter: "are you worried about one day you will be overtaken by a rookie?"

He answered:
这就是比赛，像生活一样，没什么如果可以预料。
zhè jiù shì bĭ sài, xiàng shēng huó yí yàng, méi shén me rú guŏ ké yĭ yù liào.
Games are the same as life and are not predictable.

His Humor
When he was asked by a reporter: "why do you get more attentions than golf star Tiger Woods does?"

He answered:
因为篮球比高尔夫球大嘛！我很幸运，能够得到这份工作。
yīn wèi lán qiú bĭ gāo ěr fū qiú dà ma! wŏ hěn xìng yùn, néng gòu dé dào zhè fèn gōng zuò.
The basketball is much bigger than golf. So I am lucky enough to get this job!

像…一样 xiàng…yí yàng： conj the same as
如果 rú guŏ： conj if
预料 yù liào：v predictable
得到 dé dào：v gain/get
篮球 lán qiú：n basketball

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A：你知道两天后是什么日子吗？
      nĭ zhī dào liăng tiān hòu shì shén me rì zi ma?
      Do you know what the day after tomorrow is?

B：五月二十八呀，怎么了？
      wŭ yuè èr shí bā ya, zěn me le?
      It is May 28th, 2009, and?

A：不，我不是这个意思，我是指农历。
      bù,wŏ bú shì zhè ge yì si, wŏ shì zhĭ nóng lì.
      No, I don't mean this; I mean the date of the lunar calendar.

B：等等，让我看看日历。哦，是农历五月初五。
      děng děng, ràng wŏ kàn kan rì lì. ò, shì nóng lì wŭ yuè chū wŭ.
      Wait; let me take a look at the calendar. It is May 5th.

A：嗯，不错，然后呢？
      èn, bú cuò, rán hòu ne?
      Yes, that's it. So?

B：然后？哦，我知道了，你想说"端午节"。我怎么把这事儿给忘了！
      rán hòu? ò, wŏ zhī dào le, nĭ xiăng shuō "duān wŭ jié."wŏ zěn me bă zhè shì ér gěi wàng le!
      Oh, I see, you mean it is "The Dragon Boat Festival". How could I forget about this?

A：不错，再过两天端午节就到了。那么你知道端午节的主角是谁吗？
      bú cuò, zài guò liăng tiān duān wŭ jié jiù dào le. nà me nĭ zhī dào duān wŭ jié de zhŭ jué shì shuí ma?
      Exactly, the Dragon Boat Festival is coming in two days. And do you know who the leading role is?

B：当然知道，粽子呀！
      dāng rán zhī dào, zòng zi ya!
      Of course,it's rice dumpling wrapped in lotus leaves.

A：你只说对了一部分。
      nĭ zhĭ shuō duì le yí bù fen.
      You just mentioned part of the answer.

B：那还有什么？
      nà hái yŏu shén me?
      Then what else?

A：这个节日是纪念中国古代爱国诗人屈原，他为了保存气节而投江自尽，后来该节日成为龙舟竞渡和吃粽子的欢乐日子。所以呀，还有龙舟。
     zhè ge jié rì shì jì niàn zhōng guó gŭ dài ài guó shī rén qū yuán, tā wèi le băo cún qì jié ér tóu jiāng zì jìn, hòu lái gāi jié rì chéng wéi lóng zhōu jìng dù hé chī zòng zi de huān lè rì zi. suó yĭ ya, hái yŏu lóng zhōu.
     The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated to memorize an ancient Chinese poet who committed suicide by jumping into a river instead of compromising his honor. The festival has developed into a joyful event characterized by dragon boat races and rice dumplings wrapped in lotus leaves. So, there is also dragon boat component.

B：嗯，有道理，你这么一说，我就明白了。
     èn, yŏu dào lĭ, nĭ zhè me yì shuō, wŏ jiù míng bai le.
     Well, that makes sense. I get it after your explanation.

端午节 duān wŭ jié：n Dragon Boat Festival
农历 nóng lì：n lunar calendar
粽子 zòng zi：n rice dumpling wrapped in reed/bamboo/lotus leaves
龙舟 lóng zhōu：n dragon boat
气节 qì jié：n moral integrity

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Imagine this: a frog sings beautifully, swims in the pool and plays games on the road. Chinese kids sing a song for this little creature. Learn this song right now!

Listen to this SONG now.

我爱小青蛙 (wŏ ài xiăo qīng wā)   I Love the Little Frog

咕呱呱，咕呱呱， gū guā guā, gū guā guā,
一只小青蛙，我最喜欢它。 yì zhī xiăo qīng wā, wŏ zuì xĭ huan tā,
它的歌声美，它的声音大， tā de gē shēng měi, tā de shēng yīn dà,
看它跳跳舞，姿势也不差。 kàn tā tiào tiào wŭ, zī shì yě bú chà.
咕呱呱，咕呱呱，gū guā guā, gū guā guā,
我爱小青蛙。wŏ ài xiăo qīng wā.
咕呱呱，咕呱呱，gū guā guā, gū guā guā,
我最喜欢它，wŏ zuì xĭ huan tā,
水里会游泳，路上会玩耍。shuĭ lĭ huì yóu yŏng, lù shang huì wán shuă.
每当下雨天，měi dāng xià yŭ tiān,
它就笑哈哈。tā jiù xiào hā hā.

I Love the Little Frog
Croak, croak, croak
There is a little frog and I like it
She sings beautifully and loudly
And even dances gracefully
Croak, croak, croak
I love this frog
She swims in the pool and plays games on the road
The rainy days are her happiest time

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