Understand the Big Picture

Start with Documentation

Look for high-level documentation, architecture diagrams, or design documents. Understand the purpose of the system, its key components, and how they interact. If no documentation exists, ask team members or stakeholders for an overview.

Identify Key Features

Familiarize yourself with the major features and functionalities of the system. This will give you context on why certain parts of the code exist.

Understand the Domain

Get a solid grasp of the problem domain. Knowing the business logic or use cases the system is solving will help you understand the code better.

Set Up and Explore the Development Environment

Get the Code Running

Set up the development environment on your machine as early as possible. Go through the setup process carefully, and try running the system locally. This hands-on experience helps you understand the code’s dependencies and configuration.

Experiment with Small Changes

Once the code is running, experiment by making small changes and observing the behavior. This can give you practical insights into how parts of the system work.

Focus on High-Level Architecture First

Explore Key Modules

Start by identifying the main modules or layers in the codebase (e.g., API layer, database layer, core services). Understand their responsibilities and boundaries.

Follow Data Flow

Track the flow of data or user requests through the system. This helps you see how different parts of the system interact.

Understand Dependencies

Identify external dependencies such as third-party libraries, services, or APIs. Understanding what the code relies on externally will provide more context.

Identify and Study Core Components

Focus on Entry Points

Start with critical entry points like controllers (in web applications), public APIs, or key classes that handle user input. Trace these through the system. Identify Critical Paths: Pinpoint important workflows (e.g., login, checkout) and dive deeper into the code handling these processes.

Examine the Data Model

Understand the structure of the database and key data entities. Look at ORM models (if used) or SQL queries to grasp how data is stored and manipulated.

Use Tools for Code Exploration

Code Navigation Tools

Use your IDE’s code navigation features to jump between definitions, references, and dependencies. This helps you trace the flow and relationships between classes, functions, and modules.

Static Analysis Tools

Tools like SonarQube, CodeClimate, or your IDE’s built-in tools can help you identify code complexity, dead code, and potential hotspots.

Visualization Tools

Tools like Sourcegraph or PlantUML can help visualize dependencies, class hierarchies, or database schemas.

Read the Code Incrementally

Start Small

Instead of trying to understand the entire codebase, pick a smaller, more manageable section, such as a feature or module, and dive deep into that.

Follow a Call Stack

If there’s a particular function or method of interest, trace its call stack both upwards (who calls it) and downwards (what it calls). This helps you understand its purpose and context.

Pair with a Teammate / Ask Questions

Pair Programming

Pair with a teammate, either in real-time or asynchronously, to explore different parts of the code. Experienced teammates can provide context that isn’t easily visible in the code itself.

Ask for Clarifications

Don’t hesitate to ask questions. Complex systems often have undocumented nuances, and a quick conversation with a colleague can save you hours of frustration.

Start with Small Contributions

Fix Bugs or Tackle Small Tasks

Start by picking smaller, well-defined tasks like bug fixes or minor feature enhancements. This will help you build confidence and gradually become familiar with the system.

Write Tests

If the codebase has poor test coverage, writing tests can be an excellent way to learn. You’ll gain an understanding of how different parts of the system interact and ensure the code is working as expected.

Document Your Learning

Keep Notes

Document what you learn as you explore the codebase. Create a personal knowledge base with key concepts, tricky parts of the code, or architectural insights.

Contribute to Official Documentation

If you notice gaps in the system’s documentation, contribute to it. It helps reinforce your learning and benefits the team.

Break It Down with Time and Patience

Be Patient

Complex systems take time to understand. Don’t rush; allow yourself time to absorb and learn the system incrementally.

Consistent Review

Revisit the parts of the code you’ve already explored periodically to reinforce your understanding and make connections as your knowledge deepens.

Summary of Steps

1. Understand the big picture.
2. Set up the environment and run the code.
3. Focus on high-level architecture first.
4. Identify and study core components.
5. Use tools for code exploration.
6. Read the code incrementally.
7. Pair with teammates and ask questions.
8. Make small contributions.
9. Document your learning process.
10. Be patient and review consistently.

The ES became red due to multiple data nodes got deleted accidentally, the data loss was irreversible as 99% of the indices was set with only 1 replica, and both primary and replica were gone.

To bring the cluster to green again, we needed to deleted the bad unassigned shards which were marked as unassigned_shards from GET _cluster/health response.

First, we need to find the target shards which were reasoned by NODE_LEFT:

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curl -s "http://localhost:9200/_cat/shards?h=index,prirep,unassigned.reason" \
| grep NODE_LEFT

You can filter more to exclude system indices or others.

Set 0 replica

This only works for replica shard, we just set 0 replica of the index:

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curl -XPUT "http://localhost:9200/<index name>/_settings" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d \
'{
  "index.number_of_replicas": 0
}'

Delete index

If the unassigned shard is primary type, we need to delete the whole index of the shard, this usually mean this index is old, so no writing on it:

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curl -XDELETE "http://localhost:9200/<index name>"

Delete data stream

If the unassigned primary shard is from writing index of the data stream, we need to delete the data stream, usually the data stream only contains this single bad index:

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curl -XDELETE "http://localhost:9200/_data_stream/<data stream name>"

If the project has the risk of being terminating because of volatile external factors, here are some steps to defend yourself and mitigate that risk:

1. Document Risks Early: Make sure you document the potential risks, especially external factors, assumption, as early as possible. This shows that you were aware of and anticipated potential challenges.

2. Provide Regular Updates: Maintain transparent communication with your manager and stakeholders. Regularly update them on any shifts in external factors and how they might impact the project, weekly. This helps keep the situation visible to decision-makers.

3. Highlight Contingency Plans: Suggest and develop contingency plans (like pivoting or adjusting scope) if the project starts to lose value.

4. Keep Track of Your Contributions: Make sure to document the work you’ve done on the project and how it has added value, even if the project gets canceled. This can be useful in performance evaluations.

5. Propose Re-evaluation Milestones: Suggest periodic checkpoints or re-evaluation stages where the project’s viability can be reassessed. This shows you’re thinking strategically and aren’t blindly pushing forward.

If external factors change during a project’s implementation, making it less feasible or reducing its potential value so that the costs outweigh the benefits, it’s crucial to reassess the situation. Here’s how you can approach it:

1. Re-evaluate the Project

• Cost-Benefit Analysis: Conduct a fresh analysis to see if the benefits still justify the costs. If not, continuing the project may lead to wasted resources.

• Scope & Value Alignment: Check if the project’s goals still align with the current business needs. If they don’t, it might be a signal to halt or pivot the project.

2. Consider Adjusting the Scope

• Pivot or Downscale: Before stopping completely, see if reducing the scope or adjusting the deliverables would still provide some value. Sometimes a smaller, more focused outcome can still meet key objectives.

• Change Priorities: Work with stakeholders to reprioritize features or timelines. Perhaps parts of the project are still valuable, and focusing on those could salvage some benefits.

3. Consult with Stakeholders

• Business & Leadership Input: Discuss the situation with key stakeholders, including business leaders and decision-makers, to ensure alignment on the path forward. Their strategic insight is crucial in determining whether to continue, pause, or stop the project.

• Team and Technical Input: Get input from your team about the technical feasibility of any potential changes and whether they can realistically be implemented within acceptable limits.

