Anthologia Planudea 230 = Leonidas of Tarentum (fl. 3rd cent. BCE) Traveler, do not drink here, in this sheep-country, From this hot torrent-water, teeming with mud. But go a little distance over the peak where cows graze, Yonder beside that pine tree shepherds haunt, And you will find, gurgling through rock of fine fountains, A stream that is colder than the North Wind’s snow.    μὴ σὺ γ᾽ ἐπ᾽ οἰονόμοιο περίπλεον ἰλύος ὧδε τοῦτο χαραδραίης θερμόν, ὁδῖτα, πίῃς: ἀλλὰ μολὼν μάλα τυτθὸν ὑπὲρ δαμαλήβοτον ἄκραν κεῖσέ γε πὰρ κείνᾳ ποιμενίᾳ πίτυϊ εὑρήσεις κελαρύζον ἐϋκρήνου διὰ πέτρης νᾶμα, Βορειαίης ψυχρότερον νιφάδος.

What is the difference between 上手(じょうず/jyoozu )and 得意(とくい/tokui)?

Both means “good at”.

But 上手 is used for reputation/complaints. So it’s used for someone not myself.

得意 is used with confidence/prides. So you can use it to yourself and someone else.

But I have to say something…

Japan has a culture of modesty. Therefore when you say 得意 to yourself, sometimes it sounds brag. If Job interview or something, then okay.

😃😃😃 @tomoe_sensei Plz check my website from profile!

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Literally: A flower has no front or back

Meaning: It’s no problem (that your back is to me)

의태어 and 의성어 are perhaps my favorite aspects of the Korean language as it lends an air of fun to a language that can be frustrating most of the time.

의성어 is the Korean word for onomatopoeia, or a word that imitates a sound. Examples of this in English would the tinkling of a bell or the booming of a cannon.

Five examples in Korean:

쨍그랑-clinking, jingling 주머니를 뒤집었더니 몇 동전들이 바닥에 쨍그랑 떨어졌다.

아삭아삭-crunching sound when eating something crisp 나무에서 사과를 따서 아삭아삭 소리를 내며 먹었다.

쩝쩝-eating noisily, smacking one’s lips 먹방을 하는 사람들이 쩝쩝 먹는 모습이 싫어서 그런 동영상을 못 본다.

새근새근-quietly, peacefully, usually used to describe a sleeping baby’s breathing 퇴근 후에 몸이 너무 지쳐서 집으로 가는 길에 지하철에서 새근새근 잤다.

깔깔-loud, raucous laughter 아들이 개그콘서트를 보면서 깔깔 웃었다.

의태어 are mimetic words that imitate a person’s or object’s shape or movement.  For example, 더듬더듬 is a Korean mimetic word used to describe something that is faltering, stumbling over, or groping for: 더듬더듬 말하다, to speak stammeringly. 

Another example that would be more familiar to K-pop fans:

너무 반짝반짝 눈이 부셔 with 반짝반짝 being a mimetic word for “twinkling”, here describing how someone’s eyes shine.

More examples in Korean:

기웃기웃-snooping, peeping 모르는 사람이 우리 집앞을 기웃기웃 거려서 무슨 일이냐고 했더니 말없이 가 버렸다.

수근수근/수군수군-in a whisper 내가 수업을 가르치는 동안 학생들이 계속 수근수근 서로 이야기를 누눠서 학생들을 혼냈다.

헐레벌떡-hurriedly, rushed 그 남자가 계단으로 헐레벌떡 내려가다가 넘어졌다.

후다닥-quickly, nimbly 나는 시간이 없었지만 너무 배가 고파서 간단한 식사를 후다닥 만들었다.

울그락불그락-the change in expression when one is agitated 헤어지자고 하는 말을 듣고 나서 남자가 울그락불그락 표정이 바뀌었다.

방긋방긋-a beaming smile 아기가 엄마를 보자마자 방긋방긋 웃었다.

Hello everyone! To celebrate this blog reaching 100 followers (wow!) I decided to provide, to anyone who is interested, a masterpost full of resources for learning Mandarin Chinese! Two years ago, I walked in to my CHI 101 class with zero knowledge of the language, and four semesters later, I am able to read, write, and hold a conversation in Mandarin! In this masterpost, I will provide all the resources and techniques I learned in my university classes that helped me learn Mandarin, as well a free PDF copy of the textbook I used for my CHI 101 and CHI 102 class!  [original gif by: bigblueboo]

个 gè: for people, abstract things and objects | Ex: 我有一个老师。

口 kǒu: for family people | Ex: 我家有四口人。

只 zhī: for animals | Ex: 我爸爸家有三只狗。

条 tiáo: for long and narrow things | Ex: 她有两条鱼。

张 zhāng: for flat things | Ex: 教室里有五张桌子。

把 bǎ: for objects that can be grasped by hand | Ex: 我房间里有一把椅子。

本 běn: for books | Ex: 桌子上有四本书。

支 zhī: for long and thin things | Ex: 笔袋里有一支笔。

家 jiā: for establishments (house, hotel …) | Ex: 我哥哥开了一家公司。

块 kuài: for portions or pieces | Ex: 来吃块西瓜吧。

岁 suì: for years (old) | Ex: 我今年40岁。

棵 kē: for trees | Ex: 这棵树又高又大。

台 tái: for machines | Ex: 这台电脑是新买的。

双 shuāng: for pairs | Ex: 一双筷子。

辆 liàng: for vehicles | Ex: 一辆汽车。

篇 piān: for articles and texts | Ex: 这篇报道是我写的。  

节 jié: for time periods | Ex: 我们下午只有一节课。

Today’s traditional Korean houses (한옥: 한 ‘韓’ Korea, 옥 '屋’ house) are not exactly representative of the old Hanoks you could find during the Joseon dynasty. It is hard today to find a genuine, traditional Hanok in Korea, in part due to the rapid changes bought to the country by the 90s modernization movement.

