Around noon, the emperor ordered a concubine to bring a chessboard and invited his minister to a game of chess.1 Wei Zheng agreed, and they began to play. Move by move they set up their opening positions. It was as described in the Lanke Classics: Caution and discipline are the way of chess. The valuableContinue reading “Journey to the West – Chapter 10.4”
Author Archives: mengshagong
There are deadlines… and then there are deadlines
Hi. You may have noticed that I took a break from posting between October and February. That’s due to a few reasons. First, I was focusing on finishing Season 1 of the podcast! If you were unaware, I started a podcast telling and discussing the story of Journey to the West in English. We relateContinue reading “There are deadlines… and then there are deadlines“
Journey to the West – Chapter 10.3
The next day, official summons were sent to the Count of Wind, the Duke of Thunder, the Cloud Youths, and Madam Lightning, who came to the ninth layer of Heaven above Chang’an. The clouds were spread between 9-11am, the thunder began at 1pm, the rain fell between 2 and 4pm, and it only rained 3Continue reading “Journey to the West – Chapter 10.3”
Journey to the West – Chapter 10.2
Trading poems and lyrics back and forth, the fisherman and the woodcutter came to the fork in the road and bowed their farewells. The fisherman said, “Brother Li! Safe travels home. Watch out for tigers in those mountains. If you run into some such danger, I will miss you on this road tomorrow.” The woodcutterContinue reading “Journey to the West – Chapter 10.2”
Journey to the West – Chapter 10.1
For now let’s not speak of Guangrui or Xuanzang. Outside of the city of Chang’an, on the shores of the Jing River, there was a fisherman1 and a woodcutter.2 One day, inside the city of Chang’an, after the woodcutter had sold his firewood and the fisherman sold his carp, they ate together in a tavern.Continue reading “Journey to the West – Chapter 10.1”
The Cows on the Bus go Moo, Moo, Moo
Ro has started singing, and it wasn’t a gradual process. He has always loved listening to songs that we sing to him or play for him, both in Chinese and English, but the singing started with Baa Baa Black Sheep. They must sing this a lot at daycare because it wasn’t on our rotation atContinue reading “The Cows on the Bus go Moo, Moo, Moo”
21-Month Toddler Chinese/English Bilingual Book Review
It’s already time for another book review! We’re still loving many of the books from when Ro was 18 months, especially the CDs that come with 早安晚安 [Good Morning, Good Night] and 小雨滴 [Little Raindrop], but we have new favorites now too. I’ve heard many parents complain about having to read the same books over and over again,Continue reading “21-Month Toddler Chinese/English Bilingual Book Review”
Listening to Chinese children’s songs
In the last two months, the language explosion has continued. We have gone from “bus” and “no bus” to knowing the Chinese names for car, pickup truck, excavator, bulldozer, cement truck, fire truck, and many more. It occurred to me that unless you are learning Chinese as a child with an interest in trucks, youContinue reading “Listening to Chinese children’s songs”
Journey to the West – Chapter 9.3
Translator’s note: Chinese families often refer to each other in the third person by their familial titles. Throughout this section, Madam Zhang is referred to as “grandmother/mother-in-law” and her name is never used. Lady Yin’s mother is referred to as just “wife” when we get to Minister Yin’s house. This sounds so awkward in EnglishContinue reading “Journey to the West – Chapter 9.3”
New Podcast and Instagram
Hi 🙂 We started a podcast. It’s on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. We’re telling the story of Journey to the West and then discussing what surprises us or what we connect with based on our Chinese American and Taiwanese American experiences. I’m still feeling it out and there are a lot of improvements that canContinue reading “New Podcast and Instagram”
Etymology Adventures 