4. Consider the Opportunity Cost

• Resources Allocation: Continuing a project with diminishing value could take away resources from higher-priority initiatives. Consider whether the team’s time and effort could be better used on other projects with more immediate value or alignment with new business goals.

5. Decision: Stop, Pause, or Continue?

• Stop the Project: If it’s clear that continuing would lead to a net loss, stopping the project is often the right decision. This prevents further sunk costs and allows focus on more valuable opportunities.

• Pause for Reevaluation: In some cases, pausing the project to wait for more nformation or to adjust for changing factors might be a good middle-ground option.

• Continue with Adjustments: If parts of the project are still viable, it may be worth continuing with significant adjustments to reduce costs or align better with the new context.

6. Document and Communicate the Decision

• Document Findings: Clearly document why the decision to stop or pivot was made, outlining the changes in external factors and their impact on the project’s value.

• Communicate Transparently: Make sure that all stakeholders understand the rationale behind the decision, whether it’s stopping, pausing, or adjusting the project.

For things are completely new, its important to be cautious yet practical to make a timeline.

1. Break down the task: Even if you’re not sure about the details, divide the project into smaller, manageable tasks or stages. This can help estimate time for each part.

For example in implementation phase:

1. development environment setup, understanding the code/project structure.

2. functional implementation.

3. unit test writing.

4. local environment setup, config, testing

5. code review, comments resolving, etc.

6. integration test

7. bug fixing and refinement/refactor/restructure.

8. rollout to production, prepare unexpected issues.

9. enable the feature gradually.

10. post-deployment: monitoring setup.

11. Ask for input: Reach out to colleagues or supervisors who may have experience with similar tasks. Their insights can provide more realistic timelines.

12. Add a buffer: Include extra time in your timeline to account for unexpected issues or learning curves. A common rule is to add around 20–30% more time than your initial estimate.

13. Set expectations: Be transparent about your lack of familiarity. Communicate that the timeline is tentative and may change as you learn more.

14. Iterate: Propose an initial timeline but indicate that you will revisit and refine it once you gain more clarity on the scope of work.

Introduction video: https://youtu.be/Pa_e9EeCdy8?si=IvEhP5dFZWIyYljs

The summary is as below:

Type Constraint

Specifying type constraint after the type parameter T.

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func min[T constraints.Ordered] (x,y T) T

The type constraints are interfaces, for example the existing ordered constraints: https://pkg.go.dev/golang.org/x/exp/constraints#Ordered

Define your own type constraint:

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// Integer is another type constraint interface
type X interface {
  Integer|~string
}
// No method is with the type constraint interface.

The ~string means any type that uses string as underlying type, for example:

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type Line string

Type Constraint Literal

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// it is common to write type constraint literal "in line".

// interface{~[]E}: requires slice of underlying type E and E is not further
// constrained with interface{}:
[S interface{~[]E}, E interface{}]

// it is common to remove interface{} around ~[]E, can be rewritten as:
[S ~[]E, E interface{}]

// further, using interface{} alias any:
[S ~[]E, E any]

Struct with Generic

This is an example about how to define generic struct:

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// a generic binary tree, can be Treep[T any ]
type Tree[T interface{}] struct {
  left, right *Tree[T]
  data        T
}

func (t *Tree[T]) Lookup(x T) *Tree[T] { ... }

// Use Tree with type string
var stringTree Tree[string]

Type Inference

The type argument float64 can be inferred from the arguments a and b:

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func min[T constraints.Ordered](x, y T) T

var a, b, m float64

m = min(a,b)

Example about Complex Type Inference

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type Point []int32

func ScaleAndPrint(p Point) {
  // calls scale[Point, int32], the int32 is inferred from p, because 2 does not
  // tell us anything, it is just under Integer constraint but we don't know its
  // exact type.
  r := Scale(p, 2) 
  fmt.PrintLn(r.String())
}

// S has type constraint in terms of type parameter E, if we know the type of S
// we know the type of E.
func Scale[S ~[]E, E constraints.Integer](s S, sc E) S {
  r := make(S, len(s))
  for i, v := range s {
    r[i] = v * c
  }
  return r
}

// This is the problematic generic func, the fmt.PrintLn(r.String()) will not
// compile because it returns []int32 and []int32 does not have String() method.
func Scale[E constraints.Integer](s []E, c E) []E {
  r := make([]E, len(s))
  for i, v := range s {
    r[i] = v * c
  }
  return r
}

When to Use Generics

Please also use your own judgement:

• Functions that work on slices, maps and channels of any element type.
• General purpose data structures.
  • When operating on type parameters, prefer functions over methods.
• When a method looks the same for all types.

If the function has too many arguments or arguments are growing or the they change often, what is the appropriate way to deal with it?

Long Parameter List

This approach is used when the caller needs to consider all parameters carefully.

If there are too many positional arguments, the same type can be hard to track, you can create named type for type-safe, for example:

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type UserID int64
type ProductID int64

Wrapped in Struct

Pros:

1. Backward compatibility, the addition or removal of any field doesn’t alter the signature of the constructor.
2. If the same set of parameters are passing around to lots of functions.
3. Easier in unittest and mock.
4. Can use method chaining to initialize parameters.

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type Request struct {
    // Private fields
    userID          UserID
    discountApplied bool
    autoPayment     bool
}

func (pr Request) ApplyDiscount() Request {
	pr.discountApplied = true
	return pr
}

func (pr Request) EnableAutoPayment() Request {
	pr.autoPayment = true
	return pr
}

Cons:

1. The parameters are easy to slip without paying attention, need to handle the zero values or using zero value validators.

Functional Options Pattern

Refer: https://golang.cafe/blog/golang-functional-options-pattern.html

A pattern of structuring your structs in Go by designing a very expressive and flexible set of APIs that will help with the configuration and initialisation of your struct.

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package server

type Server {
  host string
  port int
}

func New(options ...func(*Server)) *Server {
  svr := &Server{}
  for _, o := range options {
    o(svr)
  }
  return svr
}

func WithHost(host string) func(*Server) {
  return func(s *Server) {
    s.host = host
  }
}

func WithPort(port int) func(*Server) {
  return func(s *Server) {
    s.port = port
  }
}

func (s *Server) Start() error {
  // todo
}

Use it in client:

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package main

import (
  "log"
  "github.com/example/server"
)

func main() {
  svr := server.New(
    server.WithHost("localhost"),
    server.WithPort(8080),
  )
  if err := svr.Start(); err != nil {
    log.Fatal(err)
  }
}

TL;DR

1. Using context to cancel and timeout, deadline for expensive operation.
2. Using context to carry information, such as request ID in logging chain.
3. The http package won’t carry user customized context value b/w client and server.

Resource

Lecture link

• The context.Background() is used as root context.
• The code examples captured from the lecture.

