Super Bowl XLVI: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots

(a continuation from part 1)

The New York Giants defeated the San Francisco 49ers two weeks ago, and since I live about 1 hour away from San Francisco, I think I have a chip on my shoulder against New York, so I’m cheering for the Patriots.

Typically, the Super Bowl is played in a city that has warm weather in the winter so football fans can attend in comfort.  Tickets for the Super Bowl are expensive, so the National Football League wants to make certain the fans enjoy the game.

This year, it is being played in Indianapolis, Indiana, which has cold winters, but the stadium has a retractable roof and people can attend the game without having to worry about rain or snow.

Since the Super Bowl is the most important game of the football season, millions of Americans will gather together for Super Bowl parties with friends.  There will be lots of food (Pizza Hut does a lot of business on Super Sunday!)  And no doubt, friends will bet on the game with each other.

On Super Sunday,  businesses will spend a lot of money to have their commercials aired and since the commercials are so expensive, they tend to be a bit more creative.  (See the video below.)

Another aspect of the Super Bowl is the Half Time show.  Big name singers are brought in for the Super Bowl.   This year singing star such as Madonna and  Nikki Minaj will perform.

If you are following the game, who do you want to win Super Bowl XLVI?  The New York Giants or the New England Patriots?

Have you watched an NFL football game in China?  What did you think?

Here’s an example of an ad which was aired during Super Bowl 45.  (Sorry I don’t have it on YouKu!)

Super Bowl 46: New York Giants vs New England Patriots

Today, is “Super Sunday”?  What is “Super Sunday”?   I’ll get to Super Bowl XLVI in a minute.

Last year one of my on-line students asked me to explain the rules for American football, because she hopes to transfer to USC.  (And that university has an EXCELLENT football team, the USC Trojans.)

So I wrote series of posts explaining American football rules.  If you want to know about American culture, then a knowledge of our national sport is helpful.

If you really want to know about American football, then you need to know about the Super Bowl.  This is the championship game in the National Football League.  

Today’s Super Bowl XLVI (Super Bowl #46) will be played between the New York Giants (the National Conference champion) against the New England Patriots (the American Conference champion).

One thing which is interesting about this game is that New York and Boston (the home of the Patriots) are very close to each other, so there should be some regional rivalry.   The winner will have “bragging rights”.

Read more about Super Bowl XLVI in my next post.  I’ll be discussing American culture and the Super Bowl.

"The devil's in the details" means that the smallest parts of a plan can be the hardest to resolve.

I recently received an e-mail from a Chinese friend who had the phrase “the devil’s in the details” as part of his e-mail signature.

What does “the devil’s in the details” mean?

“The devil’s in the details”means that the small or minute (pronounced \mī-ˈnüt\, not \ˈmi-nət\) details in some task or project can ruin a that task or project if they are ignored and not properly addressed at the very beginning.

It means that the most difficult part to resolve in a plan are the tiniest details.

Examples:   “When you bake a loaf of bread, the amount of yeast you add is important, and the temperature of the water cannot be too hot or too cold  or else  the dough will not rise properly.  Remember, the devil’s in the details.”

“I can draft a quick business plan for you, but it will look very simple.  To get a fuller picture will require some work because the devil’s in the details.”

Now that I’ve provided two examples using “the devil’s in the details” why don’t you try it?   I’ll be happy to review your work.  All you have to do is leave a sample of your work in the comment section.

How do you say “the devil’s in the details” in Chinese?

"Finders keepers, losers weepers" is a famous children's adage. What do you think this person should do with this money?

更多中文解释请点粗体字, 由 iciba.com 提供

Have you ever come across something of value that someone left behind by mistake or negligence? A justification used in the West to take such an item is “finders keepers”.

The entire adage, especially used by children is:  ”finders keepers, losers weepers”.   Often time, this proverb is shortened to “finders keepers”.

That is if you find something, you keep it.  If you lose it, you cry!  This would apply to items which are abandoned or presumably unowned.

Some places such as schools and churches or organizations where people meet regularly have something called “lost and found”.   If you lost say a coat or a thermos at school, you can go to the office to see if some honest soul turned it in.

However, if you find a $100 bill on the ground and no one is around, it would probably be difficult to return it to the owner.   In such a situation, the person who discovered the $100 might say “finders keepers, losers weepers”.

