Using Verb Tenses in Chinese

Using Verb Tenses in Chinese Western languages such as English have several ways to express tense. The most common are verb conjunctions which change the form of the verb depending on the time frame. For example, the English verb eat can be changed to ate for past actions and eating for current actions. Mandarin Chinese does not have any verb conjugations. All verbs have a single form. For example, the verb for eat is Ã¥ Æ' (chÄ «), which can be used for the past, present, and future. Despite the lack of Mandarin verb conjugations, there are other ways to express timeframes in Mandarin Chinese. State the Date The simplest way to  clarify which tense you are speaking in is to directly state the time expression (like today, tomorrow, yesterday) as part of the sentence. In Chinese, this is usually at the beginning of the sentence. For example: æ˜ ¨Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã¥ Æ'è ± ¬Ã¨â€šâ€°Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¦Ëœ ¨Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã¥ Æ'çÅ' ªÃ¨â€šâ€°Ã£â‚¬â€šZuà ³tiÄ n wÇ’ chÄ « zhÃ… « rà ²u.Yesterday I ate pork. Once the timeframe is established, it is understood and can be omitted from the rest of the conversation. Completed Actions The particle ä ºâ€  (le) is used to indicate that an action occurred in the past and has been completed. Like the time expression, it can be omitted once the timeframe has been established: (æ˜ ¨Ã¥ ¤ ©)我å Æ'è ± ¬Ã¨â€šâ€°Ã¤ ºâ€ Ã£â‚¬â€š(æ˜ ¨Ã¥ ¤ ©)我å Æ'çÅ' ªÃ¨â€šâ€°Ã¤ ºâ€ Ã£â‚¬â€š(Zuà ³tiÄ n) wÇ’ chÄ « zhÃ… « rà ²u le.(Yesterday) I ate pork. The particle ä ºâ€  (le) can also be used for the immediate future, so be careful of its usage and be sure to understand both functions. Past Experience When you have done something in the past, this action can be described with the verb-suffix  Ã© Å½ / è ¿â€¡ (guà ²). For example, if you want to say that you have already seen the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (è‡ ¥Ã¨â„¢Å½Ã¨â€" Ã© ¾ /Ã¥  §Ã¨â„¢Å½Ã¨â€" Ã© ¾â„¢ - wà ² hÇ” cng long), you can say: 我å · ²Ã§ ¶â€œÃ§Å"‹é Å½Ã¨â€¡ ¥Ã¨â„¢Å½Ã¨â€" Ã© ¾ Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã¥ · ²Ã§ » Ã§Å"‹è ¿â€¡Ã¥  §Ã¨â„¢Å½Ã¨â€" Ã© ¾â„¢WÇ’ yÇ jÄ «ng kn guà ² wà ² hÇ” cng long. Unlike the particle ä ºâ€  (le), the verb suffix guà ² (é Å½ / è ¿â€¡) is used to talk about an unspecific past. If you want to say that you saw the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon yesterday, you would say: æ˜ ¨Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã§Å"‹è‡ ¥Ã¨â„¢Å½Ã¨â€" Ã© ¾ Ã¤ ºâ€ Ã¦Ëœ ¨Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã§Å"‹å  §Ã¨â„¢Å½Ã¨â€" Ã© ¾â„¢Ã¤ ºâ€ Zuà ³tiÄ n wÇ’ kn wà ² hÇ” cng là ³ng le. Completed Actions In The Future As mentioned above, the particle ä ºâ€  (le) can be used for the future as well as the past. When used with a time expression such as 明å ¤ © (mà ­ngtÄ «an - tomorrow), the meaning is similar to the English perfective. Take for instance: 明å ¤ ©Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã¥ ° ±Ã¤ ¼Å¡Ã¥Å½ »Ã¥  °Ã¥Å'â€"ä ºâ€ Ã¦ËœÅ½Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã¥ ° ±Ã¤ ¼Å¡Ã¥Å½ »Ã¥  °Ã¥Å'â€"ä ºâ€ Mà ­ngtiÄ n wÇ’ jià ¹ huà ¬ qà ¹ TibÄ›i le.Tomorrow I will have gone to Taipei. The near future is expressed with the combination of the particles è ¦  (yo - to intend); Ã¥ ° ± (jià ¹ - right away); or Ã¥ ¿ « (kui - soon) with the particle ä ºâ€  (le): 我è ¦ Ã¥Å½ »Ã¥  °Ã¥Å'â€"ä ºâ€ WÇ’ yo qà ¹ TibÄ›i le.Im just going to Taipei. Continuing Actions When an action is continuing to the present moment, the expressions æ ­ £Ã¥Å" ¨ (zhà ¨ngzi), æ ­ £ (zhà ¨ng) or Ã¥Å" ¨ (zi) can be used, along with the particle å‘ ¢ (ne) at the end of the sentence. This can look something like: 我æ ­ £Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¥ Æ'é £ ¯Ã¥â€˜ ¢WÇ’ zhà ¨ngzi chÄ «fn ne.I am eating. or 我æ ­ £Ã¥ Æ'é £ ¯Ã¥â€˜ ¢WÇ’ zhà ¨ng chÄ «fn ne.I am eating. or 我åÅ" ¨Ã¥ Æ'é £ ¯Ã¥â€˜ ¢WÇ’ zi chÄ «fn ne.I am eating. or 我å Æ'é £ ¯Ã¥â€˜ ¢WÇ’ chÄ «fn ne.I am eating. The continuative action phrase is negated with æ ² ¡ (mà ©i), and æ ­ £Ã¥Å" ¨ (zhà ¨ngzi) is omitted. The å‘ ¢ (ne), however, remains. For example: 我æ ² ¡Ã¥ Æ'é £ ¯Ã¥â€˜ ¢WÇ’ mà ©i chÄ «fn ne.I am not eating. Mandarin Chinese Tenses It is often said that Mandarin Chinese does not have any tenses. If tenses mean verb conjugation, this is true, since verbs in Chinese have an unchangeable form. However, as we can see in the above examples, there are many ways to express timeframes in Mandarin Chinese. The main difference in terms of grammar between Mandarin Chinese and European languages is that once a timeframe has been established in Mandarin Chinese, there is no longer any need for precision. This means sentences are constructed in simple forms without verb endings or other qualifiers. When talking to a native Mandarin Chinese speaker, Westerners may get confused with this lack of continuous precision. But this confusion arises from the comparison between English (and other Western languages) and Mandarin Chinese. Western languages require subject/verb agreements, without which the language will be glaringly wrong. Compare this with Mandarin Chinese, in which a simple statement can be in any timeframe, or express a question, or be an answer.

