Uncle Hanzi Richard Sears (2)

234
3
1
English

Aug 14th 2012 23:41

Uncle Hanzi wiped out all his twenty years of savings(花光二十年的积蓄) to perfect his website. In twenty years, he has divorced, lost his job, lived alone, even spent all his savings in last month(上个月，已经花光了他所以的积蓄). Now, his tourist visa has expired, he was forced to go back to America. But all of this can not change his enthusiasm about Chinese characters.
A Chinese friend of his once told him "Today, traditional characters have long fallen out of Chinese. Your 'Chineseetymology' website could not earn money." Time and again Uncle Hanzi found that earning money seemed the important thing to Chinese people. He haven't understood and felt sorry about that even have been going a decade later(对于这点，即使十年过去了，汉字叔叔还是不能理解，充满了遗憾). He said "Chinese people always are busy with making money, there are so many thing more important than it."

http://www.chineseetymology.org
http://baike.baidu.com/view/5144336.htm
http://www.infzm.com/content/79466
http://baike.baidu.com/view/5168404.htm

To be continued……

Tzitzimitl

Thank you for your correction!

Aug 15th 2012 02:05

Uncle Hanzi wiped out all his twenty years of savings(花光二十年的积蓄) to perfect his website.
Uncle Hanzi completely wiped out all his twenty years of savings(花光二十年的积蓄) to perfect his website.

sounds more natural this way

In twenty years, he has divorced, lost his job, lived alone, even spent all his savings in last month(上个月，已经花光了他所以的积蓄).
In Over the past twenty years, he has gotten divorced, lost his job, lived alone, even spent all his savings, just in the last month(上个月，已经花光了他所以的积蓄).

Now, his tourist visa has expired, he was forced to go back to America.
Now, his tourist visa has expired, he was is forced to go back to America.

Because you're saying "now", keep your writing in the present tense (has, is)

But all of this can not change his enthusiasm about Chinese characters.
But all of this cannot change his enthusiasm about for Chinese characters.

Or you could say: "But none of this can change his enthusiasm for Chinese characters"

A Chinese friend of his once told him "Today, traditional characters have long fallen out of Chinese.
A Chinese friend of his once told him: "Today, traditional characters have long fallen out of use in Chinese.

If something is "long out of use", we already understand you are talking about the present time, so you don't have to say "today"

Your 'Chineseetymology' website could not earn money." Time and again Uncle Hanzi found that earning money seemed the important thing to Chinese people.
Your 'Chinese etymology' website could cannot earn money." Time and again Uncle Hanzi found that earning money seemed the most important thing to Chinese people.

use "could" for a hypothetical situation. If the website already exists, it's better to use "can"

He haven't understood and felt sorry about that even have been going a decade later(对于这点，即使十年过去了，汉字叔叔还是不能理解，充满了遗憾).
He haven't still doesn't understand that and feels sorry about that it, even have been going a decade later(对于这点，即使十年过去了，汉字叔叔还是不能理解，充满了遗憾).

He said "Chinese people always are busy with making money, there are so many thing more important than it."
He says: "Chinese people always are are always busy with making money, but there are so many things more important than it that."