借书 (jièshū) Borrow a Book
Beginner Level / 初级(chūjí)
Hài, Lily, nĭ qù nǎér ya? A: 嗨，莉莉，你 去 哪儿 呀？ Hi, Lily, Where are you going? Ò, wǒ zhŭnbèi qù túshūguǎn ne , tīngshuō túshūguǎn zuìjìn jìn le yì pī xīnshū, wǒ qù kànkan B: 哦，我 准备 去 图书馆 呢， …
Answer Key – “买东西(mǎi dōngxi)”and “卖东西(mài dōngxi)”
Correct Answer:
In our daily life, we will frequently go the store to buy things. In the process of “买东西(mǎi dōnɡxi) purchasing things” we need will need to communicate with the people who are “卖东西(mài dōngxi) selling things.” We will need to ask the price, …
Answer to Running Late: Using “都(dōu)” and “才(cái)”
Correct Answer: A In the Chinese language, both “都(dōu)” and “才(cái)” can be used as adverbs of degree to indicate that something happened later than expected. In English, this might be expressed by saying “as late as” or “not until.” However, the usages of these …
Answer to What’s Your Specialty? – “特色(tèsè)” or “特点(tèdiǎn)”
Correct Answer: A In the Chinese language, both “特色(tèsè)” and “特点(tèdiǎn)” can be used to indicate a distinctive characteristic, trait, specialty, feature, etc. However, their usages are quite different. 1 “特色(tèsè)” “特色(tèsè)”typically refers to a positive defining characteristic that describes a certain “style,” “taste,” “situation,” …
Answers to Been There, Done That: Using “曾经(céngjīng )” and “已经(yǐjīng)
Answer: A
In the Chinese language, both “曾经(céngjīng)” and “已经(yǐjīng)” can be used to describe a habit, behavior, or action that happened in the past and has already stopped. Both of them can also be used before verbs. However, their meanings are not quite the …
排排坐吃果果(pái pái zuò chī guǒ guǒ) Sit In A Row And Eat Fruit
Pái pái zuò chī guǒ guǒ, 排 排 坐 吃 果 果， We sit in a row and eat fruit, Nǐ yígè, wǒ yígè, 你 一个，我 一个。 One for you and one for me, Mèimei shuìzháo le, 妹妹 睡着 了， Our little sister has …
Why Does “Wearing Red” Bring Good Luck in a Zodiac Year (Ben Ming Nian)?
The Spring Festival is coming up soon and Chinese people are preparing to welcome the Year of the Sheep. It is around this time that you may hear some Chinese people claiming that this coming year is his or her year of fate. What do …
Answer to the exercise on Do you Like to Show off?
Correct Answer: A
Translation of the Dialogue:
Lǐ Míng: John wēibó shàng zǒngshì yǒu hěnduō tā gēn tā nǚpéngyou de zhàopiàn. 李 明： John 微博 上 总是 有 很多 他 跟 他 女朋友 的 照片。 Li Ming: There are always many photos of John and …
Do You Like to Show Off? (Intermediate)
Lǐ Míng: John wēibó shàng zǒngshì yǒu hěnduō tā gēn tā nǚpéngyou de zhàopiàn. 李 明： John 微博 上 总是 有 很多 他 跟 他 女朋友 的 照片。 Xiǎo Wáng: Tā hěn xǐhuan xiù ēn’ài. 小 王： 他 很 喜欢 秀 恩爱。 What does Xiao …
New Catch Phrase – “有钱，任性(yǒuqián, rènxìng)”
If you take a look at Chinese social sites like WeChat and Weibo you will probably notice a number of people who proclaim themselves to “有钱就是任性(yǒuqián jiùshì rènxìng) or “有钱，任性(yǒuqián, rènxìng).” Once you understand the meaning of the phrase you will probably wonder what this …
如意吉祥 (Rúyì jíxiáng) Everything Goes Well
Sòng nǐ yìkē jíxiáng dòu, 送 你 一颗 吉祥 豆， Giving you a good-luck bean, Zhù nǐ jiànkāng. 祝 你 健康。 Wish you good health. Sòng nǐ yìkē rúyì guǒ, 送 你 一颗 如意 果， Giving you a good-luck fruit, Xīn’nián xǐ yángyáng. 新 年 …
包饺子(bāo jiǎozi) – Making Dumplings
Chǎo luóbo, chǎo luóbo, qiē qiē qiē, mǒ diǎn yóu, sǎ diǎn yán, huó diǎn xiàn. 炒 萝卜，炒 萝卜，切 切 切，抹 点 油， 撒 点 盐，和 点 馅。 Stir-fry the carrots, stir-fry the carrots, and chop them up. Then add some oil and salt to …
Answers to the Exercises on The Right Way to Ask Someone’s Age in Mandarin
Answer: B
One thing that we certainly cannot control as time goes by is the fact that our age will never stop increasing. Year by year, the number gets higher. generally, we translate the word “year” as “年(nián).” It is used in phrases such as …
Nursery Rhyme-三只小熊(Sān zhī xiǎoxiónɡ) Three Little Bears
Sān zhī xióng zhù zài yìjiā, 三 只 熊 住 在 一家， Three little bears live in a house, Xióng bàba, xióng māma, xióng bǎobèi. 熊 爸爸，熊 妈妈， 熊 宝贝。 Father bear, mother bear, and baby bear. Xióng bàba a hěn pàng, 熊 爸爸 啊 …
How Good Really Is Mark Zuckerberg’s Mandarin?
Are you a Facebook user? If so, you must know of Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook. However, you may not be aware that he is also a good Chinese speaker. His wife is American-born Chinese, so he has been learning Chinese for …
Answer to the Exercise on Singles’ Day on November 11th in China
Correct Answer: B Chinese people tend to put a lot of importance on numbers and they like to associate different numbers with various meanings. For example, Chinese people have come up with an interesting holiday associated with the day November 11th (11.11). This holiday is …
“没门儿(Méi ménr)” – No Way!
“门(mén)” is a very common Chinese word, but it has more meanings than its basic meaning of “door.” For example, we use phrases like “有门(yǒu mén),” “没门(méi mén),” and “走后门(zǒu hòumén)” which are typically used in their erhua form, as “有门儿(yǒu ménr),” “没门儿(méi ménr),” and …
Nursery Rhyme-我爱小青蛙(Wǒ ài xiǎo qīngwā) I love the Little Frog
Gūguā, gūguā, yìzhī xiǎo qīngwā, 咕呱， 咕呱，一只 小 青蛙， Ribbit, Ribbit, there is a little frog, Gūɡuā, ɡūɡuā, wǒ zuì xǐhuan tā. 咕呱， 咕呱，我 最 喜欢 它。 Ribbit, Ribbit, I love him most of all. Tā de gēshēng měi, tā de shēngyīn dà, 它 的 …
“校花(xiàohuā)”-The Most Beautiful Girl in a School
Think back to your school days and the classmates you went to school with, or are currently going to school with.
Each of us can probably think of at least one boy and girl who were extremely attractive and well-liked.
They may have also been …
“哥们儿(gēmenr)”- Not Brothers but Just Like Brothers
If you have been to northern cities in China such as Beijing and Tianjin, you must be familiar with the following oral expressions: “爷们儿(yémenr),” “姐们儿(jiěmenr),” and “哥们儿(gēmenr).” Actually, these expressions have nothing to do with grandpa, sister or brother as the names might suggest. Rather, …