Getting through the most awkward interview moments

Getting through the most awkward interview moments At some point in your career, you’re going to have an awkward interview moment. It may be something you say; it may be coming from the interviewer; it could be anything. In the end, all you can do is laugh it off and hope for the best (or start working on the next opportunity), but there are also some strategies you can implement that can make things a little smoother in the meantime. 4 ways to ease interview awkwardness1. When you don’t know the answer to a questionYour brain is shouting, â€Å"Stall for time!† while you think about the answer to a question you don’t understand- or just plain don’t know. The problem is that the interviewer can tell that you’re a) stalling for time or b) bluffing your way through if you try to get around the answer. Your best bet is just to be honest.â€Å"I don’t know† isn’t a great response, but try framing it differently. â€Å"That’s a good question! Can you clarify what you m ean by the [X-Y-Z] process?†2. When you’re trying to avoid an elephant in the roomLet’s say you’re interviewing at Y Corp, and Y Corp just happens to be infamous for shady corporate behavior or poor reviews by former employees. You definitely don’t want to lead with that, but you might have legitimate concerns about what it would be like to work there. Instead of putting the interviewer on the defensive, try framing it as a question about what the culture is in the office, and whether the company is addressing some of the issues raised in public. If your query comes from a place that’s thoughtful and curious, rather than accusatory, it creates less friction with the interviewer.3. When you’re being asked about highly personal informationIt’s illegal for employers to hire (or not hire) based on factors like religion, family status, or ethnicity. So if you find yourself being asked questions about this (either directly or in an indirect way, like through small talk), you can redirect. You don’t have to come on strong, talking about legal employment statutes, but it’s okay to steer the conversation away.For example: if you think the interviewer is trying to figure out if you’re likely to have children in the near future, emphasize that you’re committed to the job as a priority, regardless of what is going on in your personal life.4. When you got fired from your last jobIt happens. Not every job ends with a seamless transition to the next one. If you’re trying to cover a firing (even if you were fired for something you did), it’s not necessarily a dealbreaker, and you should be prepared to talk about it. Practice your response ahead of time for a question like, â€Å"Why did you leave your last job?† or â€Å"Can you tell me about the circumstances when you left your last job?† Practicing it beforehand can decrease anxiety in the moment- a plan in place means you know exactly what to say. It can also help you modulate your tone, because you really don’t want to seem angry or defensive in front of a potential new employer.Be sure to limit your answer to just the pertinent info. If you find yourself inclined to start with, â€Å"Okay, here’s the story of what really happened. My boss was a total jerk, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  then it’s time to edit. Keep personal details and opinions out of it. And it’s fine to give a brief, one-or-two sentence discussion of what happened. The interviewer isn’t looking for a saga- just the basic understanding.And above all else- be positive. Even the worst situations can provide valuable learning opportunities, so you can say, â€Å"It was a challenge, but it taught me much more about how to handle a situation like this proactively and helped me refocus my energies on the skills I needed to build.†Being able to get through these awkward moments can make the difference between a failed interview and a saved one. Staying calm and talking through it can usually fix an embarrassing moment and hel p you get things back on track.

Modernization and revolution in China from the opium wars to world Essay

Modernization and revolution in China from the opium wars to world power - Essay Example This paper will discuss chapter 12 and the Fourth Generation.Shortly after Jiang Zemen and his 3rd generation of leaders took over power from Den Xiaopeng and other revolutionaries, China began to face a new political succession. Most of the 3rd generation were in their 70's at the time. The New Generation of leaders is important because when the Fourth Generation took over it changed everything including the top ministry level throughout the country. This was very much a cultural revolution. Unfortunately there are many things that we do not know as there have not been many studies related to this generation.This generation of leaders grew up believing in Mao. They later found that their idolism was shattered as they became better educated and began to understand the issues. They, however, acquired political skills as a habit of having a chance to think independently. This is a generation that on top of all of that has bore the burden of what is called the cultural generation as wel l as paying the cost of the reform movement. The reform is really two China's which is confusing to the rest of the world as well as the Chinese.Officially this is a nation of patriots not nationalists. The Party is the embodiment and object of patriotic sentiment. This is meant to make China strong and gain and hold its rightful place in the world. However, even with all of this happening, one must remember that the history of China is rooted in the earlier generations and official discourse. This is all very much linked to the Communist Party. The "Motherland" or China has had many periods in its history of invasion by foreign powers. Many lost their lives in these wars and there were many martyrs for the country. The Party used Marxism-Leninism to bring the country together. They used this to show the fate of the nation and its people and the same time point out the correct direction and path for strengthening their country and making it stronger economically. This has all proven to be quite successful. The success of the country now, of course, is because of the Party and it is centre in the economic development. This has all brought about a new generation of leadership which is called the Fourth generation. There are some pretty specific characteristics about this leadership group. Often called the "Cultural Revolution" generation. All experienced CR either as recent graduates or whilst still at university. Only Li Changchun temporarily involved in Red Guard activities, then neutral. Most avoided participation or were criticized for siding with the authorities. Few had studied or travelled overseas before rising to prominence - viz. Hu Jintao's recent visit to Europe and the eager anticipation surrounding his visit to US Experience of provinces, particularly some of China's poorest - Hu Jintao in Gansu, Guizhou and Tibet - Wen in Gansu - Li Changchun and Luo Gan in Henan. Focus on poverty/economic development - both evident for example in Wen's role in agriculture. Closely involved with economic reforms/associations with most reform-minded sections of CCP from 1980s - Hu Jintao headed the Chinese Communist Youth League, Wen Jiabao worked with Zhao Ziyang - Li Changchun's record in Liaoning where he authorized China's first bankruptcy and defended this policy against criticism. First post-revolutionary generation - will this lead them to place less emphasis on the glories of the Party's past/be less hide-bound by official ideology - Role of Central Party School/Organization Department in "Three representatives" campaign

