Inspired By Great People @ CRIEnglish.com

1. Today I stumbled across the wonderful site of CRIEnglish.com, which is operated by China Radio International. One of the most important sections on the site is the "China's Champions" column. Fuelled by curiosity, I had to look at the archives. Amongst others, I read about Zhang Huamei, Xie Hailong, and Wang Changqing.
2. Zhang Huamei is a lady from Wenzhou, China, who has the distinction of holding the first business licence in China. In 1978, China's government initiated the Reform and Opening Up Policy. She became self-employed when she could not find employed. Her business began simply, selling colourful trinkets and fashionable accessories not available in the state-owned stores. She was approached by a government official to register for a business licence in 1978. After much thought, she agreed. She has been self-employed for the last 28 years.
3. China Daily reports that during the late 1970's and the early 1980's, some business people were thrown into prison during crackdowns on speculators and profiteers. Zhang Huamei's friends and acquaintances too would pretend not to know her because they despised profiteers and speculators at that time. Despite that, the new policy succeeded in breeding a new generation of successful businessmen.
4. Xie Hailong was famed for his photographs of poor children in rural areas who were desperate for education. He was inspired to his mission of photographing the poor children when he was told by a friend that his photographs of his child were charming, but photography should provoke thought. After much thought, he made it his mission to take pictures of children in rural areas. At that time, poverty forced many children to stop studying. His photographs were used time and time again in the fundraiser "Project Hope", which since its inception has raised 2 billion yuan in donations.
5. Xie Hailong's works are in black and white and at times grainy. Despite that, there is no denying the quality of the works. Amongst other accolades, he is presently Director of Beijing Photographers' Association. The most famous of his is that of a girl, Su Mingjuan, hunched over her books and staring wide eyed at the camera. It is called "I want to go to school". It was this photograph that became the face of Project Hope.
6. Wang Changqing is credited with the resuscitation of Shaolin and other martial arts. In 1928, various important texts were burned by a warlord. Wang Changqing was a student in the Shaolin temple until the age of 12. He later became a doctor and served in the army. After retiring from the army, Wang Changqing practised martial arts at the Shaolin temple. He found an old monk, Yong Xiang, with a lung infection. He took care of the monk and nursed him back to health. When Wang wanted to return to his home, the monk gave him a bag of scripts. They were copies of the important texts that he had copied by hand in 1927. Wang Changqing recognised the significance of this and went all out to seek out practitioners of martial arts who had trained at Shaolin temple.
7. Wang Changqing's marriage suffered and as a result, he divorced. Nevertheless he kept on with his efforts. He was fortunate to meet and marry his second wife, Xu Qinyan, who also practised Kung Fu. He has written many books, the most famous of which is the Shaolin Encyclopedia (co-authored by his wife, Xu Qinyan). He believes that martial arts belongs to all people on this earth and has continuously promoted the art.
8. Of the three people above, two have achieved greatness or recognition because of their contributions to society. The other, Chang Huamei, is celebrated because of her representation of the economic success of the country. In some way or other, they have all been part of the history of the country.
9. It is undeniable that the minority races of my homeland, located just south of Thailand and just north of Singapore, have played a role in its journey to where it is today. Yet it may be a well-founded fear that future generations may not be able to know what role the minority races have played in our nation. We were here many years ago, from before the years of Merdeka. My own grandmother was a Straits born Chinese, whose family had been in Malaya for many generations. I have no doubt that members of the Chinese community have been an important factor in the success of this nation.

三字经

Background

An explanation from Chinese Wiki:

The Three Character Classic, Trimetric Classic or San Zi Jing (Traditional Chinese: 三字經; Simplified Chinese: 三字经) is one of the Chinese classic texts. It was probably written in the 13th century and attributed to Wang Yinglin (王應麟, 1223-1296) during the Song Dynasty. It is also attributed to Ou Shizi (區適子, 1234-1324).

The work is not one of the traditional six Confucian classics, but rather the embodiment of Confucian thought suitable for teaching young children. Until the latter part of the 19th century, it served as a child's first formal education at home. The text is written in triplets of characters for easy memorization. With illiteracy common for most people at the time, the oral tradition of reciting the classic ensured its popularity and survival through the centuries. With the short and simple text arranged in three-character verses, children learned many common characters, grammar structures, elements of Chinese history and the basis of Confucian morality.

