Laoban - Old Boss in Mandarin Chinese

Laoban - Old Boss in Mandarin Chinese Titles are important in Chinese culture, and they are used more frequently than in most Western countries. One good example of this is that titles can be used to address people, which you might be familiar with from your Mandarin class where you can call the teacher è€ Ã¥ ¸ « (lÇŽoshÄ «). While that can be done in English too, its usually reserved for younger kids and not as common as in Mandarin Chinese. è€ Ã¦  ¿/éâ€"† (lÇŽobÇŽn) - boss; shopkeeper The title for â€Å"shopkeeper† is lÇŽobÇŽn. This is used to refer to the owner or proprietor of a shop. LÇŽobÇŽn can be used when referring to or addressing the shopkeeper. LÇŽobÇŽn has two characters: è€ Ã¦  ¿/éâ€"†: The first one, lÇŽo, means â€Å"old,† and is a term of respect. It is the same character used in lÇŽoshÄ « (teacher). Even though it doesnt mean old in this context, it can be a useful memory aid to think of it like that.The second character éâ€"†, bÇŽn, means â€Å"boss,† so the literal translation of lÇŽobÇŽn â€Å"old boss.† Note that these are different in simplified and traditional Chinese (simplified: æ  ¿, traditional éâ€"†, but the simplified version is used in traditional too). The most common meaning of æ  ¿ is plank. To remember the word, create a vivid picture of a typical shopkeeper in China (whatever comes to mind when you think of the word), but picture the person with a face like an old, gnarled plank. Examples of LÇŽobÇŽn Click on the links to hear the audio. Nà ¨igà ¨ lÇŽobÇŽn yÇ’u mi hÄ›n hÇŽo de dÃ… ngxÄ «.é‚ £Ã¥â‚¬â€¹Ã¨â‚¬ Ã©â€"†æÅ"‰è ³ £Ã¥ ¾Ë†Ã¥ ¥ ½Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¦  ±Ã¨ ¥ ¿Ã©â€š £Ã¤ ¸ ªÃ¨â‚¬ Ã¦  ¿Ã¦Å"‰å â€"Ã¥ ¾Ë†Ã¥ ¥ ½Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¤ ¸Å"è ¥ ¿That shopkeeper has very good things.LÇŽobÇŽn hÇŽo. YÇ’u mà ©iyÇ’u mi pà ­ngguÇ’?è€ Ã©â€"†å ¥ ½. æÅ"‰æ ²â€™Ã¦Å"‰è ³ £Ã¨Ëœâ€¹Ã¦Å¾Å"?è€ Ã¦  ¿Ã¥ ¥ ½. æÅ"‰æ ² ¡Ã¦Å"‰å â€"è‹ ¹Ã¦Å¾Å"?Hello. Do you sell apples? Edit: This article was significantly updated by Olle Linge on April 25th 2016.

Practice in Supporting a Topic Sentence with Specific Details

Practice in Supporting a Topic Sentence with Specific Details AÂ  topic sentence contains the main idea upon which a paragraph is developed. Often it appears at (or near) the beginning of a paragraph, introducing the main idea and suggesting the direction that the paragraph will take. What follows a topic sentence are a number of supporting sentences that develop the main idea with specific details. Practice Excercise Here is an effective topic sentence for a descriptive paragraph: My most valuable possession is an old, slightly warped, blond guitar- the first instrument that I ever taught myself how to play. This sentence not only identifies the prized belonging (an old, slightly warped, blond guitar) but also suggests why the writer values it (the first instrument that I ever taught myself how to play). Some of the sentences below support this topic sentence with specific descriptive details. Others, however, offer information that would be inappropriate in a unified descriptive paragraph. Read the sentences carefully, and then pick out only those that support the topic sentence with precise descriptive details. When youre done, compare your responses with the suggested answers below: It is a Madeira folk guitar, all scuffed and scratched and finger-printed.My grandparents gave it to me on my thirteenth birthday.I think they bought it at the Music Lovers Shop in Rochester where they used to live.At the top is a bramble of copper-wound strings, each one hooked through the eye of a silver tuning key.Although copper strings are much harder on the fingers than nylon strings, they sound much better than the nylon ones.The strings are stretched down a long slim neck.The frets on the neck are tarnished, and the wood has been worn down by years of fingers pressing chords.It was three months before I could even tune the guitar properly, and another few months before I could manage the basic chords.You have to be very patient when first learning how to play the guitar.You should set aside a certain time each day for practice.The body of the Madeira is shaped like an enormous yellow pear, one that has been slightly damaged in shipping.A guitar can be awkward to hold, particu larly if it seems bigger than you are, but you need to learn how to hold it properly if youre ever going to play it right. I usually play sitting down because its more comfortable that way.The blond wood has been chipped and gouged to gray, particularly where the pick guard fell off years ago.I have a Gibson now and hardly ever play the Madeira any more. Suggested Answers The following sentences support the topic sentence with precise descriptive details: 1. It is a Madeira folk guitar, all scuffed and scratched and finger-printed. 4. At the top is a bramble of copper-wound strings, each one hooked through the eye of a silver tuning key. 6. The strings are stretched down a long slim neck. 7. The frets on the neck are tarnished, and the wood has been worn down by years of fingers pressing chords. 11. The body of the Madeira is shaped like an enormous yellow pear, one that has been slightly damaged in shipping. 14. The blond wood has been chipped and gouged to gray, particularly where the pick guard fell off years ago.