(For new reader and those who request 好友请求, please read my 公告栏 first)

Vocabulary according to dictionary is a list of words understood or used by a person in a language. This, however, is too simple a definition. We often need to distinguish among  Reading Vocabulary,Speaking Vocabulary, and Writing Vocabulary each of which is a propersubset of its predecessor (although one may debated whether or not writing vocabulary is contained within the speaking one.) When there are multiple languages involved, the situation is more complicated. Personally, I find reading scientific  Chinese text rather difficult. This is because I learned almost all scientific pronouns and terms in English and have no idea what their Chinese equivalents are. Phonetically, sometimes, but not always, I can guess. But I have no difficulty in conducting a conversation in everyday Chinese. As for writing Chinese, I am only at middle school level or worse. Yet I can read and understand old classic or official Chinese text without too much trouble. It is because of these considerations that I write my blog in English.

Bythe same reasoning, I realize that by writing my blog in English, the readers of ScienceNet may not always catch the nuance and exact meaning of things I was saying. Thus, whenever possible, I try to insert appropriate Chinese phrases to clarify the text. However, this is hampered by my unreliable Chinese writing software and my limited skill in using the software (note 2). Fortunately, the staff at ScienceNet are most capable. In their spare time, they try to translate those blog articles of mine which they think are significant and have general appeal.Thus, overall my writing serve the purpose (note 1 below) judging from their continued popularity.

(note1. As stated several times in the past four years, the primary purpose of myblog articles is to help young scholars and students with my life experience inAcademia and in the US)

(Note 2. For example my Chinese writing software will not work with the new Windows 7 Professional operating system that was installed on my PC recently)