The Text

人之初，性本善。性相近，习相远。苟不教，性乃迁。教之道，贵以专。
昔孟母，择邻处。子不学，断机杼。窦燕山，有义方。教五子，名俱扬。
养不教，父之过。教不严，师之惰。子不学，非所宜。幼不学，老何为。
玉不琢，不成器。人不学，不知义。为人子，方少时。亲师友，习礼仪。
香九龄，能温席。孝于亲，所当执。融四岁，能让梨。悌于长，宜先知。
首孝悌，次见闻。知某数，识某文。一而十，十而百。百而千，千而万。
三才者，天地人。三光者，日月星。三纲者，君臣义。父子亲，夫妇顺。
曰春夏，曰秋冬。此四时，运不穷。曰南北，曰西东。此四方，应乎中。
曰水火，木金土。此五行，本乎数。十干者，甲至癸。十二支，子至亥。
曰黄道，日所躔。曰赤道，当中权。赤道下，温暖极。我中华，在东北。
曰江河，曰准济。此四渎，水之纪。曰岱华，蒿恒衡。此五岳，山之名。
曰士农，曰工商。此四民，国之良。曰仁义，礼智信。此五常，不容紊。
地所生，有草木。此植物，遍水陆。稻粱菽，麦黍稷。此六谷，人所食。
马牛羊，鸡犬豕。此六畜，人所饲。曰喜怒，曰哀惧。爱恶欲，七情具。
匏土革，木石金。与丝竹，乃八音。高曾祖，父而身。身而子，子而孙。
自子孙，至玄曾。乃九族，人之伦。父子恩，夫妇从。兄则友，弟则恭。
长幼序，友与朋。君则敬，臣则忠。此十义，人所同。凡训蒙，须讲究。
详训怙，明句读。为学者，必有初。小学终，至四书。论语者，二十篇。
群弟子，记善言。孟子者，七篇止。讲道德，说仁义。作中庸，子思笔。
中不偏，庸不易。作大学，乃曾子。自修齐，至平治。孝经通，四书熟。
如六经，始可读。诗书易，礼春秋。号六经，当讲求。有连山，有归藏。
有周易，三易详。有典谟，有训诰。有誓命，书之奥。我周公，作周礼。
著六官，存治体。大小戴，注礼记。述圣言，礼乐备。曰国风，曰雅颂。
号四诗，当讽咏。诗既亡，春秋作。寓褒贬，别善恶。三传者，有公羊。
有左氏，有谷梁。经既明，方读子。撮其要，记其事。五子者，有荀杨。
文中子，及老庄。经子通，读诸史。考世系，知终始。自羲农，至黄帝。
号三皇，居上世。唐有虞，号二帝。相揖逊，称盛世。夏有禹，商有汤。
周文武，称三王。夏传子，家天下。四百载，迁夏社。汤伐夏，国号商。
六百载，至纣亡。周武王，始诛纣。八百载，最长久。周辙东，王纲坠。
逞干戈，尚游说。始春秋，终战国。五霸强，七雄出。嬴秦氏，始兼并。
传二世，楚汉争。高祖兴，汉业建。至孝平，王莽篡。光武兴，为东汉。
四百年，终于献。魏蜀吴，争汉鼎。号三国，迄两晋。宋齐继，梁陈承。
为南朝，都金陵。北元魏，分东西。宇文周，与高齐。迨至隋，一土宇。
不再传，失统绪。唐高祖，起义师。除隋乱，创国基。二十传，三百载。
梁灭之，国乃改。炎宋兴，受周禅。十八传，南北混。辽与金，皆称帝。
太祖兴，国大明。号洪武，都金陵。迨成祖，迁燕京。十六世，至崇祯。
阉乱后，寇内讧。闯逆变，神器终。清顺治，据神京。至十传，宣统逊。
举总统，共和成。复汉土，民国兴。廿二史，全在兹。载治乱，知兴衰。
读史者，考实录。通古今，若亲目。口而诵，心而惟。朝于斯，夕于斯。
昔仲尼，师项橐。古圣贤，尚勤学。赵中令，读鲁论。彼既仕，学且勤。
披蒲编，削竹简。彼无书，且知勉。头悬梁，锥刺股。彼不教，自勤苦。
如囊萤，如映雪。家虽贫，学不缀。如负薪，如挂角。身虽劳，犹苦卓。
苏老泉，二十七。始发愤，读书籍。彼既老，犹悔迟。尔小生，宜早思。
若梁灏，八十二。对大廷，魁多士。彼既成，众称异。尔小生，宜立志。
莹八岁，能咏诗。泌七岁，能赋棋。彼颖悟，人称奇。尔幼学，当效之。
蔡文姬，能辨琴。谢道韫，能咏吟。彼女子，且聪敏。尔男子，当自警。
唐刘晏，方七岁。举神童，作正字。彼虽幼，身己仕。尔幼学，勉而致。
有为者，亦若是。犬守夜，鸡司晨。苟不学，曷为人。蚕吐丝，蜂酿蜜。
人不学，不如物。幼而学，壮而行。上致君，下泽民。扬名声，显父母。
光于前，裕于后。人遗子，金满嬴。我教子，惟一经。勤有功，戏无益。
戒之哉，宜勉力。