Examples:   A: Don’t you think you should return that iPhone you found?  B:  Hey, finders keepers, losers weepers!

“Ben snatched up the $20 bill as soon as he spotted it.  He exclaimed, ‘Finders keepers‘.”

Why don’t you give it a shot?  Try using “finders keepers, losers weepers” in a sentence of your own.   I’ll try to give you prompt feedback if you do.   You can’t beat the price for this service!  It’s free!

Is there a way that Chinese say “finders keepers” or “finders keepers, losers weepers”?   Please share that with us too!

Happy New Year! 新年快乐！Year of the Dragon

Happy New Year!  新年快乐！万事如意！恭喜发财！红包拿来！

I suppose I’m still facing a bit of holiday fatigue from late last year, after Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years and just three weeks into the new year, another holiday.

But who am I to complain??  Holidays are supposed to be a festive and fun occasion.   You get time off from work to be with friends and family.

Just as millions of people criss-cross the United States to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, millions of people in China and Taiwan will travel home to celebrate Chinese New Year the Year of the Dragon(龙年).

The thing is, when people in China travel for Chinese New Year, their numbers will definitely dwarf the number of holiday travels in the United States!

I think that Chinese children who grow up in the United States are especially fortunate, because they “double dip”.  They most likely celebrate Christmas and receive presents, and then about four to six weeks later, they receive 红包！

But the double-dipping isn’t 100%  They still have to go to school while their counter-parts in China and Taiwan have a nice lengthy holiday.

I suppose that many readers of My China Connection may not be able to read this posting during their celebration of the Year of the Dragon because they celebrating, but if you have a moment I’d love to hear where you are celebrating and how far you traveled.

新年快乐！万事如意！

"Leaks like a sieve" means that something that should hold a liquid does not work properly.

What does “leaks like a sieve” mean?   To answer that question, first let’s explain the meaning of a “sieve“.

A “sieve” is strainer or colander, a kitchen device that has many small holes and that is used to separate smaller particles from larger ones or solids from liquids.

Suppose you are cooking dumplings (饺子).  You’d use a sieve to remove the dumpling from the pot and drain any liquid.

A sieve is not supposed to hold liquid.   When it works properly, it leaks.

There are times when we want something to retain a liquid or hold back something, but we say that it “leaks like a sieve” as a slang to indicate that it isn’t working properly.

A couple of examples will illustrate the meaning of “leaks like a sieve”.

Example:  ”It’s raining cats and dogs outside, and my roof now leaks like a sieve.  I’ll need to fix it!”

“People who say that there are too many illegal immigrants from Mexico claim that the US-Mexican border leaks like a sieve.”

Now it is your turn.   Try using “leaks like a sieve” in a sentence of your own creation and leave your work in the comment section.  I’ll be happy to provide feedback.

Is there a slang phrase in Chinese like “leaks like a sieve”?

VOCABULARY

• colander – a kitchen straining device.   Used to hold solid food which was cooked in boiled.
• dumpling – a food similar to 饺子.  It has some sort of outer dough-like wrapper with some sort of filling inside.
• retain – to keep or hold
• immigrant – a foreign person who moves to another nation.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions

Not too long ago, I wrote about the phrase “it is the thought that counts“.  It is a phrase used when a gift is given, but the gift it isn’t exactly a match to the receiver’s interests or desires.  However, the giver had nothing but good intentions when they gave it.

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions” has some similarities.

Someone may have meant to do good, but the unintended consequences caused harm.

When we say “it is the thought that counts”, we tend to be forgiving or gracious.  However, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” usually has no feeling of good will.  After all, hell is a terrible place.

Examples:   “Perry:  Sorry, Marc, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings! I was trying to help.”

“Marc: Oh really?  Well the road to hell is paved with good intentions!”

“The Obama Administration may have tried to save American jobs with a Chinese tire tariff, but the American consumer ended up paying more for tires and the Chinese government retaliated with a tariff on American goods: the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Why don’t you try using the phrase “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” in a sentence?  I’ll let you know how you did.

How do say “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” in Chinese?

VOCABULARY

• tariff – a tax placed on imported goods
• intention – a determination to act or behave in a certain way
• retaliate – to repay in kind for an injury or bad deed.   When the United States placed a tariff on Chinese tires, China eventually retaliated.  (Which was no surprise!)

