About YK 1965

Class of WYK1965 Microbiologist (Environmental Microbiology) Honorary Research Fellow Agriculture Canada, Ottawa

Lap-Chee Tsui 徐立之Interviewed

On CBC Radio 1 Ideas program, which is to be broadcast on Thursday, 25 September 2014, after the 9 p.m. news.  A podcast will be available online later on the Ideas web site.

Summary

GENETIC GENIUS

2014 Friesen Prize Winner Lap-Chee Tsui talks with IDEAS host Paul Kennedy about how a boy who remembers raising tadpoles in Hong Kong became the scientist who ultimately isolated and identified the gene that causes cystic fibrosis.

http://links.lists.cbc.ca/v/443/1f98d43e40a8976b8ab55b10ff45aaddeba90dde2c07c7c9

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsui_Lap-chee

http://baike.baidu.com/view/957133.htm?fr=aladdin

【秋】致好友 To Bosom Friends

Tr. YK Chan 2014-09-07

秋 Fall
似酒 Like wine
味醇厚 Tastes mellow and thick
歲月悠悠 Time streams leisurely
轉身又回首 Turn around to look back again
再撫喜樂哀愁 Revisit all emotional joys and woes
往事如煙花依舊 The past looks like firework that’s gone by
唯友誼綿長如水流 Only friendship as a river meanders forever
只緣一路有你陪著走 Walking along the same path by your side
沐晨曦擷彩霞雨中漫遊 At dawn in drenching rain and colourful mist we stroll
待到紅葉濃時再聚首 Until leaves turn crimson we again get together
品茶論酒賞石敘舊 In reunion to savour fine tea, wine or jewel
落英滿地雲舒袖 Waving arms above that flowered-covered ground
歡聲笑語不休 Boisterous laughter and cheer end not
夕陽掛枝頭 When the sun setting upon tree tops
紅塵看透 Peering through mundane life bygone
別無求 Nothing else to wish for
靜候 But serenely await
秋 Fall

(正念反念,意境不同。 A different mood is felt when the original Chinese version is read in forward or reverse.)

祝中秋快樂! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

 

(明)吴承恩《樵子歌》

观棋柯烂,伐木丁丁。云边谷口徐行,卖薪沽酒,狂笑自陶情。苍径秋高,对月枕松根,一觉天明。认旧林,登崖过岭,持斧断枯藤。收来成一担,行歌市上,易米三升。更无些子争竞,时价平平。不会机谋巧算,没荣辱,恬淡延生。相逢处,非仙即道,静坐讲《黄庭》。

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Wu ChengEn (1501-1582) “Woodcutter’s Song
Translated by William John Francis Jenner (b. 1940)*

Watching the chess game I cut through the rotten,
Felling trees, chop, chop.
Strolling at the edge of the cloud and the mouth of the valley,
I sell firewood to buy wine,
Cackling with laughter and perfectly happy.

By a green path in autumn,
I pillow myself on a pine root, looking up at the moon.
When I wake up it is light.
Recognizing the old forest
I scale cliffs and cross ridges,
Cutting down withered creepers with my axe.

When I’ve gathered enough to make a load
I walk down to the market with a song.
And trade it for three pints of rice.
Nobody else competes with me,
So prices are stable.
I don’t speculate or try sharp practice,
Couldn’t care less what people think of me,
Calmly lengthening my days.
The people I meet
Either Taoists or Immortals,
Quietly sitting to expound the Yellow Court.
——————–
* British sinologist/translator

“意思”的意思 English translation by YK Chan

原文:

某老外苦学汉语10年,到中国参加汉语考试。

试题之一:
请解释下文中每个“意思”的意思:

阿呆给领导送红包时,两个人的对话颇有意思。
领导:“你这是什么意思?”
阿呆:“没什么意思,意思意思而已。”
领导:“你这就不够意思了。”
阿呆:“小意思,小意思。”
领导:“你这人真有意思。”
阿呆:“其实也没有别的意思。”
领导:“那我就不好意思了。”
阿呆:“是我不好意思。”

这老外晕了,一头雾水。
中文的“意思”太深奥了,于是他交白卷回国。

English translation:

A certain non-Chinese fellow has been toiling hard to learn Chinese for 10 years. He finally goes to China to take a Chinese language exam.

Here’s one of the exam questions:

Explain the meaning of each of the term “yisi” in the passage below:

When Ya Dai is giving a government official a red package, their dialog is quite interesting.

Official (O): What’s your intention of this?
Dai: Nothing much. Just something meant for you.
O: This way, you don’t mean much.
Dai: Just a little something from the heart.
O: You really are meaningful.
Dai: It really does not mean much anything else.
O: Then, I don’t make much significance of taking it.
Dai: It’s me who is not meaning much.

The foreigner is totally confused and could not make head or tail of the conversation.
The meaning of “yisi” is too profound. He turns in a blank paper and returns home.