Further Reading

Baidu - http://baike.baidu.com/view/10702.htm
Yellow Bridge - Quite an in-depth explanation

A Cheerful Little Message

A friend forwarded me a message to cheer me up. It's good to learn Mandarin, so I decided to learn a few new words.

小天使是幸福的邮差，
他能替我把幸福送给我珍惜的朋友，
你也许听不见也许看不见，
但愿你能感受得到，
我那真诚的祝福~
希望你快乐每一天！

Here's a breakdown of the words.

1.
小天使是幸福的邮差.
xiao3 tian1 shi3 shi1 xing4 fu2 de you2 chai1
The cherub is a happy postman.

2.
他能替我把幸福送给我珍惜的朋友.
ta1 neng2 ti4 wo3 ba3 xing4 fu2 song4 gei3 wo3 zhen1 xi1 de peng2 you4
He can represent me to send happiness to my cherished friend.

3.
你也许听不见也许看不见.
ni2 ye2 xu3 ting1 bu4 jian4 ye2 xu3 kan3 bu4 jian4
You may not hear and may not see.

4.
但愿你能感受得到.
dan4 yuan4 ni3 neng2 gan3 shou4 de2 dao4
If only it were possible for you to feel it.

5.
我那真诚的祝福.
wo3 na4 zhen1 cheng2 de zhu4 fu2
My sincere blessings.

6.
希望你快乐每一天.
xi1 wang4 ni3 kuai4 le4 mei3 yi1 tian1
[I] hope that you will be happy every day.


So, to all my dear visitors, I wish you all happiness every day as well.

Cantonese Input (dot com)

Cantonese Input is a website that was created to allow its users to input Cantonese text via the web browser. This site is important because Cantonese input is different compared to Mandarin input, which has widely accepted means of input such as pinyin. Apparently, it was created and is maintained by a Hong Kong resident.

I think that I may find a use for this website one day. I wonder if there is a website that does the opposite of what Cantonese Input does? Meaning, the website takes Cantonese text and outputs Romanized pronunciation.



Click here to visit Cantonese Input.

Working Tonight

Tonight I shall be working. Who knows what time I will end up with my work? It does not matter. Today is a very special day -- January 11th. And for that, there needs to be a special post. Today's post begins:

Love is such a beautiful thing.
In love, our minstrels will gladly sing
Firstly of love, and the joys it brings.
Everyone loves to hear wedding bells ring.
But oftentimes, love may sometimes fail,
Over trifling things -- so cry not a pail.
Over the hills and beyond shall we sail
Kept afloat by economies of scale.

I wish to wish my girlfriend happy birthday! She's getting smarter with each passing year, and she grows more and more lovely too. (Visit her page if you don't know for sure.)

Since it is also a new year, I suppose it would be appropriate to learn some new stuff. So, I append some "good advice" below, translated from Mandarin. (Sourced from a newspaper article in 2006, but transliterated and translated by me. All error is mine, all praise goes to Dong Fang Ri Bao!)

• 《压力是一个信使，耐心地倾听他。》
  ya1 li4 shi1 yi1 ge4 xin4 shi3, nai4 xin1 di4 qing1 ting1 ta1
  Pressure is a messenger, patiently heed its message.


• 《把压力作为一种挑战，你的竞争能力将会增加。》
  ba3 ya1 li4 zuo4 wei4 yi1 zhong3 tiao3 zhan4, ni3 de jing4 zheng1 neng2 li4 jiang1 hui4 zeng1 jia1
  Treat pressures as a challenge, your competitive abilities will increase.


• 《生活中每个事件的后面，都隐含著益处。》
  sheng1 huo2 zhong1 mei3 ge4 shi4 jian4 de hou4 mian4, dou4 yin3 han2 zhu4 yi4 chu1.
  Behind every incident in life, there is outstanding benefit.


• 《不要拿自己和别人比较，你是独特的。》
  bu4 yao4 na2 zi1 ji3 he2 bie2 ren2 bi3 jiao4, ni3 shi1 du2 te2 de.
  Don't compare yourself with others, you are unique.


