In this Chinese idiom “爱屋及乌 (àiwūjíwū) Love me, love my dog,” “爱” means “like” or “love;” “屋” refers to “house;” “及” is a conjunction which means “and;” “乌” refers to “乌鸦 (wūyā),” which is “crow.” “爱屋及乌” is a …
Example:
Wǒ ài nǐ! Nǐ kěyǐ zuò wǒ de nǚpéngyǒu mā? A: 我 爱 你！你 可以 做 我 的 女朋友 吗？ I love you! Could you be my girlfriend?
Duìbùqǐ, wǒ yǐjīng yǒu …
Tom says: “This gift is for your birthday, do you like it?”
How should Mary respond to the question?
A. “我要去参加朋友的生日 (Wǒ yào qù cānjiā péngyou de shēngrì)” means “I will take part in my friend’s birthday party.” Obviously, this sentence does not answer the …
Are you looking for “Mr. or Mrs. Right?”
Key Learning Points (Preview):
男朋友 (nánpéngyou): n. boyfriend
喜欢 (xǐhuan): v. to like
谈恋爱 (tánliàn’ài): v. to fall in love
Chinese Conversation (Part I):
A: Zhōumò wǎnshang yí gè rén zài jiā kàn diànshì duō wúliáo a! …
Example:
Yuēhàn, nǐ zuìjìn hànyǔ shuǐpíng kǎoshì zhǔnbèi de zěnmeyàng le? A: 约 翰，你 最近 汉语 水平 考试 准备 的 怎么样 了？ Hi, John, how is your going? HSK preparation
Yìbān. Nǐ ne? B: 一般。你 呢？ Just …
Example:
Qǐng wèn zhèjiàn hóngsè de chènshān duōshǎo qián? A: 请 问 这件 红色 的 衬衫 多少 钱？ Excuse me, how much is this red shirt?
Yìbǎi kuài. B: 一百 块。 One hundred Yuan. Take a Free 1-on-1 …
Chinese Words and Grammar: 还不错！(hái bú cuò!) Not Bad! (Beginner)
Zhècì de hànyǔ yǔfǎ kǎoshì, nǐ kǎo de zěnmeyàng? A: 这次的汉语语法考试，你考的怎么样？
How about your Chinese grammar test this time?
Hái bú cuò. B: 还不错。
Not Bad.
Tài hǎo le! Gōngxǐ nǐ! A: 太好了！恭喜你！
Great! …
Zhè zhǒng fànguī jiù xiāngdāngyú qìchē zhuīwěi, fù zérèn de zǒng shì hòumian de rén. 这 种 犯规 就 相当于 汽车 追尾， 负 责任 的 总 是 后面 的 人。
This kind of foul is like rear-end collision, and the one behind always has to …
Key Learning Points (Preview):
学习 (xuéxí): v to learn/to study
儿子 (érzi): n son
Once upon a time, there was a “淘气 (táoqì) naughty” boy named Mencius. At the beginning, …
HSK Preparation：我忘了 (Wǒ wàng le)
(Beginner)
Example:
Bàba, nǐ gěi wǒ mǎi hànyǔ shuǐpíng kǎoshì ( HSK ) de cānkǎoshū le ma? A: 爸爸，你 给 我 买 汉语 水平 考试 （HSK）的 参考书 了 吗？
Dad, have you bought the HSK reference book …
Origin:
“爆冷门 (bàolěngmén)” appeared first in casinos. Most people put their stakes on the popular side, and the opposite of the popular side got little attention by gamblers. This unpopular side was called “冷门 (lěngmén).” “爆 (bào)” means …
Key Learning Points (Preview):
乌龙球 (wūlóngqiú): n own goal
龙 (lóng): n dragon
On June 14, Simon Poulsen, defender of Denmark’s soccer team, scored an own goal, resulting in Denmark’s loss to Netherlands in 2010 World Cup. Do you know …
初生牛犊不怕虎 (chū shēng niúdú bú pà hǔ) New-born Calves are not Afraid of Tigers
Key Learning Point (Preview): 怕 (pà): v to fear/ be afraid of
Towards the end of Eastern Han Dynasty, “刘备 (Liú Bèi) Liu Bei” captured the city “汉中 (Hànzhōng) Hanzhong” from …
Take a look at this video about a Rich Beggar where you can learn some useful
daily Chinese
expressions:
Scene No. 1: At Home
Nǚ’ér: Gànma a? Bàba, tā dǎ wǒ. 女儿：干嘛 啊？爸爸，他 打我。 Daughter: What are you doing? Dad, he hit me.
Érzi: Wǒ …
一分钱，一分货 (yì fēn qián , yì fēn huò): You get what you pay for (Advanced)
一分钱 (yì fēn qián)means one cent;
一分货 (yì fēn huò)means one point of goods.
Example:
Nǐ zhè tiáo qúnzi zhēn hǎo kàn, duō shǎo qián? A: 你 这 条 裙子 …
吉祥物(jíxiángwù)Mascot(Intermediate) The character “吉祥(jíxiáng)” means lucky and “物 (wù)” means thing or object.
Example:
Shànghǎi shìbóhuì de jíxiángwù hǎo kě’ài ya. A: 上海 世博会 的 吉祥物 好 可爱 呀。 The Shanghai Expo’s mascot is so cute.
Èn, wǒ zhīdào tā de míngzi jiào hǎibǎo, wǒ …
志愿者 (zhìyuànzhě) Volunteer(Intermediate) Example:
A: Nǐ xiǎng qù shìbóhuì dāng zhìyuànzhě mɑ? A: 你 想 去 世博会 当 志愿者 吗？ A: Do you want to be a volunteer for the Shanghai Expo?
B: Dāngrán xiǎng ā, wèi shìbó gòngxiàn zìjǐ yí fèn wēibó de lìliàng, …
滥竽充数 (Lànyúchōngshù) Fill a Post without Real Qualifications (Beginner)
Key Learning Point (Preview):
数 (shǔ/shù): v/n count/number
In the Warring States Period of China, a king named Qixuan liked listening to the “合奏 (hézòu) instrumental ensemble” of Yu (an instrument in ancient China). The more …
Fan is an instrument for producing a current of air and people use it to keep cool in hot summers. But do you know that fans can also be weapons in martial arts?
In many Chinese martial arts novels and dramas, “扇子 (shànzi) fans” are …
Analysis:
A. “你好吗 (nǐhǎoma)” is the Chinese phrase for “how are you.”
B. “晚上好 (wǎnshànghǎo)” is the Chinese expression for “good evening.”
C. “你是谁 (nǐshìshéi)” is the Chinese phrase for “who are you.”
D. “早上好 (zǎoshànghǎo)” is the Chinese phrase for “good …
