“Your Chinese is probably the worst in the class.”
A classmate said jokingly to my close friend in a study abroad program. Although her Chinese was not the best, it definitely wasn’t the worse. Yet, she took his teasing very personally and I am pretty …
As a Mandarin Chinese teacher, I’ve noticed that many of my foreign students use Chinese in conversation as much as possible, but by instinct they will usually use English or other non-Chinese expressions such as “oh my god!”, “just a minute” or “thank goodness!” when …
A perk of being a Chinese learner, is knowing such a hard language and being impressive to others without trying. I am not tooting my own horn here, you have probably been getting the positive reactions already! To many, especially native English speakers, Chinese characters …
After looking at the photo above are your eyes feeling spicy?
What I mean is, does it feel like a pepper has been squirted in your eye?
In Chinese, there is a fabulous internet phrase to describe when you are looking at something awful: 辣眼睛 …
Answer: B Tā lái dào jiàoshì, jīngyà de fāxiàn jiàoshì lǐ yī gè rén dōu méiyǒu. 他 来 到 教室， 惊讶 地 发现 教室 里 一 个 人 都 没有。 When he got to the classroom, he was surprised to find that there wasn’t a …
It’s no secret that international businesses are always looking to hire people who can speak multiple languages. As the Chinese economy has grown rapidly over the past decades, more and more companies are eager to seek employees that can speak Mandarin Chinese. Additionally, international traders …
There is an old English expression that describes people as sometimes being: “Packed like sardines in a tin.” Eventually, this expression was shortened down to the adjective “packed”, which is now the most likely-used word to describe a crowded place, or the scenario of people …
As the old English expression goes: “A fool and his money are soon parted.” Some people have “deeper pockets” than others. Often, those people with the deep pockets are surrounded by others who sense that heavy wallet and will take advantage of that person’s financial …
This September, engineers and designers in the Chinese city of Chengdu, Sichuan province successfully tested the first battery-powered suspended urban railway 空铁 (kōngtiě). This November, the “hanging” train was actually put into use! The train carries 120 passengers and can travel at a top speed …
Answer: 1. B
A. 房奴 (fángnú) “房奴 (fángnú)” mortgage slave is used to describe those people who have to pay significant portion of their monthly salary toward mortgage payment. In order to pay off the mortgage, they dare not easily change their jobs. …
Do you know anyone that just doesn’t seem to learn from their mistakes? Someone who refuses to adapt and change for the better? Maybe they are a bit stubborn and hardheaded, too? We all know these types…maybe we can even see one in the mirror!…
If you are soon moving to China or already living there, it is possible that you will need to rent an apartment. For some people, such as English teachers, an apartment might be included in their contract. Students may live in dorms, which is prepared …
Recently, a video of some misbehaving children in Henan Province, China went viral throughout the Chinese cyberworld. Some kids on a public bus were recorded on CCTV video footage dancing and swinging from the hanging straps. It all seemed like innocent “horse play” until one …
On Tuesday, November 8th 2016, the United States will elect a new president to begin serving in January of 2017. The two candidates this year are Donald Trump, representing the Republican Party and Hillary Clinton, representing the Democratic Party. These two candidates received more votes …
A recent study named men in Shanghai as the most submissive, or “henpecked,” in China. The English term “henpecked” is often used to describe these males whose feathers have been “plucked” by their women (his hen). These “henpecked” husbands and boyfriends are controlled by their …
When British singer Adele announced her 2016 concert tour, more than 10 million fans swarmed the Ticketmaster.com website to buy tickets to see the megastar performer. Many of those 10 million ticket buyers were “scalpers,” or “黄牛党 (huángniúdǎng).” “黄牛党 (huángniúdǎng) ticket scalpers” are people who …
In western countries, especially in North America, “automobile culture” has been the way of life for decades. Teenagers often save up for their first car and many Americans have never been on a train or a public bus. Of course, there are exceptions, but for …
When you think about China, you may imagine dumplings, The Great Wall, towering skyscrapers, and almost certainly the enormous crowds that can be found here! The Chinese love to get out and explore their public places and tourist attractions. Often, these places quickly become …
Since China’s dramatic and successful hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games “奥运会 (Aoyùnhuì),” the Chinese people have considered The Olympics as a point of pride for their country. The Beijing games, and its colorful opening ceremony, captured the attention of the world and are still …
