I decided to research the word by looking up dogs in dictionaries to see how they behave in languages.

According to Random House Dictionary via Dictionary.com, in addition to

a domesticated canid, Canis familiaris, bred in many varieties,

a dog can mean:

a despicable man or youth, a fellow in general (e.g. a lucky dog), something worthless or of extremely poor quality, [as in] “That used car you bought is a dog”, an utter failure; flop; [as in] Critics say his new play is a dog, [or] an ugly, boring, or crude person.

As The 21st Century Unabridged English-Chinese Dictionary (21世纪大英汉词典) via dict.youdao.com believes, a dog can be:

# [口语]男人；男孩，小伙子， 家伙
# [口语]卑鄙小人，禽兽般的人，无赖汉；可轻视的人
# 不受欢迎的人；地位低下的人；无能(或无用)之辈，窝囊废
# [美国俚语]

* [黑人用语]“公狗”(性骚扰的男人)；好色之徒；诱奸者；勾引者；不值得信赖的男人
* (与男人滥交的)野女人，烂污女人，妓女
* 无吸引力(或心狠、令人厌恶)的女人(或姑娘)，其貌不扬的女人，丑妞，丑丫头
* 迷人的时髦女郎
* [澳大利亚俚语、贬义]叛徒，变节分子；告密者
* [复数 ](人的)双脚
* [the Dog]“灰狗”长途汽车，(画有灵提狗的)公共汽车
* [the dogs]绝妙事物

# [美国、加拿大英语]无价值(或卖不掉)的东西，滞销货，廉价商品，蹩脚货，质量低劣的东西，废物；不能令人满意的事情；不成功的冒险；(彻底的)失败
# [口语]铺张，摆阔，架子
# [英国俚语]电话
# [俚语]=hot dog
# [复数] 轻便运动鞋，旅游鞋
# 【电影、电视】低劣(或蹩脚)剧目，失败之作
# 驽马，蹩脚马
# [美国俚语、爵士音乐界用语]漂亮女人
# [the dogs][美国俚语]快事，盛事

Then, a dog can be anything from a despicable man to a hot woman (American jazz slang), and from a traitor (Australian slang) to a failure.

