胸有成竹 To Have a Well-thought-out Plan
Sòngcháo de shíhou, yǒu yí gè jiào Wén Tóng de huàjiā, hěn shàncháng huà zhúzi. 宋朝 的 时候， 有 一 个 叫 文 同 的 画家， 很 擅长 画 竹子。 In the Song Dynasty, there was an artist whose name was Wen Tong; he was …
中国商务送礼禁忌 Taboos of Giving Business Gifts in China (Intermediate)
中国商务送礼禁忌 (Zhōngguó shāngwù sònglǐ jìnjì) Taboos of giving business gifts in China
Key Learning Points (Preview):
送礼 (sònglǐ): v. to give gift
商务往来 (shāngwù wǎnglái): n. business exchanges/doing business with others
“送礼 (sònglǐ) Gift giving ” is an important part of “商务往来 (shāngwù wǎnglái) doing …
取长补短 To Draw upon One Another’s Strong Point to Overcome Deficiencies
Yǒuyìtiān, dàxiàng hé mǎyǐ fāshēng le yìchǎng zhēnglùn, tā liǎ dōu rènwéi zìjǐ de lìqi bǐ duìfāng dà. 有一天， 大象 和 蚂蚁 发生 了 一场 争论， 他 俩 都 认为 自己 的力气比 对方 大。 One day, there arose an argument between an elephant and an …
小猫种鱼 A Kitten Planted Fish
xiǎomāo zhòng yú 小 猫 种鱼 A Kitten Planted Fish
Yǒu yìzhī cōngmíng de xiǎomāo, zǒngshì xǐhuan pǎoláipǎoqù. 有 一只 聪明 的 小猫， 总是 喜欢 跑来跑去。 There was a clever kitten who liked trotting up and down.
Chūntiān lái le, māma dài tā qù zhòngcài. …
How to Address Your Family Members in Chinese?
Family plays an important role in every culture, and it is a topic you will certainly cover when learning any new language. As you might guess, there are many terms used to describe relationships in a Chinese family, which can be quite confusing because terms …
雪地里的小画家 Young Painters in Snowfield
雪地里的小画家 (Xuědìlǐ De Xiǎohuàjiā) Young Painters in Snowfield
Xiàxuě la, xiàxuě la! 下雪 啦，下雪 啦！ It is snowing! It is snowing!
Xuědìlǐ láile yìqún xiǎohuàjiā. 雪地里 来了 一群 小画家。 A group of young painters came to snowfield.
Xiǎojī huà zhúyè, xiǎogǒu huà méihuā, xiǎoyā huà …
Answer to Chinese Translation Quiz: 洗手间在哪里(Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ)
Answer: C Here, the key word is “洗手间(xǐshǒujiān),” which means “bathroom” in Chinese. So the correct answer is C. The Chinese sentence structure “……在哪里(……zài nǎlǐ)? Where is ……?” is usually used for asking directions. For example, “电梯在哪里(diàntī zài nǎlǐ)? Where is the elevator/lift?” To show …
孔融让梨 Kong Rong Gave Away Bigger Pears
Key Learning Points (Preview):
“梨 (lí)” is the Chinese character for “pear.” （Riddle time: Guess the fruit.） Find taboo Chinese gift idea here! 礼物 (lǐwù) n. gift
Origin Story
Dōnghàn shíhou, yǒugè jiào Kǒng róng de rén. Tā xiǎoshíhou hěn cōngming, yǒu wǔgè gēge, …
How’s Your Summer Vacation?
Beginner Level/初级(chūjí)
Joey: Zuìjìn tiānqì búcuò, zánmen qù páshān ba! Joey: 最近 天气 不错， 咱们 去 爬山 吧！ Joey: The weather is fine recently. Let’s go hiking!
Amy: Kěshì wǒ juéde tài rè le, háishì gǎitiān qù ba! Amy: 可是 我 觉得 太 热 了，还是 …
Chinese Song – 好宝宝(Hǎobǎobao) Good Child
Tiān lánlán, báiyún piāo, bēiqǐ xiǎoshūbāo. 天 蓝蓝，白云 飘， 背起 小书包。 The sky is blue with floating white clouds, and I carry my little bag.
Huār kāi, niǎor jiào, tàiyáng gōnggong xiào. 花儿 开，鸟儿 叫， 太阳 公公 笑。 The flowers bloom, the birds sing, and …
Chinese Song – 雪绒花(Xuěrónghuā) Edelweiss
Xuěrónghuā, xuěrónghuā, 雪绒花， 雪绒花， Edelweiss, Edelweiss,
Qīngchén yíngzhe wǒ kāifàng. 清晨 迎着 我 开放。 Every morning you greet me.