Country and Capital near China in south Asia

• Myanmar/'mjænmɑ:/ | Burmese/bɚˈmiz/: Naypyidaw/nei-pi-dou/(capital), Yangon(old)
• Laos | Lao: Vientiane /vi-yan-chain/ 万象
• Thailand | Thai/taɪ/: Bangkok/ˈbæŋˌkɑk/
• Vietnam /ˌvjet’næm/ | Vietnamese/viˌɛtnəˈmiz/: Hanoi/hæ’nɔi/(capital), Ho Chi Minh City
• Cambodia/kæmˈbodiə/ | Cambodian: Phnom Penh/pəˈnɔm ˈpɛn/
• Malaysia/mə’leiʒə/ | Malaysian: Kuala Lumpur/ˈkwɑlə lʊmˈpʊr/ 吉隆坡
• Philippines: Manila/mə’nɪlə/, Mindanao/ˌmɪndəˈnɑo/ 棉兰老岛
• Nepal/ni’pɔ:l/ | Nepaulese: Kathmandu/ˌkætmænˈdu/ 加德满都
• Bhutan/bu:'tæn/ | Bhutanese: Thimphu /'θimfu:/

Northern America

High tech regions in Canada:

• Toronto/tə’run təu/ 多伦多
• Vancouver/vænˈkuvɚ/ 温哥华
• Ottawa/'ɔtəwə/: capital
• Montreal/ˌmɑntriˈɔl/ 蒙特利尔
• Waterloo Region 滑铁卢

Southern America

• Argentina/ˌɑ:dʒən’ti:nə/ | argentine /'ɑrdʒən,taɪn/: 阿根廷

Europe

• Belarus /ˌbɛləˈrus/| Belarusian/ˌbɛləˈru si en/ 白俄罗斯的，白俄罗斯人的, 白俄罗斯人
• Ukraine, Ukrainian /juˈkreniən/
• Lithuania, Lithuanian /ˌliθju:'einiə/ 立陶宛
• Switzerland

Africa

• Algeria /æl’dʒiəriə/ 阿尔及利亚

Middle East

• Israel/'izreiəl/, Israeli/ɪzˈreli/
• Palestine/'pælistain/, Palestinian/ˌpælis’tiniən/
• Arab/'ærəb/, Arabian/əˈrebiən/

Victor Gao

• contrarian/kənˈtrɛriən/ prediction indicator 反向指标
• You can’t have your cake and eat it 鱼与熊掌不可兼得
• kowtow/ˌkaʊ’taʊ/
• I would disagree with a few of the starting premises/ˈpremɪs/(previous statement) that you lay out(present, explain)
• what do you think of the situation going on in the semiconductor industry?
• what do you say to that?
• pragmatic | pragmatism /'prægmə’tɪzəm/ 实用主义
• the recent development suggests that xxxx
• what do you believe are the biggest mega trends大趋势 right now?
• The ball is in Trump’s hand, you decide and we will reciprocate: return in kind — either good or bad [ ] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA9pTqZ3NYU

Daiweiwei(DWW)

• they are not that imaginative to get those ideas from nowhere.

• domestically produced DUV lithography/lɪ’θɑɡrəfi/ machine

• it is losing all the leverage(non-count) it had

• China is not affected by the western media hype/ai/: a deception carried out for the sake of publicity

• interfere vs intervene: “intervene” generally suggests getting involved in a situation to positively influence or assist, while “interfere” implies involvement that disrupts or negatively impacts the situation.

  • The teacher intervened to stop the bullying and resolve the conflict between the students.
  • I didn’t want to interfere with their plans, so I refrained from offering my opinion.

• embassy(locates in capital of foreign country) vs consulate(other cities):

  • Ambassadors lead embassies
  • consuls or consuls general lead consulates.

• Musk is a little too much in this election, he can fly to China to apply for policital asylum/əˈsaɪləm/ if harris wins.

• men usually have stronger nationalism and ideology/ˌaɪdiˈɑːlədʒi/, can cause social unrest

• The woman is a chinese national, the two men who attacked her are still at large

• the passerby reports that 2 men are beating and kicking a woman.

• hemorrhagic/ˌheməˈrajik/ shock

• scene/siːn/ of crime

• lebanon /'lebənən/黎巴嫩, attacked by pagers and walkie talkie packed with explosives/bomb/bɑːm/

• I strongly condemn the crime of stabbing, the criminal has been arrested and should be punished by law

• anti-xxx sentiment/ˈsentɪmənt/ | attitude

• war criminals, yasukuni/ya su ku ni/ shrine

• Nanjing massacre/ˈmæsəkər/ memorial hall, kneel/niːl/ down at the victim’s memorial: memorial(death or loss) vs monument(honor/celebrate)

• 300,000 chinese civilians 平民, ordinary people, ordinary citizens

• Import Expo/ˈɛkspo/: a large exhibition

• Foreign Minister, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, ministry of foreign affairs

• treasury secretary 财政部长

• Defense Secretary 国防部长

• state department (美国)国务院

• dumb question, cry more pls, spineless govt, money talks, time talks

• national sovereignty/ˈsɑːvrənti/, economic sovereignty

• propaganda war

• supplement(for adding value to proposal in design) vs complement(互补)

• democratic system, political system, public show

• I don’t oppose/əˈpoʊz/ the ideas such as feminism/'fɛmənɪzəm/ and LGBT, they should be restricted or at least not encouraged in China.

• hegemony/hɪ’dʒɛmoni/

• moving forward step by step seems to be the current strategy

• despite the worst year in Chinese real estate history, China’s GDP growth can still maintain a growth rate of 5%. The Chinese economy is clearly transitioning from real estate to high-end manufacture such as electric vehicles and chips.

• genocide/'dʒɛnəsaɪd/ against XJ muslims /ˈmʌ len/

• Find a patient who has been severely brainwashed, good luck.

• it is so spectacular/spekˈtækjələr/! I am really looking forward to my upcoming travel to China, which coincides with the chinese spring festival

• hydroelectric power plant: 水电

• agricultural and mineral/ˈmɪnərəl/ product

• Boeing max: flying coffin/ˈkɔfɪn/

• laughing stock: 笑柄

• arrest, prosecute/ˈprɑːsɪkjuːt/ and extort/ɪkˈstɔːrt/

• how short sighted politicians are vs visionary

• there is no caste/kæst/ system in China

• Are kings, nobles/ˈnoʊ,bou/ born to be so?

The new flashpoint b/w china and the philippines

• flashpoint, border dispute, maritime/ˈmærɪtaɪm/ dispute
• vessel collisions
• allegations/ˌæləˈɡeɪʃn/ of armed threat
• nautical/ˈnɔːtɪkl/ mile
• aggressive manoeuvres/məˈnuvɚ/
• conducting a humanitarian/hjuːˌmænɪˈteriən/ mission
• groundless accusation/ˌækjuˈzeɪʃn/
• grounded ship 搁浅

US, Chinese officials discuss Biden-Xi talks as American elections loom large over relations

• loom large over: idiom, something is of significant concern or importance
• stabilizing communication
• adviser, think tank 智库
• For both sides, they have no strong motivation to push aggressively, because of the election, both are in a wait and see mode
• Harris is expected to maintain a level of continuity with Biden’s China policy
• Republican candidate Donald Trump had a combative and mercurial/mɝ’kjʊrɪəl/ relationship with China as president and has threatened to broadly expand American tariffs on Chinese imports if re-elected
• China eastern theater command 战区
• US could escort/ˈeskɔːrt/ Philippine ships through the South China Sea
• introductory remarks 开场白
• correct its strategic understanding of China, return to a rational and pragmatic/præɡˈmætɪk/ policy toward China, respect China’s core interests
• call on: diplomatic way of expressing a formal appeal or request.
• protectionism 保护主义
• high-tech that could have dual-use/ˈduːəl/ civilian and military purposes.

IBM retreats from China

• western firms start to retreat/withdraw from china
• the geopolitical tension b/w bj and washington prompts
• relations b/w the US and China have deteriorated/dɪˈtɪriəreɪt/ over technologies like xxx
• IBM is cutting more than 1000 jobs in china

Top Ukrainian pilot killed when US-made F-16 fighter jet crashed

• long-awaited planes arrived in the country
• The crash is being investigated and international experts will be invited to participate in the probe
• anti-aircraft missile
• The jets are multi-role: they can provide air cover for troops, attack ground targets, take on enemy planes and intercept missiles.
• the jets are no silver bullet

Musk 's X banned in Brazil after disinformation row

• the “row” in title refers to refers to disputes or arguments.
• allegedly/ə’ledʒidli/ spreading disinformation: false information that is intended to mislead
• Free speech is the bedrock of democracy
• we would not comply with his illegal orders to censor his political opponents
• Starlink is a subsidiary/səbˈsɪdieri/ of Mr Musk’s rocket firm SpaceX
• coup/kuː/ 政变, color revolution

Black market weed operations

• A marijuana/ˌmærəˈwɑːnə/ (also is called weed informally) grow room inside a residential home
• weed 杂草, weed/wiːd/ garden 除草
• raid /ei/ 突袭，搜捕
• the in-house plant can cause hourse fire and mold/moʊld/

Israeli protests for hostage death

• Israeli/ɪzˈreli/ protesters demonstrate(举行示威游行(或集会)) over hostage/ha/ death
• demonstrator 游行示威者 call for prime minister to reach a ceasefire/ˈsiːsfaɪər/
• Jerusalem /dʒəˈrusələm/ 耶路撒冷

US seizes Maduro’s plane

• US seizes 扣押 Venezuela/ˌvenˈzi weila/ President Maduro’s airplane/en/ in the Dominican/də’minikən/ Republic
• Venezuelan /lan/
• illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Maduro and his cronies /'kroni/: a close friend or companion
• it was illegally exported in April 2023 from the United States to Venezuela through the Caribbean/ˌkærəˈbiən/
• it has notified Venezuela of the seizure /'siʒɚ/
• One of the next steps, upon arriving to the US, will be pursuing forfeiture/ˈfɔːrfɪtʃər/: the loss or giving up of something as a penalty for wrongdoing
• Poor economic conditions, food shortages and limited access to health care have pushed more than 7.7 million people to flee Venezuela, marking the largest displacement in the Western Hemisphere.

Volkswagen could close plants in Germany

• Volkswagen could close plants in Germany for the first time in history
• Other measures to future-proof the company include trying to terminate an employment protection agreement with labor unions, which has been in place since 1994.
• Germany in particular as a manufacturing location is falling further behind in terms of competitiveness竞争能力.
• In the first half of the year, deliveries to customers in that country slipped 7% on the same period in 2023. Group operating profit tumbled/ˈtʌmbl/(fall suddenly) 11.4% to €10.1 billion ($11.2 billion).

China is winning, now what

• hostile/ˈhɑːstl/ foreign power
• they did not anticipate, in such a short time, China would efficiently urbanize hundreds of millions of citizens who had been previously living in impoverished/ɪm’pɑvərɪʃt/ conditions.
• upper-middle-income country 中上收入国家
• a clear plan to effect the deindustrialization of its rivals
• Yesteryear is a nostalgic/nə’stældʒɪk/ term for the distant past, not tied to a specific year. 昔日，以前
• onshore manufacturer 本土制造商
• we must choose soon, because the crisis is well underway and our window for addressing it is closing rapidly
• This is no idle remark 空谈
• Deng Xiaopeng’s famous South­ern Tour
• China has modernized without liberalizing/'lɪbrəlaɪz/
• the hundreds of millions of workers in advanced countries who will find themselves in gig and service jobs(short-term jobs, not stable) that are insufficiently productive to support a first-world lifestyle.
• the efficient use of corporate capital企业资本 distinguished good managers from mediocre(not very good) ones
• Wall Street’s ideal company became one with no assets and infinitely scalable profits. Great American companies in manufacturing-based, capital-intensive industries, like shipbuilding or steelmaking, were encouraged and finally forced to outsource their manufacturing overseas—not to save on labor costs or improve their output, but simply because outsourcing manufacturing to a foreign third party made their balance sheets look more impressive. If they were unable to offshore, they abandoned product categories altogether, which means the United States entirely lost those industries and capabilities.
• For over thirty years, the PRC has consistently taken the other side of this bet/e/. The PRC evidently(formal with facts) believes that hard assets and manufacturing capabilities are good to own, not only for their immediate economic returns but because they bring many valuable intangibles and synergies with them: a highly skilled industrial workforce, faster prototyping cycles, and mastery of supply chains. Thirty years on, can anyone really argue that the PRC bet wrong?
• Pearl River Delta 珠三角
• it deliberately avoided shock therapy: refers to a rapid and often drastic shift from a centrally planned economy (like those in communist or socialist countries) to a free-market economy
• the silly stereotypes about Chinese
• industrial policy usually begins with land reform

Formoer aide charged with acting as Chinese govt agent

• A former aide/ei/: assistant of political leader
• Andrew Cuomo was charged with acting as an agent for the Chinese government
• She was charged with money laundering conspiracy/kənˈspɪrəsi/: unlawful secret plan
• kickback/'kɪkbæk/ 回扣
• prosecutor/'prɑsɪ’kjʊtɚ/ 原告, 检举人;告发人, defendant 被告
• bond 保释金 for bail /beɪl/ 保释
• It was a betrayal/bɪˈtreɪəl/ of trust

kishore mahbubani interview

• paradoxical/ˌpærəˈdɑːksɪkl/ answer
• he can go to either extreme
• is the goal to overthrow/ˌoʊvərˈθroʊ/ the CCP
• isolate or contain china, it cannot be done
• president Joe biden in passing mention that china aims to become No.1 and he said it ain’t/ent/ gonna happen on my watch: briefly and casually 顺便提及
• do chinese have ground strategy in dealing with the US? 大战略
• I think out of necessity they have to have strategy
• the manufacturing capacity of China is now indispensable to the rest of the world
• so far ahead 遥遥领先
• I provide lots of empirical/ɪmˈpɪrɪkl/ data 经验数据
• he was an outsider 局外人

are we paid shills for china

• propaganda shill /ʃɪl/: bought by someone for cheating
• emotionally and spiritually very rewarding this travel
• we film everything from start, from the moment we arrived at the airport all the way to the accommodation, we check in and go out and meet people
• backwards country: having made less than normal progress
• the capital city is falling apart there’s homeless people literally all over the street
• we have been getting a lot of hilarious/hɪˈleriəs/ comments from mindless robots who think we have been somehow bought or told to do things.
• ignore the trolls, uneducated comments

former CIA spied for china sentenced to a decide in prison

• A former CIA officer arrested for espionage/ˈespiənɑːʒ/ has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiring to provide classified information to Chinese intelligence officials
• plea agreement 认罪协议

Kopi Time E118: China’s NPC, trade/tech war, deflation, policy

• NPC: National/ae/ People’s Congress of China
• what do you make of them: asking someone for their opinion or interpretation of something or someone
• fiscal/ˈfɪskl/ deficit/ˈdefɪsɪt/, vs defect/ˈdiːfekt/
• a lot of local govt are not inclined to borrow because they actually have debt problem
• it would actually imply that a lot more stimulus would have to take place
• you talked a lot about move away from investment-driven to consumption driven growth model
• we need to move to high quality growth by means of the market: through
• balance sheet 资产负债表
• I would hesitate to say … 毫不犹豫地说
• green investiment in China
• I find an opportunity that can be used to sort of substitute a good stimulus and it’s buy and large good investment that are going to be productive: 大体上，总的来说
• if there is going to be a trump 2.0 but before that independent of who will be the president of US in early 2025

Kopi Time 107 - Kishore Asian century vs American century

• unfortunately my nightmare might come true
• democrat/ˈdeməkræt/ vs republican
• carrying on ad-hoc action after ad-hoc action without have clear strategy
• the idea to stop china from becoming a scientific power is absurd/əbˈsɜːrd/
• the damage will be done no question but that may be just a manifestation /ˌmænɪfeˈsteɪʃn/ of slowing down as opposed to stopping them forever
• the determination of chinese people, national determination
• I’ve seen people draw parallels between US restrictions on Sovit and China: compare two different things, situations, or ideas and identify similarities between them.
• sputnik/'spʌtnɪk/ moment, historical analogy
• using the old playbook againt the soviet union on China, get dead wrong.
• it is just a sideshow, not the real contest
• at least on climate change Europe, U.S and China would sit on the same table and make tangible/ˈtændʒəbl/ progress
• anti-china/'æntaɪ/ consensus is ferocious/fəˈroʊʃəs/, fierce/fɪrs/
• Asean/'ɑ:si:ɔn/: Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
• the idea to contain china is a mission impossible
• promote/promotion vs prompt
• Asean is a inherently weak organization but it keeps stumbling through /ˈstʌmblɪŋ/ and moving forward 磕磕绊绊
• democracy vs autocracy/ɔːˈtɑːkrəsi/: dictator
• 21 century it is a multi-civilizational, multi-polar/ˈpoʊlər/ world
• Brics 金砖四国 + other members vs G7
• singaporean/ˌsiŋɡə’pɔ:riən/ identity today is stronger than the ethnic/ˈeθnɪk/ identity
• for information only and does not represent any trade recommendations

Kopi Time E108: Chris Miller on Chip war

• are you overstating it? exaggerate/ɪɡˈzædʒəreɪt/ vs exacerbate/ɪɡˈzæsərbeɪt/ and deteriorate/dɪˈtɪriəreɪt/
• every major military is thinking harder than ever about its access to semiconductors
• I really like the way you portray/pɔːrˈtreɪ/ it: depict or describe
• I take it that you don’t believe xxxx: understand or accept as valid, eg I take your point
• self-sufficient / self-contained vs self-service: needing no outside help in satisfying one’s basic needs
• so the implication of this could be rather(certain or significant extent or degree) dire for china’s medium term outlook but for the time being they can produce some chips: for the present
• would the state of the sanctions remain where they are or the net is about to get tighter
• the computing power is pretty decisive
• cyber war, cyber offense/defense
• just give me a sense, just give me a sense of how it works
• pirate/ˈpaɪrət/ software

Kopi Time E114: US markets with Dr. Komal Sri-Kumar

• I cannot say anything with respect to rate, with respect to credits: the same as with regard to(wrt), or word “per”
• how do we reconcile say market structure, buy side interest as well as xx: cause to coexist in harmony
• the question is very timely: done or occurring at a favorable or useful time
• the recession is delayed but not denied
• the regulators are telling the banks not to make so many quote-unquote risky loans: word or phrase following it is being used ironically, here the speaker has the skepticism on “risky”
• if necessary the fed will step in: involved in difficuly case for help
• very informative and insightful as always

Kopi Time E119 - Angela Mancini on Geopolitics and Business Risks

• I think you are really hitting the nail/neɪl/ on the head 一针见血
• lack of policy continuity/ˌkɑːntɪˈnuːəti/
• as time goes by so maybe we need to pick up the conversation later
• a heavy reliance on xxx
• there’s been a derisking out of China for years for cost reason even before the tensions: vs adj intense: the job demands intense concentration
• I think it’s going to be some twists and turns along the way
• great to be here and looking forward to picking up the conversation again down the road: in the future, or literally: There’s a gas station down the road.
• by all means: of course; certainly

Kopi time 126 Gen AI

• it is so prohibitively costly to build and run these AI models.
• we have this longstanding sort of comical/'kɑmɪkl/ observation that technology is everywhere except in productivity that from the 1970s onward we’ve had a bit of a downshift in productivity few times and there perhaps around the dawn/dɔːn/ of the internet age we saw some pick up in productivity but by and large in the industrial World productivity has been disappointing and one argument among many arguments is that we have sort of exhausted the low harvesting fruits and now any tangible Innovation is very costly, does it have to be like that?

Kopi Time E129: James Crabtree on the geopolitics of elections

• 4 years has come a long way; 4年已经走过了很长的路; the software has come a long way: achievement
• there is no shortage of political dramas
• actions taken without deliberate thought: instinctive: natural responses or habitual behavior; spontaneous: Actions occur suddenly and without planning, driven by impulse or immediate emotion; intuitive: Thoughts or actions based on a deep, often subconscious understanding or insight, often without explicit reasoning.
• Fingers crossed: is an expression and gesture used to wish for good luck or to hope that something will turn out well. When someone says, “Fingers crossed,” they are expressing a hope that a particular outcome will occur.

ICBM launch in decades towards Pacific ocean

• intercontinental/ˌɪntɚ,kɑntɪ’nɛntl/ ballistic/bə’lɪstɪk/ missile
• dummy nuclear warhead
• The missile fell into a designated area in the high seas of pacific ocean
• PLA rocket force
• state news xinhua
• inland sea Bohai
• The provocative/pro,va ke/ drill/exercise 挑衅的
• There’s a long-standing global norm of notifying countries when certain long-range ballistic missiles are launched to prevent the risk of miscalculation
• hundreds of silos/'saɪ lo/ for ICBM in desert

Conflict b/w Israel and Hezbollah

• Hezbollah/'hezbə’lɑ:/ （黎巴嫩）真主党 is a military/armed group, Iran-backed group
• ceasesfire/ˈsiːsfaɪər/ proposal
• people are displaced by recent conflicts: force (someone) to leave their home by war
• it was a done deal 已成定局
• United Nations(UN) General Assembly
• history has a warning
• vowed/vaʊ/ to continue fighting Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
• Israel begins ground incursion in southern Lebanon: limited scale, short term operation, vs invasion: large scale, intent of control
• UAE(United Arab Emirates)calls for de-escalation

Vow to reunification

• at state banquet/ˈbæŋkwɪt/ celebrating the founding of PRC
• Great Hall of the People
• separatist /'sɛprətɪst/
• Lai’s inauguration /ɪnˌɔɡuˈreʃən/

John Mearsheimer and Jeffrey Sachs

• I am fully in favor of containing China
• we have bogged down in middle east 深陷
• it is difficult for us to pivot to Asia to deal with China which is the principle threat we face
• regional hegemon: imperial/ɪmˈpɪriəl/ Germany, imperial Japan, Nazi Germany, Sovit Union
• thousands of illegal settlers/'sɛtlɚ/ 定居点 in the west bank are dead set against the international law.

