迟到 (chídào) Late (Beginner)
The character “迟 (chí)” means late and “到 (dào)” means to arrive.
Example: A: Lǎobǎn, duìbuqǐ, wǒ chídào le. 老板， 对不起，我 迟到了。
I’m sorry, boss. I’m late.
B: Xià cì yào zhùyì. 下 次 要 注意。
Be careful next time.
Foreigners Challenge Beijing Opera (Advanced) In this video, four foreigners “challenged” the four “京剧 (jīngjù) Beijing Opera” performers by showing off their moves. What these foreigners did is also called “叫板 (jiàobǎn),” which means “to challenge somebody” in daily life. Originally in Beijing Opera, “叫板 …
打折 (dǎzhé) To Give a Discount (Advanced)
The character “打 (dǎ)” means to beat and “折 (zhé)” means fold or discount.
Example: A: Tīngshuō Bǎishèng dǎzhé ne, xiǎng qù kànkan ma? 听说 百盛 打折 呢， 想 去 看看 吗？ I heard that there is sale …
搜索 (sōusuǒ) Search (Intermediate)
Both the characters “搜 (sōu)” and “索 (suǒ)” mean to search.
Example:
Bǎidù shì Zhōngguó zuì dà de sōusuǒ yǐnqíng. 百度 是 中国 最 大 的 搜索 引擎。
Baidu is the biggest search engine in China.
// // …
键盘 (jiànpán) Keyboard (Intermediate) The character “键 (jiàn)” means key and “盘 (pán)” means plate.
Example:
Wǒ wán yóuxì bǎ jiànpán qiāo huài le. 我 玩 游戏 把 键盘 敲 坏 了 。 My keyboard is broken because I play too much games .
旅馆 (lǚguǎn) Hotel (Beginner)
The character “旅 (lǚ)” means trip or travel and “馆 (guǎn)” means place for guests.
Example:
Zhè jiā lǔguǎn bùjǐn jiàgé piányi ěrqiě gānjìng zhěngjié. 这 家 旅馆 不仅 价格 便宜 而且 干净 整洁。 The hotel is not only cheap but …
(cèsuǒ) Toilet (Beginner)
The character “厕 (cè)” means toilet and “所 (suǒ)” means place.
Example:
A: Dǎrǎo yí xià, qǐngwèn fùjìn nǎlǐ yǒu cèsuǒ? A: 打扰 一 下，请问 附近 哪里 有 厕所？
A: Excuse me, could you tell me if there is a toilet …
医院 (yīyuàn) Hospital (Beginner)
The character “医 (yī)” means to cure and “院 (yuàn)” means courtyard
literally, but here it means hospital.
Example: Xījīng yīyuàn shì shǎnxīshěng zuì dà de yīyuàn. 西京 医院 是 陕西省 最 大 的 医院。 Xijing Hospital is the largest hospital …
跑题 (pǎotí) Digress into a Different Subject (Advanced)
The character “跑 (pǎo)” means to run; “题 (tí)” means topic or subject.
Example:
Zhècì zuòwén wǒ hǎoxiàng xiě pǎotí le. 这次 作文 我 好像 写 跑题了。 I seem to digress from the subject in this essay …
户外 (hùwài) Outdoor (Intermediate)
The character “户 (hù)” means door; “外 (wài)” means outside.
Example:
A: Zhège zhōumò zhǔnbèi zěnme guò yɑ? 这个 周末 准备 怎么 过 呀？ Do you have any plans for this weekend?
B: Wǒ xiǎng qù hùwài yùndòng yí xià. 我 …
A Chinese Nursery Rhyme for Children (Beginner)
青蛙歌 (Qīngwā gē) Frog Song
Key Learning Points (Preview):
青蛙 (qīngwā): n frog
嘴 (zuǐ): n mouth
腿 (tuǐ): n leg
Yì zhī qīngwā yì zhāng zuǐ, 一 只 青蛙 一 张 嘴， A frog has one mouth, …
蜗牛 (wōniú) Snail
Listen to the song Key Learning Points (preview):
重 (zhòng): adj heavy and 轻 (qīng): adj light
静 (jìng): adj quiet
: This song is sung by 周杰伦 (Zhōu Jiélún) Jay Chou, a very famous pop singer in China. …
Correct answer: B
Analysis: A. “堵塞 (dǔsè)” are the Chinese characters for “to block.”
Both “堵 (dǔ)” and “塞 (sè)” mean to stop up.
B. “堵车 (dǔchē)” are the Chinese characters for “traffic jam.”
“堵 (dǔ)” means to stop up, and …
Correct answer: C
Analysis: A. “想法 (xiǎngfǎ)” are the Chinese characters for “idea.” “想 (xiǎng)” means to think, and “法 (fǎ)” literally means law.
B. “纪念 (jìniàn)” are the Chinese characters for “to commemorate.” “纪 (jì)” literally means period, and “念(niàn)” …
“Such bad luck! Today I was stuck in a traffic jam on the way to take my
, and I was almost too late.” Do you know how to write the
for “traffic jam” in this sentence? …
A: Thanks to our Chinese teacher we have aced our
. B: Yes, our teacher is the best one. Now I’ve even started to miss him. Have you learned the
for “miss” in this dialogue? A. 想法 …
行李 (xíngli) Luggage/Baggage (Intermediate)
The character “行 (xíng)” means to walk; “李 (lǐ)” means plum or a surname. Example:
Wàichū shí wèi fāngbiàn qǐjiàn jìnliàng shǎo dài xíngli. 外出 时 为 方便 起见 尽量 少 带 行李。
Considering the problem of convenience, you should bring …
太极拳 (tàijíquán) Tai-Chi (Intermediate)
The character “太 (tài)” means too or over; “极 (jí)” means pole or top and “拳 (quán)” means fist. Example:
Tàijíquán liúchuán zhìjīn yǎnhuà chūle bùtóng de liúpài. 太极拳 流传 至今 演化 出了 不同 的 流派。
Tai Chi has spread until …
咖啡 (kāfēi) Coffee (Beginner)
Both the characters “咖 (kā)” and “啡 (fēi)” mean coffee.
Example:
Yǒu rén rènwéi hē kāfēi kěyǐ tíshén ne. 有 人 认为 喝 咖啡 可以 提神 呢。 Some people think that drinking coffee can refresh oneself. // // …