So, dogs are not more favorably or better represented, either, in English

What about the luck of the animal in Chinese then? No better…

狗盗鸡鸣：
①比喻具有微末技能。②比喻偷偷摸摸
狗盗鼠窃：
像鼠狗那样的盗贼。比喻成不了气候的反叛者
狗吠非主：
狗见到不是自己主人的人便吠叫。亦以喻臣奴事奉其主而拒事非其主者。语出《战国策•齐策六》：“跖之狗吠尧，非贵跖而贱尧也，狗固吠非其主也。”
狗吠之惊：
谓小惊忧
狗苟蝇营：
像狗那样苟且求活，像苍蝇那样营营往来。比喻不顾廉耻，到处钻营
狗急跳墙：
比喻走投无路时不顾后果地行动。语出《敦煌变文集•燕子赋》：“人急烧香，狗急蓦墙。”
狗口里吐不出象牙：
比喻坏人说不出好话
狗马声色：
良犬、骏马、音乐、女色。借指穷奢极侈的享乐
狗拿耗子：
比喻做外行事或多管闲事
狗皮膏药：
①中医外用膏药。将药膏涂在小块狗皮上制成，能消痞止痛。②旧时走江湖的人常假造狗皮膏药来骗取钱财，因用以比喻骗人的货色
狗屁不通：
形容话或文章极不通顺
狗头军师：
对专在背后出谋划策的人的蔑称
狗头鼠脑：
喻奴才相
狗尾续貂：
亦作“狗续貂尾”。亦作“狗尾貂续”。①古代近侍官员以貂尾为冠饰，任官太滥，貂尾不足，用狗尾代之。后以“狗尾续貂”讽刺封爵太滥。《晋书•赵王伦传》：“奴卒厮役亦加以爵位。每朝会，貂蝉盈坐，时人为之谚曰：‘貂不足，狗尾续。’”②比喻以坏续好，前后不相称。多指文学艺术作品。宋周必大《杨廷秀送牛尾狸侑以长句次韵》：“公诗如貂不烦削，我续狗尾句空著。”
狗心狗行：
比喻歹毒的心肠、行为
狗行狼心：
比喻行为凶狠，心肠毒辣
狗续侯冠：
犹狗续金貂
狗续金貂：
比喻滥封的官吏
狗血喷头：
形容骂得很厉害
狗咬吕洞宾：
喻不识好歹。吕洞宾，传说中八仙之一
狗仗官势：
比喻坏人倚仗官府势力欺压他人
狗仗人势：
比喻奴才、走狗倚仗主子的势力
狗彘不若：
犹言猪狗不如。形容品行极端卑劣。语出《荀子•荣辱》：“乳彘不触虎，乳狗不远游，不忘其亲也。人也，下忘其身，内忘其亲，上忘其君，则是人也，而曾狗彘之不若也。”
狗走狐淫：
比喻卑劣淫乱
白衣苍狗：
唐杜甫《可叹》诗：“天上浮云如白衣，斯须改变如苍狗。”后以“白衣苍狗”比喻世事变化无常
嫁鸡随鸡，嫁狗随狗：
比喻女子出嫁后，不管丈夫如何，都要随从一辈子
苍狗白衣：
犹白衣苍狗。喻事物变幻无常
打鸡骂狗：
比喻旁敲侧击地漫骂，以发泄对某个人的不满
打落水狗：
比喻继续打击那些已经失败了的敌人，不使死灰复燃
貂不足，狗尾续：
①谓授官太滥。②指美中不足或以次充好
貂狗相属：
指真伪或优劣混杂在一起
斗鸡走狗：
鸡与鸡相搏斗，狗与狗相竞走。古代的赌博游戏
饭牛屠狗：
①喻指从事低贱之事。②指从事贱业者
飞鹰走狗：
放出鹰和狗去追捕鸟兽。指打猎
挂羊头卖狗肉：
比喻用好的名义做幌子，实际上名不符实或做坏事
狐鸣狗盗：
旧时对造反者的贬称
狐朋狗友：
犹狐群狗党