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 9

Research paper - Essay Example The advent of video and the internet has made the porn business boom and generate billions of dollars in revenue (Boyle 8). The writer chose this particular subject to find out if the criticisms against pornography are valid. In addition, he wanted to discover if there are positive effects of watching pornography. The writer reviewed various scholarly peer-reviewed articles on pornography and its results to understand why the business has grown to such a size despite serious criticisms against it. Another objective was to increase the writers knowledge on the subject of pornography. This would enable him to make a personal, unbiased conclusion on the subject; whether the benefits outweigh the costs and vice versa. The pornography industry churns out over 13000 videos and generates revenue in the range of 10 billion and 14 billion dollars. The Free Speech Coalition is credited for the increased presence of pornography. Adult content has entered the society to such an extent that it has become unavoidable (Mikkola 316-320). It is a fact that pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry, just like weapons businesses and drug trafficking. Despite its huge profitability, most of the actresses are girls and women captured in war, kidnapped, sold by their parents, driven by poverty, violence and incest. They landed into the control of pimps, landlords, advertisers and law enforcers. These actresses are not well paid and the profits go to their "employers." Pornography categories have increased dramatically. Consumers, therefore, have a wide array to choose from and many end up liking a particular category more than the others. The main problem in figuring this point out is that there are very few actresses and producers who come out into the open to discuss how much on average a pornstar is paid (Fraterrigo 1262). It is claimed that pornography denies men the opportunity of being intimate in