Joint-sword B

• In August 2022, China launched a week of military drills following a visit to the island by then-US 当时的 House Speaker 众议院长 Nancy Pelosi.
• mobile missile launchers
• sovereign /ˈsɑːvrɪn/ country: 独立自主的, self-governing democracy
• gray zone/area: ambiguous, unclear, or falls between clearly defined categories, existing between extremes like legal and illegal, right and wrong, war and peace

Argentina’s U-turn on relation with China

• Argentina/ˌɑ:dʒən’ti:nə/ Argentine/'ɑrdʒən,tan/, Buenos Aires 布宜诺斯 艾利斯
• Latin/ˈlæ ten/ America
• television interview
• “positively surprised by China” - a stark contrast to his earlier rhetoric/ˈretərɪk/, in which he referred to China as an “assassin”/ə’sæsn/ state while vowing to prioritise relations with Western allies: the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing
• industrial hub 工业中心
• preferential/e/ policies 优惠政策
• Argentina holds 21 percent of the world’s known lithium /'lɪθɪəm/ deposits: a layer or body of accumulated matter

Russia BRICS summit

• Moscow/gao/

Cambodia China Canal groudbreaking

• groundbreaking ceremony
• Mekong river, Mekong delta
• lower the cost of shipping goods to the country’s sole deep-sea port
• Cambodia moving out of its orbit 势力范围
• complex historical legacy
• Cambodia’s ruling elite, ruler
• The canal will promote national prestige, the territorial integrity and the development of Cambodia
• Cambodia is a key Chinese diplomatic partner
• China’s outsized presence can be seen in the numerous Chinese-funded projects, hotels and casinos dotting/a/ the Cambodian landscape.
• canal would be used also for land irrigation/ˌɪrɪˈɡeɪʃn/ and fishing
• reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• agriculture vs aquaculture /'æ kuo kʌltʃɚ/

EU tariffs on China EVs

• prompted retaliation/rɪˌtæliˈeɪʃn/ from Beijing; retaliative
• Chinese authorities 中国当局: Beijing, ruling class, administration

[U.S bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade]

• Belgrade/ˌbel’ɡreid/, the capital of Yugoslavia/ˌju:ɡəu’slɑ:viə/
• Serbia /ˈsɚbiə/

Trump’s return means what to China

• economic upheaval/ʌpˈhiːvl/
• China is bracing for what could be a volatile and unpredictable path ahead: prepare (oneself) for something difficult or unpleasant
• rivalry b/w great powers: competition
• upend the global supply chains: upside down
• protectionist trade posture and transactional approach to foreign policy may also weaken US global leadership.
• fill the void/vɔɪd/ of America’s retreat and shape an alternative world order.
• China has sought(seek)/so/ to present a neutral stance on Trump’s win.
• But beneath the calm surface, Beijing is likely bracing for impact – and uncertainties.
• It remains to be seen xxx
• challenges also bring opportunities
• America’s potential inward turn under Trump will also be welcome news for Xi

Why China is losing chip war

• This video did not age well
• the video aged like milk
• this prediction went south: things gone wrong, failed to materialize
• the most short-sighted strategy in competing with China: attempting to isolate or blockade/la/ it.

Unclear reactor prototype for large warship discovered

• conventionally/nuclear powered aircraft
• prototype nuclear reactor
• China’s navy has been rapidly moderning
• a major step in realizing its ambitions for a true blue-water force capable of operating in seas far from China
• There have long been rumors that xxxx
• There has been speculation that xxx
• first aircraft carrier commissioned in 2012, a repurposed Soviet ship
• ski-jump type launch method, with a ramp at the end of a short runway to help planes take off.

Remains of martyrs returned home

• The remains of 43 Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) soldiers who died during the War to resist/z/ U.S. Aggression侵略, 侵犯,挑衅 and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK).
• water cannon/kælen/ salute /səˈluːt/
• martyrs/'mɑ:tə/ 烈士, martyrs cemetery/ˈseməteri/
• casket/'kæskɪt/ 骨灰盒；棺材: coffin/ˈkɔfɪn/
• participants bowed/baʊ/ three times in dignified silence to the soldiers’ remains
• the city of Shenyang has been decorated with slogans/ˈsloʊɡən/
• laid/lei de/ to rest: euphemistic/ˌyo͞ofəˈmistik/ expressions 委婉语 of buried/ˈberi/

Biden pardons son

• This official grant of clemency/ˈklemənsi/ cannot be rescinded/rɪˈsɪnd/: retreat, withdraw
• Biden has reneged/rɪˈneɡ/ on a public promise that he made repeatedly before: revoke, reverse, eat his words
• He said this unequivocally/'ʌnɪˈk wɪvəkli/: unambiguous
• commute his sentence: 减刑
• such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice! 司法不公

ROK declares martial law

• declares emergency martial/ˈmɑːrʃl/ law
• ruling party, main opposition party
• has majority in parliament /ˈpɑːrləmənt/
• impeach the president
• alliance forged in blood
• monitoring the situation closely
• Everybody’s flabbergasted/'flæbɚ,gæst/: extreme suprise
• they can be arrested without warrants being needed
• military dictatorship 军事独裁
• denying free democracy or attempting a subversion 颠覆, and outlaws fake news and manipulating public opinion: ban or make illegal
• mutual defense treaty, which means both must come to the aid of the other if they are ever attacked
• ill-fated decision 走恶运的,注定要遭受罚的
• rejected the growing calls across political spectrum for him to stand down
• lawmaker
• riot police
• treason/'trizn/ allegation: betraying one’s country
• Yoon has also been barred from leaving the country

China rare mineral export ban

• dual-use products that have both civilian and military applications.
• rare mineral export ban
• U.S. military-industrial complex
• China dominates global mining and processing of rare earth materials
• Retaliatory action could also happen via other channels
• slower customs clearance 报关and more government inspections during times of escalated tensions such as the U.S.-China trade war.
• China also has an anti-foreign sanctions law in effect since June 2021, which it uses to target foreign companies that it deems to have harmed the country’s national security or caused Chinese firms to be sanctioned.

Syrian rebellion issue

• Damascus /də’mæskəs/ 大马士革
• syrian/'si:riən/ rebels/ˈrebl/, armed rebel groups, rebellion/rɪ’bɛljən/
• regain control over the country’s second biggest city Aleppo
• Iran-backed militia/məˈlɪʃə/ 民兵
• infighting /'ɪnfaɪtɪŋ/ 内讧, 内部纠纷, 勾心斗角
• That coalition/ˌkoʊəˈlɪʃn/ has become a proxy group for Turkey
• Sharia /ʃə’ri:ə/ law, Islamist /iz’lɑ:mist/
• Kurdish /ˈkɚdɪʃ/ forces has long-running conflicts with Turkey
• anti-government fighters pour into captured city: controlled by force
• educated guess 有根据的猜测
• the government’s fall wouldn’t be welcomed by all
• undermining its ability to project power in middle east
• global stakeholders, key players
• they are walking a fine balance
• Assad provides real concessions, not cosmetic/kɑːzˈmetɪk/ concessions 治標不治本的讓步
• engage with the broad spectrum of Syrian society, opposition groups, exile/ˈeksaɪl/ groups: expel, bar from their native country
• Assad has been toppled/ˈtɑːpl/ was unbelieveable: fall 颠覆；推翻
• syrians ransack/'rænsæk/ assad’s palace 洗劫
• 名正言顺: just and proper, legitimate: He inherited the family business and legitimately became the CEO of the company.
• 天下大势，合久必分，分久必合: the general trend of the world, united for a long time it will inevitable divide, divied for a long time, it will inevitably unite.

largest maritime surrounding

• China has fielded(deployed) its largest regional maritime/ae/ deployment in decades
• TW has been on high alert
• the first island chain
• unofficial stops in Hawaii
• strong countermeasures 对策,反措施
• TW issue is China’s internal affair, and China will firmly defend its national sovereignty

China probing Nvidia

• China opened an antitrust probe/investigation against Nvidia
• The probe serves as the latest escalation of a growing battle of AI dominance
• violate the country’s anti-monopoly/məˈnɑːpəli/ laws
• China had curbed/kɜːrb/ the sale of those materials but created loopholes that allowed for some sales to continue. Those have now been closed.