狐群狗党：
喻勾结在一起的坏人
画虎不成反类狗：
比喻好高鹜远，终无成就，反贻笑柄。亦喻仿效失真，反而弄得不伦不类
淮王鸡狗：
晋葛洪《神仙传•刘安》：“时人传八公、安临去时，馀药器置在中庭。鸡犬舐啄之，尽得升天。”后因以“淮王鸡狗”比喻攀附别人而得势的人
获兔烹狗：
犹言狡兔死，走狗烹。比喻事成后排斥以至杀害有功者
鸡肠狗肚：
比喻狭窄的度量，狠毒的心肠
鸡飞狗叫：
犹言鸡飞狗走
鸡飞狗走：
鸡吓得飞起来，狗吓得逃跑。形容惊慌失措，乱成一团
鸡零狗碎：
谓事物零零碎碎，不完整
鸡鸣狗盗：
鸡鸣狗吠：
狼嗥狗叫：
形容恶人狂呼乱叫
狼心狗肺：
比喻心肠狠毒、贪婪
狼心狗行：
比喻心肠狠毒贪婪，行为卑鄙无耻
傫如丧狗：
卖狗悬羊：
犹言挂羊头卖狗肉。意谓名不副实
泥猪疥狗：
比喻卑贱或粗鄙的人
牛黄狗宝：
牛黄，牛胆囊中的结石；狗宝，狗脏器中的凝结物。两者都是内脏病变的产物，因以喻坏透了的心肠
烹狗藏弓：
语出《史记•越王勾践世家》：“范蠡遂去，自齐遗大夫种（文种）书曰：‘蜚鸟尽，良弓藏，狡兔死，走狗烹。’”后以“烹狗藏弓”比喻事成之后把效劳出力的人抛弃以至杀害
人面狗心：
①《晋书•苻朗载记》：“朗曰：‘吏部为谁，非人面而狗心，狗面而人心兄弟者乎？’王忱丑而才慧，国宝美貌而才劣于弟，故朗云然。”后因以“人面狗心”比喻容貌美好而才学低下的人。②犹言人面兽心
丧家之狗：
《史记•孔子世家》：“孔子适郑，与弟子相失，孔子独立郭东门。郑人或谓子贡曰：‘东门有人，其颡似尧，其项类皋陶，其肩类子产，然自要以下不及禹三寸，累累若丧家之狗。’”后因以比喻失去依靠、无处投奔或惊慌失措的人
声色狗马：
歌舞、女色、玩狗、跑马。泛指旧时统治阶级的淫乐方式
鼠窜狗盗：
像鼠狗那样奔窜偷盗
鼠窃狗盗：
①比喻小偷小盗或小规模的抢掠骚扰。②指小股盗贼
鼠窃狗偷：
①同“鼠窃狗盗”。②指男女之间不正当的行为。③比喻鬼祟卑鄙。④指委琐低劣
偷鸡摸狗：
亦作“偷鸡盗狗”。①指偷窃。②指背着自己的配偶和他人搞男女关系
土龙刍狗：
土做的龙，草扎的狗。比喻名实不相副
兔死狗烹：
兔子死后，猎狗被烹食。多比喻统治者杀害功臣。语出《史记•越王勾践世家》：“范蠡遂去，自齐遗大夫种书曰：‘蜚鸟尽，良弓藏；狡兔死，走狗烹。越王为人长颈鸟喙，可与共患难，不可与共乐。子何不去？’”
蛙鸣狗吠：
青蛙与狗的鸣叫。比喻拙劣的诗文
行若狗彘：
行为像猪狗。谓不齿人类。语本《墨子•耕柱》：“子夏之徒问於子墨子曰：‘君子有斗乎？’子墨子曰：‘君子无斗。’子夏之徒曰：‘狗豨犹有斗，恶有士而无斗矣？’子墨子曰：‘伤矣哉！言则称於汤文，行则譬於狗豨，伤矣哉！’”
羊头狗肉：
喻表里不一，明一套暗一套
引狗入寨：
犹言引狼入室
蝇营狗苟：
①像苍蝇一样到处钻营，像狗一样苟且求活。比喻为追求名利，不顾廉耻，不择手段。②借指无耻之徒
跖狗吠尧：
意谓各为其主
指猪骂狗：
犹指桑骂槐
猪朋狗友：
比喻好吃懒做、不务正业的坏朋友
椎埋狗窃：
谓抢杀偷盗，不务正业
椎埋屠狗：
杀人宰狗。指为非作歹和从事低贱的职业
捉鸡骂狗：
犹指桑骂槐

