Conversation:
Wǒ ____ nián shíyī zhǔnbèi qù Ōuzhōu lǚyóu. Lily: 我____ 年 十一 准备 去 欧洲 旅游。
Shì ma? Tǐng hǎo de. Lucy: 是吗？ 挺 好 的。
Choose the right word for the blank.
A: 明 (míng) B: 下 (xià) …
Key Learning Point (Preview):
马马虎虎 (mǎma hūhu): careless/just so so
The idiom “马马虎虎 (mǎma hūhu)” is widely used by Chinese people in their daily lives. But why do people in China use this idiom? Let’s read the following story to find out.
Listen to the …
Key Learning Point (Preview):
二百五 (èrbǎiwǔ): n. a careless or silly person In Chinese, especially between friends, one often calls another “二百五 (èrbǎiwǔ),” or says that someone is “二百加五十 (èrbǎi jiā wǔshí) two hundred plus fifty.” What does this expression mean? Let’s read this small …
“少见多怪 (shǎojiànduōguài) is an everyday Chinese expression used to describe someone who is very naive. Besides this, the phrase is sometimes used to poke fun at those who announce a very common fact as a piece of amazing news. In English, people sometimes joke around …
What Present Would You Select on Chinese Valentine’s Day?
Key Learning Points (Preview):
礼物 (lǐwù): n. present/gift
送 (sòng): v. to give
Chinese Valentine’s Day -七夕 (Qīxī), on July seventh of the Chinese lunar calendar, is coming up. Many people in China are preparing to …
Online Chinese Learning – 你不高兴吗? (Nǐ bù gāoxìng ma?) Aren’t you happy? Key Learning Points (Preview):
高兴 (gāoxìng) adj. happy/glad
微笑 (wēixiào) n./v. smile
At the Charles de Gaulle airport, some friends came to pick up me. When they met me, my French friend hugged …
中国古代四大美女 (Zhōngguó gǔdài sì dà měinǚ) The Four Beauties of Ancient China
Key Learning Points (Preview): 美女 (měinǚ): n. beauty
含蓄 (hánxù): adj. reserved/implicit
温柔 (wēnróu): adj. gentle/tender
Throughout China’s five thousand year history, numerous heroic figures have emerged and captured the people’s fancy. But …
Hot Movie: 单身男女 (Dānshēn nánnǚ) Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (Beginner) Key Learning Points (Preview):
单身 (dānshēn) : adj. single
简单 (jiǎndān): adj. simple
电影 (diàn yǐng): n. movie
The “电影 (diànyǐng) movie” “单身男女 (Dānshēn nánnǚ) Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” was released in theatres …
Key Learning Points (Preview): 围 (wéi): v. to besiege
救 (jiù): v. to rescue
待 (dài): v. to wait
The blockbuster war movie The Warring States was released in theaters simultaneously in China and North America on Apr. 12th, 2011. This movie focuses on …
As Mother’s Day is coming, we prepared a Mandarin Chinese story for this special day. It is a story about filial piety. In traditional Chinese culture, filial piety is the most important of all the virtues to Chinese people. Although society has changed a lot …
Online Chinese Lesson- Li Bai- China’s Greatest Poet (Intermediate)
Key Learning Points (Preview):
纪念 (jìniàn): v. to commemorate
风格 (fēnggé): n. style
Feb. 28, 2011 is the 1310th anniversary of the Poet Li Bai, one of the greatest poets in world history. Many people “纪念 …
Key Learning Points (Preview):
篮球 (lánqiú) n. basketball
歌曲 (gēqǔ) n. song
Recently, Kobe Bryant and Jay Chou performed a song together named “天地一斗(tiāndìyìdǒu) The Combination of Heaven and Earth“. The song is “创作 (chuàngzuò) composed” by Jay Chou and “表演 (biǎoyǎn) performed” by Kobe …
Learn Mandarin Chinese Idiom: 囫囵吞枣 (húlún tūnzǎo) To eat the date whole (Advanced)
In the Chinese idiom “囫囵吞枣 (húlún tūnzǎo)”, “囫囵 (húlún)” means “the whole;” “吞 (tūn)” means to “swallow;” “枣 (zǎo)” is “date.” This idiom means “to eat the date whole.”
Key Learning Points …
Do you know how to write the Chinese character for “rabbit?”
The Chinese character for “rabbit” is “兔.”
拼音 (pīnyīn) pinyin: tù 笔画 (bǐhuà) number of strokes: 8 部首 (bùshǒu) Radical: 刀 笔顺 (bǐshùn) stroke order:
常用词语 (chángyòng cíyŭ) Frequently-used words or phrases:
兔子 (tùzi) …
Appreciating Modern Chinese Beauty (Advanced) Chinese Name: 中国式美丽 (Zhōngguó shì měilì)
Key Learning Points (Preview): 美丽 (měilì): n. beauty
传统的 (chuántǒng de): adj. traditional
展示 (zhǎnshì): v. to show/to display
People of China in China’s National Image Promotional Video (Chinese name: 中国国家形象宣传篇之人物篇 Zhōngguó guójiā xíngxiàng …
Key Learning Points (Preview):
票房 (piàofáng): n. box office
吸引 (xīyǐn): v. to attract Watch the trailer for more about the film:
The new film “新少林寺 (Xīn shàolínsì) Shaolin” is a hit. Only four days after its release in mainland China, “票房 (piàofáng) box office” …
Top Three Blockbuster Chinese Movies for the New Year Holidays Key Learning Points (Preview):
牺牲 (xīshēng) v. / n. sacrifice
传奇 (chuánqí) n. legend
The New Year is coming! And dozens of movies are coming out in theaters. Amongst them, the three following movies are …
Santa Claus and its Chinese Counterpart Key Learning Points (Preview):
平安 (píng’ān) n. safety / peace
顾名思义 (gùmíngsīyì) as the name implies
On Christmas Day, it’s Santa Claus who brings us gifts and happiness. But during the Chinese New Year, who is going to bring …
Key Learning Points (Preview): 千里马 (qiānlǐmǎ): n. a swift horse
明明 (míngmíng): adv. obviously; undoubtedly
Zhège chéngyǔ gùshì de míngzi jiào zuò: zhǐlùwéimǎ. 这个 成语 故事 的 名字 叫 做：指鹿为马。
The name of this idiomatic story is “Deer or Horse?” …
渔翁得利 (Yúwēngdélì) Tencent (QQ) vs. 360: The Fisherman benefits.
渔 (yú)：v. to catch fish
渔翁 (yúwēng)：n. fisherman
利 (lì)：n. profit
之 (zhī)：a structural auxiliary word, which means “of…,” more often used in ancient Chinese text
In early November, two of China’s …