Terra Cotta Warrior 兵马俑 display in Xi 'An China (photo my me)

Perhaps one of the most memorable vacations I ever had was my trip to Xi ‘An in 2007.   And of course, when you go to Xi ‘An a visit to the Terra Cotta Warriors 兵马俑 is practically mandatory!

My Tai Chi teacher, Wayne Peng, is from Xi ‘An and so he took us on a tour of the area as well as a trip to Wu Dang Shan, one of the major centers of Chinese Kung Fu.

This morning, I received an e-mail from Master Peng about an exhibit that he’s helped bring to the United States and I’m including a video which he made.

As an American, I can reflect on a history that goes back to 1776 (and maybe the early 1600s if you count the first colonies).  Visiting Xi ‘An and the Terra Cotta Warriors brought on a sense of awe because I was seeing something from a culture and civilization that had several dynasties which lasted longer than the entire history of my nation!

The Terra Cotta Warriors were a memorial to China’s first emperor.  That man must have carried a lot of clout!  The photo shown above was taken in the main exhibit hall which was the size of two soccer fields!  And that was the first exhibit hall we visited.  (I believe we visited two more halls.)

And what is on display is just the tip of the iceberg, Chinese archeologists know there are more terra cotta statues yet to be unearthed!

Unfortunately, I was only able to spend a half a day visiting the Terra Cotta Warriors because we had to hurry back to Xi ‘An for an tai chi exhibition with some of Master Peng’s associates.   This is a place that I would definitely want to revisit some day.

Have you visited the Terra Cotta Warriors?   Please tell me what you think if you have!

When I get more details about where this exhibit takes place and how long will be in the United States, I’ll pass that along to My China Connection readers.

"Everybody talks about the weather..."

Right now the weather in the Silicon Valley should be generally overcast and we should be in our rainy season.  But the weather has been very sunny and drier than normal.   I’m certain someone will blame it on “global warming”.

As I think about the weather, Mark Twain comes to mind.  Mark Twain, the American humorist who wrote “Tom Saywer” and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, is famous for his “Twainisms”, proverbs which have us chuckling even today.

(Click here to read Mark Twain had to say about work and vacations.)

One of his most famous “Twainisms”  is “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it”.

I suppose Mr. Twain didn’t anticipate that China would attempt “cloud seeding” to end droughts.   In China, some don’t just talk about the weather, they try to do something about it.

Do you think attempt to seed clouds in China have been successful?

In America, we often joke that if we have a picnic or wash our cars, it will rain.   Seeing that my car was very dirty, I decided to wash it.    Two days and no rain…..  Perhaps I should organize a picnic!

Have you read any of Mark Twain’s books?   What did you think of them?

In China, are there events you joke about that cause rain?   Please share them with us in the comment section.

Do you think Twain was right when he said, ”Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it”?

"It's the thought that counts" means that the intention behind a gift is more important than the actual gift.

Have you ever heard of the proverb “it’s the thought that counts”?

A friend recently told me a story about how he prepared a birthday cake for his wife when he was in graduate school.   He faced a problem.   He didn’t have enough ingredients to fill the baking pan to make a properly sized birthday cake.

So he asked his wife indirectly about which ingredients to use to make a baked good expand and she suggested baking soda or baking powder.   From what he told me, it sounded as if he used baking powder, because the finished product tasted like chemicals, even though it expanded nicely in the pan.

His attempt failed, but I thought to myself, I hope his wife appreciated his efforts and said, “it’s the thought that counts”.

In situations where a gift is given or someone tries to do something nice, but the result isn’t as good as it should be, we say “it is the thought that counts”.   It is best to be gracious and courteous in this situation and appreciate the effort.

“It’s the thought that counts” could also be used where a gift is given which isn’t too expensive, but shows a great depth of consideration by the giver.

Examples:  ”Since they only recently met, Bob didn’t know that Karen didn’t like chocolate.  Karen smiled, thanked him for the gift and said to herself, ‘That was sweet.  It is the thought that counts‘.”

How do you say “it is the thought that counts” in Chinese?

If you want to read some about some other English phrases about gifts read:

• The White Elephant Gift Exchange or
• Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth