Nursery Rhyme-The Little Donkey
小毛驴(xiǎo máolǘ) The Little Donkey
Wǒ yǒu yìzhī xiǎo máolǘ wǒ cónglái yě bù qí. 我 有 一只 小 毛驴 我 从来 也 不 骑。 I have a little donkey but I never tried to ride it.
Yǒu yìtiān wǒ xīnxuèláicháo qí zhe qù gǎnjí. …
Popular Words: “奇葩儿子(qípā érzi)”
1. Wang Li met a “奇葩(qípā)” on her way home. That means ___.
A. Wang Li is acquainted with the person
B. Wang Li dislikes the person
C. Wang Li loves the person
2. Zhang Wei’s friends often call him “奇葩(qípā)” ironically. What does it …
“极品老妈(jípǐn lǎomā)” – Best Mom or Worst Mom?
1. If you have “极品(jípǐn)” coffee then it means that___.
A. the coffee is of the best quality.
B. people often drink this kind of coffee in an unconventional way.
C. this kind of coffee is nearly out of use.
2. If we call a …
“潮男(cháonán)”— Wet or Fashionable?
“潮(cháo),” literally means “tide,” and is typically used in phrases related to the tide, such as “潮水(cháoshuǐ) tide” and “涨潮(zhǎngcháo) rising tide” etc.
Examples
Qiántángjiāng de cháoshuǐ hěn yǒumíng. 钱塘江 的 潮水 很 有名。
The tide of Qiantang River is very famous.
Zhǎngcháo de shíhou …
Nursery Rhyme-The Snail And The Orioles
A mén a qián yìkē pútao shù, 阿 门 阿 前 一棵 葡萄 树， There is a grape tree in front of the door, a nèn a nènlǜ de gāng fāyá. 阿 嫩 阿 嫩绿 地 刚 发芽。 germinating just now in tender green buds. …
Heart “软(ruǎn)” vs. Hand “软(ruǎn)” vs. Mouth “软(ruǎn)”
On different occasions, the word “软(ruǎn)” has different meanings. In general, the original meaning of “软(ruǎn)” is soft or flexible, and is the opposite of “硬(yìng) hard.” Example Zhè kuài bù hěn ruǎn. 这 块 布 很 软。
The cloth is so soft. But when …
Answer to the Exercise on the Extended Meaning of “火(huǒ)”
Answer: C In the Chinese language, the original meaning of “火(huǒ)” is fire. Besides the original meaning, the word “火(huǒ)” also has an extended meaning. As an adjective, 火(huǒ) means popular.
Examples
Zhè shì jīnnián zuì huǒ de yìkuǎn yóuxì. 这 是 今年 最 火 …
“辣妈(làmā) Hot Mom”
Generally the word “辣(là)” has different meanings.
As a kind of taste, “辣(là)” means peppery or spicy hot.
Example
Zhè dào cài zhēn là! 这 道 菜 真 辣！ The dish is very spicy!
Another meaning of “辣(là)” is ruthless. It usually describes a person …
Nothing’s Better than “淡定(dàndìng)” to Calm Someone Down!
In China, you will often hear the word “淡定(dàndìng)” used in daily life, on TV and see it a lot on the Internet.
The word “淡定(dàndìng)” means “to calm down or to be at ease about something.”
In a romantic comedy called “十全九美 (shí quán …
Have you ever “吃” (eat) pains? (Advanced)
Let’s look at a little story first:
Shùxué kǎoshì kuài dào le, Lily fēicháng dānxīn, 数学 考试 快 到 了, Lily 非常 担心，
The math exam is coming, and Lily is very worried about it.
yīnwèi tā píngshí xuéxí shùxué jiù hěn chīlì. 因为 她 …
Love Her, Call Her “女神 (nǚshén) Goddess!” (Elementary)
Recently, the variety show called The Happy Camp in China launched several episodes of the program centering on the topic “Who is your ‘女神(nǚshén)’?”.
They invited many famous female stars to the show.
One of them was Maggie Q, who plays the lead female role …
Are you a “Cat” (even if you are not)? (Elementary)
Chinese Zodiac is called 生肖(shēngxiāo). 生(shēng) means birth and 肖(xiāo) means resemblance. There are twelve animals in 生肖(shēngxiāo). Yet where did this idea come from? A convincing theory maintains that using animals to symbolize years started with the totems used by minorities in ancient China. …
Be Careful When Using “eggs” in Mandarin (Elementary)
Let’s look at a dialogue first.(After taking a math exam, Lily and Wang Xiaohong are walking home together.)
Lily: I stink at math. I’m afraid I didn’t pass the exam.
Li Lei: Don’t worry. Doing your best is what matters. Also, I’m sure you will …
The Crow Drinks Water
wūyā hē shuǐ 乌鸦 喝 水
The Crow Drinks Water
Zhèyìnián xiàtiān lǎo yě búxiàyǔ， 这一年 夏天 老 也 不下雨，
It didn’t rain in the summer this year. xiǎohé lǐ hé shuǐtáng lǐ de shuǐ dōu bèi shàigān le。 小河 里 和 水塘 里 的 …
Answers to mini test
1. B
Wǒ xǐhuan qù páshān.
我 喜欢 去 爬山。
I like to go hiking on Sundays.
我(wǒ) is a first-person pronoun used as the subject in a sentence, and 喜欢(xǐhuān) is a verb meaning like and it can be followed by nouns or verbs. …
Answers to mini test
1. Answer: A
大(dà) is an adjective meaning big and its antonym is small which in Chinese is 小(xiǎo). So the correct answer for this test question is A. The choice 水(shuǐ) means water.
Examples:
大: dà
Tāde yǎnjing hěn dà. 她的 眼睛 很 大。…
Two Mouths, One Marriage (Elementary)
Today is Lisa’s wedding day. Lisa’s friends Amy and Celia are attending the celebration. A wedding is supposed to be a happy occasion; however, Celia doesn’t seem very cheerful. What’s wrong with her? Amy’s going to find out.
Nǐ wèishénme bù gāoxìng? Amy：你 为什么 不 …
Lost in song (Elementary)
Television singing contests are becoming more and more popular in China with many TV stations airing competitions watched by millions of viewers. Amy, who loves to sing, attended one such singing contest just yesterday. Let’s take a look at a conversation between her and her …
Refresh Your Life! (Elementary)
The lives of Chinese are changing. As smartphones become more popular, chatting with friends, browsing web pages, and checking microblogs can be done anytime and anywhere.
Harry and Jane are on their way to the mall by bus. They’re having a decent conversation until Jane …
Faster Than Lightning – China’s Lightning Marriage (Elementary)
For many in China, Spring is their favorite season, and that is especially true for lighthearted lovers. Flowers bloom, the sun shines, and balmy breezes ripple across the glassy surfaces of local lakes–it’s the perfect atmosphere for a dream wedding. Spring is a time of …