Online Behavioral Targeting and Consumer Privacy Issues Essay Example for Free

Online Behavioral Targeting and Consumer Privacy Issues Essay Sophocles’ prolific writing has rarely produced a woman of such stern strength of character as â€Å"Antigone†. Inversely the comedy of Aristophanes â€Å"Lysistrat† was among the first to introduce a strong willed female protagonist, who is not a goddess. The treatment of both great writers differs in the fact that the backdrops and the moods are distinctly different. While Sophocles zeroed in on the sombre tragedy, Aristophanes chose to inject feminist revolt against domination through zestful comedy. From a gender perspective it is important to study the motives behind the actions of the lead characters in both the plays. There have been suicides and suicides in Greek tragedies (which almost define Greek tragedies). Sophocles’ Antigone commits suicide in the dark dungeon left to starve to death. But unlike the suicide of their mother Jocasta who decides to end her life when she learns that her marital relationship with Oedipus was incestuous, Antigone’s death is a defiant protest against the tyranny of her uncle Creon and an emphasis of her strongly held belief, that her brother should be accorded a proper burial. There have been few examples of valour from Greek women who defied the norms of either their contemporary society or their king for a symbolic gesture rather than a cause. In the case of Antigone it was the burial rights to one of her two dead brothers which drives her to go against the will of the ruler, Creon. â€Å"Antigone† begins after both the warring brothers have apparently killed each other and since Polynices revolted against the state and led an Argive army to overthrow his brother Eteocles, he is deemed to be a sinner against the state. Thus Creone, brother of Jocasta, who becomes the ruler decrees his body to be deprived of proper burial rites to ensure that his soul rots beyond redemption. Antigone, in the beginning of the play expresses her wish to accord her brother proper burial. It is a symbolic depiction of Antigone’s moral strength that she decides to go ahead in her chosen course though she is unable to enlist the support of her more timid sister Ismene. This is a marked deviation from the depiction of women in Greek literature of the time where women were always looked upon as dependent on others for the strength of their convictions. Antigone succeeds in her stated mission and when this becomes known to Creone, an argument rages on the choice between the natural law and man-made laws. In another daring drift from established norm, the chorus in Sophocles’ play have the moral courage to call the path of their emperor as the more evil. Creone’s son and Antigone’s fiance Haemon comes to her defence and the ensuing debate on the justice of natural laws which should supersede man made laws is a dramatist’s delight. Creone, however, decides to leave Antigone to starve to death in a sealed cave as her prison. The blind prophet Tiresias also advocates against punishment to Antigone and says he will pay â€Å"corpse for corpse, and flesh for flesh†. The declaration of Tiresias that Creon is causing moral pollution causes a change of heart in Creone. His moral dilemma leads him to conclude that Polynices should be buried and Antigone should be pardoned. But by this time, Hameon reaches Antigone’s cave with the intention of saving her only to find that she has committed suicide by hanging herself, much like her mother Jocasta before her. When Creon reaches the cave he finds Hameon grieving over Antigone and he takes his life by stabbing himself as Creon approaches him. This leads Eurydice, Creon’s wife to give up her life in the grief of her son’s untimely death. Thus Creon loses all his loved ones due to his one fatal erring conviction to hold the laws of the state above the natural law. The tragic flaw, is thus justified in Sophocles’ â€Å"Antigone†. It is easy to categorize the play Lysistrata by Aristophanes as a lewd comedy designed to entertain the Greek literature and drama lovers with a lampooning of the results if women begin to take an interest in affairs of national importance. It is also very convenient to visualize male actors playing all the important roles of the play and the â€Å"male† male characters wearing erect phalluses to depict their masculinity might have led to uproarious laughter. However, with passing time and the aid of retrospection help us to begin to understand that Aristophanes might have devoted considerable time and emotional energy in trying to decipher what goes through the hearts and heads of women of his time who were modelled to be subservient and detached from the affairs of the state. Lysistrata leads a domestic and non violent non-cooperation movement (though the medium of non cooperation seldom ventures beyond the conventional sexual subjugation) to convince the men of the time to end the long standing war (apparently the Peloponnesian war) and bring back peace. The play is an apparent comedy that it depicts women as sex crazed and spine less characters for whom rising beyond their daily chores is a daunting task. Except fro Lysistrata, no other woman comes across as strong willed enough to contribute in any way to the cause of the play. One can imagine the gusty laughter the scene involving the swearing of oath by drinking wine from a shield as it was a portrayal of women as being incapable of self restraint (from all good things in life, including wine and sex). Though Lysistrata as a play has a lot of titillate the viewers, it has been seen in modern light as a commentary on the plight of women who have no say in the affairs of the state entirely decide by the men but have to silently suffer the consequences. This has remained unchanged even after the liberation ages of the 20th century. Aristophanes does manage to draw a caricature of Greek women as incapable of with holding sex or thinking beyond sex as the only weapon in her armour to control or change society. It is possible though to excuse this caricature as Aristophanes’ attempt not to ruffle the feathers of his contemporary society while at the same time recording for future history that women did harbour different opinions on the approaches of the state to war and peace. The widowhood and martyrdom of a mother who loses her children to the ravages of war are not mentioned, perhaps because they would have added the much relegated sobriety to this deemed comedy. Gender domination is a visible thread in Lysistrata, but whether Aristophanes designed this play as a comic fiction based on improbable scenarios of liberated women questioning state policies, or as an underhanded attempt to depict female angst of his contemporary Greek society is debatable. However Lysistrata has remained current and meaningful to this date due to its universal themes of Peace being preferred over War and has helped several social commentators put across their point during the several un necessary wars that dot world history to date be it the Vietnam war or the latest invasion of Iraq. Whatever be the motivation, both Sophocles and Aristophanes manage to leave behind a piece of Literature which continues to engage readers and historians in a healthy debate on the premium placed on female equality by writers from the Greek age to the present day. Works Cited or used as reference Henderson, Jeffrey (contributor) Lysistrata by Aristophanes, London : Oxford University Press, 1990 Translated by Gibbons, Reginald and Segal, Charles Antigone by Sophocles, NewYork : Oxford University Press US, 2003