Condolence to Carter

• bring an end to decades of hostility and establishing diplomatic relations with Beijing - at the expense of TW
• its implications are still being felt today
• During the height of the Cold/trade War
• A rapprochement/ˌræproʊʃˈmoːn/ with the People’s Republic of China began during the presidency of Richard Nixon, who made an ice-breaking visit to Beijing in 1972
• diplomatic ties/relations
• welcoming ceremony
• For too long, our two peoples were cut off from one another
• farsighted/shortsighted decision
• Bilateral/a/ ties flourishedthrived in the following years
• proponent/opponent
• At this sensitive moment, misperceptions, miscalculations and failure to follow carefully defined rules of engagement in areas such as the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea could escalate into military conflict, creating a worldwide catastrophe

Trump’s America first reflection

• it explains everything about America first
• imperialist/ɪm’pɪrɪəlɪst/, expansionist mindset, traditionalist
• real estate shark
• show the preoccupation of the xxx: 当务之急, 全神贯注, a major preoccupation 头等大事
• it’s been a constant thread in American history, dating back to the Monroe Doctrine 门罗主义
• melting polar ice
• Canada is freeloading off the US defense umbrella and therefore should be a state rather than a nation: take advantage of other people’s generosity without giving anything in return
• Trump’s tough talk could backfire 事与愿违，适得其反

Objection to panama cancal port sell

• the deal was seen as an expedient(vs stopgap) way for CK Hutchison(和记黄埔) a global conglomerate/kənˈɡlɑːmərət/ backed by Li Ka-shing, long famed for being one of Hong Kong’s savviest investors — to get rid of a political hot potato while fetching a good price from BlackRock.
• It called out CK Hutchison, accusing it of spineless groveling, profit-seeking and disregarding national interests and national justice, and betraying and selling out all Chinese people.
• more than 40% of US container traffic traverses the canal.

slams on Law of the jungle

• law of the jungle
• He said this in response to the questions from xxx
• smaller and weaker countries; bully the weak
• Wang, China’s most seasoned diplomat and a trusted hand for Chinese leader Xi Jinping, made the remarks while hosting his 11th such news briefing
• broadcast its views on pressing global issues 紧迫的全球性问题
• two sessions gathering 集会
• No country should fantasize/'fæntəsaɪz/ that it can suppress China on the one hand and develop good relations with China on the other.
• resolutely/ˈr ɛzəˌlutlɪ/ opposes power politics and hegemony
• since taking office in Jan, suspending American military aid to Ukraine.
• self-ruling democracy of Taiwan
• When asked how Beijing could factor into efforts toward peace in Ukraine, which so far have appeared to be largely driven by Washington and Moscow and bypassing Europe and Ukraine, Wang reiterated China’s claim that it holds an “objective and impartial” stance on the conflict and said it “welcomes and supports all efforts for peace.”
• No country should build its security on the insecurity of another

Special barges for landing

• bridges created by interconnected barges and a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship.
• undersea cable cutter at record depth
• maritime/ˈmærɪtaɪm/ innovation
• civilian use
• technological prowess
• stage increasingly frequent military drills to intimidate/ɪnˈtɪmɪdeɪt/ what it calls “Taiwan separatist forces.”
• the way stretched from the beach to more than 800 meters from the shore.
• they could form a relocatable pier, delivering large amounts of tanks, armored/ˈɑrmɚd/ vehicles and other heavy equipment
• A video surfaced – then swiftly vanished, on Chinese social media shows the barges extending from a beach into the mist /mɪst/.

Signal leak scandal

• Trump’s advisers, senior administration figures, trump’s cabinet
• Attack/war plan, security breach
• How to describe the app: messaging app, chat
• at senate/ˈsenət/ hearing
• there was no classified material that was shared/transmitted in that Signal group
• asked yesterday afternoon about the same matter
• In light of: more formal “given”
• White House Press Secretary: spokeswoman
• how the heck he got into this room
• unprofessional team 草台班子

Musk steps down from DOGE

• Musk will leave in coming months
• biggest financial backer of Trump’s 2024 campaign
• drastically slash(cut) federal government spending and the federal workforce
• senior official

Trump’s sweeping global traiffs

• take countermeasures to safeguard its own rights and interests
• Japan calls trump tariffs extremely regrettable, but holds off on immediate retaliation
• The impact on inflation will be substantial
• if the policy maintained/sustained, it would likely push the US and global economy into recession
• car vendor/dealership
• auto tariffs will cover …, auto parts import
• shock absorber减震器 suspension, spark plug, transmission变速器

beacon or roulette

• beacon/bi/ or roulette/ru 'let/(High risk and uncertainty)
• Chinese america watcher/observer
• in some ways 在某些方面, China’s ambivalence /æm’bɪvələns/ about taking on greater global responsibilities mirrors/ˈmɪrər/ xxx
• look up to America as a role model: have a great deal of respect
• recent development in America …新事态
• a phony/ˈfoʊni/ democracy, which really is an imperialist power: implication of the object or person being disingenuous
• more confrontational approach: aggressive
• lower trade surplus/trade deficit

Anti-Trump/Musk protest

• hands off: no involving
• strike vs protest(a subset of demonstration)
• protesters across US rally/ˈræli/ against trump and musk
• take part in/participate in = attend + also do sth

India-Pakistan Air Battle

• India strikes Pakistan in wake of(following, as a result of) Kashmir/ka/ massacre.
• 5 indian planes downed or shot down in major escalation
• Indian authorities have not yet confirmed any planes lost
• Pakistan-administered Kashmir
• 35 wounded/ˈwundɪd/(military context) vs injured (everyday situations)
• Islamabad /ɪsˈlɑməˌbɑd/ vowing to retaliate against New Delhi’s strikes and the risk of tit-for-tat responses spiraling/ai/ into an all-out war.
• urged restraint/rɪˈstreɪnt/ from both countries 克制
• a blast/blæst/ 爆炸 had rocked the city, around the time when India said it was conducting airstrikes against Pakistan.

