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Posts: 1989

Peasant

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Q: Do you lie about how long you've studied chinese to save face?

I've studied for a long time, and my Chinese is still not wonderful. After receiving countless disapproving looks from people after telling them how long I've studied, I've started cutting that time in half and people react much differently.

 

Anyone else do this?

11 years 15 weeks ago in  Teaching & Learning - China

 
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Posts: 2578

Emperor

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YES !!!  Should've took on German before this flipping language.

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11 years 15 weeks ago
 
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Emperor

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how can you possibly save face by lying? which is worse, being a liar or being someone who happens to not find the Chinese language easy? 

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11 years 15 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1693

Emperor

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No. Most people I've encountered have about as good as English skills as I do in Chinese, which isn't saying much.

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11 years 15 weeks ago
 
Posts: 2310

Shifu

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I always say the truth - never study Chinese, just learn to talk by the way...

They say I am great, but i know they don't mean I am great, even I know I am not Laughing out loud.

You know what, my son is going to be 3y.o. and his biggest success in learning Chinese is coming from ... Mickey Mouse . even my wife is often surprised, how well he is using words and sentences, which she did not teach him Smile

Scandinavian:

hey, what Mickey Mouse shows is your son watching. I was a big fan as a child, so maybe .....

11 years 15 weeks ago
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Nessquick:

Its the Mickey's clubhouse series. they have also in chinese lang online. I got some parts in English and Czech, but as vpn is down now, i can not get more from YT :)

11 years 15 weeks ago
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11 years 15 weeks ago
 
Posts: 2604

Shifu

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I just say I teach myself....don't get too many bad looks! surprise

tomcatflyer:

What!!! Your parents did not teach you after you were born in the glorious PRC.

11 years 15 weeks ago
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11 years 15 weeks ago
 
Posts: 19790

Emperor

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People in China tell me : 'You should learn some Chinese!'

 

I: 'I know, butt...I am very busy teacher. I learn Chinese mostly through interaction with my students!'

 

I don't really have time for daily sit downs with the book. I cannot read Chinese characters, so my way of learning is 'easy way out'. I can speak or understand very basic Chinese.

No 'saving of anything' here!no

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11 years 15 weeks ago
 
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Emperor

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I don't speak Chinese. I haven't studied Chinese. I don't lie about anything to save face. wink

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11 years 15 weeks ago
 
Posts: 4

Governor

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Constantly. I've studied for almost six years, but not regularly (started in college), but I just say I studied for one year (because that's how long I've studied at my university). I can't even bring myself to say 6 years if someone asks. My speaking is about a 2 out of 10.

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11 years 15 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1968

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My spoken Chinese is atrocious or at  least they tell me so.  As I wrote elsewhere here on another post, they always complain that I sound like a Japanese person when I speak Chinese and since I am not Japanese I am confused on this point.  Perhaps, however, it is because I lived in Japan for some years and acquired a very decent level of Japanese.  Who knows in the end?  But lie about it -- no never, in the end what's the difference -- we are laowai and laowai are expected not to master Chinese, save that Canadian dude in Beiing.

 

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11 years 15 weeks ago
 
Posts: 981

Shifu

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I do sometimes - just a bit.  Thing is it does get embarrassing if you've been here a while and are still on ni hao.

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11 years 12 weeks ago
 
Posts: 8

Governor

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Even Chinese can't speak mandarin well with their dialect involving. It is hard for me to spill "L" and "N". It is not embarrassing(I always convince myself like they are not even perfect smiley)..

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11 years 12 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1932

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WHAT'S THAT XIAO LIN? YOU SAY YOUR CHINESE IS ATROCIOUS? 

 

BUT HERE:

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/4104/holy2.png

YOU SAY THAT YOU WORK FOR A CHINESE NEWSPAPER AND YOU SPECIFY THAT YOU WRITE IN CHINESE. WHAT'S THE DEALIE-O XIAO LIN?

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11 years 12 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1932

Emperor

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BUT IT'S STILL GOOD TO HEAR YOU NEVER LIE I GUESS YOU ARE AN HONEST GUY IN THE END, XIAO LIN

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11 years 12 weeks ago
 
Posts: 660

Shifu

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I dont lie about it, there is no reason to.

 

99% of us moved here for various reasons without knowing any chinese at all. I think I knew two words before I came "xie xie" ... damnit that is only one word twice. But in the end, we all moved to a foreign place with a language whose roots are not the roots of our mother language, so we were babies in the language sense. But we all learned how to communicate in other ways and generally get by just fine.

 

Yes, living in another country I think we should attempt at studying some of the language, which we all do, but to various degrees. If you came to study the language than its different for someone coming because their company sent them here for a short-to-extended stay.

 

I should have better speaking skills but I dont study enough. We learn what we need to get by unless we are learning for future aspirations. It would be the same if you dropped a chinese person in the middle of Nebraska, they would learn what they need to get by so they can go about their life.

 

Fluency in a language doesnt come easy for anyone from any country, and the amount of time dedicated to studying depends on their reason for being in a foreign place

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11 years 12 weeks ago
 
Posts: 783

Shifu

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No

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11 years 12 weeks ago
 
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  I avoid telling the whole truth, which is that I started studying Chinese about ten years ago, because my speaking level is little better than that of a 6 year old. It's embarrassing.

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11 years 12 weeks ago
 
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