歇后语：

够拿耗子——多管闲事
狗咬猪尿泡——空喜欢一场
狗赶鸭子–呱呱叫
狗咬吕洞宾——不识好人心
狗掀门帘——全凭一张嘴
叭拉狗蹲墙头：硬装坐地虎(比喻冒充豪绅)
叭拉狗掀门帘：全仗一张嘴
叭拉狗咬月亮：不知天多高(比喻不知道自己有多大本事，非常不自量力
裁缝打狗：有尺寸
苍蝇嘴巴狗鼻子：真灵
吃过屎的狗：嘴巴臭
吃了砒霜毒狗：先害自己
脆瓜打狗：零碎
打狗不赢咬鸡：怯大欺小
恶狗咬天：狂妄(汪)
恶狼和疯狗作伴：脾气相投
恶狼学狗叫：没怀好意
疯狗吃太阳：不晓得夭高地厚
疯狗的脾气：见人就咬
疯狗咬刺猥：无处下日
疯狗咬人：叼着不放
疯狗咬太阳：不晓得天高地厚(比喻不知事情的艰巨、严重)
疯狗咬月亮：狂妄
哈巴狗带串铃：充什么大牲口(比喻小人物装作大人物的样子)
哈巴狗上轿：不识抬举
黄狗当马骑：乱来
黄狗头上出角：尽出洋(羊)相
济公吃狗肉：不管清规戒律
见狗扔骨头：投其所好
江湖佬卖完狗皮育：该收场了
叫化子打狗：边打边走
街上的疯狗：乱咬人
街头的狗：谁有吃就跟谁走
看羊的狗：一个比一个凶
癞皮狗上轿：招摇撞骗
狼狗打架：两头害怕
老猫犯罪狗戴枷：无辜受累
老牛钻狗洞：难通过
猫儿捉老鼠狗看门：各守本分(比喻份内事，各人有各人的职责)
猫捉老鼠狗看门：本分事
猫钻狗洞：容易通过
皮娃娃砸狗：招你不当人
全銮殿上的狗尿吝：色不济，长在好地方
肉包子打狗：一去不回头
肉包子打狗：白扔东西(比喻徒然付出代价，没有效果)
肉包子打狗：春去无回
三伏天的狗：上气不按下气
司狗的：软的欺负硬的怕
堂屋里挂狗皮：那是什么话(画)
偷嘴的狗：见人就逃(比喻做了丑事，见不得人)
瞎狗逮兔子：碰到嘴上
瞎了眼的癞皮狗：碰着啥咬啥
要饭的打狗：穷横
野地里遇疯狗：难近身
幼狗不吃屎：没事找事
喻巴狗舔脚跟：亲的不是地方(比喻场合不对)
属疯狗的：见人就咬
属狗的：老爱咬人
属狗的：直肠子

However, for people who keep dogs as their loving and loved companions, the animals are their best friends, loyal, entertaining, and understanding. They are everything that a despicable man or an aspirant of no use is not.

Then, references to dogs in both English and Chinese languages serve as the best example of humans’ mixed feelings towards things.

I’ve read quite a few China blogs, and his is one of the most personally vicious, so negative about his host country and its people, whining, chastising, satirizing, and complaining all the time. I must say reading his posts is a very depressive experience. (But, his and guests’ posts make very good jokes, though, if you read them that way.) I can hardly associate such darkness and gloom in attitudes with a typical can-do businessman.

MyLaowai’s style of China-bashing is relentless. He bashes everything about and never has a problem with insulting and offending the country and its people. For example, he makes fun of Chinese-English the Chinese people often use; and “debunks” everything the Chinese like, e.g. the noises Chinese New Year’s celebration fireworks make.

MyLaowai’s China-market claim is dubious. My common sense tells me it’s not true.

As is known, China is a developing country, which means that it has a long way to go before it can match the developed ones in the West in terms of market maturity. Though people like MyLaowai rightly have loads to complain about, this should not stand in the way for other investors who want presence in China. After much complaining, MyLaowais must get down to work to solve or shun problems they are complaining about. If they don’t, they might fail in a market of this size:

China, which excludes Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, had an inbound FDI flow of US$108 billion in 2008 and had the world’s third largest economy (and according to the latest statistics, the second largest). In 2009, the country exported US$1.2 trillion worth of goods (Office machines & data processing equipment ($134.5 billion), Telecommunications equipment (123.6), Electrical machinery (101.7), Apparel & clothing (95.4), Miscellaneous manufactures (55.5)) and imported US$1.01 trillion (Electrical machinery ($174.8 billion), Petroleum & related products (84.1), Professional & scientific instruments (48.6), Metalliferous ores and scrap (44.0), Office machines & data processing equipment (40.7)).

