I’m Serious. (Beginner) 我说真的。（初级）
Example:
Xià zhōu wǒ yào hé nǐ de hǎo péngyǒu jiéhūn le. A: 下 周 我 要 和 你 的 好 朋友 结婚 了。
I’m going to marry your best friend next week. Nǐ zài kāiwánxiào ba? B: 你 在 开玩笑 吧？
Are you kidding? …
Mandarin Essentials
Chinese Mini-Test: I will meet you (Intermediate)
Intermediate Level 中级 (zhōngjí)
A: Can you come to my house at 9:00 AM tomorrow morning? B: Sure! I’ll meet you at your house. How do you say “I will meet you” in Chinese? A. 我见面你 (wǒ jiànmiàn nǐ) B. 我你见面 (wǒ nǐ jiànmiàn) C. …
Mini-test Answers: 我和你见面 (Intermediate)
Intermediate Level 中级 (zhōngjí)
The correct answer for this Chinese test is C.
Analysis:
In daily life, we use “我和你见面 (wǒ hé nǐ jiànmiàn),” which is answer C. We don’t use “我见面你 (wǒ jiànmiàn nǐ)” and “你见面我 (nǐ jiànmiàn wǒ),” because they are grammatically incorrect. …
Quote of the Week (Jan. 17th, 2011)
Àiqíng shì yìzhǒng xiūxíng, shēnghuó yěshì yìzhǒng xiūxíng, xiūxíng, jiùshì yào xuéhuì 爱情 是 一种 修行， 生活 也是 一种 修行， 修行， 就是 要 学会 miànduì, jiēshòu, kuānróng, lǐjiě, rènmìng. 面对、 接受、 宽容、 理解、认命。
Love is cultivation, and life is also cultivation. Cultivation is to learn …
Popular Chinese Word 涨
Popular Chinese Word 涨 (zhǎng)
Chinese character “涨 (zhǎng)” is made up of the radical “氵” relating to water and the remaining part “张 (zhāng),” which is a character usually used for a surname. “涨 (zhǎng)” has two basic meanings in Mandarin language. First, it …
The Sooner the Better! (Beginner) 越快越好!（初级）
越快越好! (Yuè kuài yuè hǎo!) The Sooner the Better! (Beginner) Example: Nǐ qù tōngzhī tā dào wǒ de bàngōngshì lái! Yuè kuài yuè hǎo! A: 你 去 通知 她 到 我 的 办公室 来！ 越 快 越 好！
Tell her to come to my office! …
Well Done! (Beginner) 干得漂亮！（初级）
干得漂亮！(Gàn de piàoliang!) Well Done!
(Watch this video and learn another way to say “well done” in Chinese.)
Example:
Bàba, wǒ ná le xuéxiào jiēwǔ bǐsài yī děng jiǎng! A: 爸爸，我 拿了 学校 街舞 比赛 一 等 奖！
Bravo! Well done!
Related Post: …
May I Ask What Your Surname Is? (Beginner) 请问您贵姓？（初级）
请问您贵姓？(Qǐng wèn nín guì xìng?)
May I Ask What Your Surname Is?
Example:
Nín hǎo! Wǒ shì S gōngsī de Jim, qǐng wèn nín guì xìng? A: 您 好！ 我 是 S 公司 的 Jim，请 问 您 贵 姓？
Hello! I’m Jim from company S.
… Chinese Mini-Test: Feel better? (Beginner)
Beginner Level 初级 (chūjí)
A: I heard you caught a cold. Feel better now? B: Yes, thanks. What does “feel better?” mean in Chinese in this conversation? A. 好点了吗 (hǎo diǎn le ma) B. 更好的 (gèng hǎo de) C. 挺好的 (tǐng hǎo de) D. 感到好些 …
Mini-test Answer: 好点了吗？ (Beginner)
Beginner Level 初级 (chūjí)
The correct answer for this Mandarin mini-test is A.
Analysis: A. 好点了吗 (hǎo diǎn le ma) means “Feel better?”