The term “Hanok” 한옥 is actually a broad term that can refer to all kinds of ancient Korean houses (초가집, 너와집 or 기와집, etc. are all Hanoks), but the most famous ones are the types that can be found in the Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을) in Seoul.

Despite what most people think, all Hanoks do not look like the ones in the picture above. The famous Hanoks with the grey roof tiles were the ones reserved to aristocratic families, or Yangban (양반).

Commoners, or pyeongmin (평민) lived in small cottages with straw-thatched roofs, also called choga (초가집), pictured above. They were usually small and consisted of a single building where everyone lived.

*Picture of a 마루: always open on the outside, it was placed at the center of the traditional house. (daecheongmaru 대청마루: name given to the main 마루)

According to Confucian principles, it was separated into two living quarters by a maru 마루*: the anbang 안방 and the sarangbang 사랑방. The 안방 was the living quarters of the men of the house, while the 사랑방 was the living quarters of the women. The 사랑방 was generally further back, close to the kitchen and far from the main entrance (대문), because it was men, as the householders, who were supposed to welcome guests.

*Yellow floor in a room using 온돌

Each house was equipped with ondol 온돌 or gudeul 구들, a heating system hidden under the floor (which is the reason why ancient Korean houses were elevated on wooden piles). Some modern Korean houses have kept this system today, and you can easily recognize those who do thanks to their typical yellow floors* (which is actually oiled paper).

*누마루: 마루 elevated on wooden piles used during the summer

In the summer, when it was too hot to use 온돌, peope gathered on a 마루 elevated on wooden piles, called numaru 누마루*: the wind rushing under the floor acted as the opposite of 온돌 and helped people stay cool during the hot summer.

Buildings of an aristocratic house

In aristocratic houses, floors were never added — instead, different buildings were built to welcome different rooms of the house. This way, the 안방 and the 사랑방 had buildings of their own: they were then called anchae 안채 and sarangchae 사랑채, and each had their own 대청마루.

Some aristocratic houses were so big they looked like small cities inside of a city. Here are some of the buildings – aside from the 안채 and 사랑채 – that you could find:

— 마당 garden (뒷마당 backyard, 안마당 courtyard, 사랑마당 garden of the men’s living quarters)

— the main gate 대문 generally leads directly to the 행랑채 (pronounced haengnangche), the living quarters of servants, staff or guests. (In this picture, it is separated by an inner gate 중문.)

— 곳간채 place to store grains (at a time where money wasn’t used in Korea, grains were a symbol of wealth and was the preferred currency). Often close to the 안채 because women were supposed to take care of it. Next to the 곳간채 is the 방앗간 (the mill).

— 사당 (also called 가묘): ancestral shrine, the place where people go to do the ancestral rites (차례). Inside, 4 ancestral tablets (위패) were dedicated to the last four late males of the family (father, grandfather, great-grandfater, great-great-grandfather). The 사당 was supposed to be elevated compared to the rest of the house and occupied a very important part (the position of the rest of the house depends on the position of the 사당).

— 측간 toilet shed (the toilets were always separated from the rest of the house in an outside cabin).

Other rooms possible not pictured here:

— 별당 other building, could have a lot of different use depending on the needs (study room, living quarters for one’s parents…)

— 건넌방 (lit. the opposite room), room reserved for old people or children, often placed in front of the 대청마루 of the women’s quarters 안채.

*담 or 담장, walls used to separate the house from the outside, as well as the 안채 from the 사랑채

All of those buildings were surrounded by a wall called dam 담 (or damjang 담장). It is mostly thanks to those that it is easy to recognize an ancient Hanok from a recent one. On the left picture, we can see an ancient Hanok, with its uneven stones, while on the right, a modern 담 with straight and even stones.

Constitution of a Hanok

서까래 rafters

대들보 ridgepole, pillar

용마루 ridge of the roof

처마 eaves (추녀 corner of the eaves)

潰れる　「つぶれる」　To be crushed, to become useless 縺れる　「もつれる」 To get entangled 祈る　「いのる」To pray, to wish 商う 「あきなう」 To trade in (commercial goods), to sell 示す　「しめす」　To show、to demonstrate 挟まる　「はさまる」 to be caught (inbetween) 漂わす　「ただよわす」to set adrift, to let loose 腰かける 「こしかける」 to sit down 行き交う　「ゆきかう」To come and go

眺める 「ながめる」 to look at, to stare at 溢れる　「あふれる」 to overflow, to flood

1. 정신을 차리다 - to come to oneself

2. 사간을 낭비하다 - to waste time

3. 계획을 세우다 - to make a plan

4. 산더미 -  pile (of), mountain (of)

5. 쌓이다 - to pile up, to stack up

6. 산더미처럼 쌓이다 - to have a lot of work