Self Against Fate Essay -- essays research papers

In the epic poem, Beowulf, we discover a new way of looking at life. The poem, which was written by an unknown author, depicts life as a journey that is set out for you by God, one that is unchangeable and indefinite. Beowulf as a character is a marvelous person, however, not even he with all his power and might can change his destiny. We as people today base our lives around the same thoughts and ideas. No one knows when our last day will be to step foot on earth. Every second of every minute could be our last. We are sent to Earth by God with a purpose, and only we as individuals can determine that purpose after we have truly, fully lived. In the epic poem, Beowulf, Beowulf himself acts as the epic hero in defeating all evil to uphold the glory and safety of his people as fate would allow him with each struggle. Throughout the play, we find Beowulf constantly having to defend himself in the fight not only against three horrid monsters, but the fight against fate. Beowulf starts out the poem as a young man, full of pride and honor. As he ages, his wisdom and capabilities excel while his final destiny draws nearer. The slaughter he takes not only brutalizes him physically, but takes a mental toll on his life in terms of time. â€Å"Physical and moral evil can be challenged and overcome, but the ultimate evil (perhaps at its extremity, age and death) cannot be avoided. Beowulf slays his antagonist and transcends his own death. By dying as he lived, he is a model for triumph in th...

Individual Organizational Issues Essay

The ethical issues presented in the Week Three Ethics Game Simulations were from the Mysterious Blogger and The Veiled Id, the ethical issues address in game simulation of â€Å"The Mysterious Blogger† was whether or not the information obtained by IT Tech, Jamal Moore was enough to discipline blogging employee Aaron Webb for violating the NDA policy. The ethical issues for the game simulations for â€Å"The Veiled ID†, was to address how to develop a security policy that would accommodate the special needs and the physical safety of the employees’. The decision-making steps one took to address these issues were based on the position one held in the simulation game one was able to determine the best avenue ethically to approach in order to take action on both issues address in the game. First, this authors decision-making abilities were based on protecting the interest of the shareholders and how these decisions could affect the shareholders in both short and long-term. Ethical issues that arise within an organization or company will not only effect an individual employee, it will affect the company and anyone who has made an investment in the company. Apart from protecting the interest of shareholders and the company, it also comes down to always following company policies and doing the right thing. If a organizations policies are broken in any way, shape or form, this author would be placed in a situation to make the best decision to receive the best outcome in order to maintain discipline and good order within the company or organazation. The ethical perspectives this author utilized to make the decisions for the simulation game were based on the options given in each scenario within the gaming process. Although the simulation did not have any right or wrong answers it did take time for this author to address each scenario with an open mind and take the time to look at different view points before making a decision(s) to see whether or not the answer selected was the best fit for that scenario. The way these ethical perspectives influenced this authors decisions were by determining the values and effects of the stakeholders for both simulation games played The Mysterious Blogger and The Veiled ID. Showing the importance of applying ethical practices and ensuring all employees are held accountable for their actions can be done by one taking the time to figure out a way to minimize dilemmas or issues caused by employees within an organization and handling those dilemmas at the lowest level. The concepts used in the simulation game can relate to this authors workplace, being part of a family construction company many distance family members or friends of friends of the family will take full advantage of the company. A good example of younger family members taking advantage would be leaving the workplace early, using company property outside of the work zone, using the name of the company in supply house to benefit one’s personal needs. One example of this would be a distance cousin of one of the owners was a wonderful working, however after years of working for the company the owner started to receive phone calls from homeowners asking for repairs to be done to brand new systems installed by this distance cousin who were not in the database of the company, come to find out the cousin was doing these jobs on the side using the family business name, buying material using the company credit cards, company vehicle and gas card to get to these locations but none of these new job sites were jobs the owners of the company bid they were all jobs the distant cousin was doing on the side, this is one example of many. What this has done is moved the company away from only hiring family members to hiring outside of the family and only having a few members that work in the field, although everyone in the office is related the men in the field hold the owners on pedisals and this author has not met many employee who do not appreciate the family owned company. The owners continue to prove to each employee family or not that they are needed, the owners go over and bound giving employee advances to help with one’s personal lives, from getting married to buying a car, to smaller needs as in lunches, jackets every winter, making sure they have good work boots, gloves, hats and anything else they made need to safely complete the task at hand.