Quite often, I receive messages from parents outside China who would like some guidance and suggestions on how to motivate their children to learn Mandarin Chinese and what goals to set. While standardized tests may only motivate some students, I do find that the AP …
Expressing emotion is difficult enough but trying to say how you feel in another language is a whole new challenge. Here is a Chinese slang expression that reveals feelings of frustration and aggravation. For instance, most of us have faced this situation: You are typing …
Answer: B Zhè tiānqì kě zhēn bù hǎo! Jack: 这 天 气 可 真 不 好 ！ This weather is really bad!
Shì a! Fēng zǒng shì zhème guā, zhēn shāng nǎojīn. Lily: 是 啊！风 总 是 这 么 刮， 真 伤 脑 筋。 Yes! …
Western breakfast in Chinese terms.
1. A: John, wǒmen míngtiān zǎocān chī màipiàn, zěnmeyang? B: Wǒ bù xiǎng chī màipiàn, wǒ xiǎng chī niúnǎi hé miànbāoquān. What does John want to eat for breakfast tomorrow? Please choose the best answer. A. …
Lǐ huá tèbié xiǎng mǎi zhè ____ xié, dànshì tā de jiǎo tài dà. 李 华 特别 想 买 这 ____ 鞋，但 是 他 的 脚 太 大。 A. 把 (Bǎ)
B. 双 (Shuāng)…
Answer: B Analysis: Lǐ huá tèbié xiǎng mǎi zhè shuāng xié, dànshì tā de jiǎo tài dà. 李 华 特别 想 买 这 双 鞋，但 是 他 的 脚 太 大。 Li Hua really want to buy this pair of shoes, but his feet are …
If you’re ever planning on living in China and understanding Mandarin Chinese, a working knowledge of Chinese words with both literal and figurative meanings will be absolutely necessary to follow the topic and direction of the conversation.
If we are learning through books or outdated …
Answer: B Analysis: 泡沫 (Pàomò): foam, froth.
价格泡沫 (Jiàgé pàomò): price bubble.
金融 (Jīnróng): finance.
Housing prices for buying and renting in cities such as Shanghai and Beijing are famously expensive. Some speculators and economists say that the prices overly high and that one day …
As we all know, rice is a very common food in China. We eat it all the time! If you look at the amount of chopsticks we use it to eat every year, you can see it is a staple in our diet and our …
Answer: B Analysis: Nǐ zhēn shì gè fàntǒng a, zhème jiǎndān de tí dōu bú huì! 你 真 是 个
啊, 这 么 简 单 的 题 都 不 会！ You are a good for nothing, you can’t even answer a simple question!…
April Fools’ Day is fast approaching! Have you prepared the surprise for your friends?
1. A: Rachel, you told me you wrecked my car! It looks fine to me…what’s wrong with you? B: Hàha, jīntiān shì Yúrénjié! Yúrénjié kuàilè! Which of …
1. A 2. C 3. A 4. A 5. B <<Back to “Video Lesson: April Fool’s Day!” …
1. Choose the best answer to fill in the blanks. Jīntiān jiàn le xīn péngyǒu Lily, wǒ ____ tā de yìnxiàng _____. 今 天 见 了 新 朋 友 Lily，我 ____ 她 的 印 象 _____。
A. 使 (shǐ)，很好 (hěnhǎo) B. 让 (ràng)，很好 (hěnhǎo) C. …
Answer: C Analysis: Jīntiān jiàn le xīn péngyǒu Lily, wǒ duì tā de yìnxiàng hěn hǎo. 今 天 见 了 新 朋 友 Lily，我 对 她 的 印 象 很好。 I met my new friend Lily today and I was very impressed with her.
“A+ 对+B+印象+好/不好” is a fixed grammar structure in Chinese which means “A …
There is one word that I ALWAYS teach my students when they are new to Chinese culture. As with any country/culture, relationship is everything. To interact with meaning with those around you, it’s essential you have an understanding of how business, interpersonal, familial and other …
Answer: A
In sentences, we usually use this structure: Someone + 找/托 + 关系+ do something. Lily shì zhǎo guānxi mǎi de fángzi. Lily 是 找 关 系 买 的 房 子。 Lily bought the house by using Guanxi.
As you may know, colors hold an important role in the use of language in Chinese culture.
The color “红 (hóng) red” is associated with fortune and good luck.
The color “白 (bái) white” represents death and decay.
“黑 (hēi) black” can represent integrity, but …
Answer: B Analysis: Remember, describing a plan as being “yellow 黄 (huáng)” doesn’t mean that things will literally be the color yellow. When plans are “黄了 (huáng le)”, such as Neil and Judy’s marriage plan, as described by Tom, it means that the plans have …
A: 你的汉语真好！
B: 谢谢！我学汉语一 ______ 多了。 A. 年
B. 分
C. 时