Building a “harmonious” society is a comprehensive program of the Chinese government. Looking at it historically, nothing is new about this concept. It’s just another slogan word that represents a natural addition to China’s national strategic aims it set more than three decades ago – to make China into a country of Wealth, Strength, Democracy, and Ethics. Though it’s true that China is a country far from being “harmonious”, at least the country is making great progress towards her goals.

China is a country that had increased the life expectancy at birth of her people from an average of 35 years in 1949 to 70.4 years for men and 73.7 years for women in 2004; grown its gross national product to US$2.6 trillion in 2006; and sent her people aboard her own spaceships into the outer space. China’s achievements represented by the three examples are extremely laudable in Human history, especially considering the country’s vast land and huge population and the short time in which the achievements had been made.

For the market prospering in such a country, investors should consider joining it instead of avoiding it, as their business dictates.

However, from an individual investor’s point of view, it’s up to him or her how the operations are run. It’s their business. China’s market welcomes successful companies and eliminates losing underachievers.

Running businesses in China and the rest of the world carries risks associated with management/administration, thefts, labor disputes, legal and judicial problems, and consumer preference (MyLaowai’s grievances). If managed badly,  these risks might lead to disasters. This is what running businesses is about, isn’t it?

Contrary to MyLaowai’s recommendation, my idea is that if you are an ambitious investor, are sure that you have the products and/or services the local Chinese consumers can use, and you are well prepared for a market new to you, come here, because the market here is for you. But, before and after you set up shop here, bear these in mind: don’t try to fight local people and their ways of getting things done; and go about things within the Law and Government Regulations.

I’ve had enough of this!

I want to speak really good English, like a really good native speaker.

Who can help me then? There is no way I can marry a native English-speaking woman now. Well, I’m talking (writing, to be precise) as though I can easily find one who is also interested in me!

I’m not the sort of guys women can have a crush on at first glance. People have to get to know me a lot before they can like me very much. Smacks of boasting then.

Now back to the topic of learning to speak a foreign language that your spouse speaks. If you’re lucky enough to have one and you don’t speak like a native speaker of that foreign language, you are wasting such a good opportunity and even your life!

But, I cannot justifiably blame you for that too much. It’s a human weakness. Me for one. I’ve been in Beijing for more than six years and I’ve never been to the Great Wall here though I’ve been to Qinghuangdao and sometimes I got really close to the city’s section of the Wall. I always think that if I really want to go to, say Badaling, I can do that on any weekend and so I don’t do it.

The most immediate reason why I can’t marry a native English-speaking woman is that I’ve already got married with and want to keep at my side the best woman in the world. But, she doesn’t speak English. It would be wonderful if she spoke English as a native tongue!

There must be a work-around, though.

Yep, a language exchange partner!

I’ve spoken Chinese for almost 30 years (I don’t remember when I started to speak it) and grew up in an area where Standard Chinese is spoken. My favorite books are ancient and modern Chinese classics. I can teach you some Dongbeihua  if you like, though.

So, anyone interested in my offer -  be my language exchange partner?

In this world where people are connected via visible and invisible networks. Our mutual help will be very easy, via Skype, MSN, or QQ, or even recordings (e.g. I record my translation lessons for some visually impaired students who want to be translators).

For more about me and my contact info, click here.

Which one is more difficult for a foreign learner to learn to speak and write? I believe it is Chinese. Someone has jokingly commented that one needs three months to learn good English, three years to master French and at least thirty years to be proficient in German. As I see it, he has to double his efforts he has put in tackling German to speak and write good Chinese, and those foreigners who manage to speak and write good Chinese must be geniuses.

Does this sound a little too exaggerated? I believe not.

