Xiaolu Guo - A Concise Chinese English Dictionary for Lovers

“Everyone must do his best.”

“If a pupil can’t attend the class, he should let his teacher know.”

“We need to vote for a chairman for the student union.”

Always talking about mans, no womans!

Mrs. Margaret later telling verb most difficult thing for our oriental people. Is not only “difficult,” is “impossibility”! I not understanding why verb can always changing.

One day I find a poetry by William Shakespeare on school’s library shelf. I studying hard. I even not stopping for lunch. I open little Concise Dictionary more forty times checking new words. After looking some Shakespeare poetry, I will can return back my China home, teaching everyone about Shakespeare. Even my father know Shakespeare big dude, because our in our local government evening classes they telling everyones Shakespeare most famous person from Britain.

One thing, even Shakespeare write bad English. For example, he says “Where go thou?” If I speak like that Mrs. Margaret will tell me wrongly. Also I finding poem of him call “An Outcry Upon Opportunity”:

’Tis thou that execut’st the traitor’s treason;

Thou sett’st the wolf where he the lamb may get

I not understanding at all. What this “’tis,” “execut’st” and “sett’st”? Shakespeare can writing that, my spelling not too bad then.

After grammar class, I sit on bus and have deep thought about my new language. Person as dominate subject, is main thing in an English sentence. Does it mean West culture respecting individuals more? In China, you open daily newspaper, title on top is “OUR HISTORY DECIDE IT IS TIME TO GET RICH” or “THE GREAT COMMUNIST PARTY HAVE THIRD MEETING” or “THE 2008 OLYMPICS NEED CITIZENS PLANT MORE GREENS.” Look, no subjects here are mans or womans. Maybe Chinese too shaming putting their name first, because that not modest way to be.

slogan n. a catchword or phrase used in politics or advertising.

I go in bookshop buy the English version of Little Red Book . Not easy read but very useful argue with English using Chairman Mao slogans . English version is without translator name on cover. Yes, no second name can be shared on Mao’s work. Chairman Mao

has inherited, defended and developed Marxism-Leninism with genius, creatively and comprehensively, and has brought it to a higher and completely new stage.

The English translators of this book, they are like feather compare with Tai Mountain.

In West, Mao’s words work for me, though they not work in China now. Example, today big confusion in streets. Everywhere people marching to say no to war in Iraq.

“No war for oil!”

“Listen to your people!”

The demon-strators from everywhere in Britain, socialists, Communists, teachers, students, housewifes, labour workers, Muslim womans covered under the scarf with their children…They marching to the Hyde park. I am in march because I not finding way to hostel. So no choice except following. I search Chinese faces in the march team. Very few. Maybe they busy and desperately earning money in those Chinese Takeaways.

People in march seems really happy. Many smiles. They feel happy in sunshine. Like having weekend family picnic. When finish everyone rush drink beers in pubs and ladies gather in tea houses, rub their sore foots.

Can this kind of demon-stration stop war?

From Mao’s little red book, I learning in school:

A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence with which one class overthrows another.

Probably Communist love war more than anybody. From Mao’s opinion, war able be “Just” although it is bloody. (But blood happen everyday anyway…) He say:

Oppose unjust war with just war, whenever possible.

So if people here want to against war in Iraq, they needing have civil war with their Tony Blair here, or their Bush. If more people bleeding in native country, then those mens not making war in other place.

weather n. the state of the atmosphere at a place and time in terms of temperature, wind, rain, etc.- v. (cause to) be affected by the weather; come safely through.

Carrying meat ball and pork slice from supermarket, now I am in place calling Ye Olde English Tea Shop . What is this “Ye”? Why “Olde” not “Old”? Wrong spelling.

Tea house like Qing dynasty old style building waiting for being demolish. Everything looking really old here, especial wood stick beam in middle of house, supporting roof. Old carpet under the foot is very complication flower pattern, like something from emperor mother house.

“Where would you like to sit?”, “What can I get you?”, “A table for one person?”, “Are you alone?”. Smiling waiter ask so many questions. He making me feel bit lonely. In China I not have loneliness concept. Always we with family or crowd. But England, always alone, and even waiter always remind you you are alone…

Everybody listening the weather at this moment in tea house. All time in London, I hearing weather report from radios. It tells weather situation like emergency typhoon coming. But no emergency coming here. I checking Concise Chinese-English Dictionary . It saying all English under the weather , and all English is weather beaten , means uncomfortable. Is reasonable, of course. England everybody beaten by the weather. Always doubt or choice about weather. Weather it rain or weather it sunshine, you just not know.

Weather report also very difficult understand. The weather man not saying “rain” or “sunny” because they speaking in complication and big drama way. He reporting weather like reporting big war: “Unfortunately…Hopefully…”. I listen two hours radio I meet twice weather report. Do they think British Empire as big China that it need to report at any time? Or clouds in this country changing every single minute? Yes, look at the clouds now, they are so suspicious! Not like my home town, often several weeks without one piece cloud in sky and weather man has nothing more to say. Some days he just saying “It is Yin,” which mean weather is negative.

confuse v. mix up; perplex, disconcert; make unclear.

confusion n. 1. the state of being confused; 2. a situation of panic or disorder; 3. the mistaking of one person or thing for another.

English food very confusing. They eating and drinking strange things. I think even Confucius have great confusion if he studying English.

It is already afternoon about 3 o’clock and I so hungry. What can I eat, I asking waiter. He offering “Afternoon Tea.” What? Eat afternoon tea?

So he showing me blackboard, where is a menu:

Ye Olde English Tea

2 scones, jam, whipped cream, pot of tea £3.75

Whatever, I must to eat whatever they have or I faint. Three minutes later my thing arrives: “scones” hot and thick and dry, cream is unbelieveable, butter is greasy, and jam are three kinds: raspberry, cramberry and strawberry. A white tea pot with a white tea cup.