URLLesson Introduction
Thought of as 'petite' in your homeland, as you browse the corner shoe store, you are alarmed to find that the only thing you can get your dainty foot into is a florescent orange counterfeit men's 'Croc' clog. Things aren't looking up anytime soon, so listen to this podcast to learn how to ask for your size in Chinese, and to accept the fact that your fruitless quest will end nowhere but in dishwasher-safe footwear.
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mikenotinjubei says
August 26, 2008
Are those by chance Jenny and Ken's shoes?
Don't knock the crocs. My wife hates them but in Tokyo they are really nice for slipping into when I need to go across the street to the convience store.
btw- in the expansion section is this a dumbing down when "46" matches with "46"?
jennyzhu says
August 26, 2008
mikeinjubei,
Those would have been my shoes if I lived in feudalistic China. Foot binding was a hallmark of the dark ages in China.
misterjess says
August 26, 2008
how about size 43, are they widely available in china?
mikenotinjubei says
August 26, 2008
Hi Jenny
Its just you seem like a shiny patent leather shoe kind of girl from my days long ago in very strict Catholic Schools and all the girls had to wear them.
And as you mentioned your mother kept your feet from going out of control. I sense like your feet, you rarely go out of control.
johns says
August 26, 2008
For shoe conversions see:
http://www.i18nguy.com/l10n/shoes.html
Size 46 is a size 12 in the US. Jenny (36) is a dainty size 6.
chris says
August 26, 2008
Hi all,
I have a grammar question that is probably above Newbie level (apologies) but it is in an area I still struggle to grasp.
Is the "de" at the end of the first sentence part of the "shi4.......de" pattern - just with the initial "shi4" omitted? Or is it a possessive particle, i.e. indicating the "size of something" (the something being clear from the context as being shoes). So, could we also say:
"ni3 chuan1 duo1da4 de xie2zi"?
Thanks, Chris
amber says
August 26, 2008
misterjess,
I'm told size 43 for men is available in China.
chanelle77 says
August 26, 2008
For the ladies: I'm a size 39 in Europe (7.5 US, 5 UK) and I can buy shoes in China, I haven't seen much 39+ sizes though.
amber says
August 26, 2008
hi chris,
The 的 “de” in this sentence modifies the noun. However, in this case, the noun was omitted, since the speakers know what is being spoken of.
多大+的+鞋子
Duōdà + de + xiézi
Here is another example of the pattern:
这里有两个苹果，你吃大的 (苹果)，我吃小的 (苹果)。
Zhèlǐ yǒu liǎng ge píngguǒ，nǐ chī dà de (píngguǒ)，wǒ chī xiǎode (píngguǒ).
baillies says
August 26, 2008
Hi Chris
I think this lesson is also relevant http://chinesepod.com/lessons/colored-balls/discussion. Amber please correct me if I am wrong.
I also have trouble buying shoes and Jackets in both HK and China.
changye says
August 26, 2008
Chinese people, as well as Japanese, seem to be skilled in miniaturizing things. 缠足 (chan2 zu2, foot-binding) might be translated as “Bonsai-foot”…hehe. There is probably not 缠足 anymore in China, but you can still see a slightly similar custom here in northeast China. When a Chinese mother horses a baby on her back, the lower part of the baby are usually tightly blanketed to help the legs grow straight. My mother should have done this for me!
steeley says
August 27, 2008
My shoes are size 48 and they were made in China, but I don't think I should expect to buy a spare pair when I visit.
jennyzhu says
August 27, 2008
My retail savior is taobao. They have everything in everything size under the sun.
chris says
August 27, 2008
Thanks Amber and Baillies - got it now!
steeveepee33 says
August 27, 2008
How would you ask to try it on and see how it fits?
agentchuck says
August 27, 2008
Heh. He got mei3you3'd.
light487 says
August 27, 2008
This lesson brings up an interesting point of reference for lessons. There's a lot of lessons showing how native speakers interact with each other and that is great because it gives us non-natives an insight into how the language is spoken between native speakers. I'd also like to see the point of reference from where there are non-native speakers interacting with native speakers.
