Kailin
New Words Two motif The motif of Moyan's works is the grassroots' life in China's villages meet one's mark--I heard this expression from a TED talk, not sure whether it is often used His early works never met his own mark. convert… into… Industrialization has converted China from a backward country into an industrial giant. varsity--rarely seen He was recommended into the varsity in his third year of college skew from it If you want to shoot the target, you need to aim a little bit skew from it. size sb up--a really interesting expression They sized me up when passing me.(Is it a neutral word? ) He spent the evening sizing me up intellectually.-- an example from an online dictionary, can I really use "intellectually" here? matchstick tip held out at an arm's length draw weight--rarely used? tenacity He showed great tenacity during the marathon. taxed Climbing up Mount Tai taxed me completely. star-fished--very vivid He lay down on the ground, star-fished, gasping; the marathon really taxed him. still point of the turning world--poetic expression from a novel He tried to figure out the still point of turning world, but failed, since he was very dizzy. "It is so rare in American culture, there is so little that is so vocational about it anymore to look at what doggedness looks like with this level of exactitude." A sentence from the TED talk. Hard for me to understand at the first sight of it. Can it be transferred this way-- Such doggedness is rarely seen in American culture. align your body posture align your body posture before shooting the target. glimpse The simple thought of taking a glimpse of the emperor's tomb motivates the archaeologists to carry on their work. riddle Looking backwards, you will find the path you have gone through is riddled with difficulties and flaws. so much so He loved his parents, so much so that he sacrificed the opportunity of going abroad in exchange for more company with his family. craft He learned the craft of carving from an hermit in the village. craft your career live out He dreamed of being a scientist, but never lived it out. Thank you for your corrections!
Jul 23, 2014 2:11 PM
Corrections · 9
1

Some interesting (and really quite unusual) words here!  I enjoyed thinking about them.

 

New Words Two

motif
The motif of Moyan's works is the grassroots' life in China's villages

I'd have said that 'theme' or 'topic' fitted that sentence better.

It's a word I've only come across in reading, I think - not one I'd use myself.  I think of it in the context of visual decoration - a repeating part of a pattern.

meet one's mark--I heard this expression from a TED talk, not sure whether it is often used
His early works never met his own mark.

Not a phrase I'd use

convert… into…
Industrialization has converted China from a backward country into an industrial giant.

fine
varsity--rarely seen
He was recommended into the varsity in his third year of college

American.  Not sure how it's used as I'm English!

skew from it
If you want to shoot the target, you need to aim a little bit skew from it.

Ok.  Not commonly used, though 'skew-whiff' (no idea how to spell it!) is used in speech here - eg if a picture isn't quite straight

size sb up--a really interesting expression
They sized me up when passing me.(Is it a neutral word? ) (not sure what you mean)
He spent the evening sizing me up intellectually.-- an example from an online dictionary, can I really use "intellectually" here?
You could, but it would sound rather odd!  It comes up in the phrase 'they sized up the opposition' talking about sports teams or people.
matchstick tip held out at an arm's length
at arm's length (it doesn't have 'an' in the phrase)
draw weight--rarely used?
I can't think of a sentence with this in it!  'Pulling your weight' means playing your part, doing your job effectively.
tenacity
He showed great tenacity during the marathon.
yes - refusal to give up ( Not used much in spoken language though.)
taxed
Climbing up Mount Tai taxed me completely.
Possible, but it would sound better without 'completely'.  It means 'challenged' and 'challenged me completely' just doesn't really work.
star-fished--very vivid
He lay down on the ground, star-fished, gasping; the marathon really taxed him.
Vivid, yes, but it sounds very odd - I've never heard it used like that.  (Also, it doesn't work for me, because star-fish don't have mouths!)
still point of the turning world--poetic expression from a novel
He tried to figure out the still point of turning world, but failed, since he was very dizzy.
I like that.  :)
"It is so rare in American culture, there is so little that is so vocational about it anymore to look at what doggedness looks like with this level of exactitude." A sentence from the TED talk.
Hard for me to understand at the first sight of it. I'm not surprised!  I've read it four times, and still haven't quite figured it out (what is 'it'?)
Can it be transferred this way-- Such doggedness is rarely seen in American culture. Quite possible!

