Hanyu Pinyin, sheng1 re4 kuai4 le4

Acording to Pinyin.info Hanyu Pinyin was 50 years old on monday.

新年快樂 - xin nian kuai le

Happy New Year

Lesson 017 - Going to the Zoo

dai4 shu3 - Kangaroo

hou2 zi - Monkey

ao4 da4 li4 ya4 you3 er2 miao2 ma - Does Australia have emu's?

wo3 xi3 huan wu2 wei3 xiong2 he2 xiong2 mao1 - I like koala's and panda's.

zhi4 shi4 xiao4 niao3 - This is a kookaburra.

mei2 you3 - It doesn't have.

ni3 xi3 huan shen2 me dong4 wu4 - What animals do you like?

ao4 da4 li4 ya4 you3 shen2 me dong4 wu4 - What animals does Australia have?

wo3 men qu4 dong4 wu4 yuan2 - We are going to the zoo.

you3 - It has.

da4 xiang4 - Elephant

wu2 wei3 xiong2 - Koala

er2 miao2 - Emu

xiao4 niao3 - Kookaburra

zhi4 shi4 er2 miao2 - This is an emu.

zhi4 shi4 dai4 shu3 - This is a kangaroo.

xiong2 mao1 - Panda

zhi4 shi4 shen2 me dong4 wu4 - What animal is this?

lao3 hu3 - Tiger

zhi4 shi4 wu2 wei3 xiong2 - This is a koala.

ao4 da4 li4 ya4 you3 wu2 wei3 xiong2 he2 xiao4 niao3 - Australia has koala's and kookaburra's

dong4 wu4 yuan2 - Zoo

ao4 da4 li4 ya4 you3 dai4 shu3 - Australia has kangaroos.

wo3 xi3 huan niao3 tu4 zi1 he2 yu2 - I like bird's, rabbit's and fish.

How often do you say hao?

Apparently I have been saying “hao” to people instead of “Ok” or “Thanks”, and I haven’t even realised I was doing it. And I am told I have been doing this for some time now.

Tonight I went through a KFC drive through and as the kid at the window handed over a bottle of Pepsi I said “hao” without thinking or realising what I was doing. It was then that my passenger asked why I was speaking Chinese to the bloke at the window, and the whole truth was revealed to me.

When I think back on this now I can’t remember too many blank stares or confused looks, but apparently there has been a few times that I have done exactly this same thing in other shops. I can remember a couple of times I have said “hao” to people I know, and once I caught myself answering the question “Where are you going?” with “ce suo”.

I will be paying more attention to what I am saying from now on.