• 《不要重复你过去的错误，过去是一张作废的支票。》
  bu4 yao4 zhong4 fu4 ni3 guo4 qu4 de cuo4 wu4, guo4 qu4 shi1 yi1 zhang1 zuo4 fei4 de zhi1 piao4.
  Don't repeat your past mistakes, the past is an invalid cheque.


• 《不要忧虑将来，将来是一张期要。》
  bu4 yao4 you1 lu4 jiang1 lai2, jiang1 lai2 shi1 yi1 zhang1 qi1 yao4
  Don't worry about the future, the future is unavoidable. (not very sure about this one, actually)


• 《不要嫉妒，应当满足。》
  bu4 yao4 ji2 du4, ying1 dang1 man3 zu2.
  Don't be envious, but be satisfied.


• 《不要高傲，放弃自大。》
  bu4 yao4 gao1 'ao4, fang4 qi4 zi1 da4.
  Don't be arrogant, renounce self-importance (ego).


• 《这个世界是个人舞台，不要由于悲哀和痛苦而感到不安。》
  zhe4 ge shi4 jie4 shi1 ge4 ren2 wu3 tai2, bu4 yao4 you2 yu2 bei1 ai1 he tong4 ku3 er2 gan3 dao4 bu4 an1.
  This world is everybody's stage, don't become unsettled (not peaceful) due to sorrow and suffering.


• 《空余时间帮助别人，你的焦虑很快会被忘记。》
  kong1 yu2 shi2 jian1 bang1 zhu4 bie2 ren2, ni3 de jiao1 lu4 hen3 kuai4 hui4 bei4 wang4 ji4.
  Help others in your free time, your worries will soon be forgotten.


• 《当你有病和面临问题之时，应当快乐，把它简单当成付清过去的欠款而已。》
  dang1 ni3 you3 bing4 he2 mian4 lin2 wen4 ti2 zhi1 shi2, ying1 dang1 kuai4 le4, ba3 ta1 jian3 dan1 dang1 cheng2 fu4 qing1 guo4 qu4 de qian4 kuan3 er2 yi3.
  When you have illness and face problems, be happy, keep it simple and treat it as paying for your past debts.


• 《批评是推动你前进的一种（动力），要把批评当成是一种祝愿。》
  pi1 ping2 shi1 tui1 dong4 ni3 qian2 jin4 de yi1 zhong3 (dong4 li4), yao4 ba3 pi1 ping2 dang1 cheng2 shi1 yi1 zhong3 zhu4 yuan4.
  Criticism is a kind of motivation that spurs you to progress, treat criticism as a good intention.


• 《不要在背后批评他人。》
  bu4 yao4 zai4bei4 hou4 pi1 ping2 ta1 ren2.
  Don't criticise people behind their back.


• 《不要想著复仇，应当宽恕和忘记。》
  bu4 yao4 xiang3 zhu4 fu4 chou2, ying1 dang1 kuan1 shu4 he2 wang4 ji4.
  Don't wish for outstanding revenge, but forgive and forget.


• 《把快乐给别人，永远不要给别人痛苦。》
  ba3 kuai4 le4 gei3 bie2 ren2, yong3 yuan3 bu4 yao4 gei3 bie2 ren2 tong4 ku3.
  Always give happiness to others, never give others pain and suffering.


• 《观察你的心思，控制思想的流动，不要有浪费的思想。》
  guan1 cha2 ni3 de xin1 si1, kong4 zhi4 si1 xiang3 de liu2 dong4, bu4 yao4 you3 lang4 fei4 de si1 xiang3.
  Observe your thoughts, control the flow of thoughts, don't waste your thoughts.


• 《笑声是减压的解药，笑你自己的错误，请不要笑别人的错。》
  xiao4 sheng1 shi1 jian3 ya1 de jie3 yao4, xiao4 ni3 zi4 ji3 de cuo4 wu4, qing3 bu4 yao4 xiao4 bie2 ren2 de cuo4.
  Laughter is a remedy to reduce stress, laugh at your own mistakes, but please don't laugh at other people's mistakes.


• 《把你所有的焦虑投降给上苍，保持放松。》
  ba3 ni3 suo3 you3 de jiao1 lu4 tou2 xiang2 gei3 shang4 cang1, bao3 chi2 fang4 song1.
  Surrender all your worries to God, stay relaxed (keep cool).