Xiǎo ér bái, jié ér liàng, 小 而 白，洁 而 亮， Small and white, clearn and bright,
Xiàng wǒ kuàilède yáohuàng. 向 我 快乐地 摇晃。 You …
Answer to the Exercise on the Difference between “次(cì)” and “遍(biàn)”
In Chinese, a classifier is special and some classifiers are easily confused in meaning and usage, like “次(cì)” and “遍(biàn).” “次(cì)” and “遍(biàn)” both can be used to describe frequency or how many times you have done something. However, “次(cì)” emphasizes the frequency of a …
Nursery Rhyme – 小蜻蜓(Xiǎoqīngtíng) Little Dragonfly
Xiǎoqīngtíng shì yìchóng, 小蜻蜓 是 益虫， Little dragonflies are useful insects,
Fēidào xī lái fēidào dōng. 飞到 西 来 飞到 东。 They fly here and there.
Bù chī liángshi bù chī cài, 不 吃 粮食 不 吃 菜， They eat neither grains nor vegetables.
Shì …
Nursery Rhyme – 萤火虫(Yínghuǒchóng) Firefly
Yínghuǒchóng, yínghuǒchóng, mànmàn fēi. 萤火虫， 萤火虫， 慢慢 飞。 Firefly, firefly, flying slowly.
Xiàyè lǐ, xiàyè lǐ, fēng qīng chuī. 夏夜里，夏夜里，风 轻 吹。 On summer nights, summer nights, the breeze gently blows.
Pàhēide háizi ānxīn shuì ba, 怕黑的 孩子 安心 睡 吧， Kids who are afraid …
Nursery Rhyme – 种树歌(Zhòngshùgē) Song for Planting Trees
Shù ya, shù ya, 树 呀，树 呀， Oh, tree, tree,
Wǒ bǎ nǐ zhòngxià, 我 把 你 种下， I’ll plant you here,
Búpà fēngyǔ kuàidiǎn zhǎngdà. 不怕 风雨 快点 长大。 Hope you won’t be afraid of storms and grow up quickly.
Zhǎngzhe lǜde yè, 长着 …
Song for Kids – 小乌龟(Xiǎowūguī) Little Turtle
Xiǎoxiǎo wūguī shàngshānpō, 小小 乌龟 上山坡， The little turtle is climbing up the hillside,
Hēihēiyo, hēihēiyo. 嘿嘿哟， 嘿嘿哟。 Stomp, stomp.
Dàizhe miànbāo hé tángguǒ, 带着 面包 和 糖果， With some bread and candies,
Yántú lèyōuyōu. 沿途 乐悠悠。 He is joyful and leisurely throughout his journey.…
Chinese Nursery Rhyme – 粉刷匠(Fěnshuājiàng) The Painter
Wǒ shì yígè fěnshuājiàng, 我 是 一个 粉刷匠， I am a painter,
Fěnshuā běnlǐng qiáng. 粉刷 本领 强。 I am good at painting.
Wǒ yào bǎ nà xīnfángzi, 我 要 把 那 新房子， I will make that new house,
Shuāde gèngpiàoliang. 刷得 更漂亮。 More beautiful …
Song for Kids – 小小少年(Xiǎoxiǎo shàonián) The Little Boy
Xiǎoxiǎo shàonián, hěnshǎo fánnǎo. 小小 少年， 很少 烦恼。 The little boy has few worries.
Yǎn wàng sìzhōu, yángguāng zhào. 眼 望 四周， 阳光 照。 He looks around and finds the sun is shining.
Xiǎoxiǎo shàonián, hěnshǎo fánnǎo. 小小 少年， 很少 烦恼。 The little boy has …
Chinese Nursery Rhyme – 识颜色 (Shí yánsè) About Colors
Tàiyáng mīmīxiào, 太阳 咪咪笑， The sun is beaming with smiles,
Hóngqí yíngfēng piāo, 红旗 迎风 飘， The red flag is flying in the wind,
Chéngsède shì júzǐ, 橙色的 是 桔子， The tangerines are orange,
Lǜsède shì qīngcǎo, 绿色的 是 青草， The grass is green,
Xiǎoyādàn …
小白船 (xiǎo bái chuán) The Small White Ship
Lán lán de tiānkōng yínhé lǐ, 蓝 蓝 的 天空 银河 里， In the blue sky of the galaxy,
Yǒu zhī xiǎo bái chuán. 有 只 小 白 船。 There is a small white ship.
Chuán shàng yǒu kē guìhuā shù, 船 上 有 棵 …