Learn Japanese with Kazumi

もうすぐクリスマス

Jaká jsou častá křestní jména v Česku?

Czech Easily: Slow & Easy

10. Česká jména

Did you know that complex speech likely existed over 150,000 years ago?  Imagine our early ancestors crafting words to share ideas and build societies!  Learning a language allows you to connect with that rich history of human communication.

English Corner

Unveiling the Fascinating World of Language Learning

Part 1 of 5. 

Inside a dusty workroom, an old craftsman held up a chess piece to the window. He rotated it in the sunlight and inspected its every detail. 

“Perfection,” said the craftsman. 

He added it to the set he had been building. Sixteen grey pieces sat on his worktable, all handmade and almost ready for sale. 

The craftsman felt very satisfied with his designs. He was ready for the final stage of the process. He picked up one of the pawn pieces and said, “What about you, my little friend? What colour would you like to be?” 

He reached for his paint brush, dunked it into glass of water and then into a container of paint. The grey pawn received a heavy coating of shiny white paint.

Fast-forward several years into the future. After repeated use and abuse, that little pawn’s proud white colour had faded. Areas of his original grey were visible. Because of this, whenever players assembled their chess set, they left this little grey-white pawn to the side. 

“Uhm, is that yours or mine?” said the white player. 

“It doesn’t matter. Put it back in the box and choose from the others,” said the black player. 

This little plastic pawn’s name was Gary. 


Being a Cloud

Gary the Chess Piece

CHISTES MEXICANOS

DEFINICIONES DE MATRIMONIO 2.

听众朋友你们好，欢迎来到茶时话中文，我是Penny。这是一个纯中文话题节目，我来和你用中文聊聊生活中有意思的话题，同时学习一些汉语词汇。让我们一边喝茶一边聊起来吧。

当下的中国互联网上，有一句有意思的话，“在上班和上进之间，选择了上香；在求人和求己之间，选择了求佛”。意思是年轻人宁愿选择去寺庙上香拜佛，也不愿意去上班；比起向外索取，更愿意信仰佛教。

当然，这是一句开玩笑的话。但是数据显示，今年以来，寺庙门票订单量同比增长310%；从2月起，预订寺庙门票的人群中，90后、00后占比接近50%。这说明，现在去寺庙参观祈福的人中，有一半是30岁以下的年轻人。怪不得这句话这么火爆。

我觉得，这说明了两件事。第一，当代中国年轻人的压力和焦虑很严重，在升学，就业、婚嫁上面，年轻人都面临很多艰难的选择。许多的年轻人祈求考试通过，升职加薪，找到自己的另一半。有人说，当代中国的年轻人接受了很多西方的外来文化，不再对中国传统的文化感兴趣，年轻人的寺庙热，就是对此判断的有力回击。

第二，以前的寺庙都是深藏不露地在深山老林里，充满了神秘。但是现在，许多寺庙注册了社交媒体账号。甚至有一种寺庙经济，悄悄在年轻人中间走红。中国传统的儒释道（儒家思想、道家思想和佛家思想）也被越来越多的年轻人所接受。很多年轻人人对传统文化和修行方式感兴趣。虽然真正的儒释道精神，很难领悟。但是这不妨碍大家对传统文化的喜爱和追随。

当然了，在寺庙里走一走能获得的片刻宁静，对于当下浮躁焦虑的年轻人来说，也是莫大的安慰和鼓励。这才是这句话火起来的直接原因吧。

好了，希望你喜欢今天的内容，这里是茶时话中文，我是Penny，我们下次见。

互联网hù lián wǎng Internet
上进 shàng jìn make progress
上香 shàng xiāng offer incense to deity
寺庙 sì miào temple
索取 suǒ qǔ ask for
订单量 dìng dān liàng order quantity
同比 tóng bǐ on year-on-year basis
祈福 qí fú pray for good fortune
升职加薪 shēng zhí jiā xīn promotion and salary increase
回击 huí jī hit back 
深藏不露 shēn cáng bù lòu hide deep not reveal
走红 zǒu hóng become popular
领悟 lǐng wù comprehend
妨碍 fáng ài hinder
浮躁 fú zào impetuous
莫大 mò dà great/utmost

茶时话中文 Tea Time Chinese

茶时话中文 - 在上班和上进之间选择上香

In 1950s America, smoking was cool, with movie stars like James Dean and Marlene Dietrich making it look stylish. Cigarette companies even claimed smoking was good for you, with one famous advertisement claiming, "More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette."

But things started to change in 1951, when a British scientist found a link between smoking and lung cancer.

Today, things look very different, and smoking in the US is at its lowest level in 80 years.

In the 1950s, nearly half of US adults smoked. Now, according to a poll from Gallup, only 11% of American adults say they've smoked in the past week — half the number from 10 years ago.

One reason is that more people now see smoking as bad for you, with 79% of Americans agreeing that cigarettes are very harmful.

Another major reason is that fewer young adults are smoking.

Young adults used to smoke the most out of any age group, but now they're the least likely to smoke. In the early 2000s, 35% of US adults under 30 smoked, but today, it's just 6%. Instead, it's the older generation that are the biggest smokers these days, with 18% of adults aged 50 to 64 saying they smoke.

Although smoking may be declining, vaping is becoming more popular.

Vaping, or using e-cigarettes, is less common than smoking, with just 7% of adults saying they vape. But vaping is more popular with young adults, and nearly 1 in 5 of American adults under 30 vape.

And if they keep vaping into middle age — and if young people today start vaping as they grow up — vaping might soon become more common than smoking.

Health experts say even though vaping is less harmful than smoking, it's best to avoid both.

English Conversation/Dialogue

US Smoking Hits 80-Year Low

In this episode I'm discussing how to stay consistent. 
You have to set clear goals, create a routine, track progress, stay accountable, embrace flexibility, and prioritize self-care to maintain motivation and momentum.

The Global Professional Podcast

Best Practices for Consistency EP 11

In this episode, I look at the Highway Code, the document which helps drivers understand their responsibilities on the road. 
Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kk5RH1HUuf--INBKHBVqMB9AEFdZ2-aP/view?usp=drivesdk