• 《每天练习静坐15分，将会带给你心灵和身体上的祥和，喜悦和放松。》
  mei3 tian1 lian4 xi2 jing4 zuo4 15 fen1, jiang1 hui4 dai4 gei3 ni3 xin1 ling2 he2 shen1 ti3 shang4 xiang2 he2, xi3 yue4 he2 fang4 song1.
  Practice sitting quietly every day for 15 minutes, it will give you quick-wittedness and your body health, happiness and relaxation.

Learning Mandarin...

Some links, for those who would like to learn Mandarin.

1. ChinesePod.com
   This must be the most significant discovery for me -- at least, for this month. Learning Mandarin takes a new level, with this online radio show, where every podcast is a self-contained lesson!
   
   The lessons are prepared according to different levels of difficulty -- beginner, intermediate, and advanced. A transcript of the show (which includes translations!) in PDF format is available for paying customers. The office is based in Shanghai, China. All in all, a very lively and likeable show! I've downloaded a few episodes and especially enjoy the banter. Click HERE.


2. Learn Chinese Pod
   This second online podcast, could have been as great as ChinesePod.com -- except that its founder has stopped updating his/her site. Strange. But, at least the old links are still working. Click HERE.


3. PodLook.com
   
   This site, in Mandarin, lists various Mandarin/Chinese language podcasts. Well worth a look, in order to discover that "new fascination" (podcasting) through Chinese eyes. Click HERE


4. Firefly-Serenity Chinese Pinyinary
   This site is apparently dedicated to the Mandarin dialogue in the Firefly television series by 20th Century Fox Film Corp. and the Serenity movie by Universal Studios. You can access the site's contents either via by story or by phrase

It is hoped, this post may help other learners of Mandarin.

Translating Chinese SMS to English

Here's a service that I hoped I could get here in Malaysia. I even mooted this idea to my close friends but of course, I got the response that it would need quite a bit of investment! Well, maybe in another lifetime. But, when I searched the net, I was surprised to find that M1 in Singapore already had this service.

Link: Singapore M1's Chinese SMS Translation Service [link]

I'm wondering if there are any similar services in Malaysia?

I also found a subscription based service (coupled with a J2ME application) called Transclick.

Link: TransClick [link]

Interestingly enough, here is a shareware program for bulk sending of SMS from your PC. It should be an offence in due course, of course, because its nature will be akin to spam. But for the curious amongst us, here is the link.

Link: BulkSMS [link]

You may find this worth reading as well. [link]

Year Of The Boar -- Rounding 'Em Up

The Year of the Boar is upon us! This Chinese horoscope has interesting factoids which I believe I would like to note down for a good reason. Perhaps half a year from now, we could see how true these predictions are. Of course, as Christians, we are told to avoid the supernatural, and I've been to a church where the pastor told the congregation that "Christians should avoid Feng Shui!"

Without further ado:

1. This year marks the 4705th year in the Chinese calendar.¹

2. The boar is the last of the 12 animals in the Chinese horoscope.²

3. The elements for this year will be earth and wood.³

4. Industries that will benefit will be real estate, construction and paper-related business. However, it will be wise to avoid stocks and bonds. ⁴

5. Metal is a weak element this year. Money lending institutions like banks and insurance companies will suffer. ⁵

6. Fire related stocks such as restaurants and steelmakers should face a downturn as well. ⁶

7. Horses will need to focus on study, research and planning in order to enjoy a successful year. Also, horses should develop leadership skills and "get the right help". ⁷

8. Boars will have to exercise restraint and diplomacy to avoid unnecessary arguments. A picture of a tiger may help resolve tension with other people. ⁸

9. Rams will have promotions. They should not get involved in other people's disputes. They will feel empty and need to find something to devote themselves to. ⁹

10. Rabbits will spend a lot of money on family needs but have to restrain spending as their income will not increase. 1951-born metal rabbits will face stress in career and money. ¹⁰

11. Rats will have a mixed bag. It is a good year for getting married, starting relationships and having a baby. Deceitful affairs could happen. Risky partnerships could mean losing big money. ¹¹

12. The Lunar New Year is observed by Chinese, Taiwanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Tibetans and Mongolians. ¹²

13. Cleaning the house on the first few days is prohibited to avoid sweeping away the good luck. ¹³

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
References

1. "Asians prepare for 4705 -- it's year of the boar", Orlando Sentinel, Feb 16th 2007. ^link

2. "Year of the Boar bodes well for property sector", Business Times (Malaysia), Feb 17th 2007. ^link
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.

7. "Who rules your Chinese horoscope?", The Examiner (San Francisco), Feb 16 2007. ^link
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. Ibid.

12. "Welcome, Year of the Boar", Delaware Online ^link
13. Ibid.