China-U.S tariffs Talk

• Geneva/dʒəˈnivə/ 日内瓦(瑞士)
• when you elect a joker, you get a circus/ˈsɜːrkəs/ 马戏团

China electricity revolution

• Beijing’s aggressive pursuit of energy self-sufficiency could give it the upper hand in the trade war with the US
• China had just leapfrogged Japan to become the world’s second-biggest economy
• But the country of 1.4bn people was highly dependent on foreign nations for energy.
• Reliance on oil and coal imports had surged to record highs, exposing China to potential supply disruptions via chokepoints
• the Strait of Malacca/məˈla kə/
• China is on its way to becoming the world’s first electrostate
• electricity/power grid, transmission line, ultra-high-voltage lines
• Wind turbine/'tɝ baɪn/ towers
• energy storage for supporting wind and solar use in China.

Zhoubo’s argue about China threat

• self-searching of what you have done to China: process of introspection
• make provocations /ˌprɑːvəˈkeɪʃn/ 挑衅
• are there strings attached to that? No, it is free will: no strings attached
• they do play a long game: 持久战/下大棋
• we want to build world-class military
• Do not do unto others what you do not want done to yourself 己所不欲勿施于人

US-China Trade ware truce uncertainty

• truce(informal, daily) vs ceasefire (war), e.g trade truce
• The US - China detente /dei 'tɑng t/(easing tensions), however, appears to be falling apart over the past few days

TACO president

• Trump is irritated /'iriteitid/ 恼怒的
• He always chickens out 临阵退缩；因害怕而停止做某事: he usually backs down
• What does the acronym/'ækrənɪm/ TACO stand for?

China kicks off Tibet hydropower dam construction

• hydropower dam in Tibet
• Yarlung Zangbo River
• The project will play a major role in meeting China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals
• NGOs say the dam will irreversibly harm the Tibetan Plateau and hit millions of people downstream.

Exit ban in China

• Exit ban
• prevent individuals under suspicion/səˈspɪʃn/ from leaving the country
• the lack of transparency and absence of a workable bail system/beɪl/ make lifting an exit ban a time-consuming and challenging process
• in order to pressure their father Liu Changming, a high-profile Chinese fugitive/'fjudʒətɪv/(escape and hidding), into returning to China
• counterespionage law 反间谍
• they are deemed(regard or consider in a specified ) a potential national security risk after leaving the country.

The most common and powerful phrasal verbs! Use them actively in your daily communication.

What are phrasal verbs?

Phrasal verbs are verbs that consist of a verb and a particle, for example: look up, go through, make out.

Unit 1

• eat out (without an object): We decided to eat out.
• bring back sth or bring sth back: This photograph brings back happy memories.
• ask out sb or ask sb out: I’d love to ask Poppy out.
• look after sth/sb: Wil you look after my plants while Im’ away?
• ring sb back: I’l ring you back later.
• drop off sth/sb or drop sth/sb off: dropped off the present at her house.

Unit 2

phrasal verbs are less formal:

• put off sb/sth or put off sth/sb: postpone: Let’s put off the meeting until Friday.
• take off sth or take sth off: remove(literal meaning): Please take off your shoes when you enter the temple.
• turn up: arrive: Everyone turned up on time for the meeting.

And also note that phrasal has concrete and abstract meaning both, for example:

• She got on the bus: entered.
• they don’t get on: don’t like each other and are not friendly to each other.

Unit 3

particle has lots of meaning, and the object need to place before or after it.

Unit 4

It sometimes possible to create a noun from a phrasal verb.

Rules for the use of verb +particle noun forms

• The plural is formed by adding “s” to the particle, not the verb, e.g. break-ins, dropouts, rip-offs (not: breaks in, dropsout, rips-off)

• Verb +particle noun forms are sometimes written with a hyphen, e.g. break-in, check-in, cover-up; and sometimes without, e.g. dropout, checkout, crackdown.

• Nouns with -out and -over are usually written as one word, e.g. dropout, lookout, checkout, handout, changeover, leftovers.

• Nouns with -in, -up and less common particles usually have a hyphen, e.g. lie-in, mix- up, put-down, run-through.

• In pronunciation, the stress is on the verb, not the particle. a BREAK-in at the office college DROPout

• I know from the outset that there would be problems: the start or beginning of something

• the economic crisis caused the downfall/fall of the govt.

• crowds of onlookers watched as the police arrested the man. 吃瓜群众; standerbys

Unit 5

Often there is no direct connection between the various meanings and you just have to learn each different meaning of the phrasal verb. The best way to do this is by trying to remember a sentence using the phrasal verb.

literal vs metaphorical/'mɛtə’fɔrɪkl/

Unit 6

• come along: arrive at a place
• come around: become conscious again
• come out: dirt on clothes disappear; exam result; coming out of hospital
• come apart: separate into pieces
• come up (with)
• come about: happened, especially not planned
• come across: discover by chance
• come down to: depend mostly on

Some expression:

• I lost the report so I had to start all over again
• everyone speaks very highly of you
• Her operation was successful
• I split the tomato juice on the tablecloth
• in the end, at the moment

Unit 7

• get behind (with): I got behind with my work because I spent too much time online; ahead of schedule; on schedule
• get sth over with: let’s get this meeting over with

Unit 8

• go on: what’s going on?
• go through with: I don’t want to do the exam now, but I’d better to go through with it.

ongoing: adj, ongoing effort goings-on: noun, I heard about some unusual goings-on at the office last week.

Unit 9

• look at: I only looked at the design quickly
• look after sth/sb
• look ahead: It’s important to look ahead and consider the long-term implications of our decisions.
• look around: look around for a new job
• look forward to sth/doing sth

Unit 10

• make out: I couldn’t make out a word he was saying (negative)
• make-up: cosmetics
• make up of: over 40% university population is made up of overseas students
• make up: she made up an excuse about being ill

Unit 11

• can we put our meeting back till next week? reschedule a planned event at later time (similar to put off)

Unit 12

about “take”

Unit 13

About “up”

• I had to sweep/wi/ up dead leaves on the terrace/ˈterəs/: 阳台；平台
• I used up all my energy
• the battery has run out; we ran out of milk
• I have to tidy/ai/ up my room, hang up 4 jackets and several pairs of trousers/ˈtraozɚ/ I’d left lying on chairs.
• I discovered the washbasin/ˈwɑʃˌbesən/ was clogged up in the bathroom

Unit 14

About “out”

• I forget the key and was locked out of my own house
• I sorted out my room on sunday

Unit 15

About “off”

• she didn’t get offended by the comment, she just laughed it off

Unit 16

About “on” and “in”

• you can always rely/depend/count on him
• keep on eating

Unit 17

“down” and “over”

• I take these tablets/ˈtæblət/ to keep my blood pressure down.
• please read over the report and look over the figures in the appendix we can go over it together and later I will hand the whole thing over to the sales team.

Unit 18

Long-term Vision

• What is our medium/long term goal, how do our current projects align with the vision?

Industry Trends

How do we adapt to the emerging industry trends if any, and what opportunities or challenges do you foresee?

Project Clarity

• What are the key milestones and timelines we are aiming to achieve for this project?
• What are the potential risks associated with this project, and how do we mitigate them, any contingency plan?

Competitive Landscape

• How do we differentiate ourselves from our competitiors and what strategies are we implementing to maintain our competitive edge?

Communication and Collaboration

• How can we improve communication and collaboration between Engineering, Product, and Ops teams?

Feedback and Learning

• What feedback have we received from customers or stakeholders that could help guide our development efforts?

Career growth and opportunity

• Are there any new technologies or tools we should be exploring to enhance our skills and productivity?
• How can we contribute to and participate in initiatives that align with our personal and professional goals?