Tag Archives: #language

For our last night’s meal at Six Senses, Debbie & I tried out their Chinese restaurant 28 Zodiac.  It was entirely empty, so we had the run of the place.  Afterward, we dropped by the Moon Bar.  Their “Panda Resting in … Continue reading →

Debbie & I hiked up Qinqcheng (青城山 or Qīngchéng, meaning “green city”), one of the Four Sacred Mountains of Taoism.  Ginko trees are a symbol of Taoism because, like yin & yang, they require both male & female to reproduce.   This ancient, prayer-festooned … Continue reading →

 The term “shitbox” is thrown around all too often these days. Datong is a shitbox. Situated up by Inner Mongolia in the far north of the Shānxī province (not the Shǎnxī province, which is entirely different as I’ve explained), the city of Dàtóng … Continue reading →

Despite the gauche design of an 80s Trump hotel, the absolute best thing about the place Debbie & I are staying in Datong is their dinner menu.  Mangled translation of Asian dishes is a cliche, granted, but some of these are … Continue reading →

Shouldn’t a poem written in “rain and drunkness” be splotchy with progressively sloppier penmanship?

My dear friend Debbie is in town.  (Woo-hoo!)  We went out for Thanksgiving dinner with friends at an ex pat bar.  Only 5/8ths of us were American (rounded out by Chinese, Italian, and Swedish) but the food was traditional & … Continue reading →

China throws the term “fragrant” around a lot.  Off the top of my head there is… 香港 (xiānggǎng “fragrant harbor”) Hong Kong 香草 (xiāngcǎo “fragrant grass”) cilantro or parsley 香菜 (xiāngcài “fragrant vegetable”) vanilla 香菇(xiānggū “fragrant mushroom”) mushrooms 香花 (xiāng huā … Continue reading →

I made my way to Kirifuri-no-taki.  Perhaps not as impressive a waterfall as Kegon, but in some ways more beautiful, more serene, nestled away, forested mountains as far as you can see in every direction. I stood, red-cheeked, in what … Continue reading →

This somewhat underwhelming (yet somewhat overwhelmingly pink) wooden edifice of the Nikko Train Station built in 1915 was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Coincidentally, I’ve been reading David J. Peterson’s The Art of Language Invention.  He claims that the proper … Continue reading →

See, this is why being in Japan melts my brain.  We’ve already established that I treat foreign languages like cryptanalysis.  So I see this bus go by with a sign on it that reads 市バス. 市 is easy.  I know … Continue reading →

 You know that famous recurring nightmare about being in a Spelling Bee but you don’t know Chinese?  Okay, maybe it’s not famous.  And maybe it’s just me.  And maybe it’s just after watching this actual Chinese writing competition on CCTV.

 All I could think of during my Chinese lesson today was this page from the book I read to Ben’s son back in L.A.