For one thing, most native Chinese speakers (e.g. me) find it hard to word things in decent Chinese because they have long been isolated from the traditionally accepted and correct way of expressing themselves in writing and do not know what rules to follow in their doing so. When it comes to foreigners learning Chinese, they have to first find decently and elegantly worded Chinese texts and use them as models. In everyday life in China, they may find that good Chinese writings are in short supply. It seems to me that the correct, smooth and natural tradition of wording Chinese texts was broken somewhere (during the Great Cultural Revolution?) so that its modern speakers are at a loss to know how to write their language.

For example, earlier dated writings, more often than not, sound too old-fashioned, especially those written before 1949, and even before 1978. You can easily come across badly written news reports, government documents, corporate files, etc. Experts, or rather those of at least writing good Chinese, are hard to come by these days, I have to say.

For another, as far as I know, no complete and generally agreed-upon Chinese grammar system has been established out of the language and the current system, if it is one, is believed to be a poor relation of its Western counterparts.

To come here was a tough decision. I doubted my decision of giving up my long accustomed life back home. I was awed by the uncertainties of future in Beijing and the disbeliefs of my competence racked me. Nonetheless, I came here on November 10, 2002.

Life here could be real tough. Without enough money to pay for things I need, I would have to live with a poorer standard of living than at home, for example, sharing with my roommate a cold room in a one-story house without an indoor toilet in the winter.

Beijing is different from Harbin. It’s a national city, if not an international one while Harbin is just a regional city. I could hear Chinese people down the street in Beijing speaking almost every language and dialect known in China. Sometimes, I would sit in a corner on a bus and be amazed, wondering if I was really in China because a Chinese man who pressed his cellphone against his ear talked a total foreign tongue, neither English nor others I could identify, it’s an unknown Chinese dialect no other people than himself on the bus can understand.

Being in a national city means I have more opportunities than in a provincial city. The bad news is that I may have more than I can chew.

It’s the second week I’d been in Beijing that I decided the adjustment to a new invironment was enough–I needed a job desperately. I sent numerous resumes through 51job.com, chinahr.com and zhaopin.com and printed dozens of copies of my application letter and resume and sent them out to my potential employers by post.

I still remember three of those job interviews.

The first one appeared to be a success for the immediate offer of the job. My job would involve translation in the fields of communications and set-top-boxes, something attached to the top of a TV set to receive paid programs.

I balked at the second interview. I crossed from the western to the eastern part of Beijing after changing several buses. When I got there, it turned out to be a PR (Public Relations) company that had something to do with The Oracle. The first interviewer was a formidable young man wearing a dark business suit. He told me that his was a medium-sized PR company hiring dozens of people and the successful candidate would deal with translations of PR materials.

After he left the room, a woman came back to test my spoken English. I told her that I might have come to a wrong place to look for a job because I didn’t think I was good with people, which were an essential part of a PR position, otherwise PR would make no sense. I did not bother to take the following written test designated for each applicant. I came out of the impressive, imposing building, sighing. A company full of sexy women and big men is not my place. I’m happier with a much smaller company with a relaxing working atmosphere or a larger one without the dressing-yourself-up routine. Let me just think. Actually, I am not sure I like a large company because I’ve never been in one and don’t have an idea of it.

The third company, a translation firm, was extremely small and amazingly young. It’s not only that it just got started, but its boss was also a burgeoning one. I am sure we were born almost the same year and we should be friends, not employees and bosses. After a short spoken test and a long written test, he decided to hire me. But I’d decided I would not accept a job offer from a company with a few girls looking like university kids under a young, novice boss. I left the young company, envying the young man’s position of being am employer. I’m also young, what am I?

Things did not happen as expected. Jiang, the man who’d made his immediate offer of the translating position, seemed to be reconsidering his “rash” decision. He made a follow-up phone call right after I left his office in a corner office building, telling me to do a test of translation. Later on, I did another test. I failed all of them. The translation of contracts regarding Set-Top-Boxes was more than I could chew.

There are at least two kinds of open positions in Beijing when I look for a job–one that I’m worthy of and the other that I’m not.