EP26 星座 Constellations

 Part I Chinese 101

 

Dialogue:

 

A:你是什么星座?

 

nǐ shì shí me xīng zuò ?

 

What’s your sign?

 

B:白羊座。

 

bái yáng zuò 。

 

Aries.

 

A:我听说白羊座性格热情,但容易冲动。

 

wǒ tīng shuō bái yáng zuò xìng gé rè qíng ,dàn róng yì chōng dòng 。

 

I heard that Aries is passionate, but impulsive. 

 

B:其实我是个慢热的人。

 

qí shí wǒ shì gè màn rè de rén 。

 

Actually I am a slow starter.

 

Words & expressions:

 

【星座】[xīng zuò] n.constellation

 

【白】bái:white

 

【羊】yáng: sheep; lamp

 

【听说】tīng shuō: be told; hear of

 

【性格】xìng gé: personality; character

 

【热情】rè qíng: 

 

【容易】róng yì: easy, more like to 

 

【冲动】[chōng dòng] impulse; impulsion; impulsive

 

【其实】[qí shí] actually; really; in fact

 

【慢热】màn rè: slow; slow starter; slow type

 

Part II Language Tips

 

To what extent can Constellations affect one’s Personalities? Do you believe in that?

 

Part III Story of The Day

 

EP26 星座 Constellations

 

亡羊补牢

 

wáng yáng bǔ láo

 

It Is Never Too Late to Mend 

 

Chinese use this metaphor 亡羊补牢 to advise someone that even when he has made a mistake and suffered losses, he can still remedy it by drawing lessons from the mistakes. 

 

Literal meaning: to fix the pen after the sheep is missing, and it is still not late

 

E.g

 

这次考试没考好没关系,亡羊补牢,现在努力学习还不晚。

 

zhè cì kǎo shì méi kǎo hǎo méi guān xì ,wáng yáng bǔ láo ,xiàn zài nǔ lì xué xí hái bú wǎn 。

 

It is nothing if you didn‘t get a good mark in this exam; it is never too late to mend, and study hard from this moment is not late.