Today's new words
霍比特人 Huò bǐtè rén Hobbit, transliterated from characters meaning hobby-special-people
Myles has recently completed a re-read of his favorite book. He is still carrying it around occasionally to delve into one chapter or another when he has a spare moment. The Hobbit is often on his mind, as evidenced in this post. Then again as we were driving one freezing, wet day west of Changping in search of crumbly bits of old Great Wall. From the back seat I could hear the low chant "Far over the Misty Mountains cold, To dungeons deep and caverns old...."
"...We must away, ere break of day, To seek our pale enchanted gold."
Sometimes it's hard not to imagine China as Middle Earth.
Also inspired by a volume of Brothers Hildebrant Tolkien-inspired artwork, Myles has been sketching characters and scenes from the Hobbit as well. Like Elrond, whom Myles imagines with a levitating crown. He hopes he captured the faraway look as described in the book.
And like other pursuits, Myles wants to add to his Chinese vocabulary so that he can explain what he is reading or drawing. 霍比特人 rolls off his tongue so quickly. Slower in coming are other Tolkien-in-Chinese words, like 孤山 Gū shān, the Lonely Mountain, where lives the dragon 史矛革 Shǐmáogé. These words, and others from the Hobbit, aren't the vocabulary that will help him pass a test or get ahead in school. They will, however, help him use language to communicate, maybe even with others who share his interests.
Myles has recently completed a re-read of his favorite book. He is still carrying it around occasionally to delve into one chapter or another when he has a spare moment. The Hobbit is often on his mind, as evidenced in this post. Then again as we were driving one freezing, wet day west of Changping in search of crumbly bits of old Great Wall. From the back seat I could hear the low chant "Far over the Misty Mountains cold, To dungeons deep and caverns old...."
"...We must away, ere break of day, To seek our pale enchanted gold."
Sometimes it's hard not to imagine China as Middle Earth.
Also inspired by a volume of Brothers Hildebrant Tolkien-inspired artwork, Myles has been sketching characters and scenes from the Hobbit as well. Like Elrond, whom Myles imagines with a levitating crown. He hopes he captured the faraway look as described in the book.
And like other pursuits, Myles wants to add to his Chinese vocabulary so that he can explain what he is reading or drawing. 霍比特人 rolls off his tongue so quickly. Slower in coming are other Tolkien-in-Chinese words, like 孤山 Gū shān, the Lonely Mountain, where lives the dragon 史矛革 Shǐmáogé. These words, and others from the Hobbit, aren't the vocabulary that will help him pass a test or get ahead in school. They will, however, help him use language to communicate, maybe even with others who share his interests.
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