Did you know the gestures used to express numbers in the west and in China are different? Check out this quiz below and see if you already know the differences!
How old is the boy? A. “五 岁(wǔ suì)” 5 years old B. “六 岁(liù …
Too shy to let your guard down and bust a move when you’re on a night out? Maybe you should let China’s square dancers help you get in the groove. If you walk around a Chinese city in the evening, you’ll surely find them. “广场舞 …
雪中送炭 (xuězhōngsòngtàn) To offer fuel in snowy weather
Key Learning Points (Preview):
木炭 (mùtàn) n. charcoal
品尝 (pǐncháng) v. taste
Sòngcháo de shíhou, Sòng Tàizōng Zhào Guāngyì shì yígè guānxīn qióngkǔrén de huángdì. 宋朝 的 时候， 宋太宗 赵 光义 是 一个 关心 穷苦人 的 皇帝。 …
Answer: B The correct answer is B. “属于(shǔyú)” means “belong to” or “the category of something.” There are 12 kinds of animals within the Chinese Zodiac, including 鼠(shǔ) rat, 牛(niú) rat, 虎 (hǔ) tiger, 兔(tù) rabbit, 龙 (lóng) dragon, 蛇(shé) snake, 马(mǎ) horse, 羊 (yáng) …
Jié Kè: Māo ____ shíèr shēngxiāo ma? 杰 克：猫 ____ 十二 生肖 吗？ Jack: The cat is the 12th zodiac right? Mǎ Lì: Bù, shíèr shēngxiāo lǐmiàn méiyǒu māo. 玛 丽：不，十二 生肖 里面 没有 猫。 Mary: No, the cat isn’t one of the zodiacs. Jié …
The
“纸上谈兵(zhǐshàngtánbīng) armchair strategy” refers to people who engage in idle talk, but are unable to act on their high minded theories. It is usually used to urge people to combine theories with practical knowledge and not be bookworms. Let’s read about the …
Food is a big deal in China. In fact, food and eating are so important that a common greeting is “你吃了吗？(Nǐ chī le ma?)” This means, “Have you eaten yet?” Want to find out about one of the most delicious, regional cuisines in …
Answer: B As a technology user, you probably often reach into your “表情包(biǎoqíng bāo)” or “emoji bag” to represent some feeling that needs more than words. With this lesson you will get behind the scenes on what the emoticon actually means when it is sent …
Mǎ Kè: Lǐ Lì, míngtiān yìqǐ qù tīng yǎnchànghuì ba? 马 克：李丽，明天 一起 去 听 演唱会 吧？ Mark: Lily, there’s a concert tomorrow, we should go together! Lǐ Lì: Shuí de yǎnchànghuì a? 李丽：谁 的 演唱会 啊？ Lily: Who is playing? Mǎ Kè: Dāngdì de …
Answer: D Even thought the word “play” in English takes on many different meanings, in Chinese there is often a different word for different actions. Perhaps the most similar word in Chinese to the word play, would be “玩(wán).” This word is used as a …
There are many words in Chinese that mean “to play” so you have to be careful which one you use in different situations! Mǎ Kè: Wáng Míng, zhōumò yìqǐ ( ) lánqiú ba! 马 克：王 明， 周末 一起（ ） 篮球 吧！ Mark: Wang Ming, Let’s …
The Pig Baijie is a much-loved character in the classic Chinese TV series Journey to the West《西游记》(Xīyóujì). He has the head of a pig and the body of a human, and is fat and greedy for food. The following story is an episode from Journey …
If you are just starting to learn Chinese, but already preparing a trip to China, you might find these basic sentences very useful to getting around. They are so basic, that as your Chinese improves, you’ll find that you never stop using these phrases!
Answer:
Did you guess right? This dialogue is very funny once you understand, but pretty tricky! That is because the character “包(bāo)” in Chinese has many different meanings. Here are the two meanings that are relevant to the dialogue: The first …
1. Which character is causing the misunderstanding between the policeman and woman? A. 身上(shēnshàng) B. 包(bāo) C. 放心(fàngxīn) D. 不见(bújiàn) 2. What does the police man mean by saying “包在我身上(bāo zài wǒ shēnshàng)?” A. He took the woman’s bag. B. He doesn’t know who stole …
和尚 (héshang): n. monk
挑水 (tiāoshuǐ): v.to draw water
Shānshàng yǒu zuò xiǎomiào, miàolǐ yǒu gè xiǎo héshang. 山上 …
