Levi is a middle school student from Chicago studying in Hong Kong now. One day, he and his mother went to a restaurant for lunch. He noticed that there were no bowls on the table, so he said to the waiter: “Nǐhǎo, máfán gěi wǒ …
“Chinese fever” is “spreading” all over the world. It’s all the rage to learn the language with more than 1.3 billion native speakers, but of course it’s not as easy as snapping your fingers—you need to spend time, time, and more time to learn. Still, …
Learn Chinese Characters
There are over 80,000 Chinese characters, but most of them are seldom used today. So how many Chinese characters do you need to know? For basic reading and writing of modern Chinese, you only need a few thousands. Here are the coverage …
The day before “圣诞节 (shèngdànjié) Christmas”is considered by most churches to be a part of the Christmas holiday. Many Christians attend midnight mass, leading up to and officially beginning the start of Christmas.
Recently, there has been a small change in China: when people greet each other in the morning, instead of simply saying “Good morning”, they type out the sentence “Good morning, laborers.” So, how did the phrase, “打工人(dǎgōng rén) laborer” come into use?
“打(dǎ)” means “to …
Every language and culture has their own metaphors, and often these are shared. When studying Mandarin you’ll learn many colorful and creative metaphors as well as their cultural origins and significance.
Dating back 5,000 years Chinese culture has a plethora of metaphors, some new and …
Key Words: (Preview) 早点 (Zǎodiǎn) Breakfast
点心 (Diǎnxīn) Dim Sum; Dessert; Light Refreshments; Pastries
What is Dim Sum?
So what is “点心 (diǎnxīn) Dim Sum?”
This popular style of Chinese food resonates across the country, with chefs crafting small, bite-sized portions. Typically enjoyed with tea, …
Do you have one of those friends who is just obsessed with something she likes? What about a friend who does nothing but talks about their favorite TV show?” In Chinese, we have a specific slang phrase for this type of manic love for something. …
Answer: C
Analysis:
Nǐ gāngcái zuò shénme le? 你刚才做什么了？ What did you do just now?
Wǒ gāngcái kàn le Chénglóng lìxiǎn jì. 我刚才看了《成龙历险记》 。 I watched Jackie Chan Adventures just now.
歌曲 (Gēqǔ)
舞蹈 (Wǔdǎo)
动画片 (Dònghuàpiān)
“成龙历险记 (Chénglóng lìxiǎn jì) Jackie Chan Adventures” is …
Red Cliff is the site of the most famous military feat in Chinese history – Battle of Red Cliff, but the phrase refers to the first film to re-create the 208 A.D. Battle. However, the functional script has dismantled much of the original story’s dramatic …
Do you have any plans tonight? Why don’t we do something together?
1. A: Wáng Yīng, jīntiān xiàwǔ nǐ yǒu shìr ma? Yìqǐ qù diàoyú zěnmeyàng? B: Xíng a. Qù nǎ’r diào? Which of the following statements is true according to …
When talking about language, people often instantly assume that when you say “Chinese” you mean “Mandarin.” This is because “Mandarin Chinese” is the standard language of China, the world’s #1 spoken language (in terms of native speakers), and the most common language to learn right …
There are some Mandarin Chinese words that just don’t have an exact equivalent in English.
Because when it comes to slang, there are a lot of hidden meanings behind each and every word. And you really have to know the full meaning to be able …
From bankers to factory staff, employees in the West face the bleak prospect of “丢饭碗 (diū fàn wăn) losing one’s jobs” as a global “经济衰退 (jīng jì shuāituì) recession” starts to bite. For colleagues in the East, the pain is more likely to come through …
Although volunteers of the Beijing Olympic Games are mainly Chinese people from Beijing and other Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, as well as from Hong Kong, Macao and Chinese Taipei. There are also a number of foreign volunteers that have been recruited from China …
1. The History of Kung-fu
In Chinese, the term 功夫 (gōngfū) Kung-fu refers to any skill that is acquired through learning or practice. It is a compound word composed of the words 功 (gōng) meaning “work”, “achievement”, or “merit”, and 夫 (fū) which is a …
It’s very likely you have heard of Mahjong before, you might have even played some version of it on the computer or your phone. Or, perhaps you saw the Chinese mafia in movies playing Mahjong.
But, do you know its everyday significance in China?
麻将 …
In case you’ve just started learning Chinese, “traditional Chinese” refers to the characters used before simplification reforms enacted during the second half of the 20th century in Mainland China. This means that traditional characters are still being used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and in many …
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Finding a good Chinese tutor is key if you want to learn the Chinese language correctly and in an effective way, but how do you know if your tutor is the right one for you? Use the following checklist as …
八卦(bāguà) gossip
Yi Jing, also named The Book of Changes, says: “Yin and Yang form Tai Chi; Tai Chi forms two-stage; two-stage forms four-quadrant and four-quadrant forms Eight Diagrams.” A founder of a gossip magazine in Hong Kong thinks that various …