Nice simple but effective lesson on asking sizes though.
miami_meiguoren says
August 27, 2008
ive never heard of that Jenny....
mothers buying shoes too small for you.
and your feet still are a size 36.
i guess it didnt work
calkins says
August 27, 2008
I wonder where Yao Ming got his shoes when he was growing up :)
There are a couple errors in the Exercise 2 section. Questions 4 and 7 (traditional hanzi only) are missing the blank line.
amber says
August 27, 2008
hi steeveepee,
'Can I try it on?':
可以试一下吗？
Kěyǐ shì yīxià ma?
billgloveruk says
Amber, I couldn't think of a better way to phrase this, but why exactly does the noun need modifying? Is this literally: you how big [of] shoes?August 27, 2008
amber says
August 27, 2008
hi billglover,
It's to give more information about the noun. In this case, how big of a shoe.
pinkjeans says
August 28, 2008
Correct me if I'm wrong, but 算了 (suàn lė) to me has an expression of displeasure, whereas if one really wanted to appear gracious about a disappointment, he or she would say 没关系 (méi guān xì). Or is it the tone in which you say the latter that makes the difference?
billgloveruk says
August 28, 2008
Thanks Amber will try and remember that one.
bazza says
August 28, 2008
I love Crocs and I'm faithful to the geniune ones.
I got some 'All Terrain' ones today. :)
orkelm says
August 28, 2008
I wear size 44. When I was in shopping in Shanghai not only was I able to find 44s, but it was great practice in tones! Repeating "shi si shi si" a million times cracked me up, as I'm sure it did the store owners too!
drmmhmd says
August 28, 2008
okay, newbies, (的, de, of) is a signal to show that the preceding word is adjectival to the noun de prededes. The grammatical equation is (Adjective + de + noun)
China has big person clothing and shoe stores, jst as Canada has "Gilbert's Big and Tall" and there is one for fat and tall chicks too.
amber says
August 28, 2008
hi pinkjeans,
Yes, 没关系 (méi guānxi) is more polite-sounding for sure.
reanne says
August 29, 2008
Great lesson. I was always amused how persistant the shopattendents were that they could find a shoe that would fit me. I'm 5'7 and wear a women 10 US (thats like a 42 I think in European size?). Finding clothes that would fit me was nearly impossible, so I rarely even bothered with shoes. The only reason I ended up in shoe stores was I was with my (much smaller) friends. I tried my best to tell them that that I was 太大, but they still tried anyways.
However I did buy a pair of very cool red & black Converse while I was in China. So its not totally impossible, just certainly difficult.
nebert says
August 29, 2008
This was a very practical lesson. I now know for sure when i visit China, bring ALL the shoes i need...(i am a petite size 11...)
user568 says
August 30, 2008
Why is 没有 (méiyǒu) written in pinyin with out a space, and 多大 (duō dà) is written with a space between the characters?
changye says
August 30, 2008
Hi user568,
I envy you for having good eyesight. I guess that whether or not put a space is somewhat arbitrary, but it basically depends on the adhesiveness between characters.
And therefore, you can find the word “没有” in a dictionary since it’s commonly regarded as one word, but not “多大”, probably because it’s one of some varieties such as 多高, 多重, and 多宽.
Let me reiterate, it’s a bit arbitrary, so I wouldn’t put a space between 多 and 大. It’s just a matter of feeling, I presume. Please don’t ask me why there is no space between 算 and 了!
user23050 says
August 31, 2008
As Amber suggested the 'Golden Lotus' still lives
in Chinese mom's psychic.
The high heel shoe is not only to appear taller, but,
also gives the impression of the ideal 'two inch lotus' when viewed from above. This ideal, incidently, last from the Song, thru Qing.
Two interested books on this subject: Aching for Beauty, Wang Ping, and,The Three Inch Golden Lotus, Feng Jicai.
But Western men need not feel neglected, remembering women of the 1880's willing to lose two lower ribs, to accentuate a small waist; and the rear end amplifying 'bustle'.
Xinggan, shi...
bababardwan says
September 22, 2008
Jenny,
Thanks for your cultural insights.I greatly enjoy hearing what you have to say.I was surprised to hear you say "especially girls" in reference to foot binding.My meagre knowledge of Chinese culture would have led me to believe this was only done in girls.Can I infer from what you have said that it is sometimes done in boys too??
Ken's comments in this podcast were as always hilarious.A natural comedian.
amber says
September 22, 2008
hi bababrdwan,
Foot binding was only done for girls, not boys.
programmeroo says
October 7, 2008
I'm not sure if Jenny really wanted to use the term "shoe fetish" in the introduction. It seemed weird to me.
Here's a description from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe_fetishism