B. 更好的 (gèng hǎo de) means “better.”
C. 挺好的 (tǐng hǎo de) means “It’s quite good!”
D. 感到好些 (gǎn dào hǎo xiē) …
Quote of Week (Jan. 6, 2011)
Wǒ rènwéi fūqī yīnggāi wánquán píngděng. 我 认为 夫妻 应该 完全 平等。 Fūqī yìjiàn yíyàng shí tīng zhàngfu de, fūqī yìjiàn bù tóng shí tīng tàitai de. 夫妻 意见 一样 时 听 丈夫 的，夫妻 意见不 同 时 听 太太 的。
I think a husband and …
Word of the Year in China (2010)-给力 (Advanced)
Learn the Hottest Phrase in China–给力
Key Learning Points (Preview)
给力 (gěilì): adj. cool/great
流行 (liúxíng): adj. popular
“给力 (gěilì)” was probably one of the most “流行 (liúxíng) popular” new phrases in theChinese language in 2010. It is an expression deriving from the Manlam dialect …
Congratulations! (Beginner) 恭喜！（初级）
恭喜! (Gōngxǐ!) Congratulations! (Beginner) Example: A: Wǒ de zhè cì kǎoshì chéngjì zǒngfēn tígāo le 30 fēn! A: 我 的 这 次 考试 成绩 总分 提高 了 30 分！ A: My total score in this exam has improved by 30 points! B: Gōngxǐ! Nǐ tài …
Let me think. (Beginner) 我想想。（初级）
我想想。(Wǒ xiǎngxiǎng.) Let me think. (Beginner) Example:
Nǐ yuànyì jià gěi wǒ ma? A: 你 愿意 嫁 给 我 吗？ Will you marry me?
Wǒ xiǎngxiǎng. B: 我 想想。 Let me think! Take a Free 1-on-1 live online business Chinese lesson with our professional teachers …
Top Three Blockbuster Chinese Movies for the New Year Holidays (Advanced)
Top Three Blockbuster Chinese Movies for the New Year Holidays Key Learning Points (Preview):
牺牲 (xīshēng) v. / n. sacrifice
传奇 (chuánqí) n. legend
The New Year is coming! And dozens of movies are coming out in theaters. Amongst them, the three following movies are …
Quote of Week (Dec. 31, 2010)
Hūnyīn zěnme xuǎn dōu shì cuò de, chángjiǔ de hūnyīn jiùshì jiāngcuòjiùcuò. 婚姻 怎么 选 都 是 错 的， 长久 的 婚姻 就是 将错就错。
No matter how you choose to marry, it’s a mistake. To stay married long-term is to make the best of the …
Chinese Mini-Test: Snow (Beginner)
Beginner Level 初级 (chūjí)
It’s as white as sugar, but not sweet. It is as white as salt, but not salty. You can often see it in winter, but never in summer. Do you know what the answer to this riddle is in Chinese? A. …
Mini-test Answer: 雪 (Beginner)
Beginner Level 初级 (chūjí)
The correct answer to the riddle is A.
Analysis:
A. 雪 (xuě) means “snow.”
B. 雨 (yǔ) means “rain.”
C. 霜 (shuāng) means “frost.”
D. 雷 (léi) means “thunder.”
// // …
How’s everything? (Intermediate) 一切还好吧？（中级）
一切还好吧？(Yíqiè hái hǎo ba?) How’s everything?
Example:
Hěn jiǔ bú jiàn! Yíqiè hái hǎo ba? A：很 久 不 见！ 一切 还 好 吧？
Haven’t seen you for a long time! How’s everything? Fēicháng hǎo! Nǐ ne? B： 非常 好！你 呢？
Couldn’t be better! How about …
Happy New Year! (Beginner) 新年快乐！（初级）
新年快乐！(Xīnnián kuàile!) Happy New Year!
Example:
Xīnnián kuàile! Zhù nǐ xīn de yì nián lǐ wànshìrúyì. A：新年 快乐！祝 你 新 的一 年 里 万事如意！
Happy New Year! I wish you all the best in the coming new year. Xièxie! Nǐ yě yíyàng. B：谢谢！你 也 一 …