I'm not sure whether you're asking anything about the rest?
align your body posture
align your body posture before shooting the target.
align - line up
glimpse
The simple thought of taking a glimpse of the emperor's tomb motivates the archaeologists to carry on their work.
glimpse - a quick look
riddle
Looking backwards, you will find the path you have gone through is riddled with difficulties and flaws.
riddle - noun - a puzzle (the commonest meaning)

riddle - verb - the meaning here is 'threaded through' or 'filled with'

so much so
He loved his parents, so much so that he sacrificed the opportunity of going abroad in exchange for more company with his family.
He loved his parents so greatly that...
craft
He learned the craft of carving from an hermit in the village.
craft your career
craft - to make or the skill of making
live out
He dreamed of being a scientist, but never lived it out.
I'd rephrase it as 'He had a dream of being a scientist, but never lived it out.'  'it' is 'the dream'

living something out is carrying something out through your life

Thank you for your corrections!

July 23, 2014
1

Hi Kailin. You've found some great words and expressions here.

 

New Words Two

motif
The motif of Moyan's works is the grassroots' life in China's villages

Great example. You could also use "theme" or "subject". Though, leave off the apostrophe on "grassroots" as it is not possessive.

meet one's mark--I heard this expression from a TED talk, not sure whether it is often used
His early works never met his own mark.

I don't think I've ever heard this expression. I would probably say "His early works never met his own standard." Or, "He didn't quite achieve what he wanted in his early works."

convert… into…
Industrialization has converted China from a backward country into an industrial giant.

Great!

varsity--rarely seen
He was recommended into the varsity in his third year of college

This is a term from the USA and I'm not very familiar with it. In Australia, we say "uni" as short for "university". 

skew from it
If you want to shoot the target, you need to aim a little bit skew from it.

I've never heard "skew" used in this way. Normally, "skew" is the verb, and "askew" is the adjective. "Skew" means to distort something, or turn it to a strange angle. "The picture on the wall is slightly askew," meaning, it's not parallel to the floor. "You have a pretty skewed view on relationships," meaning, your view on relationships is strange or has been shaped by strange experiences.

size sb up--a really interesting expression
They sized me up when passing me.(Is it a neutral word? )
He spent the evening sizing me up intellectually.-- an example from an online dictionary, can I really use "intellectually" here?

Yes, you can use "intellectually", though this is somewhat metaphorical. "Sizing someone up" normally means to examine their physical attributes, but not in terms of attraction. Compare this with "check somebody out", which means to examine someone's physical attributes to see or appreciate how attractive they are.

matchstick tip held out at an arm's length

I don't recall ever hearing this one, but apparently it's used comparatively to talk about something very distant. "From the standard seventy-five-yard distance from the target, the ten-ring, the bull's-eye, looks as small as a matchstick tip held out at arm's length."


draw weight--rarely used?

I've never heard this one. Apparently it's an term used in archery.

tenacity
He showed great tenacity during the marathon.

Sounds good.

taxed
Climbing up Mount Tai taxed me completely.

I think it's more common to phrase it as: "Climbing up Mount Tai was very taxing."

star-fished--very vivid
He lay down on the ground, star-fished, gasping; the marathon really taxed him.

It's a phrase that gives you an clear image. "Taxed" sounds natural in this context too.

still point of the turning world--poetic expression from a novel
He tried to figure out the still point of the turning world, but failed, since he was very dizzy.


"It is so rare in American culture, there is so little that is so vocational about it anymore to look at what doggedness looks like with this level of exactitude." A sentence from the TED talk.
Hard for me to understand at the first sight of it.
Can it be transferred this way-- Such doggedness is rarely seen in American culture.

I don't really know what the speaker is saying here. Do you have the link so I can hear it in context? I think he/she might be saying that it's uncommon to examine and analyse what makes a person determined.

align your body posture
align your body posture before shooting the target.

Sounds good.

glimpse
The simple thought of taking a glimpse of the emperor's tomb motivates the archaeologists to carry on their work.

Great word. "Glance" is similar. A "glare" is a longer, nastier look.

riddle
Looking backwards, you will find the path you have gone through is riddled with difficulties and flaws.

Great example.

so much so
He loved his parents, so much so that he sacrificed the opportunity of going abroad in exchange for more company with his family.

Another great example.

craft
He learned the craft of carving from an hermit in the village.
craft your career

Compare with "handicrafts" and the expression "arts and crafts".

live out
He dreamed of being a scientist, but never lived it out.

Thank you for your corrections!

July 23, 2014
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